JOURNALISM 


IN  THE 


UNITED  STATES, 


FROM     1690    TO    1872. 


BY   FREDERIC   HUDSON. 


NEW    YORK: 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN  SQUARE. 
1873. 


THE    PRESS, 

The  Argus  of  the  World,  the  Ear-Gallery  of  the  Globe,  the  Reporter  of 
the  Universe. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872,  by 

HARPER  &.  BROTHERS, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


THESE    SKETCHES 

ARE 

RESPECTFULLY     INSCRIBED 

TO  THE 

JOURNALISTS 

OF  THE 

UNITED   STATES    OF   AMERICA. 


NOTE. 

THE  reader  will  find  various  styles  of  typography  and  various 
modes  of  spelling  proper  names  and  words  on  the  pages  of  this 
•work.  Our  purpose  has  been  to  follow  the  fashion  of  printing  which 
prevailed  at  the  time  the  newspapers,  from  which  extracts  have  been 
taken,  were  printed,  and  also  to  adhere  to  the  orthography  of  those 
journals  as  indulged  in  during  the  whole  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
This  will  be  particularly  observable  in  the  advertisements  of  the 
almanacs  which  appeared  towards  the  close  of  that  century,  in  which, 
as  well  as  in  other  instances,  we  have  endeavored  to  give  an  idea  of 
the  manner  of  display  prevalent  at  the  time. 

A 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION Page  xv 

OUR  OWN  OPENING xxi 

THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPERS  IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  Proof-  Sheet. — News  Circulars  and  Letters. — The  Newspaper. — The  first 
in  the  World.— The  first  in  America.— The  Prospectus.— The  Official  Organ. 
— The  Journal. — Advertisements. — The  Penny  Press. — News-boys. — Now  and 
Then. . .  xxviii 


NEWSPAPERS  IN  AMERICA. 
FIRST   ERA. 

1690— IWk. 

THE  BEGINNING  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 
THE  INITIAL  NEWSPAPER. 

Harris's  Publick  Occurrences  in  Boston. — Its  Editor  and  Publisher. — Its  Con- 
tents.— Its  one  Day's  Existence. — The  reprinted  London  Gazette  in  New  York, 
by  William  Bradford 43 


SECOND   ERA. 

170U— VIA. 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS. 

CHAPTER  II. 
THE  EARLY  PRESS  OF  BOSTON  AND  PHILADELPHIA. 

The  Boston  News-Letter. — Dependence  of  Printers  on  the  Authorities. — John 
Campbell. — His  News  Circulars. — The  early  Postmasters  the  first  Editors. — 
Circulation  of  the  News-Letter. — The  first  Reporting. — Home  Intelligence. — 
Appeals  to  Subscribers. — Boston  Gazette  and  Philadelphia  Mercury. — William 
Brooker. — James  and  Benjamin  Franklin. — Andrew  Bradford. — Conflicts  with 
the  governing  Classes. — The  first  Newspaper  War. — Busy  Body. — The  Orig- 
inal Jenkins. — Fashions.  —  Troubles  with  the  Clergy.  —  Increase  and  Cotton 
Mather. — Imprisonment  of  James  Franklin,  etc 51 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER  IN   NEW  YORK. 

The  Gazette. — Its  Commencement  by  William  Bradford. — The  Bible. — Premi- 
ums for  Subscribers. — New  England  Weekly  Journal. — Samuel  Kneeland. — 
The  Mails. — Difficulties  in  circulating  Newspapers. — Style  of  Writers,  etc . .  72 


iv  Contents. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REAPPEARANCE  OF  THE   FRANKLINS. 

The  Way  Benjamin  Franklin  started  a  Paper  in  Philadelphia. — Samuel  Keimer. 
— The  Pennsylvania  Gazette. — The  Fleets  in  Boston. — Mother  Goose  Melodies. 
— The  Fashions. — More  Trouble  with  the  Authorities. — Boston  Evening  Post. 
— Zenger's  New  York  Journal.  —  Arrest  of  Zenger.  —  The  first  Libel  Suit  in 
America.  —  Andrew  Hamilton's  great  Speech. — The  popular  Verdict. — The 
Joy  of  the  People. — The  Dawn  of  Liberty. — The  New  York  Gazette. — William 
Bradford. — The  Post-Boy. — James  Parker. — Personal  Description  of  an  early 
New  York  Editor. — James  Franklin  in  Newport. — The  Rhode  Island  Gazette. 
— Newport  then  and  now,  etc ". .  Page  77 

CHAPTER  V. 
THE  PRESS  AT  THE  SOUTH. 

Commencement  in  South  Carolina. — The  Gazette. — The  first  Newspaper  in  Vir- 
ginia.—The  Gazette.— Boston  Weekly  Post  -  Boy.— Ellis  Huske.— The  Brad- 
fords  of  Pennsylvania. — The  Stamp  Act. — Indignation  in  Printing  -  offices. — 
John  Hughes,  the  Stamp  Commissioner. — Carriers'  Addresses. — The  first  Pa- 
per in  Maryland. — The  Gazette  again. — Toujours  Perdrix. — Very  old  Printing- 
press. — The  Beginning  of  the  German  Newspapers,  etc 96 


THIRD   ERA. 

171.8— 1783. 
THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PRESS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE   PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  NEWSPAPERS. 

Our  Patriotic  Editors  and  Publishers. — The  Sons  of  Liberty. — Who  Wrote  for 
the  Newspapers.— Opening  of  the  Revolutionary  Ball. — The  Boston  Independ- 
ent Advertiser. — Samuel  Adams. — New  York  Mercury. — Hugh  Gaine's  Ga- 
zette.— Philip  Freneau,  the  Poet. — The  Adamses, Warrens,  and  Quincys. — Bos- 
ton Gazette. — Shed's  Grocery  -  store. — Boston  Massacre. — Throwing  the  Tea 
overboard.  —  Imprisonment  of  Daniel  Fowle.  —  Newport  (R.I.)  Mercury. — 
James  Franklin,  Jr. — Ann  Franklin. — The  Franklin  Printing-presses. — Impris- 
onment of  Alexander  M'Dougall,  etc. 102 

CHAPTER  VII. 
SPREAD  OF  THE   REVOLUTIONARY   SPIRIT. 

The  Connecticut  Courant. — Scarcity  of  Rags  for  Paper-mills. — Appeals  for  old 
Cotton  and  Linen.  —  Curiosities  of  the  old  Rag  Shops.  —  History  repeating 
itself. — The  American  Rag-bag. — The  Maryland  Gazette. — Charles  Carroll,  of 
Carrollton. — The  Virginia  Resolutions. — Mottoes  and  Devices. — Opinions  of 
Sir  William  Berkeley  and  Henry  A.  Wise. — New  York  Journal. — Alexander 
M'Dougall. — Royal  Gazetteer. — James  Rivington. — Attack  on  Rivington's  Of- 
fice.— Alexander  Hamilton. — Boston  Chronicle. — John  Mein.— Salem  Gazette. 
— Harvard  College. — Nathaniel  Willis,  etc 113 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE   REVOLUTIONARY  CRISIS. 

The  Massachusetts  Spy. — Isaiah  Thomas. — The  British  Organ. — Massachuset- 
tensis. — Join  or  Die. — Paul  Revere's  Midnight  Ride. — The  Concord  Fight. — 
Worcester  Spy. — Rivington's  Royal  Gazette. — Curious  Interview  with  Colonel 
Ethan  Allen. — Major  Andre  and  the  Cow  Chase. — Freneau's  Satires,  etc.  127 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
CLOSE   OF  THE   REVOLUTIONARY   PERIOD. 

Increase  of  Newspapers. — The  Independent  Chronicle. — Death  of  General  War- 
ren.— William  Gordon,  the  Historian. — Publication  of  Histories  and  Geogra- 
phies.— -New  York  Packet. — Samuel  Loudon. — Death  of  James  Otis. — News- 
papers in  New  Jersey. — The  first  New  York  Directory. — The  Greenbacks  of 
the  last  Century. — Number  of  Papers  printed  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
Struggle,  etc Page  136 


FOURTH   ERA. 

1783— 1832. 
THE  POLITICAL  PARTY  PRESS. 

CHAPTER  X. 
ORGANIZATION   OF  THE  GREAT  POLITICAL  PARTIES. 

After  the  Revolution. — The  Beginning  of  the  Federal  and  Republican  Parties. — 
Metternich's  Opinion. — Stamp  Acts. — Names  of  Cliques. — Contributors  to  the 
Press. — Newspapers  in  Existence. — Independent  Gazette. — American  Citizen. 
— James  Cheetham. — State  of  Society. — Aaron  Burr's  Suit  against  the  Citizen. 
— Theatre  in  New  York. — "  Vivat  Respublica." — Box  8s.,  Pit  6s.,  Gallery  4^-. — 
Massachusetts  Centinel. — Major  Benjamin  Russell. — Shay's  Rebellion. — Fed- 
eral Constitution. — Real  and  imaginary  Processions. — The  War  of  Editors. — 
King  Louis  Philippe. — The  Black  Cockade. — Death  of  the  Federal  Party. — 
Gerrymandering. — New  Hampshire  Gazette. — Connecticut  Courant 141 

CHAPTER  XL 

THE  NEWSPAPERS  ON  THE  PENDING  QUESTIONS. 

The  Restoration  of  the  Tories  to  Citizenship. — Society  of  Cincinnati. — The  Alien 
and  Sedition  Laws.  — Virginia  Resolutions. — Prosecutions  of  Newspapers. — 
Law  of  Libel  in  Massachusetts. — The  Common  Law  of  England  "  the  Birth- 
right of  every  American." — Benjamin  Austin  and  Thomas  O.  Selfridge. — As- 
sassination of  Charles  Austin. — The  Massachusetts  Stamp  Act. — Tax  on  Ad- 
vertisements.— Benjamin  Edes  and  Isaiah  Thomas. — Worcester  Spy. — Ameri- 
can Titles. — The  Rise  and  Fall  of  Newspapers. — The  first  Express. — Salem 
Register  and  Salem  Gazette. — Chief  Justice  Story  on  Newspaper  Personal- 
ities    158 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  FIRST   DAILY  NEWSPAPERS. 

The  American  Daily  Advertiser  of  Philadelphia. — Zachariah  Poulson. — The  New 
York  Daily  Advertiser. — Washington  in  New  York. — Freneau. — The  Portland 
Daily  Courier. — Junius  and  the  Federalist. — When  and  where  published. — 
Interesting  Incidents. — New  York  Gazette. — John  Lang. — Shipping  News. — 
Old  Lang's  Sign. — United  States  Gazette  and  North  American  of  Philadelphia. 
— John  Fenno. — Joseph  R.  Chandler. — Newspaper  Enterprise. — Ten  Journals 
in  one. — Impartial  Intelligencer 1 75 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
NOTABLE  JOURNALS. 

National  Gazette  of  Philadelphia. — The  celebrated  Philip  Fr'eneau. — Organ  of 
Thomas  Jefferson. — Violent  Attacks  on  Washington.  —  His  Complaints  in 
Cabinet  Council. — New  York  Time-piece. — Matthew  L.  Davis. — Newspapers 
in  New  Jersey.  —  Massachusetts  Mercury.  —  "Immutably  Impartial."  —  Harry 
Blake,  the  Ship-news  Compiler. — Incidents  in  his  Life. — Topliff's  News-room 


vi  Contents. 


in  Boston.  —  Noah  Webster.  —  New  York  Commercial  Advertiser.  —  Colonel 
William  L.  Stone.  —  Anecdote  of  James  G.  Percival.  —  Thurlow  Weed  and 
Hugh  Hastings 185 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  PRESS  AT  THE  WEST. 

The  Centinel  of  the  Northwestern  Territory. — First  Journalist  of  the  Northwest. 
— Posmasters  as  Publishers. — Western  Spy  and  Sol.  Smith. — Newspapers  in 
Cincinnati. — The  Gazette. — Charles  Hammond. — The  first  daily  Paper. — In- 
troduction of  Steam  Presses. — Symmes's  Hole. — Horse  Expresses. — Cash  Re- 
ceipts of  Newspapers. — Cincinnati  Commercial. — Murat  Halsted. — The  Thom- 
ases in  Journalism.  —  Cincinnati  Chronicle  and  Times.  —  Ohio  Statesman.— 
Newspapers  in  Indiana  and  Missouri.  —  St.  Louis  Republican.  —  Sale  of  the 
Democrat. — Journalism  in  Chicago. — War  with  the  Blondes. — The  Press  in 
Wisconsin. — Thurlow  Weed  and  William  L.  Stone. — Newspapers  in  Kansas. — 
The  Frontier  Index,  etc Page  195 

CHAPTER  XV. 
TWO  REMARKABLE  NEWSPAPERS. 

The  Philadelphia  Aurora. — Benjamin  Franklin  Bache  and  William  Duane. — Sav- 
age Attack  on  Washington. — Curious  Incident  in  India. — Expulsion  of  Duane. 
— The  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws. — Trials  and  Convictions  of  Editors. — Serious 
Riots  in  Philadelphia.  —  Alexander  Hamilton's  Libel  Suit  against  the  New 
York  Argus. — New  York  Evening  Post. — William  Coleman. — Extraordinary 
Duel. — Interesting  Coincident. — Theodore  Dwight. — Fitz  Greene  Halleck  and 
John  Rodman  Drake. — William  Cullen  Bryant  and  William  Leggett. — The 
Food  of  an  Editor. — The  Bee  and  Columbian. — Newspaper  Circulation. — Gales 
and  Seaton. — James  Montgomery,  the  Poet. — The  Lay  Preacher,  etc 210 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  OFFICIAL  ORGANS  IN  WASHINGTON. 

The  Organs  of  the  World— The  first  Newspaper  in  the  National  Capital.— Na- 
tional Intelligencer.— Gales  and  Seaton. — Organs  of  the  Government. ^-Con- 
gressional Printing.  — National  Journal.  — Advent  of  Jackson.— The  United 
States  Telegraph  and  Duff  Green. — The  Quarrel  of  Jackson  and  Calhoun.— 
Thomas  H.  Benton.— The  Globe. — Francis  P.  Blair  and  Amos  Kendall.— John 
C.  Rives. — The  Spectator  and  Constitution.  —  Intrigues  and  Incidents. — The 
Union. — Thomas  Ritchie. — Congressional  Globe. — Interesting  Reminiscences. 
— The  Nullification  Proclamation.— The  Madisonian. — The  Republic. — News- 
papers of  To-day,  etc 230 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  DEMOCRATIC  TRIUMVIRATE. 

The  Charleston  (S.  C.)  Courier,  James  Gordon  Bennett's  Newspaper  Cradle. — 
Morning  Chronicle  of  New  York. — Washington  Irving  and  Charles  Dickens. 
— Jonathan  Oldstyle  and  Boz. — Singular  Duel. — Harry  Croswell,  of  the  Hud- 
son Balance. — Suit  against  him  for  an  Attack  on  Jefferson. — Opinions  of  Alex- 
ander Hamilton. — The  Triumvirate. — Richmond  Enquirer. — Thomas  Ritchie. 
— Andrew  Jackson  on  Ritchie. — Tragical  Duel  between  John  H.  Pleasants  and 
Thomas  Ritchie,  Jr. — New  Hampshire  Patriot  and  Isaac  Hill. — "Origin"  of  the 
War  on  the  United  States  Bank. — The  Albany  Register  and  Solomon  South- 
wick. — Nathaniel  H.  Carter. — Mobbing  the  Baltimore  Republican. — The  Alba- 
ny Argus  and  Edwin  Croswell. — Public  Printing. — The  Regency. — Judge  Kent 
on  Newspapers. — James  Gordon  Bennett  and  the  Courier  and  Enquirer. .  262 


Contents.  vii 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  NATIONAL  ADVOCATE  AND  ENQUIRER. 

Troubles  of  Politicians. — New  Party  Organs. — The  Advocate. — Henry  Wheaton. 
— Henry  Eckford. — The  Enquirer. — Major  Noah. — Washington  Correspond- 
ence and  James  Gordon  Bennett. — Horace  Walpole's  Letters. — Niblo's  Coffee- 
house.— The  Duel  between  William  Graham  and  Dr.  Barton. — Ingathering  of 
the  Jews  at  Grand  Island. — The  City  of  Ararat. — Noah's  grand  Procession  and 
Oration. — Evening  Star. — Newspaper  Editors  in  General Page  282 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
THE  RELIGIOUS  PRESS. 

Origin  of  religious  Journalism. — The  first  in  the  Field.  —  Chillicothe  Recorder 
and  John  Andrews. — Boston  Recorder  and  Nathaniel  Willis. — Autobiography 
of  Willis. — The  Claims  of  Sidney  E.  Morse. — New  York  Observer. — Watch- 
man and  Reflector. — Zion's  Herald. — Christian  Register. — Christian  Herald. — 
Christian  Advocate. — Tilt  between  the  Evangelist  and  Independent. — Chris- 
tian Union. — Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  Wendell  Phillips  as  Journalists. — Or- 
gans of  Churches. — Character  of  the  Religious  Press. — Its  Ups  and  Downs. — 
Archbishop  Hughes  and  the  Catholic  Press. — Jewish  Organs.  —  The  Daily 
Witness. — New  York  Herald  as  a  religious  Paper.— Newspapers  for  Children, 
etc , 289 

CHAPTER  XX. 
SOME  OF  THE  REPRESENTATIVE  NEWSPAPERS. 

Inkling  of  an  Independent  Press. — Judge  Bouvier  and  the  American  Telegraph. 
— Niles's  Register. — Hartford  Times. — John  M.  Niles  and  Gideon  Welles. — 
Funny  Fight  for  a  Post-office. — Thomas  H.  Benton  and  Duff  Green  in  Mis- 
souri.— St.  Louis  Enquirer. — William  Cobbett. — The  Porcupine. — Cobbett  as 
a  Host. — New  York  American  and  Charles  King. — The  Providence  Journal. — 
Wonderful  Change  of  Base  on  the  Tariff  Question. — New  York  Albion. — Or- 
gans of  other  Nations  in  the  United  States. — The  Poets  as  Journalists. — Stop 
my  Paper!  —  Fashionable  Journalism. — The  Louisville  Journal. — George  D. 
Prentice  and  John  Greenleaf  Whittier.  —  The  Courier- Journal. — Henry  Wat- 
terson. — The  Wits  of  the  Press.  — The  Initial  Sheet  west  of  Albany. — John  I. 
Mumford. — Fanny  Wright. — Opinion  of  Richard  Cobden,  etc 306 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
SPECIAL  OR  CLASS  JOURNALISM. 

Organs  of  the  Farmers. — Number  of  Agricultural  Newspapers. — What  they  have 
accomplished. — Commercial  and  Financial  Press. — Origin  of  the  Boston  Com- 
mercial Bulletin.  —  Its  Character  and  Value.  —  The  Sunday  Newspapers. — 
What  are  they  ? — The  Sporting  Press. — What  it  has  done  for  the  Turf  and 
the  Field. — The  Telegraph  Organs. — Our  Society  Journals 329 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
THE  BLANKET  SHEETS  OF  NEW  YORK. 

The  Morning  Courier  and  New  York  Enquirer. — James  Watson  Webb. — News- 
paper Enterprise. — Size  of  the  Sheets. — The  Quadruple  Constellation. — The 
Graves  and  Cilley  Duel.— Colonel  Webb  and  Duff  Green.— The  Woods  Riot. 
— The  Marshall  Duel.  —  Sentence  of  Colonel  Webb. — The  Bankrupt  Act. — 
William  L.  Marcy  and  James  Gordon  Bennett. — The  Mackenzie  Pamphlet. — 
The  Editor  of  the  Courier  as  a  Diplomat. — Webb  and  Napoleon. — The  Journal 
of  Commerce. — -Its  Origin. — David  Hale  and  Gerard  Hallock. — News  Schoon- 
ers and  Pony  Expresses.  —  Abolition  Riots  in  New  York.  —  Lewis  Tappan's 


viii  Contents. 


Escape.  —  Origin  of  the  Associated  Press. — The  Rebellion. — Advertisements. 
— The  Bogus  Proclamation. — Suspension  of  New  York  Papers. — The  Present 
Manager  and  Editor  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce Page  344 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
SOME  OF  THE  BOSTON  NEWSPAPERS.    • 

The  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. — Horatio  Biglow  and  Nathan  Hale. — The  first  Dai- 
ly Newspaper  in  New  England. — Origin  of  Editorial  Articles. — North  Amer- 
ican Review. — The  Evening  Traveller. — Its  Introduction  to  News-boys. — The 
Boston  Courier. — Joseph  Tinker  Buckingham.  —  New  England  Galaxy. — The 
Transcript. — The  Liberator. — William  Lloyd  Garrison. — Old  Files  of  News- 
papers.—The  Boston  Pilot— Charles  G.  Greene.—"  All  Sorts"  of  Wit.— The 
Atlas. — Richard  Haughton  and  John  H.  Eastburn. — Samuel  Bowles,  of  Spring- 
field.— The  Mercantile  Journal. — The  stunning  News  Placards. — The  Herald. 
— The  last  Newspaper  Enterprise. — The  Globe 378 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
ANTI-MASONRY  AND  NULLIFICATION. 

Thurlow  Weed  and  the  Albany  Evening  Journal. — The  Anti-Masonic  Party. — 
Seward,  Weed  &  Co. — Who  wrote  the  Junius  Letters  ? — The  Roorback  Hoax. 
— The  Nashville  Union. — Duels  and  Offices.— The  Charleston  (S.C.)  Mercury. 
— The  chief  Organ  of  the  Nullifiers  and  Secessionists. — More  Duels. — Nice 
Points  of  Honor.— The  Code.— The  "  Independence"  of  the  Press.— The  Tar- 
iff Question 397 


FITFH   ERA. 

1832—  18S5. 
JOURNALISM  IN  A  TRANSITION  STATE. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  NEWSPAPER  REVOLUTION. 

Size  of  Newspapers  in  1832.— --Waste  of  Space.  —  Smaller  Papers.  —  The  New 
York  Globe. — James  Gordon  Bennett. — Signs  of  a  Change. — The  Pennsylva- 
nian. — The  Mackenzie  Pamphlet. — The  Hoyt,  Van  Buren,  and  Bennett  Corre- 
spondence.— Inside  View  of  the  Party  Press. — Blair's  Opinion  of  Bennett. — Op- 
position of  Politicians. — Incoming  of  the  Independent  Press. — Seward,  W7eed, 
and  Greeley 408 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
THE    PENNY    PRESS. 

Where  did  it  originate  ? — The  Cent  of  Philadelphia. — The  Morning  Post  of  New 
York. — Its  Failure. — Dr.  Horatio  D.  Shepard  and  Horace  Greeley. — The  New 
York  Sun.  —  Its  Success.  —  Speech  of  its  Originator. — Contents  of  the  first 
Number. — The  Moon  Hoax. — Richard  Adams  Locke. — The  Man  without  a 
Country. — Enterprise  of  the  Sun. — Opinion  of  a  "Blanket  Sheet"  on  the  Cheap 
Press.— The  Citizen  and  Miles  O'Reilly 416 


Contents.  ix 


SIXTH   ERA. 

1835— 1872. 
THE  INDEPENDENT  PRESS. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
THE   NEW   YORK   HERALD. 

James  Gordon  Bennett,  Senior. — Newspaper  Autobiography. — His  Prospectus. — 
What  he  promised  to  do. — How  he  started  the  Herald. — It  came  with  Steam- 
boats and  Railroads.  —  Origin  of  the  Money  Articles.  —  News  Agencies  and 
News  Companies. — Burned  out. — Another  Prospectus. — Ocean  Steam  Navi- 
gation.-—  The  Extradition  Treaty. — The  Cash  System.  —  Sam.  Houston  and 
Texas. — Amos  Kendall  and  Nicholas  Biddle.  —  Personal  Assaults. — Illustra- 
tions and  War  Maps. — The  Religious  Anniversary  Meetings. — Opposition  of 
the  Clergy. — Harbor  News  Arrangements. — Visit  to  Europe — European  Cor- 
respondence.— The  Harrison  Hard-Cider  Campaign Page  428 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
MORE  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  HERALD. 

The  great  Moral  War. — Tremendous  Struggle  between  the  old  and  new  Class 
of  Journals. — The  Forces  in  the  Field. — Anecdotes. — The  curious  Result. — 
John  Howard  Payne.  —  Attempted  Assassination.  —  An  Infernal  Machine.  — 
New  Mode  of  Advertising. — Interesting  Incidents. — The  Mexican  War. — Over- 
land Expresses. — Discovery  of  Gold  in  California. — Silver  Plate  to  Mr.  Ben- 
nett.—  Libel  Suits. — The  Policy  of  the  Herald. — Obituary  Notices. — Curious 
Incident  with  Sir  Henry  Buhver. — Style  of  Editorials. — The  Telegraphic  Era. 
— The  Great  Rebellion. — The  Herald  War  Correspondents. — News  from  the 
South.  —  Letter  from  Secretary  Stanton. — The  French  Mission.  —  What  did 
Pierce,  Buchanan,  and  Lincoln  do  ? — Death  of  the  Founder  of  the  Herald. — 
Cheap  Press  in  New  York. — James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.— Wonderful  Enterprise 
in  Europe  and  Africa. — The  Anglo- Abyssinian  Expedition. — The  News  Steam 
Yachts.— The  Herald  Exploring  Expeditions  in  Africa. — What  next  ? 456 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

NEWSPAPERS   IN   NEW   ORLEANS   AND   MOBILE. 

The  Initial  Papers  of  the  Crescent  City.— Journalism  in  French  and  English.— 
New  Orleans  Bee.— The  Picayune.— George  Wilkins  Kendall.— War  Corre- 
spondence from  Mexico.— Decline  of  Journalism  in  New  Orleans.— Its  Cause. 
—Newspaper  Architecture.— The  first  Paper  in  Mobile.— Newspapers  in  that 
City.— The  first  Penny  Paper.— The  Register  and  John  Forsyth 491 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
FEMALE  JOURNALISTS. 

The  Ladies'  Magazine.— The  Lowell  Offering.— Early  Female  Periodical  Writers. 
—Sarah  Josepha  Hale.— The  Woman's  Rights  Movement.— The  Revolution. 
—The  Sorosis.  — Woman's  Journal.  —  Woodhull  &  Claflin's  Weekly. —The 
True  Woman.— Free  Love.— Female  Suffrage.— The  Troubles  of  the  Reform- 

ers-'. 497 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
THE  CHEAP  PRESS  IN  PHILADELPHIA  AND  BALTIMORE. 

The  Public  Ledger  of  Philadelphia.— The  Sun  of  Baltimore.— Swain,  Abell,  and 
Simmons.— Their  wonderful  Success.— The  way  George  W.  Childs  purchased 
the  Ledger.  — His  manifest  Destiny.  —  His  Management  of  the  Paper.— The 


Contents. 


splendid  Ledger  Building. — Anecdotes  of  Swain  and  Childs. — Political  Hoax 
— "  The  Pen  is  mightier  than  the  Sword." — The  Ledger  Almanac. . .  Page  505 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
THE   EXPRESS   NEWSPAPER  AND  THE   EXPRESS   LINES. 

The  New  York  Express. — Willis  Hall  and  James  Brooks. — The  European  Cor- 
respondent.—  The  Man  with  the  big  Hat.  —  Erastus  Brooks. — The  Express 
Lines.  —  Harnden,  Adams,  Dinsmore,  and  Sanford.  —  Importance  of  the  Ex- 
presses to  Newspaper  Publishers 517 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
THE   NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE. 

Horace  Greeley. — What  he  has  done  in  Journalism. — The  Daily  Tribune. — The 
Weekly  Tribune. — Inducements  to  Subscribers.  —  Associated  Ownership. — 
Circulation  and  Advertisements. — The  Isms  of  the  Tribune. — Contests  with  the 
Herald. — The  Great  Halifax  Express. — The  Atlantic  Ocean  Express. — The 
Firm  of  Seward,  Weed,  and  Greeley. — Its  Dissolution. — Greeley  before  a  Par- 
liamentary Committee. — His  Slap  at  the  Herald: — The  Kansas  Question. — 
"Just  once." — What  it  costs  to  publish  the  Tribune. — Managing  Editors. — In- 
terviewing and  its  Advantages. — The  Inititial  Editors. — Greeley's  Penmanship. 
— Thirty  Years  in  the  Tribune. — Tour  through  the  South. — Aspirations  for  the 
Presidency. — Nomination  for  the  White  House. — Withdrawal  from  the  Trib- 
une.— Newspaper  Almanacs 522 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
ALL  SORTS   OF  POLITICAL  PAPERS. 

The  first  Newspaper  in  Tennessee. — The  Knoxville  Whig. — Parson  Brownlow 
and  Andrew  Johnson. — The  Albany  Register. — The  Plebeian,  New  Era,  Morn- 
ing News,  Globe,  and  Aurora. — Slamm,  Bang  &  Co. — The  Republic. — Cheva- 
lier WikofT  and  Duff  Green. — The  Albany  Atlas. — The  War  of  the  Roses. — 
The  Springfield  Republican. — Samuel  Bowles. — Arrest  in  New  York.  —  Con- 
troversy with  David  Dudley  Field. — The  first  Journal  in  the  Oil  Regions.  574 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
CHEAP   LITERATURE. 

Novels  made  into  News  and  sold  by  News-boys.  —  The  Brother  Jonathan  and 
New  World. — The  Boston  Notion. — Competition  for  the  last  Novel  by  the  last 
Steamer. — Dickens's  American  Notes  and  the  Queen's  Speech. — Effect  of  the 
Copyright  Law  in  Canada. 587 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
NEWSPAPERS   ON  THE  PACIFIC. 

The  Flumgudgeon  Gazette,  of  Oregon.  —  Stevenson's  Expedition.  —  Type  and 
Presses  go  with  the  Troops. — The  Discovery  of  Gold. — Specimens  sent  to  the 
New  York  Herald. — Tremendous  Gold  Excitement. — How  Newspapers  in  Cal- 
ifornia originated. — Eastern  Journals  in  the  Mines.  —  How  early  News  from 
California  was  obtained. — The  Present. — The  Future 590 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
THE  TELEGRAPHIC   ERA. 

Various  Modes  of  transmitting  Intelligence  for  Newspapers.  —  Carrier  Pigeons 
and  Balloons. — Introduction  of  the  Telegraph. — Its  Struggles. — Opinion  of  a 
Wall-Street  Millionaire. — Nomination  of  Silas  Wright— Influence  of  the  Tel- 
egraph on  the  Press. — Curious  Prediction  of  Lamartine. — The  Battles  in  Mex- 
ico.—  Marvelous  Progress. — The  Battles  in  Europe.  —  Affairs  of  the  World 


Contents.  xi 


daily  Electrotyped  for  the  Journalist.  —  Balloons  as  News  and  Mail  Carriers 
from  Paris. — The  Lightning  Express  Lines Page  595 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
THE  NEW  YORK  ASSOCIATED  PRESS. 

Its  Origin. — Its  Necessity. — Its  Object. — Its  Operations. — War  with  the  Tele- 
graph Companies. — Attempt  at  Monopoly. — Lease  of  the  Newfoundland  Line. 
— Intercepting  Steamers  off  Halifax  and  Cape  Race. — Will  the  Association  be 
a  permanent  Institution  ? 608 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
THE  NEW  YORK  TIMES. 

How  it  originated. — Negotiations  on  the  Ice. — The  Tilsit  Raft  of  the  Times. — 
Henry  J.  Raymond  its  Editor. — His  Ability  as  a  Reporter. — His  early  Career 
in  Politics. — Why  he  was  called  "  Little  Villain"  by  Horace  Greeley. — Trouble 
with  James  Watson  Webb. — Threatened  Duel  with  Thomas  Francis  Meagher. 
— Sharp  Controversy  with  Archbishop  Hughes. — The  Elbows  of  the  Mincio. — 
The  Draft  Riots. — Fortifying  Newspaper  Offices. — Manners  in  Journalism. — 
Sudden  Death  of  Mr.  Raymond. — Henry  Ward  Beecher's  Eulogy. — The  new 
Management  of  the  Times. — George  Jones. — The  Gold  Speculations  of  1869. 
— John  Bigelow. — The  War  on  the  Tammany  Ring. — Its  great  and  important 
Result 618 

CHAPTER  XL. 
THE  NEW  YORK  LEDGER. 

Its  Origin. — Its  first  Name. — Curious  Names  of  Papers. — Why  Bonner  bought 
the  Ledger. — How  he  brought  it  into  Notice. — Mrs.  Sigourney  the  first  Con- 
tributor.— Who  writes  for  the  Ledger  ? — Bonner's  Advertisements. — How  he 
managed  the  Herald. — His  System. — Anxiety  of  his  Pastor. — Novels  by  Tele- 
graph.— Interesting  Incident. — Correspondence  with  General  Grant  and  Henry 
Ward  Beecher. — His  Horses. — His  Country  Seat  and  the  Fever  and  Ague. — 
The  Circulation  of  the  Ledger 646 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
THE  PRESS  CLUBS  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

Origin  of  the  Press  Club  of  New  York. — Kossuth's  Reception  and  Speech. — The 
Dickens  Banquet. — Speeches  of  Greeley,  Dickens,  Raymond,  Curtis,  and  Haw- 
ley. —  The  Press  Social  Associations  in  the  Country.  —  What  they  do.  —  No 
Connection  with  the  News  Associations 656 

CHAPTER  XLII. 
THE  NEW  YORK  WORLD. 

How  it  was  Started. — Its  religious  Character. — Two  hundred  thousand  Dollars 
lost  in  the  Enterprise. — Its  Change  of  Base. — Its  Union  with  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer.— The  Bogus  Proclamation. — Suspension  of  the  World  by  the  Gov- 
ernment.—  Its  Reappearance  and  Manifesto.  —  Repudiation  of  Seymour  and 
Blair. — The  Literary  Character  of  the  Paper. — Its  Enterprise. — Manton  Mar- 
ble, its  Editor 667 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 
THE  NEW  YORK  SUN. 

Its  modern  Character. — Its  Sale  to  Charles  A.  Dana  and  Associates. — It  is  no 
longer  a  Penny  Paper. — Who  is  Editor  Dana?  —  His  Connection  with  the 
Tribune. — Assistant  Secretary  of  War. — Editor  of  the  Chicago  Republican. — 
Editor  of  the  New  York  Sun. — Trouble  with  John  Russell  Young. — Circula- 


xii  Contents. 


tion  of  the  Sun.  —  Its  Platform. — Marriages,  Divorces,  Births,  and  Deaths. — 
Summoned  before  Congress Page  677 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
THE  COMIC  PAPERS. 

Their  Failure  in  the  United  States  and  Success  in  Europe. — The  Cause. — Wit 
and  Humor  here  and  elsewhere. — Mark  Twain  on  Artemus  Ward. — Interview 
with  Petroleum  V.  Nasby. — What  one  Humorist  says  of  another. — Abundance 
of  Wit  in  America 688 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
THE  PRESS   IN   CONGRESS. 

Journalists  in  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives. — Newspaper  Represent- 
atives in  the  national  Capital. — The  two  Congresses. — Editors  as  M.  C.'s,  Cor- 
respondents, and  Reporters 697 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
THE   ILLUSTRATED  NEWSPAPERS. 

News  pictorially  reported  and  described. — Wood-engraving  in  the  United  States. 
— Harper's  Family  Bible. — The  first  Illustrated  Newspapers. — Frank  Leslie's 
Illustrated  News,  Harper's  Weekly,  and  Harper's  Bazar.  —  Sinclair's  Photo- 
Zinco. — The  new  Art. — Exchange  of  Engravings. — Our  National  Gallery.  705 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 

THE  TRANSIENT  PRESS. 

Newspapers  in  the  Army  and  Navy. — Newspapers  in  Colleges. — The  Schools  of 
Journalism. — Newspapers  with  the  Troops  in  the  Field. — Amateur  Journalism. 
— The  Avant  Coureurs  of  America. 710 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
THE  WAR  CORRESPONDENTS. 

What  have  they  accomplished? — Their  Labors  and  Dangers. — Their  Capture 
and  Imprisonment. — Journalists  in  Action. — What  is  thought  of  them. — They 
are  the  Historians  of  the  great  Conflicts  of  the  World. — The  Rebellion. — The 
Abyssinian  Expedition. — The  Franco-German  War. — The  Search  for  Living- 
stone   715 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 
THE  REPORTERS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

Their  early  Struggles  in  reporting  Speeches  and  Debates. — The  Revolution. — 
Value  of  Reports. — Number  of  Reporters. . . ., 720 

CHAPTER  L. 
THE  COPYRIGHT   IN   NEWS. 

What  Protection  has  a  Newspaper  with  its  News  ? — Colonel  Thomas  H.  Benton's 
Lecture. — Weekly  Papers  entered  at  the  Office  of  the  Librarian. — The  Pro- 
posed International  Copyright  Treaty  of  1853.  —  Important  Lawsuits.  —  The 
real  Copyright  in  News. — What  is  it  ? — The  new  Copyright  Treaty 723 

CHAPTER  LI. 
ADVERTISEMENTS. 

The  first  Advertisement. — Annual  Value  of  a  Column  of  Advertisements. — The 
professional  Advertisement  Writer. — Various  Modes  of  Advertisements. — Pla- 
cards on  the  Face  of  Nature. — Curious  Advertisements. — The  Spread  of  Relig- 
ion by  Advertisements. — The  Philosophy  of  the  Business. — The  Advertising 
Agencies. — Their  Expansion 728 


Contents.  xiii 


CHAPTER  LII. 
THE   MOTTOES   OF  THE   PRESS. 

Are  they  the  Editors'  Platforms  of  Principles  ? — Specimen  Mottoes. — The  Pope's 
Motto  for  Journalists Page  738 

CHAPTER  LIII. 
THE  LAW   OF  LIBEL. 

Trials  and  Responsibilities  of  the  Press. — What  is  the  Law  of  Libel  ? — Interest- 
ing and  instructive  Cases. — The  editorial  Right  to  criticise.— The  Suits  of  J. 
Fenimore  Cooper,  Charles  Reade,  and  George  Augustus  Sala. — The  Russian 
Law. — Eating  his  own  Words. — The  Emperor  «f  Germany  and  the  Press. — 
The  Organic  Law  of  the  United  States 741 

CHAPTER  LIV. 
THE   CASH  VALUE  OF   NEWSPAPERS. 

Values  in  the  United  States. — Sale  of  the  Bulletin  in  Philadelphia  at  Public  Auc- 
tion.— Offers  for  the  New  York  Herald  and  Times. — Millionaires  in  Newspa- 
pers and  Dry  Goods 758 

CHAPTER  LV. 
THE   DUELS   OF  EDITORS. 

Assaults  and  Assassinations. — The  Code  of  Honor  among  Journalists. — Several 
extraordinary  Duels. — State  of  Feeling  at  the  South  since  the  Rebellion. .  761 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

THE  END. 

Statistics  of  the  Press  in  the  United  States. — Our  Progress. — Newspapers  a  Half 
Century  old. — Number  of  Periodicals  in  the  World. — The  Future 769 


ADDENDA. 

Horace  Greeley's  Return  to  the  Tribune  after  the  Presidential  Election  of  No- 
vember, 1872. — His  Death. — The  new  Editor  of  the  New  Orleans  Picayune. — 
Change  in  the  Form  of  the  St.  Louis  Republican 777 


INTRODUCTION. 


No  book  is  without  a  preface.  It  opens  the  subject  with  the 
reader  as  the  state  of  the  weather  begins  a  conversation  among 
strangers.  When  a  new  journal  is  contemplated  it  has  its  prospect- 
us. When  a  new  theatre  is  .opened  the  manager  speaks  a  piece 
called  a  prologue.  New  goods  are  anticipated  by  an  advertisement. 
Sermons  are  preached  from  texts.  Oaks  start  from  acorns.  This 
volume,  therefore,  requires  an  introduction.  What  shall  it  be  ?  What 
the  compiler  may  say  would  not,  incipiently,  amount  to  much.  What 
the  ablest  intellects  of  the  world  have  thought  will  have  more  weight. 
What  these  writers  have  expressed  must  consequently  be  our  grand 
proem.  Our  readers  will  be -sufficiently  satisfied,  we  think,  with  the 
preface  which  our  distinguished  colaborers  have  prepared,  at  divers 
times,  since  Job,  and  which  we  insert,  as  the  pearl  and  diamond  set- 
tings in  our  Dutch  gold,  and  the  rich  frames  of  our  imperfect  sketch- 
es. These  are  the 

MEMORABILIA. 

Who  is  most  thought  of  in  London,  Sir  Marmaduke — the  Lord  Chancellor,  or 
the  editor  of  the  Jupiter  ? 

The  Lord  Chancellor,  a  great  deal,  said  Sir  Marmaduke,  quite  dismayed  by 
the  audacity  of  the  question. 

******** 

Nobody  cares  for  the  Lord  Chancellor  ! 

******** 

I  do  not  say  so.  He  may  be  a  great  lawyer,  and  very  useful ;  but  his  lordship, 
and  his  wig,  and  his  woolsack  are  tinsel  in  comparison  with  the  real  power  pos- 
sessed by  the  editor  of  a  leading  newspaper.  If  the  Lord  Chancellor  were  to  go 
to  bed  for  a  month,  would  he  be  much  missed  ? 

I  don't  know,  sir ;  I'm  not  in  the  secrets  of  the  Cabinet.  I  should  think  he 
would. 

About  as  much  as  my  grandmother  ;  but  if  the  editor  of  the  Jupiter  were  to  be 
taken  ill,  it  would  work  quite  a  commotion. 

Anthony  Troliope,  "He  knew  he  was  right." 

Eh  bien !  quelle  place  occupe  dans  ces  libertes  necessaires  la  liberte  de  la 
presse  ? 

Elle  n'est  pas  la  plus  attrayante,  mais  elle  est  la  plus  necessaire.  C'est  la  li- 
berte de  penser. 

Quand  une  nation  veut  faire  ses  affaires,  il  faut  qu'elle  y  pense,  qu'elle  y  puisse 
penser  librement,  former  des  volontes  et  les  faire  prevaloir.     Done,  la  liberte  de 
la  presse  est  theoriquement  et  pratiquement  la  plus  necessaire  de  toutes. 
****** 


xvi  Introduction. 


Eh  bien,  Messieurs,  le  veritable  juge  du  juge,  c'est  1'opinion  publique  ;  comment 
alors  interdire  la  publicite  ? 

Adolphe  Thiers,  Censor  of  the  Press  in  France  in  1872. 

I  would  rather  live  in  a  country  with  newspapers  and  without  a  government, 
than  in  a  country  with  a  government  but  without  newspapers. 

Thomas  Jefferson. 

Give  me  the  liberty  to  know,  to  alter,  and  to  argue  freely,  according  to  con- 
science, above  all  liberties. 

John  Milton,  the  Cromwellian  Editor. 

A  journalist !  That  means  a  grumbler,  a  censurer,  a  giver  of  advice,  a  regent 
of  sovereigns,  a  tutor  of  nations  !  Four  hostile  newspapers  are  more  to  be  dread- 
ed than  a  hundred  thousand  bayonets  ! 

Napoleon  the  First. 

II  est  de  la  nature  du  journalisme  de  susciter  plus  de  griefs  et  de  creer  plus  de 
ressentimens  que  1'eloquence  deliberative  ;  mais  quand  on  a  cite  le  glorieux  pseu- 
donyme  de  Junius,  les  noms  de  Swift  et  de  Bolingbroke  en  Angleterre,  et  chez 
nous  les  noms  de  Chateaubriand  et  de  Benjamin  Constant,  sans  ajouter  d'autres 
noms  presens  a  toutes  les  memoires,  il  est  bien  difficile  de  contester  que  ce  soit  un 
genre  de  litterature  qui  a,  comme  tous  les  genres,  ses  regies,  ses  modeles  et  ses 
chefs  d'ceuvre  meme,  bien  qu'en  general  la  duree  leur  fasse  defaut.     C'est  qu'un 
journal,  comme  le  mot  1'indique,  est  surtout  la  chose  du  jour,  et  vise  a  produire 
un  effet  immediat  plutot  qu'a  laisser  un  long  souvenir.    Neanmoins,  Messieurs,  je 
demande  avec  quelque  confiance  a  quiconque  s'estjamais  mele  d'ecrire  si  cesont 
de  mediocres  qualites  litteraires  que  la  clarte,  la  concision  et  la  force,  et  ce  sontla 
les  vraies  conditions  de  1'art  du  journalisme.     Si  vous  ajoutez  a  ces  qualites  lit- 
teraires la  belle  condition  que  Caton  imposait  a  1'orateur  en  1'appelant  vir  bonus 
dicendi  peritus,  et  si  vous  supposez  que  le  journaliste  est  integre,  de  bonne  foi,  in- 
dependant  a  1'egard  du  pouvoir,  ferme  centre  les  passions  injustes,  et  dedaigneux 
d'une  popularite  trop  facile,  n'aurez  vous  point  porte  assez  haut  cet  art  indispen- 
sable aux  societes  modernes  pourlui  donner  pleinement  droit  de  cite  dans  les  re- 
gions elevees  de  la  litterature  ?     Mais,  dira-t-on,  ces  conditions  sont  rarement  at- 
teintes. 

Prevost-Paradol,  the  Journalist  and  Publicist. 

We  do  not  belong  to  our  patrons ; 

Our  paper  is  wholly  our  own ; 
Whoever  may  like  it,  may  take  it ; 

Who  don't,  may  just  let  it  alone. 

Anonymous  Bohemian. 

The  Press  all  lands  shall  sing ; 
The  Press,  the  Press  we  bring, 

All  lands  to  bless  ; 
O  pallid  Want,  O  Labor  stark, 
Behold,  we  bring  the  second  Ark — 

The  Press,  the  Press,  the  Press  ! 

Ebenezer  Elliot,  the  Corn-law  Rhymer. 

that  mine  adversary  had  written  a  book. 

Newspaper  Critic  after  Job. 

'Tis  pleasant,  sure,  to  see  one's  name  in  print ; 
A  book's  a  book,  altho'  there's  nothing  in't. 

Byron  after  the  Newspaper  Critics. 

What  is  it  but  a  map  of  busy  life, 
Its  fluctuations,  and  its  vast  concerns. 

Ccnvpcr  on  Ne^vspapers. 


Introduction.  xvii 


I'll  put  a  girdle  around  about  the  earth  in  forty  minutes. 

Puck,  the  first  Telegraph  Operator. 

Great  is  journalism  !  Is  not  every  able  editor  a  ruler  of  the  world,  being  a  per- 
suader of  it  ? 

Thomas  Carlyle. 

I  wish  no  other  herald, 
No  other  speaker  of  my  living  actions, 
To  keep  mine  honor  from  corruption, 
But  such  an  honest  chronicler. 

Henry  VIII.,  reported  by  Shakspeare. 

La  presse  n'a  d'autre  puissance  que  celle  qui  resulte  de  1'expression  de  1'opin- 
ion  publique. 

Jules  Favre. 

In  this  one  sheet  how  much  for  thought  profound, 

How  much  for  feeling  deep  doth  meet  the  eye  ! 
Here  man's  decease,  here  empire's  fate  is  found, 

And  yet  with  careless  glance  we  pass  them  by ! 
Perchance  upon  one  page  enough  we  find 

On  which  through  a  long  life  we  well  might  muse  : 
But  oft  with  husks  we  fill  the  hungry  mind, 

When  men  the  gifts  of  speech  and  thought  abuse. 
Not  in  the  many  words,  or  books  we  read, 

Is  knowledge  gained  of  Nature,  or  of  man  ; 
Oft  in  a  single  word  lies  wrapped  the  seed 

Of  changes  vast,  would  we  its  meaning  scan  ; 
But  lacking  still  the  wisdom  to  be  wise, 
The  Truth  we  seek  is  hidden  from  our  eyes. 

The  Christian  Register. 

In  Neuilly  the  doorways  were  crowded  with  people,  chiefly  women  and  chil- 
dren, timidly  venturing  into  daylight  after  nearly  three  weeks'  close  imprisonment 
in  their  houses  and  even  cellars.  *  *  *  *  One  man  begged  for  a  newspaper,  de- 
claring he  had  heard  nothing  from  the  outside  world  for  many  days. 

Paris  Letter,  April  25, 1871,  in  London  Times. 

How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 

Improve  each  shining  hour, 
And  gather  honey  all  the  day 

From  every  opening  flower. 

Isaac  Watts' 's  Eulogy  on  Newspaper  Reporters. 

At  last  the  floundering  carrier  bore 

The  village  paper  to  our  door. 

Lo  !  broadening  outward  as  we  read, 

To  warmer  zones  the  horizon  spread ; 

In  panoramic  length  unrolled, 

We  saw  the  marvels  that  it  told. 

...  Its  monthly  gauge  of  snow  and  rain, 

Its  record,  mingling  in  a  breath 

The  wedding-knell  and  dirge  of  death ; 

Jest,  anecdote,  and  love-lorn  tale, 

The  latest  culprit  sent  to  jail ; 

Its  hue  and  cry  of  stolen  and  lost, 

Its  vendue  sales  and  goods  at  cost, 

And  traffic  calling  loud  for  gain. 

We  felt  the  stir  of  hall  and  street, 

The  pulse  of  life  that  round  us  beat ; 

The  chill  embargo  of  the  snow 

Was  melted  in  the  genial  glow ; 

B 


xviii  Introduction. 


Wide  swung  again  our  ice-locked  door, 
And  all  the  world  was  ours  once  more  ! 

John  Greenleaf  Whittier,  the  "Snow-bound"  Carrier. 

In  the  United  States  every  worthy  citizen  reads  a  newspaper,  and  owns  the 
paper  which  he  reads.  A  newspaper  is  a  window  through  which  men  look  out 
on  all  that  is  going  on  in  the  world.  Without  a  newspaper  a  man  is  shut  up  in 
a  small  room,  and  knows  little  or  nothing  of  what  is  happening  outside  of  him- 
self. In  our  day  newspapers  keep  pace  with  history  and  record  it.  *  *  *  A 
good  newspaper  will  keep  a  sensible  man  in  sympathy  with  the  world's  current 
history.  It  is  an  ever-unfolding  encyclopaedia ;  an  unbound  book  forever  issuing 
and  never  finished. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

Mightiest  of  the  mighty  means 
On  which  the  arm  of  Progress  leans — 
Man's  noblest  mission  to  advance, 
His  woes  assuage,  his  weal  enhance, 
His  rights  enforce,  his  wrongs  redress — 
Mightiest  of  the  mighty  is  the  Press  ! 

Bowring  on  the  Fourth  Estate. 

A  newspaper  can  drop  the  same  thought  into  a  thousand  minds  at  the  same 
moment.  A  newspaper  is  an  adviser  who  does  not  require  to  be  sought,  but 
comes  to  you  briefly  every  day  of  common  weal,  without  distracting  your  private 
affairs.  Newspapers,  therefore,  become  more  necessary  in  proportion  as  men  be- 
come more  equal  individuals,  and  more  to  be  feared.  To  suppose  that  they  only 
serve  to  protect  freedom  would  be  to  diminish  their  importance :  they  maintain 
civilization. 

Alexis  de  Tocqueville. 

It  is  a  momentous,  yes,  a  fearful  truth,  that  the  millions  have  no  literature,  no 
school,  and  almost  no  pulpit  but  the  press.  Not  one  man  in  ten  reads  books. 
*********  But  every  one  of  us,  except  the  very  few  helpless 
poor,  poisons  himself  every  day  with  a  newspaper.  It  is  parent,  school,  college, 
pulpit,  theatre,  example,  counselor,  all  in  one.  Every  drop  of  our  blood  is  colored 
by  it.  Let  me  make  the  newspapers,  and  I  care  not  who  makes  the  religion  or 
the  laws. 

Wendell  Phillips  on  Journalism. 

Leaf  by  leaf  the  roses  fall, 

Dime  by  dime  the  purse  runs  dry ; 
One  by  one  beyond  recall, 

Mushroom  papers  droop  and  die. 

Obituary  Notice  of  Newspapers. 

I  believe  that  we  could  produce  a  visible  change  in  the  public  mind  if,  against 
the  encroachments  of  our  German  confederates,  we  touch  the  chord  of  an  inde- 
pendent Prussian  policy  in  the  Press. 

Count  Bismarck,  May  1 2, 1 859. 

Were  the  starry  heavens  deficient  of  one  constellation,  the  vacuum  could  not 
be  better  supplied  than  by  the  introduction  of  a  printing-press. 

Astronomical  View  of  Journalism. 

Hear,  land  o'  cakes  and  brither  Scots, 
Frae  Maidenkirk  to  Johnny  Groats', 
If  there's  a  hole  in  a'  your  coats, 

I  rede  ye  tent  it ; 
A  duel's  amang  ye  takin'  notes, 

An'  faith  he'll  prent  it ! 

Robert  Burns. 


Introduction.  xix 


Give  me  but  the  liberty  of  the  press,  and  I  will  give  to  the  minister  a  venal 
House  of  Peers — I  will  give  him  a  corrupt  and  servile  House  of  Commons — I 
will  give  him  the  full  sway  of  the  patronage  of  office — I  will  give  him  the  whole 
host  of  ministerial  influence — I  will  give  him  all  the  power  that  place  can  confer 
upon  him  to  purchase  up  submission  and  overawe  resistance — and  yet,  armed 
with  the  liberty  of  the  press,  I  will  go  forth  to  meet  him  undismayed — I  will  attack 
the  mighty  fabric  he  has  reared  with  that  mightier  engine — I  will  shake  down 
from  its  height  corruption,  and  bury  it  amidst  the  ruins  of  the  abuses  it  was  meant 
to  shelter. 

Sheridan. 

There  she  is  ;  she  never  sleeps.  She  has  her  ambassadors  in  every  quarter  of 
the  world — her  couriers  upon  every  road.  Her  officers  march  along  with  armies, 
and  her  envoys  walk  into  statesmen's  cabinets.  They  are  ubiquitous.  Yonder 
journal  has  an  agent  at  this  moment  giving  bribes  at  Madrid,  and  another  in- 
specting the  price  of  potatoes  at  Covent  Garden. 

W.  M.  Thackeray. 

More  solid  things  do  not  show  the  complexion  of  the  Times  so  well  as  ballads 
and  libels. 

Selden. 

Its  liberties  and  the  liberties  of  the  people  must  stand  or  fall  together. 

David  Hume. 

After  all,  the  Press  is  king. 

It  is  the  Press  that  creates  public  opinion. 

It  is  the  grand  fact  of  the  hour  that  popular  sentiment  has  been  educated  by 
the  Press  up  'to  the  point  of  spurning  party  trammels  and  voting  on  principle. 

Who,  then,  shall  keep  our  custodians  ?  If  journalism  is  so  powerful,  who  shall 
save  us  from  such  journalism  as  made  the  Commune  possible  in  Paris  ? 

The  Bishop  of  Western  Arew  York. 

These  two  centuries  have  been  dealt  with  too  much  as  fashionable  travelers 
accomplish  a  Swiss  tour.  They  go  straight  to  Mont  Blanc,  then  to  the  Ober- 
land,  then  to  the  Righi,  and  care  nothing  for  the  country  except  as  it  may  be 
seen  from  those  glorious  heights.  The  details  of  history,  in  truth,  can  only  be 
gathered  from  a  study  of  the  immense  and  varied  surface  which  the  literature  of 
newspapers  presents. 

Sainte  Beuve,  the  Essayist  and  Critic. 

Ever  enlightening,  always  confirming  grand  truths,  ever  baptizing  infant  peo- 
ples, and  always  new. 

Archbishop  Hughes,  of  New  York. 


OUR    OWN    OPENING. 

JOURNALISM  !  what  is  it  ?  Newspapers  !  what  are  they  ?  Qu'est- 
ce  la  press e  ?  C'est  la  voix  de  la  nation.  , 

It  is  said  that  fifty  thousand  volumes  and  pamphlets  have  been 
written  about  America,  and  yet  there  is  no  history  of  the  American 
Press. 

Writers  have  accomplished  more  than  this  for  England.  F. 
Knight  Hunt  has  given  us  "  The  Fourth  Estate ;"  Alexander  An- 
drews, "  The  History  of  British  Journalism  ;"  and  James  Grant 
published  last  year  "  The  Newspaper  Press :  its  Origin,  Progress, 
and  present  Position."  Speeches  and  pamphlets  innumerable  on 
the  Stamp  Act,  the  freedom  of  the  press,  and  the  law  of  libel  have 
appeared,  but  they  form  no  connected  history,  although  they  have 
had  great  influence  in  bringing  the  newspapers  of  England  far 
above  the  fourth  estate  in  that  kingdom.  "What  does  the  Times 
say  ?"  is  a  question  that  indicates  the  power  of  the  newspaper  in 
that  country.  Junius,  in  the  Public  Advertiser,  aided  largely  in  ac- 
complishing this  great  result. 

Writers  have  been  even  more  industrious  and  effective  in  France. 
Eugene  Hatin  has  attractively  filled  no  less  than  eight  large  vol- 
umes with  interesting  details  of  the  origin  and  growth  of  newspa- 
pers in  that  fertile  country,  where  every  eminent  man  in  politics, 
poetry,  philosophy,  or  science  is  a  journalist.  M.  Hatin  has  also 
published  a  "  Manual  of  the  Liberty  of  the  Press  in  France,"  which 
embraces  a  history  of  the  struggles  of  the  newspaper  publishers  to 
obtain  their  freedom,  from  the  time  of  Francis  I.  to  the  overthrow 
of  Napoleon  III.,  including  the  famous  debate  of  1868  in  the  French 
Legislature  on  a  new  press  law.  This  work  contains  a  frightful  ac- 
cumulation of  oppressive  and  restrictive  measures  to  crush  the  lib- 
erty of  the  press  in  that  country  during  the  last  three  hundred  years. 
Other  works  on  the  press  have  been  published  in  France.  Ger- 
main prepared  the  "Martyrologe  de  la  Presse,  1789-1864  ;"  Fernand 
Girardin  issued,  in  1868,  "La  Presse  periodique  de  1789  a  1867  ;" 
and  Le'on  Vingtain  wrote  "De  la  liberte  de  la  Presse,  1848-1868." 
Several  brochures  have  also  appeared  :  "La  Presse  et  la  Legislation 
de  1852,"  by  Edouard  Herve,  and  "La  liberte  de  la  Presse  et  la  Suf- 
frage universal"  by  Dupont  White.  Writers  in  France  are  so  inti- 


xxii  Our  Own  Opening. 

mately  associated  with  journalism,  that  the  subject  is  always  a  fasci- 
nating one  to  them.  So  influential  are  the  newspapers  there,  that 
the  republican  government  of  M.Thiers,  himself  originally  an  edit- 
or, felt  compelled  to  suppress  half  a  dozen  radical  journals  in  Par- 
is by  one  decree  in  1871,  even  before  the  Germans  had  evacuated 
Versailles. 

What  have  we,  in  the  United  States,  to  compare  with  these  works 
on  journalism  ? 

Isaiah  Thomas  published  the  first  volume  on  this  subject  in 
1810.  "Thomas's  History  of  Printing"  was  its  title.  Joseph  Tink- 
er Buckingham  furnished  us  the  second  in  1852.  It  was  known  as 
"  Buckingham's  Reminiscences,"  and  related  mostly  to  the  Press  of 
New  England.  These  books  are  now  out  of  print,  and  can  rarely 
be  found  in  a  library  or  at  a  book-stall.  They  were  exceedingly 
entertaining  and  valuable  in  facts,  but  neither  full  enough  to  satisfy 
the  present  generation.  Other  attempts  have  been  made  to  furnish 
some  idea  of  the  American  Press  :  one  in  the  "  Memoirs  of  Ben- 
nett and  His  Times,"  and  another  in  the  "  Life  of  Horace  Greeley." 
There  are  others,  such  as  the  lives  of  David  Hale  and  Gerard 
Hallock,  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  Since  these  have  appeared, 
"  Henry  J.  Raymond  and  the  New  York  Press  for  Thirty  Years," 
and  the  "  Life  of  Mark  W.  Pomeroy,"  have  been  sold  throughout  the 
country.  "  The  Richmond  Examiner  during  the  War,"  embracing 
the  leading  articles  of  its  editor,  John  T.  Daniels,  has  been  pub- 
lished. "  The  Public  Ledger  Building,"  filled  with  facts  about  that 
well-known  penny  paper,  was  issued  in  1868.  In  Griswold's  "  Amer- 
ican Literature"  there  are  many  items  of  interest  relating  to  journals 
and  editors.  The  "Life  and  Correspondence  of  William  Seaton,  of 
the  National  Intelligencer"  and  the  "  Newspaper  Press  of  Philadel- 
phia from  1719  to  1872,"  illustrated  with  portraits,  have  appeared, 
the  latter,  from  time  to  time,  in  the  Proof-Sheet.  So  far  as  these 
works  go,  they  are  acquisitions  to  the  newspaper  history  and  litera- 
ture of  the  country ;  but  they  are  local  and  incomplete.  More  is 
wanted  to  fill  up  the  gaps  in  the  chronology  of  events. 

It  is  now  modestly  proposed  to  compile  a  history  of  the  Newspa- 
per Press  of  the  United  States  a  little  more  comprehensive  and  con- 
nected in  its  scope.  It  will  begin  with  Benjamin  Harris's  Publick 
Occurrences,  which  appeared  in  Boston  in  1690,  and  end  with  the 
Daily  Globe,  the  last  new  paper,  which  was  issued  in  the  same  city 
early  in  1872.  This  will  embrace  a  period  of  nearly  two  hundred 
years.  Not  to  reach  the  number  of  volumes  of  M.  Hatin's  work 
on  the  French  Press,  this  history  will  be  less  discursive,  less  in  de- 
tails, and  with  fewer  and  shorter  extracts  from  the  newspapers  de- 
scribed. 


Journalistic  Leaders.  xxiii 

There  will  be  omissions,  and  how  can  they  be  avoided  ?  In  all 
great  battles  there  are  thousands  of  men  on  the  field  of  operations, 
formed  into  companies,  regiments,  brigades,  divisions,  and  corps,  with 
private  soldiers,  captains,  colonels,  brigadier  generals,  major  gen- 
erals, and  marshals.  In  describing  these  conflicts  the  newspaper 
correspondent  and  the  historian  mention  the  chief  officers,  the  corps, 
the  divisions,  the  brigades,  sometimes  a  regiment,  but  rarely  a  com- 
pany or  a  private  soldier.  Space,  on  the  pages  of  history,  has  never 
permitted  a  detailed  description  of  Waterloo  or  Gettysburg.  Wa- 
terloo, where  all  Europe  were  engaged,  was  described  in  one  third 
of  a  column  of  the  London  Morning  Chronicle  in  1815  !  Not  quite 
a  column  was  devoted  to  a  list  of  the  killed  and  wounded  !  Se- 
dan, where  three  hundred  thousand  men  were  engaged,  an  empire 
overthrown,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  prisoners  taken, 
occupied  only  five  columns  of  the  New  York  Tribune  and  New  York 
Herald  in  a  comprehensive  and  graphic  account  of  the  fight.  One 
of  these  great  battles,  in  full  detail,  would  weary  even  Gradgrinds. 
So  it  is  with  the  Press.  Where  there  are  five  or  six  thousand  news- 
papers in  actual  existence  in  the  United  States,  and  five  or  six  thou- 
sand journals,  each  with  its  history,  on  the  melancholy  lists  of  news- 
paper mortality,  the  public  and  the  Press  will  see  the  impossibility 
of  describing  the  fields  of  journalism  any  more  fully  than  others  have 
described  the  fields  of  battle.  "JVommer  tout  le  monde,  c'etait  ne 
distinguer personne.  Oublier  qudqu'un,  quclk  injustice!" 

There  are  the  Napoleons,  the  Bennetts,  the  Wellingtons,  the  Blairs, 
the  Grants,  the  Greeleys,  the  Von  Moltkes,  the  Raymonds,  in  the 
armies  and  in  the  press.  They  are  prominent  characters,  and  must 
appear  on  the  pages  of  history  as  illustrative  facts.  There  they 
stand.  But  neither  the  name  of  the  farmer's  boy  who  led  Rose- 
crans  to  the  rear  of  the  rebel  works  on  Rich  Mountain,  nor  that  of 
the  writer  of  the  letter  which  led  to  the  capture  of  Fort  M'Allister 
by  Hazen  are  known  to  fame.  Rosecrans's  and  Hazen's  names 
are  in  gold  and  glory ;  nowhere  are  to  be  found  that  of  the  rustic 
guide  or  the  rebel  letter-writer.  Achievements  of  leading  soldiers, 
leading  statesmen,  and  leading  journalists  are  described  because  they 
illustrate  the  fact  that  comprehends  the  whole  event  of  the  time, 
but  there  is  no  space  for  the  name  of  that  humble  guide  who  lost 
an  empire  to  Napoleon  by  leading  Bliicher  by  the  shortest  road  to 
the  field  of  Waterloo.  Bismarck's  name,  in  our  day,  is  on  every 
tongue,  but  how  many  can  tell  that  of  the  inventor  of  the  famous 
needle-gun,  which  accomplished  so  much  at  Sadowa,  Gravelotte, 
and  Sedan  ?  Bismarck  is  a- nation  ;  Dreyse  was  simply  a  gunsmith. 

Thus  with  newspapers.  We  must  describe  the  leading  journals. 
Some  of  these,  indeed,  as  important  in  their  way  as  the  inventor  of 


xxiv  Our  Own  Opening. 

the  needle-gun,  or  as  Bliicher's  guide  at  Waterloo,  may  be  omitted 
in  our  story.  Thousands  of  newspapers  and  journalists  must  con- 
tinue to  live  "unhonored  and  unsung,"  except  in  their  own  offices, 
at  their  own  town  meetings,  and  at  their  own  election  districts, 
where  the  good  they  have  done,  and  the  good  they  may  yet  do,  can 
be  felt  and  appreciated,  and  be  amply  remunerated  in  subscriptions 
and  advertisements. 

AUTHORITIES. 

It  is  the  custom,  in  preparing  works  of  this  kind,  to  give,  in  notes 
at  the  foot  of  pages,  the  sources  of  the  information  used  in  illustra- 
tion and  description.  This  custom  has  its  disadvantages  as  well 
as  advantages.  One  of  its  greatest  disadvantages  is  in  the  size  of 
the  volume  to  make  room  for  these  notes,  which  have  often  to  be 
repeated.  Another  is  the  distraction  of  the  reader's  attention,  and 
the  breaking  of  the  continuity  of  the  narrative,  as  is  frequently  done 
on  the  telegraph  lines  when  interesting  news  is  coming  over  the 
wires,  much  to  the  vexation  and  annoyance  of  every  one.  The 
chief  advantage  is  to  enable  the  doubter  to  verify  the  statements 
made,  and  obtain  more  information  on  the  subject,  if  such  be  de- 
sirable. It  is  our  purpose  not  to  cumber  our  pages  with  these  foot- 
notes. Newspapers,  books,  letters,  memory,  pamphlets,  individuals, 
had  to  be  consulted,  and  the  facts  thus  obtained  make  up  this  com- 
pilation. 

Several  years  ago,  if  there  be  any  truth  in  tradition,  Lord  Tim- 
othy Dexter,  of  Newburyport — he  who  made  a  fortune  in  sending 
warming-pans  to  the  West  Indies — wrote  a  book,  on  the  pages  of 
which  not  a  comma,  semicolon,  colon,  or  period  appeared.  Instead, 
he  devoted  four  or  five  pages  at  the  end  of  his  work  to  these  points 
of  punctuation,  with  the  request  to  the  reader  to  throw  them  into 
the  preceding  pages  as  best  suited  his  tastes  and  inclinations.  It 
is  our  intention  to  copy,  in  part,  the  plan  of  this  distinguished  no- 
bleman, by  giving  a  list  of  the  authorities  for  the  facts  and  poetry, 
dates  and  data  of  these  historical  sketches,  all  on  one  page,  not  ex- 
actly for  the  reader  to  throw  in  where  he  pleases,  but  to  show  him 
that  the  statements  come  from  good  sources,  and  can  be  relied  on 
as  fully  and  as  faithfully  as  any  historical  facts  can  be,  outside  of 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  prison-yard,  in  this  world  of  partisanship,  ex- 
aggeration, and  doubt.  Here  is  our  list : 

Dunton's  Life  and  Errors.  Benjamin  Franklin. 

Isaiah  Thomas.  Joseph  T.  Buckingham. 

Washington  Irving.  Henry  J.  Raymond. 

Several  Thousand  Newspapers.  Mackenzie's    Correspondence    of  Jesse 

James  Gordon  Bennett.  Hoyt. 


Authorities. 


XXV 


Edward  Everett. 

Tail's  Edinburg  Magazine. 

Private  Letters. 

F.  Knight  Hunt. 

Henry  W.  Bellows. 

Newspaper  Directories. 

Bennett's  Memoirs. 

The  Reporters. 

Boston  Athenaeum. 

Valentine's  Manual. 

Eugene  H.  Munday. 

Edward  E.  Hale. 

American  Literary  Gazette. 

Horace  Greeley. 

William  T.  Coggeshall. 

Anson  Herrick. 

Memory. 

Joseph  B.  Felt. 

Philadelphia  Proof- Sheet. 

John  \V.  Francis. 

Rufus  W.  Griswold. 

Cuvillier  Fleury. 

North  American  Review. 

Historical  Magazine. 

Watson's  Men  and  Times. 

Nathaniel  Willis. 

Niles's  Register. 

Parton's  Life  of  Horace  Greeley. 

American  Statesmen. 

U.  S.  Agricultural  Report. 

James  Kent. 

George  Borrow. 

Lippincott's  Magazine. 

Charles  Lanman. 

Henry  A.  Wise. 

Maverick's  Life  of  Raymond. 

Eugene  Hatin. 

William  M.  Swain. 


Duff  Green. 

Fitz  Greene  Halleck. 

The  Printer. 

John  C.  Hamilton. 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 

Henry  R.  Boss. 

New  York  Annual  Register. 

Athenaeum  Franjais. 

Robert  Bonner. 

Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania. 

American  Almanac. 

English  State  Trials. 

John  C.  Rives. 

Horatio  Gates  Jones. 

Colonial  Records. 

William  C.  Bryant. 

Newspaper  Press  Directory. 

Edwin  Williams. 

Jabez  D.  Hammond. 

Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

Harper's  New  Monthly. 

Benton's  Thirty  Years. 

New  England  Genealogical  Antiquarian 

Record. 

W.  F.  G.  Shanks. 
Administration  of  John  Adams. 
William  C.  Rives. 
Gideon  J.  Tucker. 
Adolphe  Thiers. 
Charles  G.  Shanks. 
John  Tyler. 
Alexander  Jones. 
E.  S.  Thomas's  Reminiscences. 
William  Gowan. 
Democratic  Review. 
Archbishop  Hughes. 
Francis  P.  Blair. 
John  Mullaly. 


This  work  is  incomplete,  even  in  the  face  of  this  array  of  names. 
It  is,  indeed,  only  an  outline  of  a  History  of  Journalism,  to  aid,  so 
far  as  it  may,  a  future  Hume,  or  a  Thiers,  or  a  Macaulay,  or  a  Pres- 
cott.  When  the  indefatigable  Dr.  Coggswell  collected  the  books 
which  now  form  the  magnificent  Astor  Library  in  New  York,  his  ef- 
fort and  purpose  was  to  have  every  department  of  literature,  art,  his- 
tory, science,  religion,  as  perfect  and  as  complete  as  human  wisdom, 
unlimited  means,  and  unflagging  industry  could  make  them.  When 
he  came  to  Ethnology,  a  knowledge  of  which  was  not  so  wide- 
spread then  in  this  country  as  it  is  now,  he  succeeded  in  purchasing 
fifty-nine  works,  by  fifty-nine  different  authors,  on  this  interesting 
science.  On  carefully  consulting  the  foot-notes  of  these  volumes, 


xxvi  Our  Own  Opening. 

he  discovered,  much  to  his  joy,  that  he  had  obtained  all  but  two  of 
all  the  works  on  this  subject  that  had  been  written  to  that  time. 
Now,  with  the  list  of  authorities  which  we  here  give,  it  strikes  us  that 
we  have  been  nearly  as  fortunate  on  the  Press  as  Dr.  Coggswell  was 
on  the  human  race,  although  we  may  not  make  the  same  good  use 
of  them  as  he  has  done  with  his.  He  placed  his  on  his  shelves. 
We  have  put  ours  in  a  book. 

If  editors,  finding  errors  and  omissions  in  this  work,  will  send  their 
corrections  and  additions  to  the  compiler,  at  the  office  of  the  pub- 
lisher, he  will  either  make  use  of  the  new  data  in  another  edition,  or 
reserve  them  for  the  Thiers  or  the  Macaulay  of  the  Press,  when  he 
appears  and  is  prepared  for  work.  In  a  republic  where  the  news- 
paper is  so  imperial  an  element,  a  complete  history  of  its  rise  and 
progress  should  not  be  omitted  in  the  catalogue  of  the  literature  of 
the  nation.  In  this  view,  journalists  will  bear  in  mind  that  anec- 
dotes and  incidents  of  newspaper  offices,  newspaper  men,  and  news- 
paper enterprise  are,  in  a  work  of  this  sort,  like  the  etchings  and 
illustrations  of  Darley,  and  Dore",  and  Leach,  and  Nast,  and  M'Len- 
an  to  other  historical  and  social  sketches.  They  should  be  rescued 
from  oblivion  and  private  note -books.  They  are  the  lights  and 
shades,  the  wit  and  philosophy  of  the  editorial  sanctums,  the  print- 
ing-offices, and  press-rooms  of  the  land. 

THE  EPOCHS  OF  JOURNALISM. 

Often  what  is  of  the  most  importance  to  us  in  our  daily  life  re- 
ceives the  least  notice.  Thousands  living  in  a  metropolis  never 
visit  its  wonders.  Hundreds  never  go  beyond  their  native  town. 
No  one  looks  at  the  telegraph  wires  strung  along  our  streets  and 
railroads  with  any  thought  of  the  mighty  power  of  the  thin  thread 
of  galvanized  iron  which  now  runs  from  pole  to  pole  on  our  thor- 
oughfares, and  soon,  indeed,  to  stretch  from  pole  to  pole  on  our 
planet.  Telegrams  are  transmitted  every  second  from  the  most  dis- 
tant points  of  the  world  without  our  special  wonder. 

Newspapers  are  daily  read  by  millions  at  their  breakfast  tables, 
in  the  railway  cars,  at  the  counting-room,  and  thrown  aside  as  soon 
as  read,  without  apparent  thought  of  the  medium  through  which  the 
affairs  of  the  world,  the  events  of  the  day,  the  gossip  of  the  hour  are 
conveyed  to  their  minds,  forming  their  opinions,  leading  them  to 
fame  and  fortune,  saving  them  from  disaster,  and  governing  their 
actions.  But  as  the  polyp  of  the  sea  industriously  and  unceasingly 
works  in  building  up  the  coral  reefs  and  beds  into  islands  and  pen- 
insulas, so  does  the  journalist  slowly  and  surely  work  on  the  minds 
of  the  world,  producing  heroes  and  statesmen,  navigators  and  mer- 
chants, mechanics  and  philosophers.  Those  who  use  the  telegraph 


Epochs  of  Journalism.  xxvii 

condemn  the  unsightly  poles  that  stand  like  sentinels  along  our 
sidewalks.  Those  most  influenced  by  the  Press  heap  upon  it  the 
most  abuse  in  public.  Yet  the  newspaper  is  the  most  appreciated 
of  all  human  productions.  Small  matters  sometimes  indicate  great 
facts.  No  public  dinner  is  given  in  honor  of  a  military  hero,  or  of 
an  inventor,  or  of  a  statesman,  or  of  a  novelist,  that  "  the  Press"  is 
not  a  regular  toast.  This  is  seen  on  every  programme  at  every 
banquet.  It  is  a  stereotyped  acknowledgment  of  the  power  and  in- 
fluence of  the  newspaper.  On  such  occasions,  too,  is  not  the  accom- 
plished stenographer  the  most  important  listener  to  the  efforts  of 
the  orators  in  their  estimation  ?  Is  he  not  the  ear  of  the  Great 
Public  ? 

Such  an  institution  as  the  newspaper  is,  in  this  view,  an  important 
one.  Its  origin,  and  its  intellectual  and  material  development  and 
progress,  can  not  be  otherwise  than  interesting.  It  has  its  epochs 
with  those  of  peoples  and  nations.  Acting  as  the  historical  photog- 
rapher of  national  acts,  it  forms  a  necessary  part  of  national  govern- 
ment, of  national  machinery,  indeed,  of  national  existence.  These 
journalistic  periods,  or  epochs,  are  thus  indicated  in  the  history  of 
North  America : 

First. — The  first  American  newspapers — 1690-1704. 
Second. — The  Colonial  Press — 1704-1755. 

Third. — The  Revolutionary  Press — 1755-1783. 

Fourth. — The  Political  Party  Press,  the  Religious  Press,  the  Agricultural  Press, 
the  Sporting  Press,  the  Commercial  Press — 1783-1833. 

fift&.—'The.  Transition  Press,  the  Cheap  Press— 1833-1835. 

Sixth. — The  Independent  Press,  the  Telegraph  Press — 1835-1872. 

Six  periods  of  marvelous  intellectual  development  and  enterprise 
in  the  United  States.  All  kinds  of  newspapers,  with  all  sorts  of 
characteristics,  are  embraced  in  these  epochs.  We  find  every  inter- 
est with  its  organ — each  its  circle,  like  the  oak  ;  its  strata,  like  the 
earth ;  its  policy,  like  the  political  party;  its  cycle,  like  the  sun.  We 
look  through  the  lens  of  the  camera  obscura  for  a  perfect  image  of 
man.  Do  we  get  it  ?  We  look  through  the  newspaper,  as  the  came- 
ra obscura  of  the  world,  for  a  perfect  idea  of  all  time,  past  and  pres- 
ent. Are  we  as  successful  ?  But  who  does  not  look  upon  an  old 
newspaper  as  upon  an  old  picture  ?  We  appreciate  a  Michael  An- 
gelo  or  a  Rubens,  and  hang  it  up  in  our  Art  Gallery  or  Academy  of 
Design.  We  read  with  peculiar  interest  a  Boston  News-Letter  of 
1704,  or  a  New  York  Gazette  of  1725,  and  file  away  the  treasure  in 
the  Astor  Library  or  the  Athenaeum. 


xxviii  '  Our  Own  Opening. 


THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPERS. 

THE  PROOF-SHEET. — THE  NEWS  CIRCULAR. — THE  NEWSPAPER. — THE  PROS- 
PECTUS.— THE  OFFICIAL  ORGAN. — THE  JOURNAL. — THE  ADVERTISEMENT.— 
THE  PENNY  PRESS. — THE  NEWS-BOY. 

There  is  an  excellent  painting  by  Hillemacher  hanging  up  in  the 
house  of  some  one,  representing  the  atelier  of  John  Gutenburg,  in 
Mayence,  where  he  is  showing  the  first  proof-sheet  to  John  Faust. 
It.  is  a  very  suggestive  picture.  It  represents  Gutenburg,  in  the 
year  1441,  in  his  small  work-cap,  handing  the  impression  to  the  man 
of  dollars  of  that  ancient  town,  so  famous  for  its  Rhenish  wine,  to 
induce  him  to  join  in  the  business  of  printing  by  investing  some  of 
his  capital  therein.  It  is  a  scene  of  a  simple  business  transaction. 
Faust  appears  inspecting  the  proof-sheet  with  curious  wonder,  very 
much  as  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  would  look  at  the  first  steam-engine, 
or  Cave  Johnson  or  Amos  Kendall  at  the  first  telegraph  instrument, 
without,  perhaps,  a  thought  beyond  the  moment  or  the  pocket — 
without  an  idea  of  the  revolution  it  was  destined  to  create.  The 
apprentice,  with  his  shirt-sleeves  rolled  up,  and  one  hand  resting  on 
a  small,  rude  press,  stops  work  to  see  the  effect  the  sheet  produces 
on  Faust,  whose  name,  from  that  day,  is  to  be  linked  with  that  of 
Koster,  Gutenburg,  and  Schoeffer  in  all  the  printing-offices,  school- 
houses,  book-stores,  libraries,  and  press-rooms  of  the  world  through- 
out all  time.  If  the  picture  of  Harvey  demonstrating  the  circula- 
tion of  blood  to  Charles  the  First ;  if  that  of  Luther  and  the  first 
Reformers  presenting  the  famous  protest  to  the  Diet  at  Spires ;  if 
that  of  signing  the  compact  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower  «are  great 
historical  scenes,  this  unpretending  painting,  in  its  bits  of  light  and 
shade,  must  far  surpass  .them  in  interest,  as  representing  the  intro- 
duction of  an  art  which  was  to  preserve  all  arts,  and  which  was  to 
elevate  the  human  race,  and  spread  intelligence,  education,  the  Bi- 
ble, the  almanac,  and  the  newspaper  throughout  the  world. 

It  is  not  a  little  singular  that  this  "  art  preservative ,  of  all  arts" 
should  have  failed  in  transmitting  to  succeeding  generations  a  more 
accurate  and  reliable  account  of  its  own  origin  than  we  have  in  our 
records.  Much  that  we  do  know  comes  to  us,  after  all,  through 
tradition,  and  is  exceedingly  misty  and  opaque,  and  many  of  the 
legal  documents  affecting  Gutenburg's  claims,  sad  to  say,  were  de- 
stroyed in  1870  at  Strasburg  by  the  Prussians.  It  is  only  till  lately 
that  we  have  become  even  satisfied  of  the  origin  of  newspapers — 
where  the  first  one  was  printed,  and  when  it  was  issued.  These  in- 
teresting facts  have  been  almost  as  much  in  doubt  as  the  birthplace 
of  Homer,  or  the  name  of  the  first  Northman  that  landed  on  the 


Early  News-Letters.  xxix 

shores  of  North  America,  or  of  the  inventor  of  lucifer  matches,  or 
the  authorship  of  Junius,  or  of  the  name  of  the  inventor  of  bronze. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  go  back  to  the  times  anterior  to  the  in- 
troduction of  printing  in  Europe  in  1438-40.  Journalists  undoubt- 
edly first  made  their  appearance  in  Rome.  The  Acta  Diurtia,  in 
manuscript,  of  course,  gave  accounts  of  fires,  executions,  and  re- 
markable hail-storms.  There  were  bankruptcies  then,  as  now,  which 
were  noticed  ;  and  the  Roman  Tribune  had  its  House,  and  its  Win- 
ter, and  its  Wilkins  to  criticise  public  plays,  and  its  Jenkins  to  de- 
scribe the  fetes  of  that  happy  period.  But  this  is  enough  of  the 
Diurtia.  We  start  with  printing-ink  and  metal  types  in  Europe,  and 
not  with  the  writing-fluid  of  Rome  or  the  wooden  types  of  the  Ce- 
lestials. Out  of  all  these  enterprises,  however,  and  out  of  the  desire 
of  mankind  to  hear  the  gossip  and  news  of  the  day,  sprung  the  mod- 
ern newspaper,  with  its  annually  increasing  perfection. 

News  was  distributed,  before  the  era  of  newspapers,  by  news-let- 
ters and  news  circulars,  written  in  Venice,  Nuremberg,  Augsburg, 
Amsterdam,  Cologne,  Frankfort,  Leipsic,  Paris,  London,  and  Boston, 
as  it  had  previously  been  done  in  Rome  by  paid  letter-writers  in  those 
news  centres,  and  sent  to  their  principals  in  other  places ;  not  un- 
like the  correspondence  from  London,  or  Canton,  or  Washington 
at  the  present  time,  by  the  bankers,  merchants,  and  editors  of  Bos- 
ton, or  New  York,  or  Chicago,  or  Cincinnati.  There  is  evidence  of 
their  being  circulated  in  Venice  in  1536,  a  century  after  Koster  in- 
troduced his  rude  style  of  type  and  ink.  There  are  thirty  volumes 
of  these  news-letters  preserved  in  the  Magliabecchi  'Library  in 
Florence.  Some,  we  believe,  are  filed  away  in  the  British  Museum. 
The  news  circulars  of  Augsburg  were  started  towards  the  close  of 
the  sixteenth  century.  There  appeared  the  Ordinari  Zeittunger  and 
the  Extraordinari  Zeitttmger.  There  is  a  collection  of  these  jour- 
nals from  1568  to  1604  in  the  Vienna  Library.  They  were  issued 
by  the  mercantile  house  of  the  Messrs.  Fiigger,  who  had  agents  scat- 
tered every  where — merchants  and  traders  well  posted  on  the  cur- 
rent events  of  the  day.  Nine  of  John  Campbell's  news-letters,  writ- 
ten in  Boston  in  1703,  the  year  before  he  resorted  to  the  printing- 
press,  have  lately  been  added  to  the  collection  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society.  These  news-letters  were,  of  course,  the  pioneers 
of  the  newspapers  of  the  world. 

Encyclopaedists  have  given  the  credit  to  Queen  Elizabeth  and 
Lord  Burleigh,  whose  shake  of  the  head  was  such  authority,  for  the 
first  printed  newspaper.  It  had  been  claimed  that  the  British  Mu- 
seum had  a  copy  of  the  earliest  paper  in  its  collection.  It  was 
called  the  English  Mercuric,  and  printed  July  23,  1588  ;  but  it  has 
been  shown  that  this  copy,  like  specimens  of  rare  old  coins,  was 


xxx  Our  Own  Opening. 

spurious,  and  gotten  up  for  sale.  Watts,  the  bibliographer  of  the 
Museum,  who  saw,  on  examination,  that  the  type  and  paper  were  of 
modern  origin,  and  did  not  belong  to  the  sixteenth  century,  exposed 
the  forgery.  It  was  an  ingenious  fabrication,  pretending  to  give  the 
news  of  the  Spanish  Armada,  which  was  destroyed  in  the  English 
Channel  by  Drake  and  Howard  a  day  or  two  previous  to  the  date 
of  the  sheet.  There  were  seven  numbers  of  this  spurious  Mercuric 
produced — four  in  manuscript,  and  three  in  print. 

It  has  also  been  claimed  that  the  first  newspaper  was  printed  in 
Venice.  The  Gazzetta,  thus  named  because  it  sold  for  a  small  piece 
of  money  called  gazzetta,  it  is  asserted,  was  printed  there  in  1570, 
and  it  is  pretended  that  copies  of  this  paper  of  that  date  are  in  one 
or  two  collections  in  London.  There  were  printed  books  in  Venice 
a  century  earlier  than  this,  and  we  have  an  account  of  a  sale,  a  few 
years  ago,  at  auction,  of  a  copy  of  Valdarfer's  Boccaccio,  a  small  fo- 
lio, printed  in  Venice  in  1471,  which  brought  $10,000.  There  were 
printed  books  in  London  as  early  as  this  date.  William  Caxton  set 
up  a  press  in  Westminster  in  the  same  year,  and  published  "Recuyel 
of  the  Historyes  of  Troye"  in  1471.  If  a  book  was  printed  in  1471, 
it  would  not  be  strange  to  see  a  newspaper  emanate  from  the  same 
place  in  1570,  and  yet  no  paper  appeared  in  London  for  over  half  a 
century  after  this  last  period.  But,  if  we  may  believe  Galignants 
Messenger,  always  a  reliable  chronicler,  neither  Venice  nor  London 
have  any  claims  to  this  great  honor  of  issuing  the  first  newspaper. 
According  to  a  statement  in  the  Messenger,  a  paper  called  the  Ga- 
zette was  printed  as  early  as  1457,  five  years  after  Peter  Schceffer  cast 
the  first  metal  type  in  matrices,  in  Nuremberg,  Bavaria,  a  place  cele- 
brated for  many  mechanical  inventions,  and  where  the  Reformation 
made  great  progress  at  a  later  period.  Nuremberg,  with  the  first 
paper  in  the  fifteenth  century,  also  claims,  in  our  researches,  the  hon- 
or of  the  first  paper  in  the  sixteenth  century.  There  is  an  ancient- 
ly printed  sheet  in  the  Libri  collection  which  antedates  all  others 
•except  the  sheet  of  1457  and  the  Chronicle  of  Cologne.  It  is  called 
the  Neue  Zeitung  aus  Hispanien  und  Italien,  and  bears  the  date  of 
February,  1534.  The  British  Museum,  it  is  said,  has  a  duplicate  of 
this  sheet.  The  catalogue  of  this  collection,  when  it  was  offered  for 
sale,  contained  this  description  of  this  specimen  of  one  of  the  incu- 
nabula of  the  press : 

An  exceedingly  rare  journal,  which  appears  to  have  been  printed  at  Nurem- 
berg. It  contains  the  first  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  Peru,  and  has  re- 
mained unknown  to  all  the  bibliographists  that  we  have  been  able  to  consult.  In 
this  printed  sheet  it  is  said  that  the  Governor  of  Panumyra  (Panama),  in  the  In- 
dies, wrote  to  his  majesty,  Charles  V.,  that  a  vessel  had  arrived  from  Peru,  with  a 
letter  from  the  regent,  Francisco  Piscara  (Pizarro),  announcing  that  he  had  taken 
possession  of  the  country ;  that,  with  about  two  hundred  Spaniards,  infantry  and 


Monuments  to  the  Press.  xxxi 

cavalry,  he  had  repaired  to  the  possessions  of  a  great  seignor,  named  Cassiko  (who 
refused  peace),  and  attacked  him ;  that  the  Spaniards  were  the  victors,  and  that 
he  had  seized  upon  five  thousand  castillons  (gold  pieces),  and  of  twenty  thousand 
silver  marks  ;  and,  lastly,  that  he  had  obtained  two  millions  in  gold  from  the  said 
Cassiko. 

Thus  even  the  second  newspaper  of  which  we  have  any  record 
was  printed  in  that  imperial  city  where  Albert  Durer  and  many  oth- 
er distinguished  men  first  saw  the  light  of  heaven.  It  is  not  unlike- 
ly that  the  Gazette  continued  to  be  published  at  intervals  during  the 
period  between  1457  and  1534.  Nuremberg  was  manifestly  the  spot 
where  a  newspaper  would  first  appear  and  be  appreciated. 

"  In  the  valley  of  the  Pegnitz,  where,  across  broad  meadow  lands, 
Rise  the  blue  Franconian  mountain,  Nuremberg,  the  ancient,  stands ; 
Quaint  old  town  of  toil  and  traffic,  quaint  old  town  of  art  and  song, 
Memories  haunt  thy  pointed  gables,  like  the  works  that  round  them  throng. 

Memories  of  the  Middle  Ages,  where  the  emperors,  rough  and  bold, 
Had  their  dwelling  in  thy  castle,  time  defying  centuries  old  ; 
And  thy  brave  and  thrifty  burghers  boasted,  in  their  uncouth  rhyme, 
That  their  great  imperial  city  stretched  its  hand  through  every  clime" 

There  was  a  printing-press  in  Copenhagen  as  early  as  1493,  but 
we  have  no  knowledge  of  a  newspaper  in  that  city  at  that  time.  It 
is  well  ascertained  that  Ulric  Zell  printed  the  Chronicle  in  Cologne 
in  1499.  There  was  a  sheet  called  the  Menurius  Gallo  Belgicus 
issued  in  Cologne  in  1598,  and  afterward  in  Frankfort  in  1605,  and 
immortalized  in  Fletcher's  Fair  Maid  of  the  Inn.  So  to  Germany 
belongs  the  honor  not  only  of  the  first  printers  and  the  first  printing, 
but  of  the  first  printed  newspaper.  Die  Frankfurter  Oberpostamts 
Zeitung  was  published  in  Germany  in  1615,  and  is  claimed  to  have 
been  the  first  daily  paper  in  the  world.  This  journal  is  still  pub- 
lished. Frankfort  is  to  erect  a  monument  in  honor  of -its  editor, 
Egenolf  Eurmel,  as  the  father  of  Newspapers.  In  the  United  States 
Benjamin  Franklin  is  celebrated  in  monuments,  and  paintings,  and 
engravings,  as  if  he  was  the  father  of  Printing  and  Newspapers  in 
this  country,  wholly  ignoring  the  superior  claims  of  the  Greens,  the 
Harrises,  the  Campbells,  the  Bradfords,  and  the  elder  Franklin. 
The  last  monument  to  Benjamin  Franklin  was  unveiled  in  Printing 
House  Square,  in  New  York,  in  1872,  the  ceremony  closing  with  a 
banquet  at  which  nearly  all  the  leading  journalists  and  printers  of 
that  city  were  present.  Monuments  to  the  Press  are  going  up  every 
where.  There  is  a  fine  one  to  Gutenburg  in  Mayence,  and  one  to 
Koster  in  the  Town-house  in  Haarlem.  There  is  one  to  be  erect- 
ed, opposite  Franklin's,  in  New  York,  to  Horace  Greeley.  There 
has  been  erected  in  Brussels  a  column  in  honor  of  the  constitution- 
al liberties  enjoyed  in  Belgium.  At  the  four  corners  of  the  base  of 
this  column  are  placed  four  allegorical  figures  of  colossal  size.  Two 
of  these  were  confided  to  M.  Geefs,  the  Professor  of  Sculpture  of  the 


xxxii  Our  Own  Opening. 

Royal  Academy  at  Antwerp.  One  represents  the  "  Liberty  of  the 
Press,"  and  the  other  "  The  Liberty  of  Instruction."  That  to  the 
Press  is  thus  described  : 

This  statue  of  the  Liberty  of  the  Press  is  an  imposing  composition,  measuring 
three  metres  fifty-nine  centimetres  in  height.  The  great  organ  of  the  intelligence 
of  the  age  is  typified  in  the  form  of  a  female  of  muscular  mould,  and  with  severe 
and  energetic  features,  wearing  a  composed  and  firm  expression — all  admirably 
suggestive  of  force  and  grandeur,  of  power  and  high  resolve.  And  this  grandiose 
character  is  maintained  in  every  part  of  the  work.  The  grandeur  and  severity 
of  the  contour,  the  imposing  and  daring  character  of  the  pose,  irresistibly  fill  the 
mind  of  the  spectator  with  the  feelings  of  awe  and  veneration  which  the  repre- 
sentation of  the  emblems  of  public  liberty  ought  to  inspire.  Even  in  the  draperies 
there  is  nothing  small  or  frivolous  ;  every  fold  is  broad,  bold,  massive,  indicating 
at  once  free  will  and  the  power  to  execute  it.  The  left  arm  of  this  colossal  figure 
rests  upon  a  printing-press,  while  the  hand  holds  a  wreath  of  flowers,  signifying 
that  every  thing  flourishes  under  the  auspices  of  Liberty.  The  right  hand  rests 
upon  the  knee,  grasping  the  fragments  of  a  broken  chain,  the  other  portions  of 
which  are  trampled  under  foot  by  the  goddess.  Her  head  is  crowned  with  lau- 
rels, beneath  which  is  the  fillet  usually  attributed  to  divine  personages,  in  the 
middle  of  which  is  the  star  of  immortality.  Altogether  this  is  a  very  stately,  com- 
plete, and  intelligent  production. 

But  there  are  three  monuments  to  the  Press  in  Germany  that  have 
exceeded  any  of  these  in  age  and  appropriateness.  On  the  ist  of 
January,  1860,  two  of  the  oldest  newspapers  in  that  country  cele- 
brated— one,  the  Leipsic  Gazette,  its  two  hundredth  anniversary,  and 
the  other,  the  Rostock  Gazette,  its  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  birthday  ! 
The  Leipsic  Gazette,  on  that  interesting  event,  presented  to  its  sub- 
scribers fac-similes  of  its  publication  on  the  ist  of  January,  1660  and 
1760,  respectively.  The  Vassische  Zeitung,  of  Berlin,  reached  its  one 
hundredth  and  fiftieth  year  in  1872.  There  are  not  many  more  than 
twenty  or  thirty  newspapers  in  the  world  that  have  lived  over  a 
hundred  years.  We  annex  the  names  of  several  as  they  occur  to 
us  : 

THE  CENTURY   NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Established.  Established. 

1.  Frankfort  Gazette, ,  1615.  9.  Berlin  Gazette,  March,  1722. 

2.  Leipsic  Gazette,  January,  1660.  10.  Leicester  (Eng.)  Journal, ,  1752. 

3.  London  Gazette,  November,  1665.  n.  Dublin  Freeman's  Journal, ,  1755. 

4.  Stamford  (Eng.)  Mercury, ,  1695.  I2-  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  Oct.,  1756. 

5.  Edinburg  Courant,  February,  1705.  13.  Newport  (R.  I.)  Mercury,  June,  1758. 

6.  Rostock  Gazette,  January,  1710.  14.  Connecticut  Gazette,  November,  1763. 

7.  Newcastle  (Eng.)  Courant, ,1711.  15.  Connecticut  Journal,  October,  1767. 

8.  Leeds  (Eng.)  Mercury, ,  1718.  16.  Salem  (Mass.)  Gazette,  Aug.  5, 1768. 

17.  Worcester  (Mass.)  Spy,  July,  1770. 

These  are  monuments,  not  in  bronze,  or  marble,  or  brass,  or  gran- 
ite, but  in  living  words  that  endure  forever. 

The  fifth  newspaper  in  the  world  appeared  in  England  in  1622, 
toward  the  close  of  the  reign  of  James  the  First,  and  shortly  after 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  unsuccessful  voyage  to  America.  It  was  pub- 


The  First  Newsboys.  xxxiii 

lished  by  Nicholas  Bourne  and  Thomas  Archer.  The  earliest  sheet 
known  of  this  paper  is  dated  May  23,  1622.  It  was  entitled  The 
Weekley  Newes.  Although  the  name  of  Nathaniel  Butters  does  not 
appear  till  September  28,  he  is  called  the  father  of  the  English 
Press  because  of  his  earlier  efforts  in  this  profession.  Nicholas 
Bourne,  Thomas  Archer,  Nathaniel  Newbury,  William  Sheffard,  Bar- 
tholomew Downes,  and  Edward  Alide  were  associates  of  Butters. 
They  met  with  indifferent  success.  Ben  Jonson,  in  "  The  Staple  of 
News,"  ridiculed  these  half-fledged  newspaper  men.  So  did  Fletch- 
er and  Shirley.  The  playwrights  were  then  the  censors  of  the  pub- 
lic, and  newspapers  were  considered  enterprising  to  obtain  the  ear- 
liest copies  of  play-bills.  Other  wits  made  fun  of  the  Newes.  'But 
since  that  period  the  journalists  have  changed  places  with  the  play- 
wrights, and  have  become  not  only  the  critics  and  the  arbiters  on 
the  stage,  but  in  the  cars,  at  the  breakfast  table,  in  the  drawing- 
room,  in  presidential  conventions,  in  cabinet  councils,  indeed  every 
where.  In  spite  of  the  wits,  the  Newes  lived  longer  than  many 
papers  of  more  modern  date. 

One  of  the  curiosities  in  newspapers,  if  not  in  literature,  is  the 
close  resemblance  of  the  names  of  the  publishers  of  the  first  regu- 
larly printed  papers  in  England  and  America.  The  imprint  of  the 
Weekley  Newes  in  1622  was  as  follows  : 

London  :  printed  by  I.  D.,  for  Nicholas  Bourne  and  Thomas  Archer. 

The  imprint  of  the  News-Letter  was  in  1704 : 

Boston  :  Printed  by  B.  Green.  Sold  by  Nicholas  Boone  at  his  Shop  near  the 
Old  Meeting  House. 

Ninety-two  years  elapsed  between  the  publication  of  these  two 
papers,  one  by  Nicholas  Bourne  and  the  other  by  Nicholas  Boone. 
Names,  as  well  as  history,  it  thus  appears,  repeat  themselves  over 
the  globe. 

In  the  capacity  of  a  news-carrier,  his  original  profession,  as  a 
hired  letter-writer  in  the  pay  of  a  few  country  gentlemen  to  gather 
the  news  in  London  and  send  a  weekly  written  sheet  of  his  intelli- 
gence and  gossip  to  his  employers,  Butters  prepared  the  way  for  the 
first  English  newspaper.  He  had  printed  news  pamphlets  now  and 
then  as  far  back  as  1611,  and  on  the  pth  of  October,  1621,  he  pub- 
lished, on  a  half  sheet,  one  or  two  numbers  of  The  Courant,  or  Week- 
ley  Newes  from  Forain  Paries.  It  seems  that  he  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inators of  the  present  mode  of  selling  papers  in  the  streets.  "Mer- 
cury women"  and  "  hawkers,"  the  news-venders  of  his  day,  were 
introduced  by  him.  We  now  have  news-boys,  although  many  of  the 
news-venders  of  the  present  time  in  New  York  and  other  cities  are 
women  and  girls.  Women  keep  the  kiosques  in  Paris  where  all  the 
papers  are  daily  sold,  and  these  women,  some  of  whom  have  been 

C 


xxxiv  Our  Own  Opening. 

news-venders  for  thirty  years,  are  perfectly  au  courant  in  the  polit- 
ical upheavals  of  France  in  that  time.  So  important  has  this  class 
become  in  England,  that  in  1839  the  male  portion  formed  a  News- 
venders'  Benevolent  and  Provident  Association  in  London,  and  cel- 
ebrated its  tenth  anniversary  in  1849  by  a  public  dinner  in  that  city, 
at  which  Charles  Dickens  presided. 

Butters  having  given  an  impulse  to  this  new  intellectual  move- 
ment, newspapers  increased  in  number.  In  the  civil  wars,  period- 
icals, organs  of  the  two  parties,  and  edited  by  men  of  ability,  were 
largely  circulated.  There  was  one  named  the  Impartial  Intelligen- 
cer, which  we  mention  because  it  contained  the  first  advertisement 
ever  published.  This  original  business  notice  appeared  in  March, 
1648,  and  offered  a  reward  for  the  recovery  of  two  stolen  horses. 
Among  other  papers,  we  can  not  omit  the  Public  Intelligencer,  estab- 
lished by  Sir  Roger  1'Estrange  on  the  3ist  of  August,  1663,  and 
made  famous  at  the  time  by  the  ability  of  its  editor,  and  the  immense 
power  given  him  as  the  Licenser  of  the  Press,  a  power  which  he 
greatly  abused.  It  enjoyed  the  reputation,  in  some  of  the  encyclo- 
paedias, of  being  the  first  real  newspaper  in  England,  and  afterward, 
with  change  of  name,  became  the  official  Gazette  of  England.  Sir 
Roger  was  strongly  opposed  to  Butters's  mode  of  selling  newspapers 
in  the  streets.  In  his  prospectus  in  1663  he  said  : 

The  way  as  to  the  sale  that  has  been  found  most  beneficial  to  the  master  of  the 
book  has  been  to  cry  and  expose  it  about  the  streets  by  mercuries  and  hawkers  ; 
but  whether  they  may  be  so  advisable  in  some  other  respects  may  be  a  question, 
for  under  countenance  of  that  employment  is  carried  on  the  private  trade  of  trea- 
sonous and  seditious  libels  ;  nor,  effectually,  has  any  thing  been  dispersed  against 
either  Church  or  State  without  the  aid  and  privity  of  this  sort  of  people  ;  where- 
fore, without  ample  assurance  and  security  against  this  inconvenience,  I  shall  ad- 
venture to  steer  another  course. 

Notwithstanding  this  early  onslaught,  the  system  of  mercuries 
was  popular,  and  continued  in  vogue,  as  the  Sweeneys  of  1765,  who 
sold  the  Courant  in  the  streets  of  New  York,  and  the  Mark  Maguires, 
the  "  King  of  the  Newsboys,"  a  century  later,  who  sold  the  Sun,  Her- 
ald, and  Times,  are  ample  and  wealthy  proofs.  Our  data  do  not 
develop  the  fact  of  the  elevation  of  the  "  mercuries"  of  the  time  of 
Butters  and  L'Estrange  to  high  offices  of  honor  and  trust,  but  we 
have  records  of  numerous  instances  of 'the  "newsboys"  who  have 
sold  the  Transcript,  Herald,  and  Sun  in  the  streets  of  New  York, 
becoming  sheriffs,  Common  Council-men,  members  of  the  state  Leg- 
islature, police  magistrates,  eminent  lawyers,  distinguished  actors, 
millionaires,  and  members  of  the  national  Congress.  Some,  it  is 
true,  went  to  the  States  Prisons,  but  these  were  the  accidents  of  the 
profession.  In  a  sketch  of  Charles  O'Conor,  in  the  New  York  Her- 
ald, in  October,  1869,  appeared  the  following  incidents  of  his  life  : 


The  First  Daily  Newspapers.  xxxv 

Released  from  debt  and  jail,  the  elder  O'Conor  soon  after  established  a  weekly 
newspaper  called  the  War,  which  name,  however,  after  the  publication  of  a  few 
numbers,  was  changed  to  the  Military  Monitor,  This  was  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
War  of  1812.  O'Conor  was  a  vigorously  epigrammatic  writer,  though  at  times 
showing  a  wonderful  capacity  at  ornate  description.  In  the  columns  of  his  paper 
he  availed  himself  of  the  broad  opportunity  afforded  him  of  giving  vent  to  his  burn- 
ing indignation  against  the  English  government,  which  time  and  his  years  of  resi- 
dence here  had  not  abated.  Charles,  who  was  then  eight  years  old,  was  his  fa- 
ther's office  boy,  a  position  that  not  only  enforced  keeping  charge  of  the  office  in 
his  father's  absence,  but  also  delivering  the  papers  to  subscribers.  At  this  time 
New  York  had  ninety  thousand  inhabitants,  the  population  of  Brooklyn  was  about 
two  thousand,  and  Jersey  City  was  a  small  country  village  ;  and  between  it  and 
New  York,  as  also  between  here  and  Brooklyn,  the  communication  was  by  row- 
boats.  Newspapers  were  not  then  what  they  are  now.  The  subscription  list  of 
the  Military  Monitor  was  not  very  large,  but  it  was  sufficiently  large  to  keep  young 
Charles  busily  employed  every  Saturday  in  delivering  the  papers  to  subscribers. 

"  Sometimes  the  publication  was  delayed  beyond  the  usual  time,  and  to  get 
through  my  circuit  of  delivery  would  take  all  night,"  he  recently  remarked  to  a 
gentleman,  in  speaking  of  this  epoch  of  his  early  days  ;  "  but  I  boldly  went  up 
door-steps,  chucking  papers  under  the  doors ;  plunged  into  areas  and  down 
through  alleyways,  fearless  of  the  police  and  every  body,  for  my  bundle  of  papers 
was  a  perfect  safeguard,  as  good  to  me  as  the  aegis  and  crested  helmet  to  Hector." 

"  So  you  commenced  your  career  as  a  newsboy  ?"  queried  the  gentleman. 

"A  newsboy  of  the  old  school,"  rejoined  Mr.  O'Conor,  with  a  merry  twinkle  of 
the  eye  ;  "for  between  newsboys  of  the  old  and  modern  school  there  is  as  marked 
a  difference  as  between  old  and  modern  school  gentlemen." 

After  the  Public  Intelligencer,  the  Oxford  Gazette,  now  so  venera- 
ble, was  published  in  November,  1665.  It  was  and  is  the  organ  of 
the  court.  This  was  the  first  official  organ  in  the  form  of  a  news- 
paper, although  L'Estrange  pretended  to  be  such.  On  the  return 
of  the  court  to  London,  after  its  flight  from  the  plague,  the  name 
was  changed  to  London  Gazette,  and  has  ever  since  remained  as  such. 
It  is  a  mere  reprint  of  laws  and  proclamations.  There  is  no  edito- 
rial labor,  yet  its  editor,  as  late  as  1869,  received  a  salary  of  $4000 
per  year.  When  a  vacancy  occurred  in  that  year  there  were  numer- 
ous applications  for  the  situation.  It  was  then  proposed  to  abolish 
the  office  and  the  paper,  after  an  existence  of  over  two  hundred 
years ;  but  the  proposition  did  not  find  favor,  and  finally  Thomas 
Walker,  for  many  years  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  London  News, 
received  the  sinecure  appointment  from  William  Gladstone,  the 
premier. 

The  first  daily  newspaper  printed  in  English  appeared  in  the  reign 
of  Queen  Anne.  It  was  the  Daily  Courant,  a  morning  paper,  and 
issued  in  March,  1702.  It  was  not  till  1777  that  the  first  daily  paper 
appeared  in  Paris.  It  was  the  Journal  de  Paris  ou  Paste  au  Soir. 
Colletet  published  a  paper  a  century  earlier,  named  the  Journal  de 
la  Ville  de  Paris,  in  which  daily  occurrences  were  recorded,  hence 
the  name  of  journal,  but  the  sheet,  we  think,  was  not  issued  oftener 
than  once  a  week.  The  first  daily  newspaper  in  the  United  States 
was  the  American  Daily  Advertiser,  published  in  Philadelphia  in 
1784. 


xxxvi  Our  Own  Opening. 

The  earliest  Scottish  newspaper  appeared  in  1652,  under  the  au- 
spices of  Cromwell,  when  Milton  was  his  private  secretary  and  wrote 
political  articles.  One  authority  states  that  the  initial  paper  was 
the  Mercurius  Politicus,  and  issued  in  Leith  in  October,  1653.  There 
was  an  Edinburg  Gazette  in  1699.  In  February,  1705,  the  Edinburg 
Courant  was  published,  by  authority,  semi-weekly.  The  copy  of 
February  19  of  that  year,  now  before  us,  is  a  half  sheet  of  the  size 
of  letter  paper.  Its  contents  are  advices  from  the  camp  before  Gib- 
raltar, and  accounts  of  the  war  in  Austria,  and  of  a  battle  at  Rivoli, 
in  Piedmont.  This  paper  was  printed  by  James  Watson,  in  Craig's 
Close,  and  sold  at  the  Exchange  Coffee-house.  Its  news  shows  the 
existence  of  other  newspapers  in  Holland  than  the  Harlemm  Courant, 
which  made  its  appearance  in  1656,  as  it  quotes  from  the  Amster- 
dam Gazette  of  February  17,  1705,  and  the  Amsterdam  Courant  of 
the  same  month  and  year.  We  know  that  a  newspaper  was  pub- 
lished in  Russia  in  1703.  It  was  printed  under  the  authority  of 
Peter  the  Great,  who  not  only  took  an  active  part  in  its  direction, 
but  it  is  asserted  that  he  corrected  many  of  the  proof-sheets !  It 
was  named  the  St.  Petersburg  Gazette.  The  initial  paper  in  Spain 
appeared  in  1704,  and  was  called  the  Gaceta  de  Madrid. 

The  conciseness  and  quaintness  of  the  prospectus  of  the  Scottish 
publisher,  in  view  of  the  modern  announcements  of  the  kind,  induces 
us  to  give  it  entire  : 

The  Author  hereof  having  upon  the  13,  instant,  got  an  Act  of  Her  Majesty's 
most  Honorable  Privy  Council,  to  Print  and  Publish  the  Foreign  and  Home  News 
thrice-Weekly,  viz.,  Monday,  Wednesday,  and  Friday  ;  the  same  will  be  continued 
from  this  day  forward. 

NOTA.  Advertisements  may  be  put  in  this  Couranf,  and  for  that  end,  attend- 
ance will  be  given  from  ten  o  Clock  in  the  Forenoon  till  twelve,  and  from  two  in 
the  Afternoon  till  four,  at  the  Exchange  Coffee  House  in  Edinburg. 

There  were  three  advertisements  in  the  sheet  of  the  igth  of  Feb- 
ruary, and,  if  any  evidence  were  needed  to  show  the  early  existence 
of  "  patent  medicines,"  advertisements  of  which  now  fill  our  papers 
at  a  yearly  cost  of  over  a  million  dollars,  we  would  refer  those  with 
coughs  and  colds  to  one  of  the  three  paid  notices  left  at  the  Coffee- 
house, Edinburg,  on  the  i8th  of  February,  1705,  for  insertion  in  the 
Courant  of  the  next  day.  Among  the  first  advertisements  in  the 
first  newspapers  were  those  of  patent  medicines.  Life  Pills,  Sooth- 
ing Sirups,  and  Bronchial  Troches,  it  would  seem,  existed  then  as 
now.  Here  is  the  one  in  the  Courant  : 

That  the  Famous  Loozengees  for  Curing  the  Cold,  stopping  and  pains  in  the 
Breast,  the  Kinkpost ;  Are  to  be  sold  by  George  Anderson  at  the  foot  of  the  Fish 
Mercal,  and  at  George  Mowbray's  Shop,  opposit  to  the  Main  Gaard.  Price  8  sh. 
the  box. 

The  Courant  was  a  famous  sheet,  as  it  once  had  Daniel  de  Foe, 


The  First  One-  Cent  Paper.  xxxvii 

author  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  for  its  editor.  It  came  under  his  man- 
agement in  1710,  and  he  created  a  sensation  as  a  political  journal- 
ist. He  had  an  active  share  in  the  Mercurius  Politicus,  in  Darner's 
News-Letter,  and  in  MaWs  Journal.  In  1714  he  wrote  a  letter  for 
Hursfs  Flying  Post  which  caused  him  temporary  imprisonment.  In 
1720  he  contributed  to  Appkbee's  Weekly  Journal,  and  continued  to 
do  so  till  1726,  and  also  for  the  Director.  He  established  the  White- 
hall Evening  Post  in  1720,  and  was  connected  with  that  paper  for 
two  years.  De  Foe  manifestly  had  journalism  on  the  brain,  for  at 
one  time  he  had  six  or  seven  papers  on  his  hands  for  which  he  was 
an  active  contributor.  It  is  a  wonder  that  he  did  not  "set  up  a 
press,"  and  establish  Robinson  Crusoe  as  an  editor  on  his  wonder- 
ful island. 

The  Orange  Postman  was  the  first  penny  paper.  It  was  started 
in  England  in  1706,  and  sold  for  half  a  penny.  It  is,  therefore,  prob- 
ably the  first  ONE-CENT  paper  ever  published.  It  was  unquestion- 
ably the  father  of  the  Penny  Press. 

The  first  newspaper  printed  in  Ireland  was  Pile's  Occurrences,  pub- 
lished in  Dublin  in  1700.  It  was  said  that  it  became  a  daily  paper, 
and  lived  for  half  a  century.  Some  authorities  claim  that  there  was 
a  Dublin  News-Letter  in  1685. 

After  Germany  and  England,  is  it  not  time  that  France,  then  in 
the  most  flourishing  period  of  her  literature,  should  appear  on  the 
historic  roll  ?  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  in  view  of  the  progress  of 
that  great  nation  in  art,  science,  literature,  and  industry,  France,  in 
journalism,  occupies  the  same  rank  now  in  merit  as  she  did  chron- 
ologically two  hundred  years  ago,  both  periods  showing  an  abun- 
dance of  journalistic  ability  and  an  utter  absence  of  journalistic  en- 
terprise. 

On  the  3<Dth  of  Ma)',  1631,  Theophraste  Renaudot  published  the 
Gazette  de  France  in  Paris,  the  first  regular  newspaper  printed  in 
France.  The  Mercure  Francois  appeared  in  1613,  but  it  was  never 
called  a  newspaper.  The  official  bulletins  of  the  first  grand  expe- 
dition of  the  French  in  Italy,  under  the  command  of  Charles  the 
Eighth,  in  1494  and  1495,  were  printed,  and  formed  a  sort  of  Moni- 
teur  in  that  period  of  French  renown.  These  were  military  bulle- 
tins, and  do  not  deprive  Renaudot  of  any  of  his  glory.  The  Gazette 
lived  nearly  two  centuries  and  a  half.  Indeed,  there  has  always 
been  a  Gazette  de  France,  from  Louis  XIII.  to  Napoleon  HI.,  the 
oldest  periodical  in  name  in  the  world.  Pe're  Renaudot  of  French 
journalism,  like  Father  Butters  of  English  newspapers,  killed  off,  al- 
most with  one  coup  de presse,  the  written  news-slips  and  club  manu- 
scripts, those  slow,  irregular,  meagre  chroniclers  of  their  day.  News- 
papers then  came  into  power.  Since  then,  Louis  XVI.,  Napoleon 


xxxviii  Our  Own  Opening. 

I.,  Charles  X.,  Louis.  Philippe,  Napoleon  III.,  have  all  been  over- 
thrown by  this  power.  So  their  adherents  have  persistently  assert- 
ed. Yet  the  newspaper  in  France  is  apparently  controlled  by  the 
government.  Richelieu,  Mazarin,  and  Louis  XIII.  wrote  for  the  Ga- 
zette, as  Edward  Everett,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  Sylvanus  Cobb 
for  the  Ledger,  and  Guizot,  Thiers,  and  Napoleon  for  the  Moniteur 
and  La  Patrie. 

But  to  return  to  Renaudot  and  his  Gazette.  Twelve  months  after 
the  establishment  of  the  paper,  its  originator  issued,  in  1632,  a  pros- 
pectus, which  we  annex.  The  quaint  and  simple  manner  of  express- 
ing his  views  on  the  duties  of  a  journalist  gives  it  a  peculiar  charm 
and  attraction : 

The  novelty  of  this  design,  its  utility,  its  difficulty,  and  its  purpose,  my  reader, 
deserve  a  preface. 

The  publication  of  Gazettes  is  indeed  new ;  but  in  France  only  can  this  novelty 
find  favor  which  it  can  always  easily  retain.  Above  all  will  these  gazettes  be  sus- 
tained for  their  utility  to  the  public  and  to  individuals  :  to  the  public,  because  they 
will  prevent  the  circulation  of  false  reports,  which  often  serve  to  kindle  intestine 
and  seditious  movements  ;  indeed,  if  we  may  believe  Caesar  in  his  Commentaries, 
our  ancestors  often  undertook  wars  precipitately,  to  repent  of  them  at  leisure,  on 
the  mere  rumors  of  the  day ;  to  individuals,  because  each  one  willingly  adjusts 
his  affairs  on  the  model  of  the  times.  Thus  no  merchant  would  go  to  a  besieged 
or  ruined  city  to  trade  or  traffic,  nor  would  a  soldier  seek  employment  in  a  coun- 
try where  there  are  no  wars.  It  is  not  necessary  to  speak  of  the  advantages  of 
these  gazettes  to  those  who  heretofore  have  been  obliged  to  write  to  their  friends 
to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  and  to  laboriously  describe  news  which  is  often  invented 
at  pleasure,  and  founded  on  simple  rumor.  Besides  the  gratification  which  the 
variety  of  news  which  these  gazettes  will  give,  and  which  will  serve  as  an  agree- 
able diversion  in  company,  they  will  prevent  slanders  and  other  vices  which  idlers 
produce,  and  this  ought  to  render  them  acceptable.  They  are,  on  this  point  at 
least,  free  from  blame,  and  are  no  more  injurious  or  hurtful  to  the  mass  of  the 
people  than  my  other  innocent  inventions,  each  one  standing  on  its  own  merits. 

The  difficulty  I  encounter  in  the  composition  of  my  gazettes  and  my  news  is 
not  paraded  in  advance  to  make  the  public  esteem  my  labor  more  highly  than  it 
ought  to  be.  Those  who  know  me  can  say  to  others  that  if  I  do  not  find  as  hon- 
orable employment  elsewhere  as  in  these  sheets,  they  must  excuse  my  style  if  it 
does  not  always  reach  the  dignity  of  the  subject,  and  if  the  subject  be  not  to  their 
mind,  and  both  style  and  subject  of  sufficient  merit  to  meet  their  approbation. 
All  can  not  be  satisfied.  Captains  wish  for  battles,  and  sieges  raised  or  cities 
captured;  lawyers  are  anxious  for  judgments  ;  devout  persons  seek  the  names 
of  renowned  preachers  and  confessors.  Those  who  hear  nothing  of  the  mysteries 
of  court  wish  to  see  them  mentioned  in  great  letters.  If  one  carries  a  parcel  to 
court,  or  leads  a  company  of  soldiers  from  one  village  to  another  without  losing 
a  man,  or  performs  the  duties  of  a  small  office,  he  frets  himself  if  the  king  does  not 
see  his  name  in  the  Gazette.  Others  wish  to  have  the  title  of  monseigneur  or 
monsieur  prefixed  to  each  person  of  whom  I  speak,  without  thinking  that  these 
titles  are  too  common,  and,  being  omitted  in  all  cases,  can  give  jealousy  to  none. 
There  are  some  who  take  to  a  flowery  language,  while  others  wish  to  have  my 
descriptions  a  fleshless  skeleton,  in  order  that  the  relation  be  naked  and  simple. 
It  is  my  effort  to  please  all. 

Is  it  fair,  then,  oh  my  reader,  to  complain  of  all  my  doings,  and  find  no  excuse 
for  my  pen  if  it  fails  to  please  the  world,  no  matter  what  I  say  or  do,  like  the  peas- 
ant and  his  son,  who  placed  themselves  first  alone  and  then  together,  sometimes 
on  foot  and  sometimes  on  the  back  of  their  ass  ?  And  if  the  fear  of  displeasing 
the  age  in  which  they  live  has  prevented  many  good  authors  from  touching  the 
history  of  their  time,  what  ought  to  be  the  difficulty  of  writing  that  of  the  week, 
indeed  of  the  day  even,  in  which  it  is  published  ?  Add  to  this  the  shortness  of 


First.  American  Newspaper.  xxxix 

time  that  your  impatience  gives  me,  and  I  am  much  deceived  if  the  rudest  of  cen- 
sors will  not  find  some  excuse  for  a  work  which  has  to  be  accomplished  in  four 
hours,  the  only  time  given  me  by  the  arrival  of  the  couriers  every  week  in  gath- 
ering, arranging,  and  printing  these  lines. 

But  no,  I  deceive  myself  in  estimating  that  I  hold  the  bridle  of  your  censure  by 
my  remonstrances.  It  can  not  be  done  ;  and  if  I  could  do  it,  my  reader,  I  ought 
not  to  do  it,  for  this  liberty  of  reproving  not  being  one  of  the  smallest  pleasures 
of  this  class  of  readers,  and  a  pleasure  and  a  gratification,  as  we  may  call  it,  is 
really  one  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  invention  of  this  novelty.  Enjoy,  then, 
at  your  ease,  this  French  liberty,  and  let  each  one  speak  as  boldly  as  he  pleases 
of  removing  this  or  changing  that,  which  he  would  have  done  much  better  than  I 
have  or  can  do.  I  submit. 

In  one  thing,  however,  I  will  cede  to  no  one,  and  that  is  in  seeking  the  truth  ; 
of  which,  nevertheless,  I  make  no  guarantee,  it  being  difficult  in  the  midst  of  five 
hundred  news-letters,  written  in  haste  from  one  clime  to  another,  to  always  escape 
a  correction  from  Father  Time ;  and  yet  there  are  some  curious  persons  who  will 
always  hold  to  the  truth  of  the  news  thus  published. 

This  is  a  remarkable  prospectus.  It  is  rather  a  postscript  to  the 
original  idea  of  the  newspaper.  No  one  can  say  that  Renaudot  was 
not  a  first-class  journalist  for  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  The  Ga- 
zette was  evidently  more  of  a  newspaper  than  the  Weekley  Newes. 
It  described  events,  expressed  opinions,  and  had  special  correspond- 
ents. It  was  sold  for  five  sous  a  copy.  Women  sold  it  in  the 
streets.  It  was  issued  daily  after  May  i,  1792. 

The  official  gazette  of  Sweden  next  made  its  appearance.  The 
Postosch  Inrikes  Tidning  was  its  name.  It  was  founded  in  1644,  in 
the  reign  of  Christine,  daughter  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  the  Great. 
We  believe  it  is  still  published.  Then  there  was  the  Harlcmm  Cou- 
rant,  which  was  established  on  the  8th  of  January,  1656. 

These  were  the  earliest  newspapers  in  Europe ;  and  now  Amer- 
ica steps  into  the  ranks  of  journalism. 

Tenth  on  the  list  in  the  seventeenth  century,  in  their  colpni'al  con- 
dition, chronologically  considered,  the  United  States,  in  their  inde- 
pendent condition,  are  first,  in  every  attribute  of  a  newspaper,  in  the 
nineteenth  century.  The  avant  courier  of  the  thousands  of  jour- 
nals that  have  appeared  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  was  printed  in 
Boston  on  the  25th  of  September,  1690,  by  Richard  Pierce,  for  Ben- 
jamin Harris.  It  was  called  Publick  Occurrences,  and  was  imme- 
diately suppressed  by  the  government.  The  first  permanent  news- 
paper was  the  Boston  News-Letter.  The  latter  did  not  make  its 
appearance  till  the  2oth  of  April,  1704.  In  all  records  it  incorrectly 
stands  as  the  initial  American  newspaper.  It  was,  indeed,  the  first 
sheet  regularly  and  persistently  issued,  but  it  was  not  the  pioneer. 
It  was  not  like  its  predecessor  in  the  character  of  its  contents.  It 
gave  no  local  news.  Its  whole  aim  seemed  to  be  to  keep  its  readers 
au  courant  with  the  affairs  of  Europe  only.  In  this  way  it  escaped 
local  censure  and  persecution.  Another  paper,  called  the  Gazette, 
was  issued  in  Boston  in  1719.  The  American  Mercury  appeared  in 


xl  Our  Own  Opening. 

Philadelphia  in  the  same  year.  Then  James  Franklin  started  the 
Boston  Courant  in  1721,  but,  after  some  persecution  from  the  au- 
thorities, it  passed  nominally  under  the  management  of  Benjamin 
Franklin.  It  ceased  to  exist  in  1727.  It  was  too  independent. 

The  first  newspaper  in  New  York  made  its  entree  in  1725.  It 
was  the  New  York  Gazette,  and  was  the  pioneer  of  the  wonderfully 
enterprising  newspapers  of  the  great  metropolis  of  the  present  time. 
Another  Gazette,  then  the  favorite  name  for  newspapers,  came  out 
in  Annapolis,  Maryland,  in  1727.  Another  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  1731,  and  yet  another,  the  Rhode  Island  Gazette,  in  New- 
port, in  1733.  There  was  very  little  originality  in  names  in  this 
early  period  of  newspapers,  for  we  find  that  the  first  one  printed  in 
Virginia  was  the  Gazette,  and  published  in  Williamsburg  in  1736. 
Twenty  years  later,  in  1756,  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  yet  in  ex- 
istence, was  published  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 

Thus,  with  the  discovery  of  printing,  the  initial  printed  newspa- 
pers of  the  world  appeared  in  the  following  order : 

THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPERS. 
Name.  Town.  Year. 

0.  Printing  introduced,  Mayence,  1438 

1.  Gazette  Nuremberg,  1457 

2.  Chronicle,  Cologne,  1499 

3.  Gazette,  Venice,  1570 

4.  Die  Frankfurter  Oberpostamts  )  Frankfort  l6lr 

Zeitung,  ) 

5.  Weekley  Newes,  London,  1622 

6.  Gazette  de  France,  Paris,  1631 

7.  Postosch  Inrikes  Tidning,  Sweden,  1644 

8.  Mercurius  Politicus,  Leith,  Scotland,  1653 

9.  Courant,  Harlemm,  Holland,  1656 

10.  Publick  Occurrences,  Boston,  1690 

1 1.  Pue's  Occurrences,  Dublin,  Ireland,  1700 

12.  Gazette,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia,     1703 

13.  News-Letter,  Boston,  1704 

14.  Gaceta  de  Madrid,  Madrid,  Spain,  1704 

15.  Mercury,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  1719 

1 6.  Gazette,  New  York,  1725 

17.  Gazette,  Annapolis,  Md.,  1727 

1 8.  Gazette,  Charleston,  S.  C.,  1731 

19.  Gazette,  Williamsburg, Va.,  1736 

20.  Gazette,  Calcutta,  1781 

Other  papers  were  of  course  published  in  Europe  and  in  the 
United  States  prior  to  the  Revolution  of  1776,  but  the  object  we 
have  in  view,  in  this  introductory  chapter,  is  to  give  the  first  sheets 
as  they  appeared  in  the  world.  These  twenty  Gazettes,  and  News- 
Letters,  and  Occurrences  were  the  pioneers.  Although  they  were  the 
merest  chroniclers  of  brief  items  of  news,  bits  of  history,  without 


The  Age  of  Steam  and  Electricity.  xli 

philosophy,  to  be  used  and  rearranged  in  after  ages,  they  were  the 
originators  of  the  palladiums  of  the  people,  now  so  numerous  and 
necessary  wherever  the  rights  of  man  are  recognized,  and  corrupt 
corporations,  and  political  leaders  and  "  rings"  are  to  be  exposed. 
Very  little  space  was  devoted,  in  these  early  days,  to  editorial  arti- 
cles, or  communications,  or  expression  of  opinions.  News,  with  an 
advertisement  here  and  there,  filled  the  short  columns  in  the  small 
half  sheets  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  It  was  in 
the  next  epoch,  between  1755  and  1783,  that  intellect  began  to  mani- 
fest itself,  and  political  and  religious  liberty  receive  its  great  impulse 
from  the  public  press,  particularly  in  the  United  States,  resulting  in 
the  Revolution  of  1776.  If,  as  in  the  case  of  Benjamin  Harris  in 
1690,  or  James  Franklin  in  1721,  those  journals  indulged  in  the 
modern  luxury  of  publicly  uttering  their  political  sentiments,  or  even 
in  a  free  publication  of  news  affecting  the  authorities,  they  were 
doomed  to  persecution  and  punishment,  as  in  England  under  Charles 
the  First  and  Second  in  the  sixteenth,  and  in  France  under  Na- 
poleon the  Third  and  Thiers  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

These  initial  sheets  were  an  illustration  of  the  papers,  and  the 
people,  and  the  times  of  those  early  periods,  as  the  leading  journals 
of  to-day  are  the  illustration  of  the  papers,  and  people,  and  the  times 
of  our  epoch.  Our  modern  organs  of  public  opinion — the  Augs- 
burg Gazette,  the  London  Times,  the  Paris  "Journal  des  Debats,  and 
the  New  York  Herald  of  1872,  with  their  daily  circulation  of  a  quar- 
ter of  a  million  sheets,  or  a  million  and  a  half  of  readers,  are  the  natu- 
ral and  progressive  result  and  historical  contrast  of  the  Nuremberg 
Gazette  of  1457,  the  London  Weekley  Newes  of  1622,  the  Gazette  de 
France  of  1631,  and  the  Boston  News-Letter  of  1704,  with  their  weekly 
circulation  of  less  than  two  thousand  copies,  or  ten  thousand  readers. 
Slow  chroniclers  and  imperfect  impressions  of  1457  and  1622  com- 
pared with  the  rapidity  of  steam,  the  flash  of  electricity,  and  the 
perfect  photographic  impressions  of  1872  ! 


JOURNALISM  IN  AMERICA. 


THE  FIRST  EPOCH. 


1690 — 1704. 

'    CHAPTER   I. 
THE  INITIAL  NEWSPAPER. 

HARRIS'S  PUBLICK  OCCURRENCES  IN  BOSTON. — ONE  DAY'S  EXISTENCE  ONLY. 
— ITS  CONTENTS.— THE  REPRINTED  LONDON  GAZETTE  IN  NEW  YORK. 

THERE  is  always  a  beginning  in  every  nation  and  with  every  in- 
dividual. The  primer  is  every  where.  All  created  things  have  an 
origin.  Where  there  is  a  necessity  in  a  community,  some  one  sup- 
plies the  want.  The  activity  of  the  human  intellect  is  constantly 
meeting  the  requirements  of  the  human  family.  When  ideas,  and 
signs,  and  words  came,  something  was  necessary  to  put  words  into 
shape  to  communicate  ideas  with  greater  rapidity.  Type  were  in- 
vented for  this  purpose.  Ink  and  rude  presses  came  with  type,  as 
gutta-percha  with  the  telegraph.  Written  news-slips  were  too  slowly 
prepared  even  for  the  slow  age  of  Gutenburg  and  Schceffer.  News- 
papers, therefore,  became  a  necessity,  and  were  invented  in  their 
turn.  Then  came  steam  and  electricity  as  auxiliary  powers  to  in- 
tellect. What  next?  The  pneumatic  tunnel — the  universal  news- 
paper carrier ! 

With  the  progress  of  civilization  and  the  increase  of  population 
in  America,  the  same  elements,  the  same  manners,  the  same  cus- 
toms, the  same  wants,  the  same  desires  that  existed  in  Europe  were 
required  here.  We  imported  them  and  paid  taxes  on  them.  News- 
papers had  become  a  necessity  in  England,  France,  and  Germany  ; 
they  were  equally  so  in  America.  We  therefore  imported  Jhe  idea, 
and  the  type,  and  the  ink,  and  the  press,  and  the  paper.  So  a  news- 
paper was  established  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  It  made  its 
first  appearance  in  Boston,  and  that  city  has  the  honor  and  the  glory 
of  bringing  into  existence  this  useful  and  popular  institution. 

Seventy  years   after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  on  Plymouth 


44  Journalism  in  America. 

Rock,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  invention  of  print- 
ing, a  newspaper  was  issued  in  that  colony.  It  lived  one  day,  and 
one  copy  only  is  known  to  have  been  preserved.  That  specimen 
sheet — that  great  curiosity  in  newspaper  literature,  is  in  the  Colonial 
State  Paper  Office  in  London.  It  is  not  mentioned  in  any  history 
that  we  have  seen,  nor  in  Disraeli's  Curiosities  of  Literature,  that 
the  capital  of  Massachusetts  derived  its  sobriquets  of  Athens  of 
America,  or  the  Hub  of  the  Universe,  from  the  important  fact  that 
the  first  American  newspaper  was  printed  there.  It  is  not  altogeth- 
er unlikely  that  such  is  the  fact.  All  we  need  say  is  that  Boston 
enjoys  these  titles  to  fame,  and  she  gave  birth  to  the  first  newspa- 
per. The  people  of  that  labyrinthine  city  feel  that  these  titles  be- 
long to  them.  They  are  so  much  accustomed  to  the  sound  of  the 
names  that  they  hear  them  without  visible  emotion  and  with  the  ut- 
most placidity. 

The  historian  of  Salem,  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Felt,  in  his  researches  for 
facts  connected  with  that  ancient  commercial  town,  discovered  the 
copy  of  the  "  original  newspaper"  in  the  State  Paper  Office.  Till 
then  it  was  believed  that  the  News-Letter,  issued  fourteen  years  later, 
was  the  first  gazette  printed  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  The  pio- 
neer of  American  journalism  was  published  by  Benjamin  Harris  at 
the  London  Coffee-house,  and  was  printed  for  him  by  Richard  Pierce 
on  Thursday,  the  25th  of  September,  1690,  nearly  two  centuries  aft- 
er Columbus  discovered  this  continent.  This  newspaper  was  print- 
ed on  three  pages  of  a  folded  sheet,  leaving  one  page  blank,  with 
two  columns  to  a  page,  and  each  page  about  eleven  inches  by  seven 
in  size.  It  was  intended  by  its  enterprising  projector  as  a  monthly, 
which,  in  his  "journalistic"  dreams,  might  do  to  start  with  in  that 
progressive  town.  We  give  the  editor's  prospectus,  which  is  a  model 
in  its  way.  It  exhibits  a  comprehensiveness,  common  in  the  early 
days  of  newspapers,  that  must  be  charming  and  refreshing  to  many 
journalists  of  the  more  modern  era  : 

NUMB.  1.  PUBLICK 

OCCURRENCES 

Both  FORREIGN  and  DOMESTICK. 

Boston,  Thursday,  Sept.  25th,  1690. 

//  is  designed  that  the  Coimtrey  shall  be  furnished  once  a  moneth  (or  if  any  Glut 
^/"Occurrences  happen  oftener)  with  an  Account  of  stick  considerable  things  as  have 
arrived  ui^o  our  Notice. 

In  order  here  unto,  the  Publisher  -will  take  what  pains  he  can  to  obtain  a  Faithful 
Relation  of  all  such  things  ;  and  -will  particularly  make  himself  beholden  to  such 
Persons  in  Boston  -whom  he  knows  to  have  been  for  their  own  use  the  diligent  Ob- 
servers of  such  matters. 

That  which  is  herein  proposed,  is,  First,  That  Memorable  Occurrents  of  Divine 
Providence  may  not  be  neglected  or  forgotten,  as  they  too  often  are.  Secondly,  That 
people  everywhere  may  better  understand  the  Circumstances  of  Publiqite  Affairs,  both 


Contents  of  the  First  Newspaper.  45 

abroad  and  at  home  ;  which  may  not  only  direct  their  Thoughts  at  all  times,  bztt  at 
some  times  also  to  assist  their  Business  and  Negotiations. 

Thirdly,  That  some  thing  may  be  done  towards  the  Curing,  or  at  least  the  Charm- 
ing of  that  Spirit  of  Lying,  which  prevails  among  us,  wherefore  nothing  shall  be  en- 
tered, but  what  we  have  reason  to  believe  is  true,  repairing  to  the  best  fotmtains  for 
our  Information.  And  when  there  appears  any  material  mistake  in  any  thing  that 
is  collected,  it  shall  be  corrected  in  the  next. 

Moreover,  the  Publisher  of  these  Occurrences  is  willing  to  engage,  that  whereas, 
there  are  many  False  Reports,  maliciously  made,  and  spread  among  us,  if  any  well 
minded  person  will  be  at  the  pains  to  trace  any  such  false  Report,  so  far  as  to  find 
out  and  Convict  the  First  Raiser  of  it,  he  will  in  this  Paper  (unless  just  Advice  be 
given  to  the  contrary)  expose  the  Name  of  such  person,  as  A  malicious  Raiser  of  a 
False  Report.  //  is  supposed  that  none  will  dislike  this  Proposal,  but  such  as  intend 
to  be  guilty  of  so  villanous  a  Crime. 

This  chronicle  seems  to  have  had  no  name,  but  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  the  intention  of  the  proprietor  was  to  have  it  called  Publick 
Occurrences.  That  appears  prominent  in  his  public  announcement. 
Ten  years  afterward  a  paper  with  a  similar  name,  Pus's  Occurrences, 
was'  published  in  Dublin.  The  Genius  for  names,  who  has  flour- 
ished so  extensively  in  these  latter  days,  had  not  been  born  at  that 
early  period.  What  Editor  Harris's  idea  of  public  occurrences  were 
may  be  judged  by  reading  the  contents  of  his  first  and  only  number. 
We  annex  them  entire  : 

[The  figures  inclosed  in  brackets  denote  the  ends  of  the  columns.] 

'  I  ""HE  Christianized  Indians  in  some  parts  of  Plimouth,  have  newly  appointed 
J[  a  day  of  Thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  mercy  in  supplying  their  extream  and 
pinching  Necessities  under  their  late  want  of  Corn,  and  for  His  giving  them  now 
a  prospect  of  a  very  Comfortable  Harvest.  Their  Example  may  be  worth  Men- 
tioning. 

'Tis  observed  by  the  Husbandmen,  that  altho'  the  With-draw  of  so  great  a 
strength  [i]  from  them,  as  what  is  in  the  Forces  lately  gone  for  Canada,  made 
them  think  it  almost  impossible  for  them  to  get  well  through  the  Affairs  of  their 
Husbandry  at  this  time  of  the  year,  yet  the  season  has  been  so  unusually  favor- 
able that  they  scarce  find  any  want  of  the  many  hundred  of  hands,  that  are  gone 
from  them  ;  which  is  looked  upon  as  a  merciful  Providence. 

While  the  barbarous  Indians  were  lurking  about  Chelmsford,  there  were  miss- 
ing about  the  beginning  of  this  Month  a  couple  of  Children  belonging  to  a  man 
of  that  Town,  one  of  them  aged  about  eleven,  the  other  aged  about  nine  years, 
both  of  them  supposed  to  be  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 

A  very  Tragical  Accident  happened  at  Watertawn  the  beginning  of  this  Month, 
an  Old  man,  that  was  of  somewhat  a  Silent  and  Morose  Temper,  but  one  that  had 
long  Enjoyed  the  reputation  of  a  Sober  and  a  Pious  Man,  having  newly  buried  his 
Wife,  The  Devil  took  advantage  of  the  Melancholy  which  he  thereupon  fell  into, 
his  wives  discretion  and  industry  had  long  been  the  support  of  his  Family,  and  he 
seemed  hurried  with  an  impertinent  fear  that  he  should  now  come  to  want  before 
he  dyed,  though  he  had  very  careful  friends  to  look  after  him  who  kept  a  strict 
eye  upon  him,  lest  he  should  do  himself  any  harm.  But  one  evening  escaping 
from  them  into  the  Cow-house,  they  there  quickly  followed  him,  found  hanging  by 
a  Rope,  which  they  had  used  to  tye  their  Calves  withal,  he  was  dead  with  his  feet 
near  touching  the  Ground. 

Epidemical  Fevers  and  Agues  grow  very  common,  in  some  parts  of  the  Coun- 
try, whereof,  tho'  many  dye  not,  yet  they  are  sorely  unfitted  for  their  imployments  ; 
but  in  some  parts  a  more  malignant  Fever  seems  to  prevail  in  such  sort  that  it 
usually  goes  thro'  a  Family  where  it  comes,  and  proves  mortal  unto  many. 

The  Small  pox  which  has  been  raging  in  Boston,  after  a  manner  very  Extraor- 
dinary, is  now  very  much  abated.  It  is  thought  that  far  more  have  been  sick  of 
it  than  were  visited  with  it,  when  it  raged  so  much  twelve  years  ago,  nevertheless 


46  Journalism  in  America. 

it  has  not  been  so  Mortal.  The  number  of  them  that  have  [2]  dyed  in  Boston  by 
this  last  Visitation  is  about  three  hundred  and  twenty,  which  is  not  perhaps  half 
so  many  as  fell  by  the  former.  The  time  of  its  being  most  General,  was  in  the 
Months  June,  July  and  August,  then  'twas  that  sometimes  in  some  one  Congre- 
gation on  a  Lords-day  there'would  be  Bills  desiring  prayers  for  above  an  hundred 
sick.  It  seized  upon  all  sorts  of  people  that  came  in  the  way  of  it.  'Tis  not  easy 
to  relate  the  Trouble  and  Sorrow  that  poor  Boston  has  felt  by  this  Epidemical 
Contagion.  But  we  hope  it  will  be  pretty  nigh  Extinguished,  by  that  time  twelve- 
month when  it  first  began  to  Spread.  It  now  unhappily  spreads  in  several  other 
places,  among  which  our  Garrisons  in  the  East  are  to  be  reckoned  some  of  the 
Sufferers. 

Altho'  Boston  did  a  few  weeks  ago,  meet  with  a  Disaster  by  Fire,  which  con- 
sumed about  twenty  Houses  near  the  Mill-Creek,  yet  about  midnight,  between  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  of  this  Instant,  another  Fire  broke  forth  near  the  South- 
Meeting-House,  which  consumed  about  five  or  six  houses,  and  had  almost  car- 
ried the  Meeting-house  itself,  one  of  the  fairest  Edifices  in  the  Country,  if  God 
had  not  remarkably  assisted  the  Endeavours  of  the  People  to  put  out  the  Fire. 
There  were  two  more  considerable  Circumstances  in  the  Calamities  of  this  Fire, 
one  was  that  a  young  man  belonging  to  the  House  where  the  Fire  began,  unhap- 
pily perished  in  the  Flames  ;  it  seems  that  tho'  he  might  sooner  awake  than  some 
others  who  did  escape,  yet  he  some  way  lost  those  Wits  that  should  have  taught 
him  to  help  himself.  Another  was  that  the  best  furnished  PRINTING  PRESS, 
of  those  few  that  we  know  of  in  America  was  lost ;  a  loss  not  presently  to  be  re- 
paired. 

There  lately  arrived  at  Piscataqtia,  one  Papoon  from  Penobscot,  in  a  small  Shal- 
lop, wherein  he  had  used  to  attend  upon  the  pleasure  of  Casteen,  but  took  his  op- 
portunity to  run  away,  and  reports  :  That  a  Vessel  of  small  Bulk  bound  from  Bris- 
tol to  Virginia,  having  been  so  long  at  Sea,  till  they  were  prest  with  want,  put  in 
at  Penobscot  instead  of  Piscataqua,  where  the  Indians  and  French  seized  her,  and 
Butchered  the  Master,  and  several  of  the  men ;  but  that  himself  who  belonged 
unto  the  Ships  Crew,  being  a  Jersey-man,  was  more  favorably  used  and  found  at 
length  an  advantage  to  make  his  Escape.  , 

The  chief  discourse  of  this  month  has  been  about  the  affairs  of  the  Western 
Expedition  against  Canada.  The  Albanians,  New  Yorkers  and  the  five  Nations 
of  Indians,  in  the  West,  had  long  been  pressing  of  the  Massachusetts  to  make  an 
Expedition  by  Sea  into  Canada,  and  still  made  us  believe,  that  they  stayed  for  us, 
and  that  while  we  assaulted  [3]  Qucbeck,  they  would  pass  the  Lake,  and  by  Land 
make  a  Descent  upon  Mount  Real.  Accordingly  this  Colony  with  some  assist- 
ance from  .our  kind  Neighbours  of  Plimouth  ;  fitted  an  Army  of  near  five  and 
twenty  hundred  men,  and  a  Navy  of  two  and  thirty  Sail :  which  went  from  hence 
the  beginning  of  the  last  August  under  the  Command  of  the  Honourable  Sir  Wil- 
liam Phips. 

In  the  mean  time  the  English  Colonies  and  Provinces  in  the  West  raised  Forces, 
the  Numbers  whereof  have  been  reported  five  or  six  hundred.  The  Honourable 
General  Winthrop  was  in  the  Head  of  these,  and  advanced  within  a  few  miles  of 
the  Lake;  He  there  had  some  good  number  of  Maquas  to  joy'n  his  Forces,  but 
contrary  to  his  Expectation,  it  was  found  that  the  Canoo's  to  have  been  ready  for 
the  transportation  of  the  Army  over  the  Lake,  were  not  prepared,  and  the  other 
Nations  of  Indians,  that  should  have  come  to  this  Campaign,  sent  their  Excuses, 
pretending  that  the  Small-pox  was  among  them,  and  some  other  Trifles.  The 
General  Meeting  with  such  vexing  disappointment  called  a  Councel  of  War,  where- 
in 'twas  agreed,  That  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  prosecute  their  Intended  Ex- 
pedition. However  he  despatched  away  the  Maqua's  to  the  French  Territories, 
who  returned  with  some  Success,  having  slain  several  of  the  French,  and  brought 
home  several  Prisoners,  whom  they  used  in  a-  manner  too  barbarous  for  any  Eng- 
lish to  approve.  The  General  coming  back  to  Albany,  there  happened  a  mis- 
understanding between  him  and  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  New  York  which  oc- 
casioned much  discourse,  but  produced  not  those  effects  which  were  feared  of  it. 
Where  lay  the  bottom  of  these  miscarriages  is  variously  conjectured,  if  any  peo- 
ple further  West  than  Albany,  have  been  tampering  with  the  Indians,  to  desert 
the  business  of  Canada,  we  hope  time  will  discover  it.  And  if  Almighty  God  will 
have  Canada  to  be  subdued  without  the  assistance  of  those  miserable  Salvages, 


Contents  of  the  First  Newspaper.  47 

in  whom  we  have  too  much  confided,  we  shall  be  glad,  that  there  will  be  no  sac- 
rifice offered  up  to  the  Devil,  upon  this  occasion;  God  alone  will  have  all  the 
glory. 

'Tis  possible  we  have  not  so  exactly  related  the  Circumstances  of  this  business, 
but  the  Account,  is  as  near  exactness,  as  any  that  could  be  had,  in  the  midst  of 
many  various  reports  about  it. 

Another  late  matter  of  discourse,  has  been  an  unaccountable  destruction  befall- 
ing a  body  of  Indians,  that  were  our  Enemies.  This  body  of  French  Indians  had 
a  Fort  somewhere  far  up  the  River,  and  a  party  of  Maqua's  returning  from  the 
East  Country,  where  they  have  at  a  great  rate  pursued  and  terrified  those  Indians 
which  have  been  invading  of  our  North  East  Plantations,  and  Killed  their  Gen- 
eral Hope  Hood  among  the  rest ;  resolved  [4]  to  visit  this  Fort ;  but  they  found 
the  Fort  ruined,  the  Canoo's  cut  to  pieces,  and  the  people  all  either  Butchered  or 
Captived.  This  gave  them  no  little  surprise  and  they  gave  the  English  this  ac- 
count of  it.  That  a  body  of  Maqua's  lately  returning  from  the  spoil  of  Canada 
brought  several  French  Prisoners  with  them ;  That  calling  at  this  Fort  in  their 
way,  the  Indians  there  seeing  themselves  unable  to  resist  them  did  pass  divers 
Complements  with  them  and  partake  of  their  Booties.  That  a  French  Captive 
after  this,  escaping  from  the  Maqutfs  informed  the  French  that  these  Indians  had 
revolted  unto  the  Maqua's,  and  hereupon  the  French  or  their  Indians  made  a 
sudden  Sally  forth  upon  them,  and  utterly  destroyed  them,  tho'  they  were  in  re- 
ality of  their  own  party  still. 

Two  English  Captives  escaped  from  the  hands  of  Indians  vsAFreruh  akPscad- 
amoquady,  came  into  Portsmouth  on  the  sixteenth  Instant  &  say,  That  when  Capt. 
Mason  was  at  Port  Real,  he  cut  the  faces,  and  ript  the  bellies  of  two  Indians;  and 
threw  a  third  over  board  in  the  sight  of  the  French,  who  informing  the  other  In- 
dians of  it,  they  have  in  revenge  barbarously  Butcher'd  forty  Captives  of  ours  that 
were  in  their  hands. 

These  two  captives  escaped  in  a  Shallop,  which  our  enemies  intended  to  have 
set  out  with  all  the  Circumstances  of  a  Fishing  Shallop  but  to  have  indeed  filled 
with  Indians  that  should  have  Clap't  on  board  any  English  Vessel  that  came  in 
their  way ;  They  say  that  about  three  or  four  weeks  ago,  some  Indians  were  com- 
ing this  way  to  War,  but  crossing  a  path  which  they  supposed  to  be  of  the  Maqua's, 
they  followed  it  untill  they  discovered  a  place  where  some  Canoo's  were  making, 
whereupon  twenty  Kennebeck  /waYtf/z-Warriors  went  to  look  further  after  the  bus- 
iness, who  never  yet  returned,  Which  gives  hope  that  they  may  come  short  home 
but  upon  this  the  Squaws  are  sent  to  Penobscot,  and  the  men  stand  on  their  De- 
fence. 

Portsmouth,  Sept,  2dth.  Two  days  since  arrived  here  a  small  Vessel  from  Bar- 
badoes,  in  which  is  a  letter  to  Captain  H.  K.  of  igth  August  that  speaks  thus, 

Christophers  is  wholly  taken  from  the  French  as  also  a  small  island  called  Sta- 
cia :  we  are  very  strong  in  Shipping,  and  our  Ships  of  War  are  now  gone  for  To- 
bago, a  very  good  place  to  shelter  from  any  Storms,  after  the  suspicious  months 
are  over,  they  will  Attack  the  rest  of  the  French  places.  We  have  News  here 
that  K.  William  is  safe  arrived  in  Ireland,  and  is  marched  with  one  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  F'oot  and  Horse.  Himself  leads  the  Body,  Duke  Scomburgk  the 
right  Wing,  and  the  Earl  of  Oxford  the  left  Wing,  Duke  Hamilton  of  Scotland 
leads  the  forlorn  Hope  with  ten  thousand  men  under  him.  Great  victory  they 
dayly  have,  and  much  people  daily  come  in  to  him,  with  submission ;  He  has  [5] 
200  Shipping  with  him  of  one  sort  or  other,  above  one  hundred  Sail  dayly  run  be- 
tween Ireland  and  England,  with  meat  for  Man  and  Beast';  His  Majesty  being 
unwilling  to  trust  false  Ireland  for  it.  France  is  in  much  trouble  (and  fear  not 
only  with  us  but  also  with  his  Son,  who  .has  revolted  against  him  lately,  and  has 
great  reason)  if  reports  be  true.  He  has  got  all  the  Hugonots,  and  all  the  dissat- 
isfied Papists,  with  the  great  force  of  the  D.  of  Loraign,  and  are  now  against  him, 
resolving  to  depose  him  of  his  Life  and  Kingdom. 

It's  Reported  the  City  of  Cork  in  Ireland  has  proclaimed  K.  William,  and  turned 
their  French  Landlords  out  of  Doors  :  of  this  there  wants  further  confirmation. 

From  Plimouth  Sept.  22,  We  have  an  Account  that  on  Friday  the  I2th  Instant, 
in  the  night,  our  Forces  Landing  privately,  forthwith  surrounded  Pegypscot  Fort ; 
but  finding  no  Indians  there,  they  March'd  to  Amonoscoggin.  There  on  the  Lords- 
day,  they  kill'd  and  took  15  or  16  of  the  Enemy,  and  recovered  five  English  Cap- 


48  Journalism  in  America. 

tives,  mostly  belonging  to  Oyster  River ;  who  advised,  that  the  men  had  been 
gone  about  ten  days  down  to  a  River,  to  meet  with  the  French,  and  the  French 
Indians :  where  they  expected  to  make  up  a  Body  of  300  men,  and  design  first 
against  Wells  or  Piscataqua. 

On  Tuesday,  the  Army  came  to  our  Vessels  at  Macqitoit,  but  one  of  the  Vessels 
touching  a  Ground  stopt  a  Tide ;  by  which  means  young  Bracket,  who  was  a  con- 
siderable distance  up  the  River,  above  Amonoscoggin  Fort,  being  advised  by  an 
Indian  that  ran  away  from  Amonoscoggin,  that  an  English  Army  was  there  at- 
tempted his  Escape,  and  came  down  to  the  Sloop  just  as  they  came  on  their  Sail. 

On  Thursday,  they  landed  at  Saco  ;  a  Scout  of  60  men  of  ours  discover  a  party 
of  the  enemy,  and  had  the  Advantage  of  killing  three  of  them,  and  of  taking  nine 
Canoe?*,  and  an  English  captive  named,  Thomas  Baker,  who  informed,  that  the 
Enemy  had  left  a  considerable  Plunder  at  Pegypscot- Plains,  which  he  supposed 
the  Enemy  was  gone  to  secure. 

Whereupon,  the  Army  immediately  embark'd,  and  arriving  there  that  night,  the 
next  morning  found  the  Bever  Plunder  accordingly. 

While  our  Vessels  where  [were]  at  Anchor  in  Cascoe  Bay,  our  Auxiliary  In- 
dians lodging  on  shore,  and  being  too  careless  in  their  Watch,  the  Enemy  made 
an  Attaque  upon  them.  The  English  forthwith  repair'd  to  their  Relief;  but  were 
sorely  galled  by  an  Embuscade  of  Indians.  The  Enemy  soon  quitted  the  field, 
escaping  with  their  Canoe? s  whereof  ours  too"k  several.  In  the  Surprise,  we  lost 
9  men,  and  had  about  20  wounded ;  the  blow  chiefly  fell  on  our  dear  Friends,  the 
Plimouth  Forces,  15  being  killed  and  wounded  of  Captain  SouthwortKs  Company. 

The  imprint  of  the  paper  was  as  follows : 

Boston,  Printed  by  R.  Pierce  for  Benjamin  Harris,  at  the  London- Coffee- House. 
1690. 

This  specimen  number  attracted  especial  official  notice.  Editor 
Harris  had  touched  upon  local  and  military  matters.  It  was  frowned 
upon  at  once  by  the  authorities,  and  killed  outright  within  twenty- 
four  hours.  In  alluding  to  this  fact,  Buckingham,  in  his  Reminis- 
cences, says : 

Immediately  on  its  publication  it  was  noticed  by  the  legislative  authorities.  Four 
days  after,  they  spoke  of  it  as  a  pamphlet ;  stated  that  it  came  out  contrary  to 
law,  and  contained  "reflections  of  a  very  high  nature."  They  strictly  forbade 
"  any  thing  in  print,  without  license  first  obtained  from  those  appointed  by  the 
government  to  grant  the  same." 

This  nipped  Harris's  enterprise  in  the  bud,  and  no  other  effort 
was  made  to  establish  a  paper  in  America  till  1704.  The  author- 
ities/ it  would  seem,  were  peculiarly  sensitive  to  any  infringement 
of  their  power.  They  feared  the  influence  even  of  a  sheet  simply 
giving  the  news  of  the  day.  There  was  nothing  very  offensive  in 
any  of  the  intelligence  published  by  Harris.  There  was  no  effort 
at  sensation.  The  news,  some  of  which  was  really  important,  and 
which  would  be  given  with  startling  head-lines  and  learned  editorial 
comments  nowadays,  is  very  quaintly  and  quietly  told.  There  was 
evidently  no  excitement  in  the  printing-office  at  the  London  Coffee- 
house, Boston  ;  and  it  is  clear  that  the  system  of  paying  so  much  a 
line  was  not  in  vogue  with  the  proprietor  QiPublick  Occurrences.  If 
any  of  the  expressions  of  1690  reflected  in  any  way  upon  the  con- 
duct of  the  office-holders  then,  it  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that 
none  of  them  live  and  hold  office  now,  to  read  and  act  upon  some 


The  Reprinted  Gazette  in  New  York.  49 

of  the  matter  of  many  of  the  journals  of  the  present  day.  What 
would  become  of  such  men  as  Emile  de  Girardin,  of  La  Liberte  ;  or 
James  Gordon  Bennett, /<?/r  etjftls,  of  the  Herald ;  or  James  Walter, 
of  the  Times  ;  or  Henri  Rochefort,  of  La  Lanterne  and  Mot  d'  Ordre  ; 
or  Horace  Greeley,  of  the  Tribune  ? 

But,  simple  and  guileless  as  Harris's  paper  appeared  to  be  in  a 
political  point  of  view,  there  was  something  more  about  the  man 
and  his  antecedents,  we  think,  than  about  his  publication  per  se,  that 
alarmed  the  provincial  authorities,  and  led  them  to  suppress  the  in- 
itial number  so  summarily.  They  feared  the  future  issues  of  the  pa- 
per. An  English  bookseller,  named  Dunton,  in  a  curious  work  call- 
ed "Life  and  Errors,"  published  in  London  in  1705,  in  speaking  of 
Harris,  states : 

He  was  a  brisk  asserter  of  English  liberties,  and  once  printed  a  book  with  that 
very  title.  He  sold  a  Protestant  Petition  in  King  Charles's  reign,  for  which  he 
was  fined  five  pounds  ;  and  he  was  once  set  in  the  pillory,  but  his  wife  (like  a  kind 
Rib)  stood  by  him  to  defend  her  husband  against  the  mob.  After  this  (having  a 
deal  of  mercury  in  his  natural  temper)  he  traveled  to  New  England,  where  he  fol- 
lowed book  selling,  and  then  coffee  selling,  and  then  printing,  but  continued  Ben 
Harris  still,  and  is  now  both  bookseller  and  printer  in  Grace  Church  street,  as  we 
find  by  his  London  Post ;  so  that  his  conversation  is  general  (but  never  imperti- 
nent) and  his  wit  pliable  to  all  inventions.  But  yet  his  vanity,  if  he  has  any,  gives 
no  alloy  to  his  wit,  and  is  no  more  than  might  justly  spring  from  conscious  vir- 
tue ;  and  I  do  him  but  justice  in  this  part  of  his  character,  for  in  once  travelling 
with  him  from  Bury  Fair,  I  found  him  to  be  the  most  ingenious  and  innocent  com- 
panion, that  I  had  ever  met  with. 

Manifestly  the  authorities  of  Massachusetts  felt  that  such  a  man 
should  not  be  permitted  to  create  a  new  power  and  a  new  influence 
in  that  province,  and  in  their  midst.  They  therefore  crushed  the 
new  enterprise  in  its  cradle.  But  Harris  was  a  good  printer,  and  a 
man  of  energy  and  ability  as  a  publisher ;  he  must  dabble  in  some 
public  work.  Two  years  after  the  suppression  of  his  paper  he  was 
appointed  "Printer  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor  and  Council." 
This  may  have  been  balm  to  him  for  a  time,  as  such  appointments 
have  since  been  to  the  journalists  of  Washington,  New  York,  and 
Albany.  Here  is  Harris's  commission  as  State  Printer : 

By  his  Excellency. — I  order  Benjamin  Harris  to  print  the  Acts  and  Laws  made 
by  the  Great  and  General  Court,  or  Assembly  of  Their  Majesties  Province  of 
Massachusetts-Bay  in  New  England,  that  we  the  People  may  be  informed  thereof. 

WILLIAM  PHIPPS. 

Boston,  December  16, 1692. 

Harris,  however,  was  too  restless  to  remain  in  Boston  merely  as  a 
printer  of  laws.  He  returned  to  London  in  1694  or  thereabouts, 
and  was  not  only  a  printer  and  bookseller  in  that  metropolis  as  late 
as  1705.  but  publisher  of  the  Post,  showing  his  progressive  spirit,  for 
he  had  found  a  name  for  a  newspaper  which  has  lived  to  this  day. 

This  effort  of  Harris  in  Boston  forms  an  epoch  in  itself  in .  the 
history  of  newspapers  in  America.  It  was  the  beginning.  In  1692, 

D 


50  Journalism  in  America. 

when  Benjamin  Fletcher,  who  had  faith  in  types  and  printing-ink, 
became  Governor  of  New  York,  feeling  a  little  jealous  of  the  prog- 
ress of  Massachusetts  and  Pennsylvania  in  the  typographical  art,  in- 
duced William  Bradford,  of  Philadelphia,  to  migrate  to  that  state 
and  set  up  a  printing-office  in  New  York  City,  and  in  1696  he  had 
the  London  Gazette,  which  contained  an  account  of  an  engagement 
with  the  French  previous  to  the  general  peace  of  Ryswick,  reprinted 
and  circulated  in  that  city.  There  was,  we  believe,  only  one  issue. 
Of  course  the  reprint  had  no  local  news.  Its  contents  embraced 
merely  the  events  in. Europe.  It  was  not  intended  for  an  American 
newspaper.  It  was  issued  to  give  a  piece  of  important  news  to  the 
people  toward  the  close  of  a  great  war  which  the  governor  could 
not  keep  to  himself.  But  the  fact  indicated  the  necessity  of  news- 
papers. 

Nearly  fourteen  years  elapsed  after  Harris's  Occurrences,  and  eight 
years  after  Bradford's  republication,  before  another  attempt  was 
made  to  give  the  news  of  the  day  to  the  American  people  in  printed 
sheets  !  Meanwhile  the  newspapers  of  England  arrived  from  time 
to  time,  feeding  the  public  mind  with  news  from  home,  and  creating 
a  desire  for  such  an  institution  in  the  colonies.  It  was  impossible 
for  every  one  to  get  copies  of  the  few  London  publications  sent 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  the  contents  of  those  received  had  to  be  re- 
tailed in  coffee-houses  and  on  the  streets.  Written  news  circulars 
were  also  used  to  disseminate  the  latest  intelligence.  No  doubt 
there  was  as  much  interest,  all  things  considered,  in  Boston  and  New 
York  on  the  arrival  of  an  English  mail,  to  get  hold  of  a  London  pa- 
per, as  there  was  in-  California,  in  the  early  days  of  the  gold  fever, 
to  hear  from  the  Atlantic  slope,  when  a  single  copy  of  the  New  York 
Herald,  received  in  San  Francisco  overland  by  the  way  of  Mazatlan, 
sold  for  five  dollars,  and  when  the  fortunate  possessor  of  a  copy  of 
that  paper  had  to  mount  a  stump  and  read  its  contents  to  the  as- 
sembled miners  of  1848-9,  and  afterward  pass  it  through  the  "dig- 
gings" till  it  was  worn  threadbare,  with  scarcely  a  printed  word  re- 
maining visible  on  the  sheet. 

Thus  was  the  necessity  for  a  newspaper  created  in  Massachusetts 
Bay  and  in  America,  as  in  all  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  this 
brings  us  down  to  1704. 


THE  SECOND  EPOCH. 


1704—1748. 

CHAPTER   II. 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS. 

THE  BOSTON  NEWS-LETTER. — THE  DEPENDENCE  OF  THE  PRINTER  ON  THE 
GOVERNING  CLASSES.  —  THE  EARLY  POSTMASTERS  THE  FIRST  EDITORS. — 
THE  FIRST  REPORTING.  —  THE  BOSTON  GAZETTE  AND  PHILADELPHIA 
MERCURY. — THE  FRANKLINS.  —  CONFLICTS  WITH  THE  AUTHORITIES. — 
THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER  WAR. — THE  ORIGINAL  JENKINS  IN  AMERICA. 

THIS  period  of  nearly  half  a  century  embraces  the  Colonial  Press 
— a  period  of  the  incipient  newspapers  of  the  country.  Now  and 
then  there  was  an  exhibition  of  independent  opinion,  a  premonition 
of  what  was  coming,  but  the  repressive  acts  of  the  public  authorities 
did  not  permit  this  to  proceed  far,  or  become  in  any  way  chronic. 
The  few  newspapers  published  in  this  epoch  were,  therefore,  as  a 
general  thing,  mere  chroniclers  of  bald  facts  that  did  not  affect  the 
government.  Society,  too,  was  puritanical,  and  the  press,  under 
these  circumstances,  could  not  be  free  and  unfettered.  We  will  men- 
tion an  incident  which  happened  on  the  eve  of  this  period  which 
will  illustrate  this  point. 

Increase  Mather,  in  March,  1700,  published  a  treatise  called  "The 
Order  of  the  Gospel  Professed  and  Practiced  by  the  Churches  of 
Christ  in  New  England  Justified."  Shortly  after,  a  pamphlet  ap- 
peared under  the  title  of  "Gospel  Order  Revived,  being  an  Answer 
to  a  Book  lately  set  forth  by  the  Rev.  Mr,  Increase  Mather,  Presi- 
dent of  Harvard  College,  etc.,  by  sundry  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  in 
New  England."  It  was  remarkable  for  its  calm  and  candid  spirit. 
Yet  it  could  not  be  printed  in  Boston.  It  was  issued  in  New  York 
with  this  advertisement : 

The  Reader  is  desired  to  take  Notice,  that  the  Press  in  Boston  is  so  much  un- 
der the  aw  of  the  Reverend  Author  whom  we  answer,  and  his  Friends,  that  we 
could  not  obtain  of  the  Printer  there  to  Print  the  following  Sheets,  which  is  the 
only  true  Reason  why  we  have  sent  the  Copy  so  far  for  its  Impression,  and  where 
it  is  Printed  with  some  Difficulty. 

The  printer  in  Boston  was  Bartholomew  Green.  It  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  vindicate  himself,  and  this  he  did  in  a  hand-bill 
which  appeared  in  December,  1700,  with  some  remarks  prefaced  by 


52  Journalism  in  America. 

Cotton  Mather.  This  led  to  a  paper  war  in  pamphlets  and  hand- 
bills, which  materially  aided  in  breaking  the  sanctity  and  inviolabil- 
ity of  the  opinions  of  the  controlling  classes,  and  leading,  in  the 
course  of  time,  to  the  establishment  of  newspapers  in  the  colonies. 

There  were  other  circumstances  tending  to  the  same  result.  The 
colonists,  in  the  absence  of  reliable  intelligence  printed  at  home, 
depended  upon  the  English  papers,  sparingly  received,  official  pub- 
lications of  proclamations  and  oppressive  laws,  and  the  gossip  of  the 
street  and  coffee-houses,  and  mostly  on  the  latter  source  of  informa- 
tion, for  intelligence.  The  postmasters  were  the  newsmen  of  the 
day.  They  were  the  ones  that  "told  you  so."  They  supplied  their 
friends  and  patrons  with  the  news,  as  the  news-letter  writers  of  Rome 
and  Venice  did  in  their  time,  and  as  Butters  and  Renaudot  did  in 
England  and  France  prior  to  the  establishment  of  newspapers  in 
those  countries.  They  used  the  Pen  instead  of  the  Press. 

John  Campbell,  in  virtue  of  his  office  as  Postmaster  of  Boston, 
was  the  news-vender  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  and,  indeed,  of  all  New 
England  on  the  opening  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  soon  became 
evident  to  him,  from  experience,  that  the  time  had  come  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  newspaper  as  a  better  mode  of  circulating  "  pub- 
lick  intelligence"  than  written  news  circulars,  so  laborious  to  pre- 
pare and  tedious  to  multiply,  and  the  necessity  was  too  apparent 
to  be  overlooked  by  a  man  of  ordinary  spirit  and  energy.  After 
fourteen  years  of  deprivation,  the  tastes  and  opinions  of  the  public 
had  sufficiently  ripened  for  the  authorities  to  tolerate  and  authorize 
the  enterprise,  under  great  restrictions  however,  such  as  prevailed 
in  England  a  century  before,  and  the  newspaper  was  accordingly 
started,  which  became  from  that  time  a  permanent  institution  in 
the  country. 

Approaching  this  important  event,  we  find,  in  the  "  Proceedings 
of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  of  1866-67,"  mne  of  Camp- 
bell's news-letters  or  circulars,  which  had  been  written  to  Governor 
Fitz  John  Winthrop,  of  Connecticut,  beginning  in  April  and  ending 
in  October,  1703,  the  last  one  only  six  months  prior  to  the  issue  of 
his  newspaper.  One  of  these  letters,  the  first  of  the  nine,  we  give 
entire,  as  a  specimen,  to  enable  our  readers  to  see  what  sort  of  news 
was  circulated,  and  how  it  was  spread  among  the  people  in  colonial 
times  on  this  continent : 

JOHN   CAMPBELL  TO  GOV.  WINTHROP. 

Boston  .  Aprill  12^  1703. 

Last  week  arrived  a  Vessell  from  ffyall  and  tells  that  about  nine  weeks  from  this 
time  Two  Vessells  arrived  from  Scotland  and  one  from  Corke,  in  Ireland,  that 
gave  an  Acco.^  that  the  Union  between  England  and  Scotland  was  concluded 
upon  and  said  master  from  ffyall  sayes  he  see  it  in  publick  prints. 

Capt  Smith  In  the  Gospert  ffrigett  from  Jamaica  arrived  here  also  Last  Week, 


"John  Campbell's  News  Circulars.  53 

and  by  him  are  we  Informed  of  the  union  being  Concluded  upon,  he  came  from 
Jamaica  about  midle  or  tenth  of  March. 

Wee  do  apprehend  that  the  union  is  only  agreed  upon  by  the  Commissioners," 
which  if  true  will  be  a  great  step  Towards  both  parliam*8  Concluding  it  being  the 
Commissioners  are  some  of  the  greatest  men  of  both  nations. 

They  Talk  from  Jamaica  of  the  Spaniards  sueing  for  a  peace.  That  about  20 
Grandees  were  come  to  Portugale,  to  get  the  King  of  Portugale  to  Interceed  with 
her  mage  of  England  to  appoint  Plenipotentiary  to  mediat.  Capt  Lawrence  is 
arrived  at  Rhode  Island  &  a  Bermudas  Sloop,  both  Privateers,  who  In  Conip6 
with  Capt  Blue  an  other  privateer,  took  a  Spanish  Ship  of  8  guns,  Loaden  with 
Canary  and  Brandy,  and  other  goods,  bound  for  the  Havanne,  who  had  on  board 
12  families  consisting  of  above  130  Soules.  The  Prisoners  they  put  on  shore  in 
N.  Spain,  all  to  about  7.  The  Three  Consorts  put  17  men  an  a  Quarter  Master 
on  board.  Capt  Blue  attended  her  with  his  sloop  or  vessell.  The  Prize  is  not 
yet  arrived.  The  Prize  said  to  Come  from  Spain  and  touched  at  the  Canary's. 

Capt  Southack  with  our  Western  fleett  arrived  yesterday. 

Capt  Delbridge  will  sayle  for  London  In  20  days,  Ten  guns,  &  Capt  Dows,  lyke 
guns,  in  a  moneth. 

BOSTON  .  April  12  .  1703. 
Honoble  Sir  : 

I'm  favoured  with  your  ho"9  of  the  g  Instant.    Came  in  too  day  about  ii  a  cloucke ' 
&  do  despatch  him  again  at  ffiue  because  should  have  no  excuise  to  hinder  his 
Coming  In  on  Satterday,  so  have  no  tyme,  either  for  selfe  or  man,  to  go  to  Madm 
Richards,  but  the  Letter  I  sent  theire  Two  days  after  its  receipt. 

On  other  Syde  is  what  occurrs,  with  the  Inclosed  print,  and  with  humble  service 
am  Sr  Yor  ho"  humble  Serv1 

JN°  CAMPBEL. 

Go'  Winthrop. 

[Superscribed] 
To  the  Honoble  John  WTinthrop,  Esqr  Govr  of  Connecticut,  New  London. 

ffranck. 

[Indorsed  by  Gov  Winthrop] 
Publick  Occurrences  &  the  adres  to  her  Maje.  Aprill  i2t.h'i7O3. 

The  other  eight  letters,  so  interesting  as  the  precursors  of  jour- 
nalism in  America,  embraced  the  news  of  the  day,  mostly  foreign, 
accounts  of  the  stirring  events  of  that  eventful  period,  briefly  related, 
and  in  a  style  similar  to  the  above  letter.  These  circulars  were 
sent  to  each  governor  of  the  New  England  provinces,  and  must  have 
been  prepared  with  considerable  labor.  The  writer  made  use  of 
them,  as  journalists  now  make  use  of  their  columns,  as  a  means  to 
influence  the  authorities  of  that  period  to  accomplish  some  reform 
or  good  to  the  public,  or  perhaps  for  themselves.  In  his  letter  of 
Sept.  20,  for  instance,  he  asked  some  aid  for  the  post-office  in  Bos- 
ton. He  made  the  same  sort  of  appeal  to  Governor  Winthrop  for 
this  public  institution  that  he  afterward,  in  his  paper,  so  often  made 
to  the  people  for  the  support  of  the  News-Letter.  On  the  2oth  of 
September,  1703,  he  wrote : 

I  must  represent  to  your  hor  and  Assembly  The  state  of  the  post  office,  as  I 
have  done  to  this  Govnt  and  New  Hampshire  ;  In  order  to  have  some  encourage- 
ment for  the  support  of  it,  as  they  have  done ;  else  of  necessity  it  must  drop. 

Those  veteran  journalists  who  became  postmaster  generals  of  this 
country  in  after  years,  one  before  and  two  since  the  Revolution — 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Amos  Kendall,  and  John  M.  Niles — could  scarce- 


54  Journalism  in  America. 

ly  have  had  more  trouble,  even  with  the  chronic  financial  distress 
of  that  department  in  their  day,  than  this  primitive  postmaster  and 
journalist  had  in  his  'small  local  institution,  with  his  fears  lest  the 
office  should  "drop." 

But  thus  prepared,  with  experience  as  a  news  correspondent,  and 
the  machinery  of  the  post-office  in  his  hands  for  the  distribution  of 
his  paper,  John  Campbell,  on  Monday,  the  24th  of  April,  1704,  is- 
sued the  initial  number  of  the  Boston  News-Letter.  It  was  an  event 
in  Boston.  Its  appearance  was  a  feature  of  that  period.  There 
was  a  visible  sensation.  The  first  sheet  of  the  first  number  was 
taken  damp  from  the  press  by  Chief  Justice  Sewall  to  show  to  Pres- 
ident Willard,  of  Harvard  University,  as  a  wonderful  curiosity  in  the 
colony.  When  this  occurred  the  population  of  Boston  was  only 
eight  thousand. 

The  News-Letter  was  printed  sometimes  on  a  single  sheet,  fools- 
cap size,  and  oftener  on  a  half  sheet,  with  two  columns  on  each  side. 
No  subscription  price  was  mentioned.  It  was  "  printed  by  author- 
ity," and  the  following  was  the  prospectus,  advertisement  as  Camp- 
bell called  it,  as  it  appeared  in  the  first  number  : 


r~IHHis  News-Letter  is  to  be  continued  Weekly;  and  all  Perfons  who  have  any 
J_  Houfes,  Lands,  Tenements,  Farms,  Ships,  Veflels,  Goods,  Wares  or  Merchan- 
dizes, &c.  to  be  Sold,  or  Let  ;  or  Servants  Run-away,  or  Goods  Stole  or  Loft  ;  may 
have  the  fame  inferted  at  a  Reafonable  Rate,  from  Twelve  Pence  to  Five  Shillings, 
and  not  to  exceed  :  Who  may  agree  with  John  Campbel  Poft-mafter  of  Bojlon. 

All  Perfons  in  Town  and  Country  may  have  faid  News-Letter  every  Week, 
Yearly,  upon  reafonable  terms,  agreeing  with  John  Campbel,  Poft-mafter  for  the 
fame. 

There  were  no  useless  words  in  this  announcement.  There  were 
no  great  promises  of  what  the  publisher  intended  to  do,  as  we  now 
often  see.  It  is  practical  and  to  the  purpose.  No  advertisement 
was  to  be  inserted  costing  over  five  shillings  for  its  insertion  !  John 
Campbell,  who  then  spelt  his  name  with  one  1,  thus  burst  upon  the 
world  as  the  father  of  the  American  Press.  We  suppose  that  Har- 
ris must  have  been  its  grandfather.  All  that  is  known  of  Campbell 
is  that  he  was  a  Scotchman,  a  son  of  Duncan  Campbell,  the  organ- 
izer of  the  postal  system  of  America,  a  bookseller,  and  the  postmas- 
ter of  Boston.  The  printer  was  Bartholomew  Green,  our  handbill 
hero  of  1700,  eldest  son  of  Thomas  Green,  printer  to  Cambridge 
University,  where  the  Greens  had  been  located,  as  such,  since  1649, 
and  where  Samuel  Green  printed  the  first  Bible  in  America,  not  in 
English,  but  in  the  Indian  language,  a  copy  of  which  recently  sold 
in  New  York  for  $300.  Bartholomew  Green  was  a  member  in  "  good 
standing"  of  the  Old  South  Church. 


The  Boston  News-Letter.  55 

The  News-Letter,  in  spite  of  its  vicissitudes  and  troubles,  lived 
seventy-two  years.  There  is  a  complete  file  of  it,  the  only  one  in 
existence,  in  the  collection  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 
There  are  only  two  other  copies  of  the  first  number  known  to  be 
extant :  one  with  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  and  the  oth- 
er with  the  American  Antiquarian  Society.  It  was  under  Campbell's 
management  eighteen  years.  The  first  number  contained  news 
taken  from  the  London  Flying  Post  from  December  2  to  4,  1703,  and 
from  the  London  Gazette  from  December  16  to  20.  These  extracts 
were  "  concerning  the  present  Danger  of  the  Kingdom  and  of  the 
Protestant  Religion,"  in  consequence  of  the  movements,  and  in- 
trigues, and  "  talking  big"  of  the  friends  of  "  the  pretended  King 
James  VIII."  This  intelligence,  with  a  short  speech  of  Queen 
Anne  to  Parliament  on  the  same  subject,  occupied  three  fourths  of 
the -printed  part  of  the  paper.  The  domestic  news  filled  the  re- 
mainder of  the  space.  We  insert  this  home  intelligence  in  full,  to 
place  it  in  contrast  with  the  contents  of  Harris's  Publick  Occurrences, 
published  in  1690,  and  of  the  leading  journals  of  1872  : 

Bofton,  April  18.  Arrived  Capt.  Sill  from  Jamacia  about  4  Weeks  Paffage,  fays, 
they  continue  there  very  Sickly. 

Mr.  Nathanael  Oliver,  a  principal  Merchant  of  this  place  dyed  April  1 5  &  was 
decently  inter'd  April.  18.  ^Gratis  53. 

The  Honourable  Col.  Nathanael  Byfield~SL{<\.  is  Commiffioned  Judge  of  the  Ad- 
miralty for  the  Provinces  of  MaJfachufetts-Bay,  Ne^v  HampJJiire,  and  Rhod-IJland. 
And  Thomas  Newton  Efq.  Judge-Deputy  for  the  Colony  of  MaJJachtifetts-Bay. 

The  20.  the  R'd.  Mr.  Pemberton  Preach'd  an  Excellent  Sermon  on  I  T/ies,  4. 1 1. 
And  do  your  own  bufenefs:  Exhorting  all  Ranks  &  Degrees  of  Perfons  to  do  their 
own  work,  in  order  to  a  REFORMATION  :  which  His  Excellency  has  ordered 
to  be  Printed. 

The  21.  His  Excellency  Diffolved  the  Gen.  Affembly. 

Rhode-IJland  22.  The  Rd.  Mr.  Lockyer  dyed  on  Thurs.  laft. 

Capt.  Toungrello  has  taken  Five  Prizes  off  of  Currafo,  one  of  which  is  come  in 
to  Rhode-IJland  moftly  Loaden  with  Cocco,  Tobacco,  Liquors  &c.  She  is  a  Currafo 
Trader,  as  all  the  reft  were.  One  of  the  Five  was  one  Larew  a  French-man,  a 
Sloop  of  8  Guns  &  8  Patteraro's  76  Men,  Fought  him  Board  and  Board  three 
Glaffes  ;  Captain  Larew  was  kill'd,  and  20  of  his  Men  kill'd  &  wounded  :  Capt. 
Toungrello  wounded  thro'  the  Body,  and  five  of  his  men,  but  none  kill'd,  he  had 
but  40  Fighting  Men,  when  he  took  Larew.  . 

The  18  Currant,  came  in  a  Sloop  to  this  Port  from  Virginia,  the  Mafter  inform- 
ed Governour  Cranjlon  Efq.  he  was  Chafed  by  a  Topfail  Shallop  off  of  Block  I/l- 
and, which  he  judged  to  be  a  French  Privateer,  and  that  there  was  two  other  Vef- 
fels  in  her  Company,  which  he  judged  to  be  her  Prizes.  Whereupon  his  Honour 
being  concerning  for  the  Publick  Weal  and  Safty  of  Her  Majefties  good  Sub- 
jects, immediately  caufed  the  Drum  to  beat  for  Voluntiers,  under  the  Command 
of  Capt.  Wanton,  and  in  3  or  4  hours  time,  Fitted  and  Man'd  a  Brigantine,  with 
70  brifk  young  men  well  Arm'd,  who  Sail'd  the  following  Night ;  returned  laft 
Evening,  and  gave  his  Honour  an  Account,  that  they  found  the  aforefaid  Shallop, 
with  one  other,  and  a  Ketch  at  larpolian  Cove,  who  were  all  Fifhing  Veffels  be- 
longing to  Marblehcad  or  Salem,  who  were  Fifhing  off  of  Block- IJlartd,  one  of 
them  was  a  French  built  Shallop  with  a  Topfail,  which  gave  the  great  fufpician 
that  they  were  Enemies. 

New-  York,  April  17.  By  a  Barque  from  Jamaica  (laft  from  Btirmuda,  7  Weeks 
Paffage,)  fays,  there  was  an  Imbargo  in  that  Ifland  feveral  Months,  occafioned  by 
News  they  had  of  a  defign  the  French  6°  Spaniards  had,  to  make  a  defcent  upon 


56  Journalism  in  America. 

them :  She  came  out  with  the  Homeward  bound  London  Fleet,  who  are  gone 
home  without  Convoy. 

Capt.  Davifon  in  the  Eagle  Gaily,  Sailes  for  London,  in  a  Month,  if  the  Vir- 
ginia Fleet  ftays  fo  long,  he  intends  to  keep  them  Company  Home,  if  not,  to  run 
for  it,  being  Built  for  that  Service. 

Philadelphia,  April,  14.  An  Account  that  the  Dreadnatight  Man  of  War  was 
Arrived  in  Marryland. 

N.  London  April,  20.  The  Adventure,  A  Veflel  60  Tuns,  will  Sail  from  thence  to 
London,  in  three  Weeks  or  a  Months  time. 

There  was  not  an  advertisement  in  the  paper.  None  of  the  in- 
teresting local  news  now  so  copiously  given  in  the  numerous  adver- 
tisements of  the  present  day — bits  of  information  of  merchants,  me- 
chanics, milliners,  millionaires,  servants,  modistes,  ship-owners,  rail- 
roads, steam-ships,  boot-makers,  tailors,  theatres,  churches,  hotels, 
bankers,  fortune-tellers,  patent  medicines,  horses,  races,  auction 
sales,  lectures,  balls,  real-estate  sales,  houses  to  let,  and  personals, 
so  full  of  hope,  and  joy,  and  sorrow,  which  now  fill  column  after 
column  of  the  newspapers.  One  omission  is  quite  noticeable  in 
this,  and,  indeed,  in  all  of  the  primitive  papers,  that  would  be  great- 
ly missed  in  modern  journals.  Marriages  were  not  announced  at 
all,  and  deaths  rarely  mentioned.  Only  two  deaths,  one  of  a  lead- 
ing merchant  in  Boston,  and  the  other  of  a  clergyman  in  Rhode 
Island,  are  announced  in  the  first  News-Letter.  These  important 
social  events  were  afterward,  and  till  quite  recently,  considered  so 
interesting  and  necessary  that  publishers  inserted  them  gratuitous- 
ly. Now,  however,  these  items  of  home  news,  so  absorbingly  at- 
tractive to  so  large  a  class  of  newspaper  readers,  are  treated  as  ad- 
vertisements, and  their  insertion  is  paid  for  as  such  at  the  highest 
rates,  and  there  is  never  less  than  one  column  of  these  items  pub- 
lished daily  in  the  New  York  Herald  alone. 

In  one  of  the  October  news  circulars  of  1703,  Campbell  speaks  of 
the  London  "  Gazet"  of  the  previous  July.  This  "  Gazet,"  as  we 
have  already  mentioned,  was  the  official  organ  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment, smaller  than  the  News-Letter  generally,  but  printed  on  a 
half  sheet.  In  style  and  arrangement  the  two  papers  were  not  un- 
like. One  publisher  would  copy  the  style  and  manner  of  the  "  make- 
up" of  another,  in  the  absence  partly  of  any  taste  of  his  own,  but 
mostly,  probably,  in  consequence  of  the  expense  and  want  of  variety 
in  type.  Some  of  the  News-Letters,  indeed  many  of  them,  in  contents, 
were  a  mere  transcript  of  the  London  Gazette,  giving  no  local  news 
beyond  the  arrival  and  departure  of  a  few  vessels,  and  two  or  three 
advertisements.  As  an  instance  of  the  enterprise  of  that  day,  the 
editor  announced,  with  as  much  regret  as  simplicity,  that  he  was 
"thirteen  months  behind  in  giving  the  news  from  Europe."  It  was 
the  only  paper  in  existence,  and  had  no  rival  for  upward  of  fifteen 
years,  yet  it  did  not  appear  to  have  thrived  abundantly  in  a  pecuni- 


The  First  Reporting.  57 

ary  point  of  view,  not  sufficiently  to  enable  its  proprietor  to  publish 
such  a  paper  as  he  planned  in  his  dreams.  Appeals  for  support 
were  repeatedly  made  to  the  public.  There  were  more  readers  than 
paying  subscribers.  The  publisher  found  it  difficult,  in  his  small 
sheet,  to  give  all  the  news  :  it  was  impossible,  he  said,  "  with  half  a 
sheet  a  week,  to  carry  on  all  the  Publick  News  of  Europe." 

The  first  effort  at  reporting  in  this  country  was  made  for  the  News- 
Letter  shortly  after  it  was  established.  Six  pirates  were  executed  on 
Charles  River  on  Friday,  June  30, 1704.  In  describing  the  scene, 
the  "  exhortations  to  the  malefactors,"  and  the  prayer  made  by  one 
of  the  ministers,  after  the  pirates  were  on  the  scaffold, "  as  near  as 
it  could  be  taken  in  writing  in  the  great  crowd,"  filled  nearly  one 
half  of  the  paper. 

After  urging  the  public  to  support  him  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  Camp- 
bell made  a  strong  appeal,  on  the  loth  of  August,  1719,  giving  an 
interesting  statement  of  his  affairs,  to  induce  his  readers  to  aid  him 
sufficiently  to  publish  a  paper  that  would  keep  them  fully  posted  in 
the  affairs  of  the  world.  Here  is  the  appeal,  and  a  singular  one  it  is  : 

The  Undertaker  of  this  News-Letter,  the  I2th  January  last  being  the  Second 
Week  of  this  Currant  Years  Intelligence  gave  then  Intimation  that  after  14  (now 
upwards  of  15)  years  experience,  it  was  impossible  with  half  a  Sheet  a  Week  to 
carry  on  all  the  Publick  Occurrences  of  Europe,  with  those  of  this,  our  Neigh- 
bouring Provinces,  and  the  West  Indies.  To  make  up  which  Deficiency,  and  the 
News  Newer  and  more  acceptable,  he  has  since  Printed  every  other  Week  a 
Sheet,  whereby  that  which  seem'd  Old  in  the  former  half  Sheets,  becomes  New 
now  by  the  Sheet,  which  is  easy  to  be  seen  by  any  One  who  will  be  at  the  pains 
to  trace  back  former  years,  and  even  this  time  12  Months,  we  were  then  13  Months 
behind  with  the  Foreign  News  beyond  Great  Britain,  and  now  less  than  Five 
Months,  so  that  by  the  Sheet  we  have  retrieved  about  8  months  since  January 
last,  and  any  One  that  has  the  News-Letter  since  that  time,  to  January  next  (life 
permitted)  will  be  accommodated  with  all  the  News  of  Europe,  &c.  contained  in 
the  Publick  Prints  of  London  that  are  needful  for  to  be  known  in  these  Parts. 
And  in  regard  the  Undertaker  had  not  suitable  encouragement,  even  to  Print  half 
a  Sheet  Weekly,  seeing  that  he  cannot  vend  300  at  an  Impression,  tho1  some  igno- 
rantly  concludes  he  Sells  upwards  of  a  Thousand ;  far  less  is  he  able  to  Print  a 
Sheet  every  other  Week,  without  an  Addition  of  4,  6,  or  8  Shillings  a  Year,  as 
every  one  thinks  fit  to  give  payable  Quarterly,  which  will  only  help  to  pay  for 
Press  and  Paper,  giving  his  Labour  for  nothing.  And  considering  the  great 
Charge  he  is  at  for  several  Setts  of  Publick  Prints,  by  sundry  Vessels  from  Lon- 
don, with  the  Price  of  Press,  Paper,  Labour,  carrying  out  the  News  Papers,  and 
his  own  Trouble,  in  collecting  and  composing,  &c.  It  is  afforded  by  the  Year,  or 
by  the  Piece  or  Paper,  including  the  difference  of  money  far  cheaper  than  in  Eng- 
land, where  they  Sell  several  Hundreds  nay  Thousands  of  Copies  to  a  very  small 
number  vended  here.  Such  therefore  as  have  not  already  paid  for  the  half  Year 
past  the  last  Monday  of  June,  are  hereby  desired  to  send  or  pay  in  the  same  to 
John  Campbell  at  his  House  in  Cornhill,  Boston. 

August  10, 1719. 

So  much  is  this,  in  spirit,  like  Nathaniel  Butters,  in  his  Weekley 
JVewes,  three  quarters  of  a  century  earlier,  that  we  must  give  Nathan- 
iel's last  appeal  to  the  people  of  London  for  support.  Butters  had 
been  terribly  annoyed  with  the  unaccommodating  spirit  and  igno- 
rance of  the  Licenser  of  the  Press : 


58  Journalism  in  America. 

The  Printer  to  the  Reader  : 

Courteous  Reader :  We  had  thought  to  have  given  over  printing  our  foreign 
avisoes,  for  that  the  licenser  (out  of  a  partiall  affection)  would  not  oftentimes  let 
pass  apparant  truth,  and  in  other  things  (oftentimes)  so  crosse,  and  alter,  which 
made  us  almost  weary  of  printing,  but  he  being  vanished,  (and  that  office  fallen 
upon  another,  more  understanding  in  these  Forraine  Affaires,  and  as  you  will  find 
more  candid.)  We  are  againe  (by  the  favour  of  his  Majestic  and  the  State)  re- 
solved to  go  on  printing,  if  we  shall  finde  the  World  to  give  a  better  acceptation 
of  them,  (than  of  late,)  by  their  Weekly  buying  them.  It  is  well  known  these 
Novels  are  well  esteemed  in  all  parts  of  the  World,  (but  heere),  by  the  more  ju- 
dicious, which  we  can  impute  to  no  other  but  the  discontinuance  of  them,  and  the 
uncertaine  days  of  publishing  them,  which,  if  the  poste  fail  us  not,  we  shall  keepe 
a  constant  day  every  weeke  therein,  whereby  every  man  may  constantly  expect 
them,  and  so  we  take  leave. 

January  the  9th  1640.  . 

And  Nathaniel  did  "  take  leave,"  for  we  see  no  more  of  him  in 
the  journalistic  world  ;  but  Campbell  continued  three  years  longer 
on  the  News-Letter,  long  enough  to  inaugurate  the  "  war  of  editors," 
which  has  continued  intermittently  from  that  day  to  this,  sometimes 
ending  in  a  farce,  and  sometimes  in  a  funeral. 

Notwithstanding  the  apparent  want  of  success,  financially,  of  the 
News-Letter,  journalism,  technically,  if  not  in  fact,  had  become,  by  its 
establishment,  an  organized  business  in  America.  The  troubles  of 
Campbell,  who  in  1711  added  another  1  to  his  name,  did  not  deter 
others  then,  any  more  than  the  numerous  failures  since  have  deter- 
red thousands  from  rushing  to  the  printing-office  for  fame  and  for- 
tune in  these  latter  days.  Supreme  for  sixteen  years,  without  a  rival 
of  any  sort  on  this  continent,  his  feelings  can  be  imagined,  especial- 
ly in  newspaper  offices  and  post-offices,  when  other  papers  and  oth- 
er office-seekers  made  their  appearance  in  opposition  to  him  and  his 
paper,  and  to  take  from  him  some  of  the  public  honor,  public  favor, 
and  public  pay. 

In  1719  Campbell  was  removed  from  the  post-office,  and  William 
Brooker  was  appointed  Postmaster  of  Boston.  On  the  2ist  of  De- 
cember of  that  year  the  new  Postmaster,  in  accordance  with  the  cus- 
tom inaugurated  by  his  predecessor,  began  the  publication  of  a  pa- 
per, the  Boston  Gazette,  the  second  newspaper  in  America,  the  father 
of  the  innumerable  Gazettes  issued  from  that  day  to  this  throughout 
the  land.  It  was  the  name  of  the  first  paper  printed  in  France.  It 
was  the  name  of  the  first  paper  in  Venice  and  in  Nuremberg.  Some 
hold  that  the  name  come  sfrom  the  Italian  word  gazza  or  gazzara, 
which  means  a  magpie,  a  chatterer,  a  gossip,  and  not  from  the  small 
piece  of  money  called  gazzetta. 

The  Boston  Gazette  was  printed  on  a  half  sheet  of  foolscap.  In 
consequence  of  the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Campbell  from  the  post-office, 
and  the  establishment  of  the  Gazette  by  his  rival  in  office,  some  ill 
feeling,  ending  in  a  "paper  war,"  grew  up  between  the  two  con- 
cerns. "  I  pity  the  readers  of  the  new  paper,"  said  John  Campbell, 


The  Beginning  of  Newspaper  Wars.  59 

in  bitterness  and  chagrin ;  "  its  sheets  smell  stronger  of  beer  than 
of  midnight  oil.  It  is  not  reading  fit  for  people  !"  Campbell's  in- 
dignation on  his  removal  from  office  was  so  great  that  he  even  re- 
fused to  send  his  paper  through  the  mails  to  his  subscribers,  and  it 
is  said  to  have  been  partly  in  consequence  of  this  that  the  new  Post- 
master was  induced  to  start  the  Gazette.  This  fact,  indeed,  was 
mentioned  in  the  first  number  of  that  paper.  Then  Campbell  re- 
joined. On  the  nth  of  January,  1720,  the  Gazette  thus  replied : 

The  good  manners  and  caution  that  has  been  observed  in  writing  this  paper, 
'twas  hoped  would  have  prevented  any  occasion  for  controversies  of  this  kind ; 
but  finding  a  very  particular  advertisement  published  by  Mr.  Campbell  in  his  Bos- 
ton News-Letter  of  the  4th  current,  lays  me  under  an  absolute  necessity  of  giving 
the  following  answer  thereunto. 

Mr.  Campbell  begins  in  saying,  The  Nameless  Author — Intimating  as  if  the  not 
mentioning  the  author's  name  was  a  fault :  But  if  he  will  look  over  the  papers 
wrote  in  England,  (such  as  the  London  Gazette,  Postman,  and  other  papers  of 
reputation)  he  will  find  their  authors  so.  As  this  part  of  his  advertisement  is  not 
very  material,  I  shall  say  no  more  thereon  ;  but  proceed  to  matters  of  more  mo- 
ment. Mr.  Campbell  seems  somewhat  displeased  that  the  author  says  he  was  re- 
moved from  being  Postmaster.  I  do  hereby  declare  I  was  the  person  that  wrote 
the  said  Preamble,  as  he  calls  it ;  and  think  I  could  not  have  given  his  being 
turned  out  a  softer  epithet.  And  to  convince  him  (and  all  mankind)  that  it  was 
so,  I  shall  give  the  following  demonstrations  of  it. 

Many  months  before  John  Hamilton,Esq.  Deputy-Postmaster-General  of  North- 
America  displaced  the  said  Campbell,  he  received  letters  from  the  secretary  of 
the  Right  Honorable  the  Postmaster-General  of  Great  Britain,  &c.  that  there  had 
been  several  complaints  made  against  him,  and  therefore  the  removal  of  him  from 
being  Postmaster  was  thought  necessary.  Mr.  Hamilton  for  some  time  delayed 
it,  'till  on  the  I3th  of  September,  1718,  he  appointed  me  to  succeed  him,  with  the 
same  salary  and  other  just  allowances,  according  to  the  establishment  of  the  of- 
fice ;  and  if  Mr.  Campbell  had  any  other,  they  were  both  unjust  and  unwarrant- 
able, and  he  ought  not  to  mention  them.  As  soon  as  I  was  put  in  possession  of 
the  office,  Mr.  Hamilton  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Right  Honorable  the  Postmaster- 
General,  acquainting  him  that  he  had  removed  Mr.  Campbell  and  appointed  me 
in  his  room. 

Mr.  Campbell  goes  on  :  saying,  /  was  superseded  by  Mr.  Mtisgrave  from  Eng- 
land. :  To  make  him  appear  also  mistaken  in  this  point :  Mr.  Hamilton  not  dis- 
placing him  as  soon  as  was  expected,  the  Right  Honorable  the  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral appointed  Mr.  Phillip  Musgrave,  by  their  deputation  dated  June  27,  1718,  to 
be  their  Deputy- Postmaster  of  Boston  ;  and  in  a  letter  brought  by  him  from  the 
Right  Honorable  the  Postmaster  -  General  to  John  Hamilton,  Esq.  mention  is 
made,  that  for  the  many  complaints  that  were  made  against  Mr.  Campbell,  they 
had  thought  it  fit  to  remove  him,  and  appoint  Mr.  Musgrave  in  his  stead,  who 
was  nominated  Postmaster  of  Boston  almost  three  months  before  I  succeeded  Mr. 
Campbell,  which  has  obliged  me  to  make  it  appear  that  he  was  either  removed, 
turned  out,  displaced,  or  superseded. 

The  last  thing  I  am  to  speak  to,  is,  Mr.  Campbell  says,  it  is  amiss  to  represent 
that  people  remote  have  been  prevented  from  having  the  News-Paper.  I  do  pray 
he  will  again  read  over  my  introduction,  and  then  he  will  find  there  is  no  word 
there  advanced  that  will  admit  of  such  an  interpretation. 

There  is  nothing  herein  contained  but  what  is  unquestionably  true  ;  therefore  I 
shall  take  leave  of  him,  wishing  him  all  desirable  success  in  his  ag)-eeable  News- 
Letter,  assuring  him  I  have  neither  capacity  nor  inclination  to  answer  any  more 
of  his  like  Advertisements. 

The  Gazette  became  the  Postmaster's  organ.  It  was  owned  and 
conducted  by  no  less  than  five  between  the  years  1719  and  1739, 
and  for  the  heirs  of  the  last  Postmaster  till  1741,  when  it  was  merged 


60  Journalism  in  America. 

with  the  New  England  Weekly  Journal.  The  Gazette,  when  owned 
by  Brooker,  was  printed  by  James  Franklin.  When  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Philip  Musgrave,  the  printing  was  taken  away  from 
Franklin  and  given  to  Samuel  Kneeland,  who  afterwards  owned  the 
establishment. 

On  the  appearance  of  the  Gazette  the  proprietor  of  the  News- 
Letter  once  more  addressed  his  patrons,  stating  comprehensively 
enough  that  he  had  published  his  "  Publick  Letter  of  Intellegence" 
for  nearly  sixteen  years  with  "Universal  Approbation"  and  "for 
the  Interest  and  advantage  of  the  Post  Office,  Gentlemen,  Mer- 
chants, and  others,  both  in  town  and  country;  and  preventing  a 
great  many  false  Reports." 

The  day  after  the  issue  of  the  first  number  of  the  Gazette  the 
third  newspaper  in  the  colonies  was  established  in  Philadelphia. 
Its  title  was  the  American  Weekly  Mercury,  and  its  birthday  was 
the  22d  of  December,  1719.  This  paper  was  "Printed  and  sold  by 
Andrew  Bradford,  at  the  Bible,  in  the  Second  Street,  and  John 
Copson,  in  the  High  Street,  1719-20."  Bradford  was  the  Post- 
master of  Philadelphia,  He  was  a  son  of  William  Bradford,  who 
opened  the  first  printing-office  in  the  colonies  outside  of  New  En- 
gland. The  Mercury,  like  the  News-Letter,  had  soon  to  compete 
with  a  Franklin.  It  had  also  its  troubles  with  the  authorities.  On 
the  2d  of  January,  1721,  the  following  paragraph  appeared  in  the 
Mercury : 

Our  General  Assembly  are  now  sitting,  and  we  have  great  expectations  from 
them,  at  this  juncture,  that  they  will  find  some  effectual  remedy  to  revive  the  dy- 
ing credit  of  this  Province,  and  restore  us  to  our  former  happy  circumstances. 

Apparently  this  was  a  harmless  paragraph.  Moderation  was  the 
tone  of  these  few  lines;  but  on  the  2ist  of  February  the  editor 
and  publisher  was  summoned  before  the  Provincial  Council.  Stat- 
ing that  the  paragraph  was  written  and  inserted  by  a  journeyman 
without  his  knowledge,  and  regretting  its  publication,  he  was  dis- 
charged with  a  reprimand,  and  a  warning  never  to  publish  any 
thing  more  relative  to  the  affairs  of  any  of  the  colonies.  After- 
ward he  had  to  pass  through  a  severer  ordeal.  Benjamin  Franklin 
had  written  a  series  of  essays,  over  the  signature  of  Busy  Body,  for 
the  Mercury,  and  in  one  of  them,  near  an  annual  election,  the  fol- 
lowing remarks  were  made : 

To  the  friends  of  liberty,  firmness  of  mind  and  public  spirit  are  absolutely  req- 
uisite ;  and  this  quality,  so  essential  and  necessary  to  a  noble  mind,  proceeds 
from  a  just  way  of  thinking  that  we  are  not  born  for  ourselves  alone,  nor  our  own 
private  advantages  alone,  but  likewise  and  principally  for  the  good  of  others  and 
service  of  civil  society.  This  raised  the  genius  of  the  Romans,  improved  their 
virtue,  and  made  them  protectors  of  mankind.  This  principle,  according  to  the 
motto  of  these  papers,  animated  the  Romans — Cato  and  his  followers — and  it 
was  impossible  to  be  thought  great  or  good  without  being  a  patriot ;  and  none 


The  First  Newspaper  in  Philadelphia.          61 

could  pretend  to  courage,  gallantry,  and  greatness  of  mind,  without  being  first  of 
all  possessed  with  a  public  spirit  and  love  of  their  country. 

This  simple  matter  produced  such  an  effect  on  the  Governor  and 
Council  that  they  ordered  Bradford  to  be  arrested,  committed  to 
prison,  and  bound  over  to  the  court.  But  Bradford  showed  some 
pluck  on  this  occasion,  and  the  matter  ended  there.  It  is  probable 
that  Franklin  infused  some  of  the  boldness  manifested  in  the  Mer- 
cury at  this  time. 

There  was  one  feature  in  the  Mercury  that  characterizes  few  of 
the  enterprising  papers  of  the  modern  school.  On  the  lyth  of  Oc- 
tober, 1734,  the  particulars  of  the  battle  of  Phillipsburg  were  given 
with  diagrams,  such  as  those  published  in  the  Tribune,  and  Times, 
and  Herald  of  Bull  Run  and  Gettysburg. 

Andrew  Bradford  died  on  the  24th  of  November,  1742.  The 
Mercury  was  suspended  a  week  after  his  death,  and  its  column- 
rules,  on  its  reappearance,  were  inverted  for  six  weeks.  His  widow 
conducted  the  paper  after  her  husband's  decease. 

But  the  era  of  journalism,  with  a  character  a  little  above  that  of 
merely  publishing  the  news  of  the  week  with  an  occasional  sen- 
sation, now  commenced.  On  the  7th  of  August,  1721,  the  Frank- 
lins dawned  upon  the  world  and  became  famous.  On  that  day 
James  Franklin,  having  lost  the  printing  of  the  Gazette,  issued  a 
paper  which  he  called  the  New  England  Courant.  It  was  the 
fourth  newspaper  on  this  continent.  The  appearance  of  the  Cou- 
rant was  the  saddest  blow  John  Campbell  received.  It  brought 
out  a  few  sparks  of  originality  and  vitality,  and  then  the  father  of 
the  American  Press  abdicated,  and  subsided  into  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace.  But  Campbell  had  a  few  last  words  before  he  surrendered 
the  News-Letter  to  Bartholomew  Green. 

On  the  issue  of  the  Courant,  it  was  evident  Franklin  intended  to 
make  it  a  readable  paper.  Speaking  of  the  News-Letter  in  his  first 
number,  he  asserted  that  it  was  "a  dull  vehicle  of  intelligence." 
This  was  considered  so  severe  by  Campbell  that  it  completely 
aroused  the  old  editor,  and  a  broadside,  in  answer,  in  Latin  and 
English,  appeared  in  the  News-Letter  on  the  i4th  of  August,  1721  : 

On  Monday  last  the  yth  Currant,  came  forth  a  Third  Newspaper  in  this  Town, 
Entitled,  The  New  England  Courant,  by //<?;«<?  «0«  unius  Negotii ;  Or  Jack  of 
all  Trades,  and  it  would  seem,  Good  at  none ;  giving  some  very,  very  frothy  ful- 
some Account  of  himself,  but  lest  the  continuance  of  that  style  should  offend  his 
readers  ;  wherein  with  submission  (I  speak  for  the  Publisher  of  this  Intelligence, 
whose  endeavours  has  always  been  to  give  no  offence,  not  meddling  with  things 
out  of  his  Province.)  The  said  Jack  promises  in  pretence  of  Friendship  to  the 
other  News  Publishers  to  amend  like  soure  Ale  in  Summer,  Reflecting  too,  too 
much  that  my  performances  are  now  and  then,  very,  very  dull,  Misrepresenting 
my  candid  endeavors  (according  to  the  Talent  of  my  Capacity  and  Education ; 
not  soaring  above  my  Sphere)  in  giving  a-true  and  genuine  account  of  all  Matters 
of  Fact,  both  Foreign  and  Domestick,  as  comes  any  way  well  Attested,  for  these 


62  Joiirnalism  in  America. 

Seventeen  Years  and  an  half  past.  It  is  often  observed,  a  bright  Morning  is  suc- 
ceeded by  a  dark  Rainy  Day,  and  so  much  Mercury  in  the  beginning  may  end  in 
Album  GrcEctim.  And  seeing  our  New  Gentleman  seems  to  be  a  Scholar  of  Aca- 
demical Learning,  (which  I  pretend  not  to,  the  more  my  unhappiness  ;  and  too 
late  to  say,'  O  mihi  prateritos  referat  si  Jupiter  Annas}  and  better  qualified  to  per- 
form a  work  of  this  Nature,  for  want  whereof  out  of  a  Design  for  publick  good 
made  me  at  first  at  the  Sollicitation  of  several  Gentlemen,  Merchants,  and  Oth- 
ers, come  into  it,  according  to  the  Proverb,  thinking  that  half  a  Loaf  was  better 
than  no  Bread  ;  often  wishing  and  desiring  in  Print  that  such  a  one  would  un- 
dertake it,  and  then  no  one  should  sooner  come  into  it  and  pay  more  Yearly  to 
carry  it  on  than  the  Publisher,  and  none  appearing  then,  nor  since,  (others  being 
judges)  to  excell  him  in  their  performances,  made  him  to  continue.  And  our 
New  Publisher  being  a  Scholler  and  Master,  he  should  (me  thinks)  have  given  us 
(whom  he  terms  low,  flat  and  dull)  Admonition,  and  told  one  and  the  other  where- 
in our  Dulness  lay,  (that  we  might  be  better  Proficients  for  the  future,  Whither  in 
reading,  hearing,  or  pains  taking,  to  write,  gather,  collect  and  insert  the  Public 
Occurrences)  before  publick  Censure,  and  a  good  example  to  copy  and  write  aft- 
er, and  not  tell  us  and  the  World  at  his  first  setting  out,  that  he'll  be  like  us  in 
doing  as  we  have  done.  Turpe  est  Doctori  cum  culpa  nedarguit  ipsum.  And 
now  all  my  Latin  being  spent  excepting  what  I  design  always  to  remember  Nemo 
sine  crimine  vivit,  I  promise  for  my  part  so  soon  as  he  or  any  Scholler  will  Un- 
dertake my  hitherto  Task,  and  Endeavours,  giving  proof  that  he  will  not  be  very, 
very  Dull,  I  shall  not  only  desist  for  his  Advantage,  but  also  so  far  as  capable  As- 
sist such  a  good  Scribe. 

Very  few  of  the  Courant  are  in  existence  :  none  of  those  contain- 
ing Franklin's  articles  on  the  News-Letter.  But  it  is  believed  that 
Franklin  had  the  best  of  the  controversy.  We  can  obtain  the  spirit 
of  his  reply  to  Campbell's  first  article  from  the  rejoinder  which  ap- 
peared in  the  News-Letter  on  the  28th  of  August  : 


.  C.  to  Jack  Dullman  sendeth  Greeting. 
Sir,  What  you  call  a  Satyrical  Advertisement  was  a  just'  Vindication  of  my 
News-Letter,  from  some  unfair  Reflections,  in  your  Introduction  to  your  first 
Courant  ;  Your  reply  in  hobling  Verse,  had  they  more  Reason  and  less  Railing 
might  possibly  have  inclined  me  to  think  you  was  some  Man  of  great  Learning, 
or  as  you  please  to  Word  it,  a  Meikle  Man  ;  but  Railery  is  the  talent  of  a  mean 
Spirit,  and  not  to  be  returned  by  me.  In  honour  to  the  Muses  I  dare  not  ac- 
knowledge your  Poem  to  be  from  Parnassus  ;  but  as  a  little  before  the  Compos- 
ure you  had  been  Rakeing  in  the  Dunghill,  its  more  probable  the  corrupt  Steams 
got  into  your  Brains,  and  your  Dullcold  Skul  precipitate  them  into  Ribaldry.  I 
observe  you  are  not  always  the  same,  your  History  of  Inoculation  intends  the 
Publick  Good,  but  your  Letter  to  Mr.  Compton  and  Rhyme  to  me  smell  more  of 
the  Ale  Tub  than  the  Lamp.  I  do  not  envy  your  skill  in  Anatomy,  and  your  ac- 
curate discovery  of  the  Gall  Bladder,  nor  your  Geography  of  the  Dunghill  (natale 
solum.)  You  say  your  Ale  grows  better,  but  have  a  care  you  do  not  Bottle  it  too 
New,  Lest  the  Bottles  fly  and  wet  your  Toyes.  You  say  you  are  the  Wiseman, 
and  his  Advice  is,  Prov.  xxvi.Ver.  ^.Anszver  not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,  lest 
thou  be  like  unto  him.  And  not  very  disagreeable  to  what  I  learned  when  a 
School  Boy. 

Contra  verbosos,  noli  contendere  Terbis. 
Against  a  man  of  wind  spend  not  thy  Breath, 

Therefore  T  conclude  with  Verbum  Sapienti, 

Tuthis  est,  igitiir  fictis  contendere  verbis, 
Quam  pugna,re  manu.  Vale. 

Since  like  the  Indian  Natives,  you  Delight, 
to  Murder  in  the  Dark,  eshun  and  fly  the  light, 
Farewel. 

The  "  war  of  the  papers"  did  .not  have  its  origin  on  this  conti- 
nent.    Although  it  has  been  more  violent  here  than  in  any  other 


The  Retirement  of  John  Campbell.  63 

country,  leading  to  duels  and  street-fights.  It  began  in  England  as 
far  back  as  1642.  Previously,  the  wits  of  the  theatres  and  coffee- 
houses made  butts  of  the  newspapers.  The  war  was  the  first  sign 
of  intellectual  vitality  in  the  Press.  It  was  a  conflict  of  brains. 
Those  editors  who  accuse  others  of  being  villains,  liars,  forgers,  blas- 
phemers in  our  day,  are  not  originals.  Such  epithets  were  applied 
to  the  Mercurius  Aulicus  and  Mercurius  Aquaticus  by  the  Mercurius 
Britannicus  in  1642,  when  the  editor  of  the  latter  said,  "I  have  discov- 
ered the  lies,  forgeries,  insolencies,  impieties,  prophanities,  blasphe- 
mies of  the  two  sheets."  Our  modern  peri- warriors  use  no  stronger 
expressions.  They  are  a  little  more  sententiously  thrown  at  each 
other.  They  use  one  epithet  at  a  time.  That  is  all  the  difference. 
There  is  more  force  and  point  in  the  modern  mode.  When  a  polit- 
ical friend  of  Governor  Marcy  told  him  of  his  mistake  in  the  expres- 
sion of  "  To  the  victors  belong  the  spoil,"  in  the  heated  campaign 
of  Jackson's  time,  he  replied  that  all  politicians  held  the  same  opin- 
ion. "Yes,  yes,"  said  his  friend,  "but  they  are  not  so  silly  as  to 
put  it  in  half  a  dozen  words  that  every  body  can  remember."  When 
Horace  Greeley  applied  to  William  Cullen  Bryant  or  John  Bigelow 
the  epithet  "  You  lie,  villain,  you  know  you  lie,"  he  merely  con- 
densed the  expression  of  the  Mercurius  Britannicus  of  1642.  . 

Such  a  warfare  was  not  an  evil.  It  was  needed  two  centuries 
ago.  It  vitalized  the  press.  Abuse,  like  every  thing  else,  can  be 
overdone.  It  will  correct  itself.  All  difference  of  opinion  is  healthy. 
All  elements  need  disturbance.  If  a  newspaper  goes  too  far  in  its 
criticisms,  it  suffers.  Other  newspapers  do  not.  All  trades  and 
professions  differ  in  views  and  in  opinion  of  each  other.  There  is 
no  more  esprit  dii  corps  among  clergymen,  lawyers,  physicians,  or 
merchants,  than  among  editors.  Journalists  parade  their  jealousies 
and  differences  on  the  public  clothes-line,  where  every  body  can  see 
them.  They  wash  their  "  dirty  linen"  before  the  people,  and  in  the 
most  exposed  places.  Other  professions  simply  use  their  own  prem- 
ises for  this  purpose. 

After  a  few  weeks  the  contest  between  the  Courant  and  Campbell 
ended,  and  the  News-Letter  passed  into  the  hands  of  Bartholomew 
Green,  in  accordance  with  the  subjoined  announcement,  which  was 
published  on  the  3ist  of  December,  1721 : 

***  These  are  to  give  Notice,  That  Mr.  Campbell,  Designing  not  to  Publish 
any  more  News-Letters,  after  this  Monday  the  3ist  Currant,  Bartholomew  Green 
the  Printer  thereof  for  these  18  Years  past,  having  had  Experience  of  his  Practice 
therein  ;  intends  (Life  permitted)  to  carry  on  the  same,  (using  his  Method  on  the 
Arrival  of  Vessels  from  Great  Britain,  &c.,  to  give  a  Summary  of  the  most  Re- 
markable Occurrences  of  Europe,  and  afterwards  the  Thread  of  the  News,}  pro- 
vided he  can  have  due  Encouragement  by  competent  Numbers  taking  it  by  the 
Year,  so  as  to  enable  him  to  defray  the  necessary  Charges.  And  all  those  who 
have  a  Mind  (either  in  Town  or  Country)  to  Promote  and  Encourage  the  Con- 


64  Journalism  in  America. 

tinuation  of  the  abovesaid  Intelligence,  are  hereby  desired  to  Agree  with  the  said 
Green,  either  by  Word  or  Writing  ;  who  may  have  it  on  reasonable  Terms,  left  at 
any  House  in  Town,  Sealed  or  Unsealed. 

The  last,  on  earth,  of  John  Campbell  is  thus  modestly  announced 
in  the  News-Letter  of  March  7,  1728  : 

On  Monday  last,  the  4th  inst,  died  here,  at  the  age  of  seventy  five  years,  John 
Campbell,  Esquire,  formerly  director  of  the  post  in  this  town,  many  years  editor 
of  the  Boston  News-Letter,  and  one  of  her  Majesty's  justice  of  the  peace  for  the 
County  of  Suffolk. 

There  was  no  other  obituary  notice.  None  of  the  column-rules 
of  the  paper  were  turned.-  None  of  the  "  sticks"  of  the  compositors 
were  reversed.  It  was  not  deemed  even  necessary  to  say  that  he 
was  the  proprietor  or  founder  of  the  first  regular  newspaper  on  this 
continent.  He  was  simply  editor  "for  many  years."  So  passed 
away  the  glory  of  John  Campbell. 

When  Green  assumed  the  management  of  the  News-Letter,  he  de- 
signed giving  it  a  semi-religious  character.  On  the  2ist  of  Janu- 
ary, 1723,  he  issued  the  following  as 

An  Advertisement  from  the  Publisher. 

It  being  my  Desire  to  make  this  as  profitable  and  entertaining  to  the  good  peo- 
ple of  this  country  as  I  can,  I  propose  to  give  not  only  the  most  material  articles 
of  intelligence,  both  foreign  and  domestic,  which  concern  the  political  state  of  the 
world ;  but  also  because  this  is  a  country,  that  has  yet,  through  the  mercy  of  God, 
many  people  in  it,  that  have  the  State  of  religion  in  the  world  very  much  at  heart, 
and  would  be  glad,  if  they  knew  how  to  order  their  prayers  and  praises  to  the 
Great  God  thereupon,  I  shall  endeavour,  now  and  then,  to  insert  an  article  upon 
the  state  of  religion.  I  shall,  therefore,  from  time  to  time,  wait  upon  such  as  I 
may  know  to  cultivate  a  correspondence  with  the  most  eminent  persons  in  sev- 
eral nations,  who  may  please  to  communicate  to  me,  and  thereby  to  the  public, 
such  things  as  all  good  men  cannot  but  receive  with  satisfaction. 

In  1733  Bartholomew  Green  died,  and  the  paper  passed  into  the 
hands  of  his  son-in-law,  John  Draper,  who  continued  to  maintain  the 
semi-religious  character  of  its  columns. 

One  of  the  News-Letters  of  1757,  now  before  us,  that  of  October 
2oth,  then  issued  by  John  Draper,  published  on  a  half  sheet,  with 
naval  news,  and  the  following  advertisement  printed  on  the  margin  : 

Any  gentlewoman  and  others  that  want  Stays  made  or  mended  after  the  best 
and  neatest  Manner  in  their  Houses,  may  have  them  done  Cheap  for  the  sake  of 
ready  Money  by  John  Banks  ;  or  he  will  take  Stays  to  mend  or  make  at  his  House 
opposite  Deacon  Barrett's  Shop  near  the  Mill  Bridge. 

It  was  then  the  custom  for  men  to  make  stays.  There  were  the 
inimitable  Banks  and  Slaughters  then  as  there  is  the  inimitable 
Worth  that  governs  the  fashionable  world  now.  Moses  Slaughter 
advertised  in  the  New  York  Gazette,  October  3,  1737,  to  the  same 
effect.  His  advertisement  will  be  interesting  to  the  modistes  of  the 
present  day.  Slaughter,  as  he  lodged  with  the  publisher  of  the  Ga- 
zette, ought  to  have  furnished  him  with  a  regular  article  on  the  fash- 


Advertisements  of  Fashions.  65 

ions,  after  the  style  of  those  we  now  see  in  Le  Follet.     But  here  is 
his  notice  on  Stays  : 

Moses  Slaughter,  Stay  Maker,  from  London,  has  brought  with  him  a  Parcel  of 
extraordinary  good  and  Fashionable  Stays  of  his  own  making,  of  several  Sizes  and 
Prices.  The  Work  of  them  he  will  warrant  to  be  good,  and  for  Shape,  inferiour 
to  none  that  are  made. 

He  lodges  at  present  at  the  House  of  William  Bradford  next  door  but  one  to 
the  Treasurer's  near  the  Fly  Market,  where  he  is  ready  to  suit  those  that  want, 
with  extraordinary  good  Stays.  Or  he  is  ready  to  wait  upon  any  Ladys  or  Gen- 
tlewomen that  please  to  send  for  him  to  their  Houses.  If  any  desire  to  be  in- 
formed of  the  Work  he  has  done,  let  them  enquire  of  Mrs.  Elliston  in  the  Broad- 
street,  or  of  Mrs.  Nichols  in  the  Broadway,  who  have  had  his  work. 

John  Draper  died  in  1762,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Rich- 
ard Draper,  who  changed  the  title  of  the  paper  to  that  of  the  Boston 
Weekly  News-Letter  and  New  England  Chronicle.  The  name  was 
again  changed  to  the  Massachusetts  Gazette  and  Boston  News- Letter. 
In  1768  it  was  united  with  the  Boston  Post-Boy.  The  union  was  a 
mongrel  affair,  and  did  not  last  long.  Although  the  united  papers 
were  called  the  Massachusetts  Gazette,  each  paper  continued  a  sep- 
arate publication — the  Post-Boy,  as  such,  appearing  on  Mondays, 
and  the  News-Letter  Q\\  Thursdays — one  half  being  called  by  its  own 
name,  and  the  other  half  by  the  name  of  the  united  concerns.  One 
half  was  the  official  organ  of  the  government,  and  published  the 
laws ;  the  contents  of  the  other  half  were  in  accordance  with  the  in- 
terests, opinions,  and  fancy  of  each  publisher.  These  Siamese  Twins 
in  journalism  were  separated  in  1769,  and  Draper  fell  back  on  his 
old  title,  and  continued  to  publish  the  News-Letter  till  the  6th  of 
June,  1774,  when  he  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  widow,  Mar- 
garet Draper,  and  John  Boyle,  whom  he  had  taken  into  partnership 
a  month  previously.  John  Howe  afterward  assumed  Boyle's  share, 
and  with  the  widow  Draper  carried  on  the  paper  till  March,  1776, 
when,  with  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British  troops,  the  News- 
Letter,  after  a  life  of  seventy-two  years,  ceased  to  exist. 

The  News-Letter  was  loyal  to  the  home  government,  and  was 
the  only  paper  published  in  Boston  during  the  siege  of  that  city  by 
Washington.  While  the  British  troops  occupied  that  town,  the  orig- 
inal Jenkins  made  his  appearance,  and  wrote  for  the  News-Letter. 
On  the  22d  of  February,  1776,  it  contained  the  following  notice  : 

MASQUERADE. 

On  Monday,  the  nth  of  March  will  be  given  at  Concert- Hall,  a  SUBSCRIPTION 
MASKED  BALL.  By  the  sixth  of  March  a  Number  of  Different  Masks  will  be  pre- 
pared, and  sold  by  almost  all  the  Milliners  and  Mantua  Makers  in  Town. 

In  speaking  of  this  "grand  affair,"  the  News-Letter  said  that  "ten 
Capital  Cooks  are  already  engaged  in  preparing  supper  for  the  Mas- 
querade, which  is  to  be  the  most  brilliant  Thing  ever  seen  in  Amer- 
ica." This  affair,  was  on  the  nth  of  March.  On  the  i?th  the  en- 

E 


66  Journalism  in  America. 

tire  British  army,  including  the  "ten  Capital  Cooks,"  evacuated 
Boston,  and  Washington,  with  the  American  troops,  marched  in  and 
took  possession  of  the  city. 

After  the  tilt  with  the  News-Letter,  the  Courant  opened  its  pen 
and  ink  batteries  upon  the  authorities,  clerical  and  lay,  and  soon 
got  into  trouble.  Whatever  may  be  the  judgment  of  mankind  on 
Franklin's  course,  he  certainly  initiated  a  new  era  in  journalism. 
While  he  suffered  in  purse  and  person,  the  press  gained  in  freedom 
and  independence.  The  News-Letter  and  Gazette  in  Boston,  and 
the  Mercury  in  Philadelphia,  the  other  papers  then  published,  being 
in  the  hands  of  office-holders,  were  circumspect  in  the  utterance  of 
their  views,  and  confined  themselves  to  a  mere  rehash  of  foreign 
news  and  a  few  unimportant  local  items.  But  Franklin  was  made 
of  different  stuff.  His  paper  was  the  first  rebel  organ  in  America. 
With  the  leaven  of  1776  in  his  soul,  he  was  bold  and  outspoken, 
and  commented  on  the  abuses  of  the  times  as  he  saw  them.  Satire 
was  the  effective  weapon  of  Franklin  and  his  writers.  In  less  than 
a  year  of  the  existence  of  the  Courant,  its  proprietor  was  arrested 
and  in  prison  for  the  boldness  of  his  language.  More  outspoken 
than  ever  after  his  release,  he  was  forbidden  to  print  any  thing 
without  authority  from  his  majesty's  secretary  of  the  province. 
About  this  time  Benjamin  Franklin  made  his  appearance.  In 
speaking  of  the  Courant  and  of  his  brother  James,  the  autobiogra- 
phy of  Benjamin  Franklin  says : 

My  brother  had,  in  1720  or  1721,  begun  to  print  a  newspaper.  It  was  the  .sec- 
ond that  appeared  in  America,  and  was  called  the  New  England  Courant.  The 
only  one  before  it  was  the  Boston  News-Letter.  I  remember  his  being  dissuaded 
by  some  of  his  friends  from  the  undertaking,  as  not  likely  to  succeed,  one  news- 
paper being  in  their  judgment  enough  for  America.  At  this  time,  1771,  there  are 
not  less  than  five-and-twenty.  He  went  on,  however,  with  the  undertaking.  I 
was  employed  to  carry  the  papers  to  the  customers,  after  having  worked  in  com- 
posing the  types  and  printing  off  the  sheets. 

He  (James  Franklin)  had  some  ingenious  men  among  his  friends,  who  amused 
themselves  by  writing  little  pieces  for  his  paper,  which  gained  it  credit,  and  made 
it  more  in  demand,  and  these  gentlemen  often  visited  us.  Hearing  their  conver- 
sation, and  their  accounts  of  the  approbation  their  papers  were  received  with,  I 
was  excited  to  try  my  hand  among  them.  But,  being  still  a  boy,  and  suspecting 
that  my  brother  would  object  to  printing  any  thing  of  mine  in  his  paper,  if  he 
knew  it  to  be  mine,  I  contrived  to  disguise  my  hand,  and,  writing  an  anonymous 
paper,  I  put  it  at  night  under  the  door  of  the  printing-house.  It  was  found  in  the 
morning,  and  communicated  to  his  writing  friends  when  they  called  in  as  usual. 
They  read  it,  commented  on  it  in  my  hearing,  and  I  had  the  exquisite  pleasure  of 
finding  it  met  with  their  approbation,  and  that,  in  their  different  guesses  at  the 
author,  none  were  named  but  men  of  some  character  among  us  for  learning  and 
ingenuity.  I  suppose  that  I  was  rather  lucky  in  my  judges,  and  that  they  were 
not  really  so  very  good  as  I  then  believed  them  to  be.  Encouraged,  however,  by 
this  attempt,  I  wrote  and  sent  in  the  same  way  to  the  press  several  other  pieces, 
that  were  equally  approved ;  and  I  kept  my  secret  till  all  my  fund  of  sense  for 
such  performances  was  exhausted,  and  then  discovered  it,  when  I  began  to  be 
considered  a  little  more  by  my  brother's  acquaintance. 

However,  that  did  not  quite  please  him,  as  he  thought  it  tended  to  make  me 


The  Franklins  as  Journalists.  67 

too  vain.  This  might  be  one  occasion  of  the  difference  we  began  to  have  about 
this  time.  ****** 

One  of  the  pieces  in  our  newspaper  on  some  political  point,  which  I  have  now 
forgotten,  gave  offense  to  the  Assembly.  He  was  taken  up,  censured,  and  impris- 
oned for  a  month  by  the  Speaker's  warrant,  I  suppose  because  he  would  not  dis- 
cover the  author.  I  too  was  taken  up  and  examined  before  the  Council ;  but, 
though  I  did  not  give  them  any  satisfaction,  they  contented  themselves  with  ad- 
monishing me,  and  dismissed  me,  considering  me  perhaps  as  an  apprentice,  who 
was  bound  to  keep  his  master's  secrets.  During  my  brother's  confinement,  which 
I  resented  a  good  deal  notwithstanding  our  private  differences,  I  had  the  manage- 
ment of  the  paper  ;  and  I  made  bold  to  give  our  rulers  some  rubs  in  it,  which  my 
brother  took  very  kindly,  while  others  began  to  consider  me  in  an  unfavorable 
light,  as  a  youth  that  had  a  turn  for  libelling  and  satire. 

My  brother's  discharge  was  accompanied  with  an  order,  and  a  very  odd  one, 
that  "  James  Franklin  no  longer  print  the  newspaper  called  The  New  England 
Courant."  On  consultation  held  in  our  printing-office  amongst  his  friends,  what 
he  should  do  in  this  conjuncture,  it  was  proposed  to  elude  the  order  by  changing 
the  name  of  the  paper.  But  my  brother,  seeing  inconvenience  in  this,  came  to  a 
conclusion,  as  a  better  way,  to  let  the  paper  in  future  be  printed  in  the  name  of 
Benjamin  Franklin  ;  and  in  order  to  avoid  the  censure  of  the  Assembly,  that 
might  fall  on  him,  as  still  printing  it  by  his  apprentice,  he  contrived  and  consent- 
ed that  my  old  indenture  should  be  returned  to  me  with  a  discharge  on  the  back 
of  it,  to  show  in  case  of  necessity ;  and,  in  order  to  secure  to  him  the  benefit  of 
my  service,  I  should  sign  new  indentures  for  the  remainder  of  my  time,  which  were 
to  be  kept  private.  A  very  flimsy  scheme  it  was  ;  however,  it  was  immediately 
executed,  and  the  paper  was  printed  accordingly,  under  my  name,  for  several 
months. 

The  Courant  was  not  the  second  paper  even  in  Boston.  It  was 
the  fourth  in  America. 

Inoculation  for  the  smallpox  was  the  great  point  in  dispute  be- 
tween the  Courant  on  one  side,  and  the  authorities  and  clergy,  with 
the  News-Letter  and  Gazette,  on  the  other.  It  had  been  introduced 
into  England  by  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague  in  1718,  and  had 
just  reached  the  colonies  when  James  Franklin  issued  his  paper. 
While  the  practice  was  preached  against  by  many  of  the  bishops  and 
clergy  in  England,  it  was  strongly  advocated  by  Increase  and  Cot- 
ton Mather,  and  other  clergymen  in  America. 

It  was  manifest  that  there  was  a  staff  on  the  Courant  of  free  think- 
ers, free  writers,  and  free  talkers.  They  were  called  the  Hell-Fire 
Club  by  the  Mathers,  who  seemed  to  have  the  care  and  control  of 
the  souls  and  consciences  of  the  people  of  Boston  at  that  time. 
These  writers,  including  the  youthful  Benjamin  Franklin,  had  many 
fights,  on  paper,  with  the  clergy  and  their  adherents.  Increase  Ma- 
ther, with  the  experience  of  eighty-four  years  on  his  shoulders,  rec- 
ognized the  "inspiration  of  the  devil"  in  the  third  number  of  the 
Courant,  and  thus  denounced  it  to  the  world  through  the  columns 
of  the  Gazette : 

Advice  to  the  Publick  from  Dr.  Increase  Mather. 

Whereas  a  wicked  Libel  called  the  New  England  Courant,  has  represented  me 
as  one  among  the  Supporters  of  it ;  I  do  hereby  declare,  that  altho'  I  had  paid 
for  two  or  three  of  them,  I  then,  (before  the  last  Courant  was  published)  sent  him 
word  I  was  extreamly  offended  with  it  !  In  special,  because  in  one  of  his  Vile 
Courants  he  insinuates,  that  if  the  Ministers  of  God  approve  of  a  thing,  it  is  a  Sign 


68  Journalism  in  America. 

it  is  of  the  Devil ;  which  is  a  horrid  thing  to  be  related  !  And  altho'  in  one  of 
the  Cotirants  it  is  declared,  that  the  London  Mercury  Sept.  16,  1721,  affirms  that 
Great  Numbers  of  Persons  in  the  City  and  Suburbs  are  under  the  Inoculation  of 
the  Small  Pox ;  In  his  next  Courant  he  asserts,  that  it  was  some  Busy  Inoculator, 
that  imposed  on  the  Publick  in  saying  so  ;  Whereas  I  myself  saw  and  read  those 
words  in  the  London  Mercury :  And  he  doth  frequently  abuse  the  Ministers  of 
Religion,  and  many  other  worthy  Persons  in  a  manner,  which  is  intolerable.  For 
these  and  such  like  Reasons  I  signified  to  the  Printer,  that  I  would  have  no  more 
of  their  Wicked  Courants.  I  that  have  known  what  New-England  was  from  the 
Beginning,  cannot  but  be  troubled  to  see  the  Degeneracy  of  this  Place.  I  can  well 
remember  when  the  Civil  Government  would  have  taken  an  effectual  Course  to 
suppress  such  a  Cursed Libel 7  which  if  it  be  not  done  I  am  afraid  that  some  Aw- 
ful Judgment  will  come  upon  this  Land,  and  the  Wrath  of  God  will  arise,  and 
there  will  be  no  Remedy. 

I  cannot  but  pity  poor  Franklin,  who  tho'  but  a  Young  Man  it  may  be  Speed- 
ily he  must  appear  before  the  Judgment  Seat  of  God,  and  what  answer  will  he 
give  for  printing  things  so  vile  and  abominable  ?  And  I  cannot  but  Advise  the 
Supporters  of  this  Courant  to  consider  the  Consequences  of  being  Partakers  in 
other  Mens  Sins,  and  no  more  Countenance  such  a  Wicked  Paper. 

The  war  of  words  went  on  for  some  time,  until  Franklin  became 
still  more  involved  with  the  authorities.  The  reply  of  the  Courant 
to  the  charge  that  it  was  carried  on  by  a  Hell-Fire  Club  will  give  the 
public  some  idea  of  the  style  of  the  original  articles  published  by 
the  Courant.  On  the  22d  of  January,  1722,  it  said  : 

********* 
These,  with  many  other  endeavors,  proceeding  from  an  arbitrary  and  selfish 
temper,  have  been  attended  with  their  hearty  curses  on  the  Courant  and  its  pub- 
lisher ;  but  all  to  no  purpose  ;  for,  as  a  Connecticut  trader  once  said  of  his  onions, 
The  more  they  are  cursed,  the  more  they  grow.  Notwithstanding  which,  a  young 
scribbling  collegian,  [Mather  Byles]  who  has  just  learning  enough  to  make  a  fool 
of  himself,  has  taken  it  in  his  head  to  put  a  stop  to  this  wickedness,  (as  he  calls 
it)  by  a  letter  in  the  last  week's  Gazette.  Poor  Boy !  When  your  letter  comes 
to  be  seen  in  other  countries,  (under  the  umbrage  of  authority)  what  indeed  will 
they  think  of  New-England  !  They  will  certainly  conclude,  There  is  bloody  fish- 
ing for  nonsense  at  Cambridge,  and  sad  work  at  the  College.  The  young  wretch, 
when  he  calls  those  who  wrote  the  several  pieces  in  the  Courant  the  Hell-Fire 
Club  of  Boston,  and  finds  a  godfather  for  them,  (which,  by  the  way,  is  a  Hellish 
mockery  of  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  as  administered  by  the  Church  of  England,) 
and  tells  us,  That  all  the  supporters  of  the  paper  will  be  looked  upon  as  destroyers 
of  the  religion  of  the  country,  and  enemies  to  the  faithful  ministers  of  it,  little  thinks 
what  a  cruel  reflection  he  throws  on  his  reverend  grandfather,  who  was  then  and 
for  some  time  before,  a  subscriber  for  the  paper. 

#***##*** 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  me,  that  I  never  inserted  any  thing  in  the  Courant,  which 
charged  any  man,  or  society  of  men,  with  being  guilty  of  the  crimes,  which  were 
peculiar  to  the  Hell-Fire  Club  in  London,  and  which  the  devils  themselves  are 
not  capable  of  perpetrating.  And  whether  Mr.  M e  [Mr.  Musgrave,  Post- 
master and  Publisher  of  the  Gazette']  or  his  young  champion  know  it  or  no  'tis 
looked  upon  as  a  gross  reflection  on  the  government ;  that  they  should  be  told  of 
a  Hell-Fire  Club  in  Boston  (in  a  paper  published  by  authority)  and  not  use  their 
endeavors  to  discover  who  they  are,  in  order  to  punish  them. 

On  the  i4th  of  January,  1722,  the  Courant  was  especially  emphatic 
in  regard  to  religion  and  the  clergy,  and  respecting  the  sudden  de- 
parture of  Governor  Shute  for  England.  In  regard  to  the  latter,  it 
asked, 

Whether  (pursuant  to  the  Charter)  the  ministers  of  this  province  ought  now  to 
pray  for  Samuel  Shute  Esq,  as  our  immediate  Governor,  and,  at  the  same  time, 


Benjamin  Franklin  as  Editor  in  Boston.       69 

pray  for  the  Lieutenant-Governor  as  commander-in-chief  ?  Or,  Whether  their 
praying  for  his  success  in  his  voyage,  if  he  designs  to  hurt  the  province  (as  some 
suppose)  be  not  in  effect  to  pray  for  destruction  ? 

On  that  day  the  General  Court  took  the  matter  in  hand,  and  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  consider  what  should  be  done  with  Frank- 
lin. Here  is  their  report : 

The  Committee  appointed  to  consider  of  the  paper  called,  The  *New-England 
Courant,  published  Monday  the  fourteenth  current,  are  humbly  of  opinion  that 
the  tendency  of  the  said  paper  is  to  mock  religion,  and  bring  it  into  contempt, 
that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  therein  profanely  abused,  that  the  revered  and  faith- 
ful ministers  of  the  gospel  are  injuriously  reflected  on,  His  Majesty's  Government 
affronted,  and  the  peace  and  good  order  of  His  Majesty's  subjects  of  this  Prov- 
ince disturbed,  by  the  said  Courant ;  and  for  precaution  of  the  like  offence  for  the 
future,  the  Committee  humbly  propose,  That  James  Franklin,  the  printer  and  pub- 
lisher thereof,  be  strictly  forbidden  by  this  Court  to  print  or  publish  the  New- 
England  Courant,  or  any  other  pamphlet  or  paper  of  the  like  nature,  except  it  be 
first  supervised  by  the  Secretary  of  this  Province  ;  and  the  Justices  of  His  Majes- 
ty's Sessions  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  of  Suffolk,  at  .their  next  adjournment, 
be  directed  to  take  sufficient  bonds  of  the  said  Franklin,  for  Twelve  Months  time. 

The  next  number  of  the  Courant,  by  innuendo,  was  more  severe 
than  ever  on  the  officials,  and  Franklin  had  refused  to  submit  the 
manuscript  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Province  previous  to  publication. 
This  created  more  difficulty  and  another  short  imprisonment.  It 
was  then  decided  that  "James  Franklin  no  longer  print  the  news- 
paper." On  the  nth  of  February,  1722,  Benjamin  Franklin,  "in  his 
teens,"  became  a  journalist.  On  that  day  the  Courant  appeared 
with  the  following  salutatory  : 

The  late  publisher  of  this  paper,  finding  so  many  inconveniences  would  arise 
by  his  carrying  the  manuscripts  and  public  news  to  be  supervised  by  the  Secre- 
tary, as  to  render  his  carrying  it  on  unprofitable,  has  entirely  dropt  the  undertak- 
ing.    The  present  publisher  having  received  the  following  piece,  desires  the  read- 
ers to  accept  of  it  as  a  preface  to  what  they  may  hereafter  meet  with  in  this  paper. 
Non  ego  mordaci  distrinxi  Carmine  quemquam, 
Nulla  venenato  Litera  rnista  joco  est. 

Long  has  the  Press  groaned  in  bringing  forth  an  hateful  brood  of  party  pam- 
phlets, malicious  scribblers,  and  billingsgate  ribaldry.  The  rancor  and  bitterness 
it  has  unhappily  infused  into  men's  minds,  and  to  what  a  degree  it  has  soured  and 
leavened  the  tempers  of  persons  formerly  esteemed  some  of  the  most  sweet  and 
affable,  is  too  well  known  here  to  need  any  further  proof  or  representation  of  the 
matter. 

No  generous  and  impartial  person,  then,  can  blame  the  present  undertaking, 
which  is  designed  purely  for  the  diversion  and  merriment  of  the  reader.  Pieces 
of  pleasancy  and  mirth  have  a  secret  charm  in  them  to  allay  the  heats  and  tu- 
mors of  our  spirits  and  to  make  a  man  forget  his  restless  resentments.  They 
have  a  strange  power  in  them  to  hush  disorders  of  the  soul,  and  reduce  us  to  a 
serene  and  placid  state  of  mind. 

The  main  design  of  this  weekly  paper  will  be  to  entertain  the  town  with  the 
most  comical  and  diverting  incidents  of  human  life,  which,  in  so  large  a  place  as 
Boston,  will  not  fail  of  a  universal  exemplification  :  Nor  shall  we  be  wanting  to 
fill  up  these  papers  with  a  grateful  interspersion  of  more  serious  'morals,  which 
may  be  drawn  from  the  most  ludicrous  and  odd  parts  of  life. 

As  for  the  author,  that  is  the  next  question.  But  though  we  profess  ourselves 
ready  to  oblige  the  ingenious  and  courteous  reader  with  most  sorts  of  intelligence, 
yet  here  we  beg  a  reserve.  Nor  will  it  be  of  any  advantage  either  to  them  or  to 
the  writers,  that  their  names  should  be  published ;  and  therefore  in  this  matter 
we  desire  the  favor  of  you  to  suffer  us  to  hold  our  tongues :  which  though  at  this 


70  Joitrnalism  in  America. 

time  of  day  it  may  sound  like  a  very  uncommon  request,  yet  it  proceeds  from  the 
very  hearts  of  your  humble  servants. 

•By  this  time  the  reader  perceives  that  more  than  one  are  engaged  in  the  pres- 
ent undertaking.  Yet  there  is  one  person,  an  inhabitant  of  this  town  of  Boston, 
whom  we  honor  as  a  doctor  in  the  chair,  or  a  perpetual  dictator. 

The  society  had  designed  to  present  the  public  with  his  effigies,  but  that  the 
Limner,  to  whom  he  was  presented  for  a  draught  of  his  countenance,  descried  (and 
this  he  is  ready  to  offer  upon  oath)  nineteen  features  in  his  face,  more  than  he 
ever  beheld  in  any  human  visage  before  ;  which  so  raised  the  price  of  his  picture, 
that  our  master  himself  forbid  the  extravagance  of  coming  up  to  it.  And  then, 
besides,  the  Limner  objected  a  schism  in  his  face,  which  split  it  from  his  forehead 
in  a  straight  line  down  to  his  chin,  in  such  sort,  that  Mr.  Painter  protests  it  is  a 
double  face,  and  he'll  have  four  pounds  for  the  portraiture.  However,  though 
his  double  face  has  spoilt  us  of  a  pretty  picture,  yet  we  all  rejoiced  to  see  Old 
James  in  our  company.  There  is  no  man  in  Boston  better  qualified  than  Old 
Janus  for  a  Couranteer,  or,  if  you  please,  an  Observator,  being  a  man  of  such  re- 
markable optics  as  to  look  two  ways  at  once. 

As  for  his  morals,  he  is  a  cheerly  Christian,  as  the  country  phrase  expresses  it. 
A  man  of  good  temper,  courteous  deportment,  sound  judgement,  a  mortal  hater 
of  nonsense,  foppery,  formality,  and  endless  ceremony.  As  for  his  Club,  they  aim 
at  no  greater  happiness  or  honor,  than  the  public  be  made  to  know,  that  it  is  the 
utmost  of  their  ambition  to  attend  upon  and  do  all  imaginable  good  offices  to  good 
Old  Janus  the  Couranteer,  who  is  and  always  will  be  the  reader's  humble  ser- 
vant. 

P.  S.  Gentle  Reader,  we  design  never  to  let  a  paper  pass  without  a  Latin 
motto  if  we  can  possibly  pick  one  up,  which  carries  a  charm  in  it  to  the  vulgar, 
and  the  learned  admire  the  pleasure  of  construing.  We  should  have  obliged  the 
world  with  a  Greek  scrap  or  two,  but  the  printer  has  no  types,  and  therefore  we 
entreat  the  candid  reader  not  to  impute  the  defect  to  our  ignorance,  for  our  doc- 
tor can  say  all  the  Greek  letters  by  heart. 

There  was  no  change  in  the  tone  or  the  policy  of  the  paper  as 
marked  out  by  James  Franklin.  Other  troubles  came  upon  the 
Courant  and  its  proprietor,  but  they  ultimately  became  the  seed  of 
a  Free  Press. 

In  June,  1722,  a  pirate  appeared  off  Block  Island.  In  a  letter 
from  Newport,  speaking  of  the  energetic  action  there  in  sending 
out  vessels  to  catch  the  marauder,  the  Courant  charged  the  Massa- 
chusetts authorities  with  tardiness.  On  the  i2th,  the  Council  took 
the  matter  up  and  ordered  James  Franklin  before  them.  He  "owned 
that  he  had  published  said  paper."  'The  Council  then  "resolved 
that  the  said  paragraph  is  a  high  affront  to  this  government,"  and 
that  Franklin.be  imprisoned  in  the  jail  in  Boston.  After  a  week's 
confinement  the  state  of  his  health  constrained  him  to  seek  some 
mitigation,  and  the  records  of  the  General  Court  contain  the  follow- 
ing entry : 

In  Council,  2oth  June,  1722,  a  petition  of  James  Franklyn,  printer,  humbly 
shewing,  that  he  is  truly  sensible  and  heartily  sorry  for  the  offence  he  has  given 
to  this  court  in  the  late  Courant,  relating  to  the  fitting  out  of  a  ship  by  the  gov- 
ernment, and  truly  acknowledges  his  inadvertency  and  folly  therein  in  affronting 
the  government,  as  also  his  indiscretion  and  indecency  when  before  the  court,  for 
all  which  he  intreats  the  court's  forgiveness,  and  praying  a  discharge  from  the 
stone  prison  where  he  is  confined  by  order  of  the  court,  and  that  he  may  have  the 
liberty  of  the  yard,  he  being  much  indisposed  and  suffering  in  his  health  by  the 
said  confinement ;  a  certificate  of  Dr.  Zabdiel  Boylston  being  offered  with  the 
said  petition. 


Imprisonment  of  James  Franklin.  7 1 

In  the  House  of  Representatives,  read,  and 

Voted,  that  James  Franklyn,  now  a  prisoner  in  the  stone  gaol,  may  have  the 
liberty  of  the  prison  house  and  yard,  upon  his  giving  security  for  his  faithful  abid- 
ing there. 

In  Council,  read  and  concurred ;  consented  to. 

SAMUEL  SHUTE. 

The  warfare  with  the  clergy  was  also  taken  notice  of  in  Council, 
and  efforts  made  to  crush  the  paper  and  editor  in  the  interest  of  re- 
ligion, but  it  appears  by  the  following  that  this  failed  : 

In  Council  July  5th,  1722. 

Whereas  in  the  Paper  called  the  New-England  Cqurant  printed  Weekly  by 
James  Franklin,  many  passages  have  been  published  boldly  reflecting  on  His 
Majesty's  Government  and  on  the  Administration  of  it  in  this  Province,  the  Min- 
istry, Churches  and  College  ;  and  it  very  often  contains  Paragraphs  that  tend  to 
nil  the  Readers'  minds  with  vanity  to  the  Dishonor  of  God,  and  disservice  of 
Good  Men. 

Resolved,  that  no  such  Weekly  Paper  be  hereafter  Printed  or  Published  with- 
out the  same  be  first  perused  and  allowed  by  the  Secretary,  as  has  been  usual. 
And  that  the  said  Franklin  give  Security  before  the  Justices  of  the  Superior  Court 
in  the  Sum  of  ioo/.  to  be  of  the  good  Behaviour  to  the  End  of  the  next  Fall  Ses- 
sions of  this  Court.  Sent  down  for  Concurrence. 

Read  and  Non-concurred. 

These  Orders  in  Council  sufficiently  indicate  the  relative  attitude 
of  the  press  and  the  government  a  little  over  a  century  ago.  There 
was  not  a  very  large  opportunity  for  expansion.  These  movements 
and  prosecutions  were  of  considerable  importance  to  journalism, 
especially  in  connection  with  the  New  England  Courant,  and,  a  few 
years  later,  with  the  New  York  Weekly  Journal,  which  was  of  the 
same  stamp  and  character  as  the  Courant.  Neither  of  the  Franklins 
sacrificed  their  independence  on  the  altar  of  power.  They  could 
not  go  very  far  publicly,  but  they  accomplished  a  good  deal  for  the 
time.  Benjamin  Franklin  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age  at  this  pe-' 
riod  of  his  career,  and  even  then  he  seemed  to  combine,  in  petto,  all 
the  elements  of  a  modern  newspaper  establishment — brains,  steam, 
courage,  and  electricity. 


72  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  FIRST  PAPER  IN  NEW  YORK. 

THE  NEW  YORK  GAZETTE. — ITS  COMMENCEMENT  BY  WILLIAM  BRADFORD. — 
PREMIUMS  FOR  SUBSCRIBERS.  —  ANOTHER  NEWSPAPER  IN  BOSTON. — THE 
NEW  ENGLAND  WEEKLY  JOURNAL,  —  THE  DIFFICULTIES  IN  CIRCULATING 
NEWSPAPERS. — THE  WANT  OF  MAIL  FACILITIES. 

ALTHOUGH  Governor  Fletcher,  in  having  a  copy  of  the  London 
Gazette  reprinted  in  New  York  in  1696,  must  have  infused  a  little 
journalistic  spirit  in  that  city,  the  first  newspaper  there  did  not 
make  its  appearance  till  1725. 

William  Bradford,  a  printer  in  Philadelphia,  in  consequence  of 
litigations  with  the  authorities  there,  growing  out  of  his  polemical 
publications,  or  a  difference  or  two  perhaps  with  the  Society  of 
Friends,  was  induced  by  Governor  Fletcher  to  leave  that  city  in 
1690,  and  open  a  printing-office  in. New  York.  He  there  became 
the  official  printer,  and  after  publishing  Almanacs,  the  laws,  the 
English  Prayer-book,  and  official  proclamations,  and  erecting  the 
first  paper-mill,  he  issued  in  October,  1725,  the  New  York  Gazette, 
which  was,  like  the  other  papers  then  in  existence,  published  week- 
ly. The  contents  of  the  first  number  embraced  the  news  from  Oc- 
tober 16  to  October  23.  Bradford  believed  that  a  man  was  never 
too  old  to  work,  for  he  was  seventy  years  of  age  when  he  started  the 
Gazette.  The  paper,  for  some  time,  was  Under  the  influence  and 
control  of  William  Cosby,  the  governor  of  that  province. 

William  Bradford  was  the  fourth  printer  in  America,  having  been 
preceded  by  Stephen  Daye,  our  Caxton,  at  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1638,  Samuel  Green  in  the  same  town  in  1640,  and  by  John 
Foster  in  Boston  in  1675.  Bradford  established  a  printing-press  in 
Philadelphia  in  1687,  and  published  a  sheet  Almanac  in  that  year, 
and  made  preparations  to  print  the  first  Bible  in  the  English  lan- 
guage in  America  somewhere  about  1688.  The  inducements  held 
forth  in  his  proposals  for  printing  the  Holy  Scriptures,  one  would 
imagine,  have  been  the  basis  for  most  of  the  modern  appeals  to  the 
public  for  the  support  of  newspapers,  magazines,  and  books.  Our 
Pennsylvania  Caxton  thus  announced  : 

Propofals  for  the  Printing  of  a  large  BIBLE,  by  William  Bradford. 

THefe  are  to  give  Notice,  that  it  is  propofed  for  a  large  houfe-Bible  to  be 
Printed  by  way  of  Subscriptions  [a  method  usual  in  England  for  the  print- 


William  Bradford's  New  York  Gazette.         73 

ing  of  large  Volumns,  becaufe  Printing  is  very  chargeable]  therefore  to  all  that 
are  willing  to  forward  fo  good  (and  great)  a  Work,  as  the  Printing  of  the  holy 
Bible,  are  offered  thefe  Propofals,  -viz. 

1.  That  it  fhall  be  printed  in  a  fair  Character,  on  good  Paper,  and  well  bound. 

2.  That  it  fhall  contain  the  Old  and  New  Teftament,  with  the  Apocraphy,  and 
all  to  have  ufeful  Marginal  Notes. 

3.  That  it  fhall  be  allowed  (to  them  that  fubfcribe)  for  Twenty  Shillings  per 
Bible :  [A  /Vice  which  one  of  the  fame  volumn  in  England  would  coft.] 

4.  That  the  pay  fhall  be  half  Silver  Money,  and  half  Country  Produce  at  Money 
price.     6>ne  half  down  now,  and  the  other  half  on  the  delivery  of  the  Bibles. 

5.  That  thofe  who  do  fubfcribe  for  fix,  fhall  have  the  Seventh  gratis,  and  have 
them  delivered  one  month  before  any  above  that  number  fhall  be  fold  to  others. 

6.  To  thofe  which  do  not  fubfcribe,  the  faid  Bibles  will  not  be  allowed  under 
26  s.  a  piece. 

7.  Thofe  who  are  minded  to  have  the  Common-Prayer,  (hall  have  the  whole 
bound  up  for  22  s.  and  thofe  that  do  not  fubfcribe  28  s.  and  6  d.  per  Book. 

8.  That  as  encouragement  is  given  by  Peoples  fubfcribing  and  paying  down  one 
half,  the  faid  Work  will  be  put  forward  with  what  Expedition  may  be. 

9.  That  the  .Subfcribers  may  enter  their  6\ibfcriptions  and  time  of  Payment,  at 
Pheneas  Petnbertotf*  and  Robert  Halls  in  the  County  of.  Bucks.     At  Malen  Stacy's 
Mill  at  the  Falls.     At  Thomas  Budds  House  in  Burlington.     At  John  Ha/lings 
in  the  County  of  Chefter.     At  Ed-ward  Blake's  in  New  -  Caftle.     At  Thomas 
Woodrooffs  in  Salem.     And  at  William  Bradford's  in  Philadelphia,  Printer  & 
Undertaker  of  the  faid  Work.     At  which  places  the  .Subfcribers  fhall  have  a  Re- 
ceipt for  fo  much  of  their  .Subfcriptions  as  paid,  and  an  obligation  for  the  delivery 
of  the  number  of  Bibles  (fo  Printed  and  Bound  as  aforefaid)  as  the  refpeclive  -Sub- 
fcribers fhall  depofit  one  half  for. 

Alfo  this  may  further  give  notice,  that  Samnell  Richardfon  and  Samuel/  Car- 
penter of  Philadelphia,  are  appointed  to  take  care  and  be  affiftant  in  the  laying 
out  of  the  .Subfcription  Money,  and  to  fee  that  it  be  imploy'd  to  the  ufe  intended, 
and  confequently  that  the  whole  Work  be  expedited.  Which  is  promifed  by 

William  Bradford. 
Philadelphia,  the  I4th  of 

the  ift  Month,  1688. 

There  has  been  some  improvement,  in  the  shape  of  premiums,  on 
this  prospectus  of  1688,  but  William  Bradford  is  entitled  to  the  cred- 
it of  introducing  this  system  of  newspaper  and  book  subscriptions. 
Some  of  our  modern  periodicals,  religious  as  well  as  secular,  run  far 
ahead  of  Bradford  in  inducements  to  subscribe  for  their  publica- 
tions, but  there  were  no  sewing-machines,  melodeons,  or  life-insur- 
ance companies  in  the  amiable  Bradford's  time.  The  New  York 
Express  of  December  12, 1868,  for  instance,  contained  the  following 
immensely  comprehensive  advertisement : 

THE  CHURCH  UNION, 


HP  HIS  PAPER  HAS  BEEN  RECENTLY  ENLARGED  TO  MAM- 
_|_  moth  proportions.  IT  is  THE  LARGEST  RELIGIOUS  PAPER  IN  THE  WORLD. 
Is  the  leading  organ  of  the  Union  Movement,  and  opposes  ritualism,  close  com- 
munion, exclusiveness  and  church  caste.  It  is  the  only  paper  that  publishes  HEN- 
RY WARD  BEECHER'S  Sermons,  which  it  does  every  week,  just  as  delivered, — 
without  qualification  or  correction  by  him.  It  advocates  universal  suffrage ;  a 
union  of  Christians  at  the  polls  ;  and  the  rights  of  labor.  It  has  the  best  Agri- 
cultural Department  of  any  paper  in  the  world  ;  publishes  stories  for  the  family, 
and  for  the  destruction  of  social  evils.  Its  editorial  management  is  impersonal ; 
its  writers  and  editors  are  from  every  branch  of  the  Church  and  from  every  grade 
of  society.  It  has  been  aptly  termed  the  freest  organ  of  thought  in  the  world. 
Such  a  paper,  offering  premiums  of  Sewing  Machines,  Dictionaries,  Appleton's 


74  Journalism  in  America. 

Cyclopedia,  Pianos,  Organs  for  Churches,  etc.,  makes  one  of  the  best  papers  for 
canvassers  in  the  world. 

Every  Congregation  may  obtain  a  Communion  Service,  an  Organ,  a  Melodeon, 
a  Bible,  or  a  -Life  Insurance  Policy  for  its  Pastor,  or  almost  any  other  needful 
thing,  by  a  club  of  subscribers. 

This  system  of  drumming  for  patrons  has  become  so  wide-spread 
that  scarcely  a  paper  is  started  that  does  not  offer  some  premium 
more  attractive  than  the  preceding  one.  Some  one  published  a 
parody  on  all  these  advertisements  which  covers  the  whole  ground. 
It  is  given  as  a 

MODEL  FOR  "PREMIUMS  TO  SUBSCRIBERS." 

Subscribers  for  one  copy  of  the will  be  presented  with  a  box  of  Patent  Pe- 
troleum Paste  Blacking.  This  is  a  superior  article.  It  blacks  boots  or  stoves, 
and  may  be  used  as  a  hair  dye. 

Subscribers  for  two  copies  will  receive  a  box  of  sardines. 

Subscribers  for  five  copies  will  be  presented  with  a  pair  of  iron-clad  spectacles, 
with  glass  eyes,  warranted  to  suit  one  age  as  well  as  another. 

Subscribers  for  ten  copies  will  be  entitled  to  a  patent  adjustable  bootjack,  which 
can  also  be  used  as  a  corkscrew,  a  coffee-mill,  or  inkstand. 

Subscribers  for  twenty-five  copies  will  receive  a  marble  bureau  with  a  mahog- 
any top. 

Subscribers  for  fifty  copies  will  receive  a  seven-octave  sewing-machine  with 
the  Agraff  attachment. 

Subscribers  for  seventy-five  copies  will  receive  a  basswood  parlor  suit  of  furni- 
ture. 

Subscribers  for  one  hundred  copies  will  receive  a  burial  plot,  with  an  order  for 
tombstones  delivered  when  required. 

Subscribers  for  five  hundred  copies  will  receive  a  nomination  for  Congress. 

Subscribers  for  a  thousand  copies  will  be  presented  with  a  farm  in  New  Jer- 
sey, fenced  and  mortgaged. 

The  French  are  as  peculiar  and  as  characteristic  in  their  premi- 
ums. The  Gaulois  offered  two  bottles  of  Champagne  for  every  new 
subscriber  for  six  months.  Four  bottles  of  the  Widow  Cliquot  for 
sending  the  Gaulois  for  one  year !  Sparkling  inducement !  The 
Figaro,  not  to  be  outdone,  offered  a  small  pocket  revolver  at  half 
price  for  every  new  subscriber.  Thus  every  reader  of  that  paper 
would  have  a  six-shooter  at  half  cock  for  reading  its  brilliant  articles 
for  twelve  months. 

But  this  is  anticipating.  William  Bradford  emigrated  from  En- 
gland to  Pennsylvania  before  Philadelphia  was  laid  out.  For  half  a 
century  he  was  printer  to  the  colonial  government.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  controversy  with  the  Weekly  Journal,  Bradford  was  a  cham- 
pion of  the  freedom  of  the  press.  Members  of  his  family,  for  four 
generations,  distinguished  themselves  in  various  ways.  The  senior 
Bradford  died  in  New  York  in  1752,  at  the  age  of  92,  and  was  bur- 
ied in  Trinity  Church-yard  under  the  following  epitaph  : 

Here  lies  the  Body  of  Mr.  William  Bradford — Printer  who  departed  this  Life 
May  23  1752  aged  92  Years  He  was  born  in  Leicester  Shire  in  Old  England  in 
1660  and  came  over  to  America  in  1680  before  Philadelphia  was  laid  out.  He 
was  Printer  to  the  Government  for  upward  of  50  years  and  being  quite  worn  out 


Early  Newspaper  Enterprise.  75 

with  Old  age  and  labor  he  left  this  mortal  state  in  the  lively  hopes  of  a  blessed 
Immortality. 

Reader  reflect  how  soon  you  '11  quit  this  stage 

You  "11  find  but  few  atain  to  such  an  Age 

Life  's  full  of  Pain  Lo  here's  a  Place  of  Rest 

Prepare  to  meet  your  GOD  then  you  are  blest 

The  New  York  Historical  Society  and  Trinity  Church,  with  the 
municipal  authorities  of  the  metropolis,  united,  in  May,  1863,  on  the 
two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  William  Bradford,  to  do 
honor  to  his  name  and  services  as  the  first  printer  and  first  editor 
of  New  York  ;  and  a  commemorative  address  was  delivered  on  that 
occasion  by  John  William  Wallace,  the  President  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  society,  at  its  annual  meeting 
in  February,  1869,  paid  similar  honors  —  not  on  his  natal  day,  how- 
ever —  to  Andrew  Bradford,  as  the  founder  of  the  Newspaper  Press 
of  the  Middle  States  of  America,  Horatio  Gates  Jones  delivering  an 
excellent  and  appropriate  address.  We  are  not  aware  that  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Historical  Society  has  taken  any  notice  of  either  Benja- 
min Harris  or  John  Campbell,  the  first  editors  of  New  England. 

Newspapers  began  to  increase  in  the  colonies.  In  1727,  on  the 
2oth  of  March,  the  fourth  paper  appeared  in  Boston,  named  the  New 
England  Weekly  Journal,  "Containing  the  most  Remarkable  Occur- 
rences Foreign  and  Domestick."  It  was  published  by  Samuel  Knee- 
land,  who  succeeded  James  Franklin  as  printer  of  the  Gazette.  The 
famous  Whitefield,  and  the  equally  celebrated  Edwards,  exercised 
great  influence  over  this  establishment.  Kneeland,  in  his  prospec- 
tus, promised  a  number  of  new  features  in  journalism  ;  proposed  the 
organization  of  a  corps  of  correspondents  of  "the  most  knowing  and 
ingenious  gentlemen  in  several  noted  towns"  to  send  news  ;  made 
arrangements  for  the  regular  weekly  publication  of  "  the  Number 
of  Persons  Buried  and  Baptized  in  the  town  of  Boston  ;"  the  pros- 
pectus closing  thus  : 


is  may  serve  as  a  Notification,  that  a  Select  number  of  Gentlemen,  who 
have  had  the  happiness  of  a  liberal  Education,  and  some  of  them  considerably  im- 
prov'd  by  their  Travels  into  distant  Countries  ;  are  now  concerting  some  regular 
Schemes  for  the  .Entertainment  of  the  ingenious  Reader,  and  the  Encouragement 
of  Wit  and  Politeness  ;  and  may  in  a  very  short  time,  open  upon  the  Public  in  a 
variety  of  pleasing  and  profitable  Speculations. 

On  the  8th  of  April,  1728,  the  publisher  held  out  the  following  in- 
ducements for  subscribers  : 


There  are  Meaftires  concerting  for  rendr  ing  this  Paper  yet  more  itniverfally 
ejleemed,  and  ufeful,  in  which  '(is  hop'd  the  Publick  "will  be  gratified,  and  by 
which  thofe  Gentlemen  -who  defire  to  be  improved  in  Hi/lory,  Philofophy,  Po- 
etry, &>c.  will  be  greatly  advantaged.  We  will  take  the  liberty  at  this  time  to 
infer t  the  following  pajjage  of  Hijlory. 

Then  followed  a  very  curious  and  quaint  account  of  the  invention 
of  the  stocking-loom. 

Quite  a  number  of  essays  were  published  by  Kneeland,  after  the 


76  Journalism  in  America. 

style  of  the  Tattler,  Spectator,  and  Freeholder.  Indeed,  the  style  of 
the  newspaper  writers  of  those  days  imitated  that  of  Addison,  Steele, 
Swift,  and  Bolingbroke.  Mather  Byles,  Judge  Danforth,  Governor 
Burnet,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Prince,  of  the  Old  South  Church,  were 
contributors  to  the  Journal.  It  was,  in  1741,  united  with  the  Ga- 
zette, and  published  till  1752,  when  it  was  discontinued. 

It  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  objects  of  John  Campbell,  if 
we  rely  upon  his  appeals  to  the  public,  in  publishing  the  News- 
Letter,  "to  prevent  the  spreading  of  false  reports."  Other  publish- 
ers, no  doubt,  were  governed  by  the  same  laudable  motive.  But  this 
was  evidently  slow  work.  Circulating  the  paper  outside  of  the  city 
limits  was  then  any  thing  but  a  speedy  or  certain  process.  Mails 
were  mostly  monthly  and  half  monthly  in  going  from  point  to  point. 
Bulk  was  a  matter  of  importance  in  the  time  of  post-horses,  and 
stage-coaches,  and  imperfect  roads.  Those  who  live  along  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  or  on  the  line  of  any  railroad  running  out  of 
Boston,  or  New  York,  or  Chicago,  within  one  hundred  miles  of  these 
news  centres,  and  receiving  at  their  own  doors  their  morning  city 
journals  as  regularly  and  as  early  as  subscribers  living  in  the  upper 
wards  of  these  cities  receive  their  papers,  scarcely  realize  the  ad- 
vantages they  enjoy  over  their  ancestors.  Some  idea  of  this  may 
be  obtained  from  the  following  official  notice  : 

By  Order  of  the  Post  Master  General  of  North-  America. 

These  are  to  give  Notice,  that  on  Monday  ATight  the  Sixth  of  this  Instant  De- 
cember, The  Western  Post  between  Boston  and  New-York  sets  out  once  a  Fort- 
night the  Three  Winter  Months  of  December,  January  and  February,  and  to  go 
Alternately  from  Boston  to  Saybrook  and  Hartford,  to  Exchange  the  Mayle  of 
Letters  -with  the  New-York  Ryder,  the  first  Turn  for  Say-Brook,  to  meet  the  New- 
York  Ryder  on  Saturday  Night  the  nth  Currant.  And  the  Second  Turn  he  sets 
out  at  Boston,  on  Monday  Night  the  2oth  Currant  to  meet  the  New-York  Ryder 
at  Hartford  on  Saturday  Night  the  i^th  Currant,  to  Exchange  Mayles. 

And  all  Persons  that  sends  Letters  from  Boston  to  Connecticut,  from  and  after 
the  13/7*  Instant,  are  hereby  Notified,  first  to  fay  the  Portage  on  the  same. 

What  a  contrast  with  the  numerous  railroad  trains,  with  their 
splendid  family  cars,  and'three  or  four  steam-boats,  fixating  palaces 
in  fact,  running  daily,  morning  and  evening,  between  New  York  and 
Boston,  in  addition  to  the  fifteen  or  twenty  telegraph  wires  which 
now  connect  these  two  important  cities  !  All  the  wonders  of  Alad- 
din pale  before  these  realities.  There  could  be  no  extended  circu- 
lation of  newspapers  with  such  facilities  of  transportation  as  Camp- 
bell and  the  Bradfords  had.  But  as  the  colonies  grew  in  popula- 
tion and  wealth,  there  was  an  improvement  in  the  mails  and  in  the 
roads,  and  an  increased  desire  for  more  news,  and  other  journals 
came  into  existence. 


Benjamin  Franklin  as  a  Journalist.  77 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  REAPPEARANCE  OF  THE  FRANKLINS. 

THE  WAY  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  STARTED  A  PAPER  IN  PHILADELPHIA. — 
THE  FLEETS  IN  BOSTON. — THE  FASHIONS. — ZENGER'S  NEW  YORK  JOUR- 
NAL.— THE  FIRST  LIBEL  SUIT. — ANDREW  HAMILTON'S  GREAT  SPEECH. — 
THE  POPULAR  VERDICT. — THE  DAWN  OF  LIBERTY.  —  THE  NEW  YORK 
GAZETTE  AGAIN. — THE  POST-BOY. — JAMES  FRANKLIN  IN  NEWPORT. — THE 
RHODE  ISLAND  GAZETTE. — NEWPORT  THEN  AND  NOW. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  now  reappeared  as  a  journalist.  In  1728 
another  paper  was  established  in  Philadelphia — the  second  in  that 
city.  It  was  entitled  the  Universal  Instructor  in  all  the  Arts  and 
Sciences  and  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  a  title  sufficiently  long  to  satisfy 
any  newspaper  subscriber.  It  was  published  by  Samuel  Keimer. 
There  is  a  story  connected  with  this  paper  which  had  better  be  told 
in  the  words  of  one  of  the  parties  most  interested.  Speaking  of  his 
job  printing-office,  which  he  had  just  started,  Benjamin  Franklin,  in 
his  autobiography,  gives  these  facts  : 

George  Webb,  who  had  found  a  female  friend  that  lent  him  wherewith  to  pur- 
chase his  time  of  Keimer,  now  came  to  offer  himself  as  a  journeyman  to  us.  We 
could  not  then  employ  him  ;  but  I  foolishly  let  him  know  as  a  secret,  that  I  soon 
intended  to  begin  a  newspaper,  and  might  then  have  work  for  him.  My  hopes  of 
success,  as  I  told  him,  were  founded  on  this  ;  that  the  then  only  newspaper,  printed 
by  Bradford,  was  a  paltry  thing,  wretchedly  managed,  no  way  entertaining,  and 
yet  was  profitable  to  him  ;  I  therefore  freely  thought  a  good  paper  would  scarcely 
fail  of  good  encouragement.  I  requested  Webb  not  to  mention  it ;  but  he  told  it 
to  Keimer,  who  immediately,  to  be  beforehand  with  me,  published  proposals  for 
one  himself,  on  which  Webb  was  to  be  employed.  I  was  vexed  at  this  ;  and,  to 
counteract  them,  not  being  able  to  commence  our  paper,  I  wrote  several  amusing 
pieces  for  Bradford's  paper,  under  the  title  of  Busy  Body,  which  Breintnal  con- 
tinued some  months.  By  this  means  the  attention  of  the  public  was  fixed  on  that 
paper,  and  Keimer's  proposals  which  we  burlesqued  and  ridiculed,  were  disre- 
garded. He  began  his  paper,  however ;  and,  before  carrying  it  on  three  quarters 
of  a  year,  with  at  most  only  ninety  subscribers,  he  offered  it  to  me  for  a  trifle  ;  and 
I,  having  been  ready  some  time  to  go  on  with  it,  took  it  in  hand  directly ;  and  it 
proved  in  a  few  days  extremely  profitable  to  me.  ******  Our  first  papers 
made  quite  a  different  appearance  from  any  before  in  the  province  ;  a  better  type, 
and  better  printed ;  but  some  remarks  of  my  writing,  on  the  dispute  then  going 
on  between  Governor  Burnet,  and  the  Massachusetts  Assembly,  struck  the  prin- 
cipal people,  occasioned  the  paper  and  the  manager  of  it  to  be  much  talked  of, 
and  in  a  few  weeks  brought  them  all  to  be  our  subscribers. 

Their  example  was  followed  by  many,  and  our  number  went  on  growing  con- 
tinually. This  was  one  of  the  first  good  effects  of  my  having  learned  a  little  to 
scribble ;  another  was,  that  the  leading  men,  seeing  a  newspaper  now  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  could  handle  a  pen,  thought  it  convenient  to  oblige  and  en- 
courage me.  Bradford  still  printed  the  votes,  and  laws,  and  other  public  business. 
He  had  printed  an  address  of  the  House  to  the  Governor,  in  a  coarse,  blundering 


78  Journalism  in  America. 

manner ;  we  reprinted  it  elegantly  and  correctly,  and  sent  one  to  every  member. 
They  were  sensible  of  the  difference,  it  strengthened  the  hands  of  our  friends  in 
the  House,  and  they  voted  us  their  printers  for  the  year  ensuing. 

Among  my  friends  in  the  House,  I  must  not  forget  Mr.  Hamilton,  before  men- 
tioned, who  was  then  returned  from  England,  and  had  a  seat  in  it.  He  interested 
himself  for  me  strongly  in  that  instance,  as  he  did  in  many  others  afterwards,  con- 
tinuing his  patronage  till  his  death. 

This  was  Franklin's  first  really  independent  attempt  at  the  man- 
agement of  a  newspaper  on  his  own  responsibility ;  and  it  is  evi- 
dent, from  his  opinion  of  the  Mercury, "  a  paltry  thing,"  as  he  called 
it,  that  he  felt  equal  to  the  enterprise.  One  of  his  first  acts  was  to 
condense  the  title  of  his  paper  to  that  of  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette, 
which  he  did  on  the  28th  of  September,  1729,  and  under  that  name 
it  continued  under  his  management  till  1765.  In  spite  of  what  he 
says  in  his  autobiography,  it  has  been  asserted  that  Franklin  wrote 
but  little  for  the  Gazette.  He  dabbled  in  .politics  and  electricity, 
and  set  up  printing-offices  in  other  places,  so  that  his  time  was 
pretty  well  occupied.  Many  of  the  articles  published  in  the  Gazette 
and  attributed  to  Franklin  were,  in  the  opinion  of  Sparks,  manifest- 
ly written  by  others.  On  one  occasion,  in  1734,  Bradford,  of  the 
Mercury,  rebuked  the  publication  in  the  Gazette  of  some  vulgar  com- 
munications. Franklin  stated  that  he  inserted  them  because  "by 
being  too  nice  in  the  choice  of  little  pieces  sent  him  by  correspond- 
ents, he  had  almost  discouraged  them  from  writing  to  him  any  more." 

The  Franklins  appreciated,  above  all  others,  what  a  newspaper 
should  be.  "  My  friends,"  said  Benjamin  Franklin  to  a  number  of 
gentlemen  who  had  constituted  themselves  his  censors, "any  one 
who  can  subsist  upon  sawdust  pudding  and  water,  as  I  can,  needs 
no  man's  patronage."  This  was  his  code. 

In  1748,  David  Hall,  a  Scotchman,  became  Franklin's  partner. 
Hall  carried  on  the  establishment  till  his  death  in  1772.  After 
Hall  the  concern  passed  into  the  hands  of  Andrew  Brown,  an  Irish- 
man, and  was  called  the  Philadelphia  Gazette.  The  establishment 
was  destroyed  by  fire  when  Mr.  Brown  owned  it,  and  nearly  his 
whole  family  perished  in  the  flames.  It  was  afterward  continued 
by  a  son  of  Mr.  Brown,  who  came  out  from  Ireland  for  that  purpose, 
in  connection  with  Samuel  Relf.  -This  was  in  1802.  It  ceased  to 
exist  for  a  time  in  1804,  but  was  re-established  with  the  same  title, 
and  was,  for  some  time,  the  oldest  paper  in  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Relf  then  purchased  his  partner's  interest  and  conducted  the  paper 
alone.  He  was  considered  an  able  writer  in  his  early  journalistic 
days.  The  paper,  under  his  management,  was  called  Relfs  Gazette. 
In  1824  or  '25  Mr.  Relf  died.  Stevenson  Smith  then  became  the 
publisher  and  editor,  and  the  Gazette  was  the  advocate  of  the  polit- 
ical principles  of  the  Jackson  democracy.  After  this  period  the  es- 


Benjamin  Franklins  Gazette.  79 

tablishment  was  sold  to  Willis  Gaylord  Clark  and  James  Russell. 
Mr.  Clark  had  married  a  niece  of  Samuel  Relf,  and  the  Relf  family 
were  again,  though  indirectly,  interested  in  the  paper.  It  had  now 
become  the  champion  of  Whig  principles.  It  was  an  evening  pa- 
per. Willis  Gaylord  Clark,  the  editor,  was  twin  brother  of  Lewis 
Gaylord  Clark,  the  wit,  and  for  many  years  the  genial  editor  of  the 
Knickerbocker  Magazine  of  New  York.  Willis  was  proprietor  of  the 
Gazette  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1841.  On  the  3d  of  November, 
1845,  it  was  merged  with  the  North  American.  It  had  been,  for  some 
time,  a  branch,  a  sort  of  an  evening  edition  to  that  journal.  Thus 
closed  the  career  of  Franklin's  Gazette,  after  an  existence  of  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  years. 

The  old  paper-mill  in  which  the  paper  used  by  Franklin  was 
made  was  still  in  existence  a  few  years  ago.  It  was  erected  on 
Chester  Creek,  Delaware  County,  in  1713.  The  paper  was  made 
then  by  hand,  as  it  was  as  late  as  1853.  There  had  been  no  change 
in  one  hundred  and  forty  years  in  that  little  old  mill,  notwithstand- 
ing the  great  improvements  and  changes  in  paper-making  since  that 
period. 

Newspapers  enjoyed  one  or  two  privileges  in  the  days  of  Frank- 
lin that  would  be  seriously  damaging  to  the  revenue  of  the  Post-of- 
fice Department  if  tolerated  now.  In  the  Gazette  of  the  28th  of 
January,  1735,  Franklin  said  : 

By  the. indulgence  of  the  Honorable  Colonel  Spotswood,  Post- Master-General, 
the  printer  hereof  is  allowed  to  send  the  Gazettes  by  the  ^>oi,\.,  postage  free,  to  all 
parts  of  the  postroad,  from  Virginia  to  New  England. 

The  five  or  six  thousand  newspapers  of  1872,  with  their  millions 
of  circulation,  with  a  privilege  like  the  above,  would  utterly  ruin  the 
Post-office  Department  of  to-day.  Only  a  small  part  of  the  news- 
papers go  through  the  mails  now.  They  are  sent  as  freight  and  by 
newsboys  over  the  numerous  railroads,  and  delivered  at  the  differ- 
ent news  centres  by  express  lines  and  news  agents  here,  there,  and 
every  where. 

Maryland  next  fell  into  line  with  the  old  name  on  its  title-page. 
The  Maryland  Gazette  was  the  first  paper  published  in  that  state. 
William  Parks,  one  of  the  migratory  printers  of  that  century,  issued 
the  first  number  in  Annapolis  in  1727,  and  the  paper  was  regularly 
published  till  1736,  when  Parks  went  to  Virginia  to  establish  a  news- 
paper there. 

Another  paper  appeared  in  Boston  on  the  27th  of  September, 
1731.  It  was  styled  the  Weekly  Rehearsal,  and  started  by  Jeremy 
Gridley,  "  a  young  man  of  fine  literary  accomplishments,"  who  be- 
came Attorney  General  of  the  Province,  Member  of  the  General 
Court,  Colonel  of  Militia,  President  of  the  Marine  Society,  and 


8o  Journalism  in  America. 

Grand  Master  of  Freemasons.  He  died  in  1767.  The  Rehearsal 
was  printed  by  "  J.  Draper,  for  the  Author,"  as  editors  were  frequent- 
ly called  in  those  primitive  days.  It  was  filled  with  Addisonian  es- 
says, and  exhibited  large  pretensions  to  literary  taste  and  culture. 
In  one  article  on  the  prevailing  fashions  in  dress  in  1732,  it  spoke 
of  the  crinolines  of  that  period,  which  seemed  to  swell  beyond  the 
proportions  of  those  of  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  years  later.  The 
writer  said : 

I  shall  not  busy  myself  with  the  ladies'  shoes  and  stockings  at  all ;  but  I  can't 
so  easily  pass  over  the  Hoop,  when  'tis  in  my  way,  and  therefore  I  must  beg  par- 
don of  my  fair  readers,  if  I  begin  my  attack  here.  'Tis  now  some  years  since  this 
remarkable  fashion  made  a  figure  in  the  world,  and  from  its  first  beginning  di- 
vided the  public  opinion  as  to  its  convenience  and  beauty.  For  my  part,  I  was 
always  willing  to  indulge  it,  under  some  restrictions  :  that  is  to  say,  if  'tis  not  a 
rival  to  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's,  to  incumber  the  way,  or  a  tub  for  the  residence  of 
a  new  Diogenes :  if  it  does  not  eclipse  too  much  beauty  above,  or  discover  too 
much  below.  In  short,  I  am  for  living  in  peace,  and  I  am  afraid  a  fine  lady,  with 
too  much  liberty  in  this  particular,  would  render  my  own  imagination  an  enemy 
to  my  repose. 

The  Rehearsal,  after  two  years  of  literary  effort,  became  a  record 
of  passing  events,  and  was  owned  and  managed  by  Thomas  Fleet. 
On  the  2ist  of  August,  1735,  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of  the 
Boston  Evening  Post.  Fleet  was  the  original  publisher  of  the  fa- 
mous nursery  rhymes  of  Mother  Goose.  The  Post  was  conducted 
with  energy,  and  became  popular.  If,  as  in  the  case  of  Franklin  and 
Bradford,  the  government  was  at  all  censured,  by  implication  even, 
the  editor  was  prosecuted.  On  the  8th  of  March,  1741,  the  follow- 
ing proceedings  took  place  in  the  Athens  of  America : 

At  a  Council,  held  at  the  Council  Chamber  in  Boston,  upon  Tuesday  the  gth 
day  of  March,  1741. 

Whereas  there  is  published  in  the  weekly  paper  called  the  Boston  Evening 
Post  of  yesterday's  date,  a  paragraph  in  the  following  words  : 

"  Last  Saturday  Capt.  Gibbs  arrived  here  from  Madeira,  who  informs  us.  that  before  he  left 
that  Island,  Capt.  Dandridge,  in  one  of  His  Majesty's  ships  of  forty  guns,  came  in  there  from  Eng- 
land, and  gave  an  account,  that  the  Parliament  had  called  for  all  the  Papers  relating  to  the  War, 
and  'twas  expected  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Robert  Walpole  would  be  taken  into  custody  in  a  very  few 
days.  Capt.  Dandridge  was  going  upon  the  Virginia  station  to  relieve  the  valiant  and  vigilant 
Knight  there,  almost  worn  out  in  the  service  of  his  country,  and  for  which  he  has  a  chance  to  be 
rewarded  with  a  Flag." 

Which  paragraph  contains  a  scandalous  and  libelous  Reflection  upon  his  Majes- 
ty's Administration,  and  may  tend  very  much  to  inflame  the  minds  of  his  Majes- 
ty's subjects  here  and  disaffect  them  to  his  Government ; 

Therefore,  Ordered,  That  the  Attorney-General  do,  as  soon  as  may  be,  file  an 
Information  against  Thomas  Fleet,  the  Publisher  of  the  said  Paper,  in  his  Maj- 
esty's Superior  Court  of  Judicature,  Court  of  Assize  and  General  Gaol  Delivery, 
in  order  to  his  being  prosecuted  for  his  said  offence,  as  Law  and  Justice  requires. 

W.  SHIRLEY. 

Copy  Examin'd,  per  J.  Willard,  Sec. 

This  affair  resulted  in  nothing  because  of  the  truth  of  the  para- 
graph, but  the  animus  dictating  the  proceedings  was  the  same. 

Fleet  had  his  troubles  with  the  clergy.  He  published  John  Wes- 
ley's sermon  on  Free  Grace.  For  this  he  was  denounced  from  the 


Appearance  of  John  Peter  Zenger.  8  1 

pulpit  by  the  Rev.  John  Morehead,  who  not  only  thundered  against 
the  unfortunate  Fleet,  but  against  the  printing-press  also.  It  ap- 
pears that  the.  editor  of  the  Post  was  fully  equal  to  any  of  these  as- 
saults upon  him  or  upon  the  liberty  of  the  Press.  In  his  replies 
Fleet  was  good-natured,  and  therefore  the  more  severe  and  the  more 
effective. 

On  the  death  of  Thomas  Fleet  the  Evening  Post  was  carried  on 
by  his  sons  Thomas  and  John,  and  they  continued  to  publish  it  till 
1775.  It  was  stopped  then  in  consequence  of  the  discontent  grow- 
ing out  of  the  attempted  neutrality  of  the  paper  in  the  great  agita- 
tion leading  to  the  Revolution.  Then,  as  now,  the  press  were  ac- 
cused of  being  corrupted  and  improperly  influenced  by  money.  On 
the  loth  of  March,  1775,  the  P°st 


Whereas  it  hath  been  hinted  in  several  letters  lately  received  from  England, 
that  one  or  more  printers  of  the  public  newspapers  in  the  principal  towns  in  Amer- 
ica are  hired,  or  rather  bribed,  (from  a  fund  said  to  be  established  for  that  use) 
for  the  vile  purpose  of  publishing  pieces  in  their  respective  papers  tending  to  fa- 
vor despotism  and  the  present  arbitrary  and  tyrannical  proceedings  of  the  minis- 
try relative  to  America  ;  The  publishers  of  the  Boston  Evening  Post  (whose  pa- 
pers have  always  been  conducted  with  the  utmost  freedom  and  impartiality)  do, 
for  themselves,  thus  publicly  declare,  that  no  application  has  ever  been  made  to 
them  to  prostitute  their  paper  to  such  a  base  and  mean  purpose  ;  and  should  they 
hereafter  be  applied  to  for  that  design,  they  shall  despise  the  offer  and  those  who 
make  it,  with  the  greatest  contempt  ;  not  but  that  their  paper  shall,  as  usual,  be 
open  for  the  insertion  of  all  pieces  that  shall  tend  to  amuse  or  instruct,  or  to  the 
promoting  of  useful  knowledge  and  the  general  good  of  mankind,  as  they  them- 
selves (who  are  the  sole  directors  and  proprietors  thereof)  shall  think  prudent, 
profitable,  or  entertaining  to  their  numerous  readers. 

The  battles  of  Concord  and  Lexington  were  fought  on  the  igth 
of  April,  1775.  Without  giving  any  of  the  particulars  of  that  fight, 
the  paper  appeared  on  the  24th  of  April  for  the  last  time.  These 
scenes  of  action  were  only  two  or  three  hours'  drive  from  the  print- 
ing-office of  the  Post!  The  British  troops  had  returned  to  their  bar- 
racks in  Boston  on  the  2oth  of  that  month. 

John  Peter  Zenger,  with  the  New  York  Weekly  Journal,  next  ap- 
peared before  the  public.  The  first  number  of  that  paper  was  is- 
sued on  the  5th  of  November,  1733.  It  was  established  in  opposi- 
tion to  Bradford's  Gazette  for  a  political  purpose,  and  published  by 
Zenger,  who  was  a  good  printer,  the  importer  of  the  first  piano-forte 
in  America,  something  of  a  scholar,  and  a  famous  editor  in  his  day. 
He  came  from  Germany  when  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  was 
an  apprentice  of  Bradford's.  For  three  years  the  Journal  was  in  a 
state  of  bitter  war  with  the  administration  of  Governor  William  Cos- 
by, and  his  successor,  Lieutenant  Governor  George  Clarke.  Zen- 
ger, as  a  politician,  was  in  the  interest  of  Rip  Van  Dam,  a  wealthy 
merchant  of  New  York,  and  in  virtue  of  his  office  as  President  of 
the  Council,  acting  Governor  of  the  Province  till  the  arrival  of  Cos- 

F 


82  Journalism  in  America. 

by.  In  settling  Van  Dam's  accounts,  one  half  of  his  salary  as  gov- 
ernor had  to  be  paid  to  his  successor.  This  led  to  the  formation 
of  an  opposition  colonial  party.  The  Gazette,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  William  Bradford,  was  the  government  organ. 

After  repeated  animadversions  on  the  authorities  in  the  Journal, 
its  editor  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  libel  on  Sunday,  November 
J7>  J734-  He  was  imprisoned  by  the  government,  and  kept  in  con- 
finement nearly  nine  months  before  he  could  obtain  a  trial.  The 
arrest  produced  great  excitement,  and  the  affair  obtained  wide-spread 
notoriety.  It  was  the  first  action  for  newspaper  libel  on  this  conti- 
nent. It  created  the  most  intense  interest  in  the  public  mind,  and 
the  result  was,  in  the  opinion  of  Gouverneur  Morris,  "  the  dawn  of 
that  liberty  which  afterwards  revolutionized  America."  In  this  view, 
as  well  as  in  the  interest  of  journalism,  we  devote  some  space  to  this 
important  event. 

On  the  6th  of  November  the  governor  issued  two  proclamations 
on  the  subject.  Here  is  one  of  them  : 

By  his  Excellency  William  Cosby,  Capt.General  and  Governour  in  Chief  of  the 
Provinces  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Territories  thereon  depending  in 
America,  Vice  Admiral  of  the  same,  and  Colonel  in  his  Majesty's  Army,  &c. 

A  PROCLAMATION. 

WHEREAS  by  the  Contrivance  of  some  evil  Disposed  and  Disafected  Persons, 
divers  Journals  or  Printed  News- Papers  (entitled  The  ATew-  York  Weekly  Journal, 
containing  the  freshest  Advices,  foreign  and  Domestick)  have  been  caused  to  be 
Printed  and  Published  by  John  Peter  Zenger,  in  many  of  which  Journals  or  Print- 
ed News-Papers  (but  more  particularly  those  numbered  7, 47, 48, 49)  are  contain- 
ed divers  Scandalous, Virulent,  False  and  Seditious  Reflections,  not  only  upon  the 
whole  Legislature,  in  general,  and  upon  the  most  considerable  Persons  in  the 
most  distinguish'd  Stations  in  the  Province,  but  also  upon  his  Majesty's  lawful 
and  rightful  Government,  and  just  Prerogative.  Which  said  Reflections  seem  con- 
trived by  the  Wicked  Authors  of  them,  not  only  to  create  Jealousies,  Discontents 
and  Animosities  in  the  Minds  of  his  Majesty's  Liege  People  of  this  Province  to 
the  Subversion  of  the  Peace  and  Tranquility  thereof  but  to  alienate  their  Affec- 
tion from  the  best  of  Kings,  and  raise  Factions,  Tumults  and  Sedition  among  them. 
Wherefore  I  have  thought  fit,  by  and  with  the  Advice  of  his  Majesty's  Council, 
to  issue  this  Proclamation,  hereby  Promising  a  Reward  of  Fifty  Pounds  to  such 
Person  or  Persons  who  shall  discover  the  Author  or  Authors  of  the  said  Scandal- 
ous, Virulent  and  Seditious  Reflections  contained  in  the  said  Journals  or  Printed 
News-Papers,  to  be  paid  to  the  said  Person  or  Persons  discovering  the  same  as 
soon  as  such  Author  shall  be  convicted  of  having  been  the  Author  or  Authors 
thereof. 

Given  under  my  Hand  and  Seal  at  Fort  George,  in  New  York,  the  sixth  day  of 
November,  in  the  8th  year  of  his  Majesty's  Reign,  Annoq  Domini,  1734. 

W.  COSBY. 

The  other  proclamation  offered  a  reward  of  £20  for  the  discovery 
of  "  the  Author  of  two  late  scandalous  Songs  or  Ballads,  Printed 
and  dispersed  in  this  City,  &c.,  highly  defaming  the  Administration 
of  his  Majesty's  Government  in  this  Province."  The  arrest  of  Zen- 
ger was  the  result  of  these  official  documents.  The  specific  libel 
complained  of  was,  in  substance,  that  "the  people  of  this  city  (New 


The  First  Libel  Sitit.  83 

York)  and  province  think,  as  matters  now  stand,  that  their  liberties 
and  properties  are  precarious,  and  that  slavery  is  like  to  be  entailed 
on  them  and  their  posterity,  if  some  past  things  be  not  amended." 

On  the  2oth  of  November  Zenger  was  brought,  by  a  writ  of  habe- 
as corpus,  before  the  Chief  Justice  at  his  chamber,  where  the  writ 
was  returnable.  The  argument  of  that  matter  was  ordered  to  be  at 
the  City  Hall  on  the  23d.  After  a  long  debate  on  that  day,  the 
Chief  Justice  directed  that  Zenger  should  be  admitted  to  bail,  and 
bound  by  recognizance,  with  two  securities,  in  the  sum  of  $2000. 
He  was  remanded  to  prison  in  default  thereof.  It  does  not  appear 
that  Zenger  at  all  wilted  under  this  persecution,  for  on  the  25th  of 
November  the  Journal  contained  the  following  card  to  his  readers  : 

To  all  my  Subscribers  and  Benefactors  "who  take  my  weekly  Jou mail :  Gentlemen, 

Ladies  and  Others : 

As  you  last  week  were  Disappointed  of  my  Journal!,  I  think  it  incumbent  upon 
me,  to  publish  my  Apoligy  which  is  this.  On  the  Lords  Day,  the  Seventeenth  of 
this  Instant,  I  was  Arrested,  taken  and  Imprisoned  in  the  common  Gaol  of  this 
City,  by  Virtue  of  a  Warrant  from  the  Governour,  and  the  Honourable  Francis 
Harrison,  Esq  ;  and  others  in  Council  of  which  (God  willing)  you'l  have  a  Cop- 
py,  whereupon  I  was  put  under  such  Restraint  that  I  had  not  the  Liberty  of  Pen, 
Ink,  or  Paper,  or  to  see,  or  speak  with  People,  till  upon  my  Complaint  to  the  Hon- 
ourable the  Chief  Justice,  at  my  appearing  before  him  upon  my  Habeas  Corpus  on 
the  Wednesday  following.  Who  discountenanced  that  Proceeding,  and  therefore 
I  have  had  since  that  Time,  the  Liberty  of  Speaking  through  the  Hole  of  the 
Door,  to  my  Wife  and  Servants  by  which  I  doubt  not  you'l  think  me  sufficiently 
Excused  for  not  sending  my  last  week's  Journall,  and  I  hope  for  the  future  by  the 
Liberty  of  Speaking  to  my  Servants  thro'  the  Hole  of  the  Door  of  the  Prison,  to 
entertain  you  with  my  weekly  Jotirnall  as  formerly 

And  am  your  obliged, 

Humble  Servant 

J.  PETER  ZENGER. 

The  Journal  continued  to  be  published,  and  Zenger  to  write  for 
it,  in  spite  of  his  imprisonment.  Indeed,  the  event  made  that  paper 
the  most  popular  of  the  two  then  printed  in  New  York.  Bradford, 
as  publisher  of  the  official  organ,  the  Gazette,  was  compelled  to  print 
articles  and  communications  reflecting  on  his  rival  in  business ;  but 
Zenger  manfully  met  his  opponents,  giving  blow  for  blow,  and  a  lit- 
tle more.  Some  idea  of  his  style  may  be  had  in  the  annexed  com- 
munication, which  appeared  in  the  Journal  after  he  had  been  one 
month  in  jail : 

From  my  Prison,  December  2Oth,  1734. 

Oh  cruelty  unknown  before 

To  any  barbarous  savage  shore, 

Much  more  when  Men  so  much  profess 

Humanity  and  Godliness 

It  is  no  new  Thing  for  even  a  Man  of  Vertue  to  fall  under  Distress ;  but  to 
mock  him  when  distress'd  or  under  Misfortunes,  is  what  has  been  accounted  a 
Vice  among  the  more  civilized  Heathens  ;  however  it  is  my  case  at  present,  and 
my  Adversaries  are  not  content  with  my  Imprisonment,  but  I  am  made  their 
laughing  Stock. 

There  is  a  great  Noise  made  in  that  ridiculous  Letter  in  Mr.  Bradford's  last  Ga- 
zette about  setting  the  Province  in  Flames,  raising  of  Sedition  and  Tumults,  &*c. 


84  Journalism  in  America. 

I  know  of  none,  either  past  or  intended  ;  if  my  Adversaries  know  of  any,  they'l  do 
well  to  discover  them  and  prevent  ill  Consequences.  I  have  printed  some  Com- 
plaints to  the  Public,  those  complain'd  of  had  a  Remedy  to  answer  without  com- 
ing to  me  ;  and  had  they  come  to  me,  they  would  have  found  the  same  Fidelity 
some  of  them  experienc'd  before  ;  They  may  tax  me  with  Weaknesses  accident  to 
human  Nature ;  but  it  is  out  of  their  Power  (and  I  hope  ever  will  be)  truly  to 
prove  me  guilty  of  any  premeditated  Wickedness. 

That  Author  begins  the  Confession  he  would  have  me  make  with  a  very  puny 
Witticism  on  my  Address  to  my  Readers ;  by  saying  It  sounds  like  the  Language 
of  the  Prize-fighter  or  Poppet  Show  Man.  I  can  assure  him  that  many  Gentlemen 
and  Ladies  read  my  Journals  ;  there  is  also  some  others  and  among  them  some 

S s,  witness  that  Author.     I  might  tell  him  that  the  Whole  of  his  Performance 

sounds  too  much  like  the  Language  of  a  bankrupt  Vinter  or &c. 

That  I  was  brought  over  at  the  charitable  Expence  of  the  Crown  is  the  only 
Truth  that  groaping  Fumbler  found  when  he  studied  that  clumsy  Performance. 
I  acknowledge  it ;  Thanks  to  QUEEN  ANNE  whose  Name  I  Mention  with  Rev- 
erence, her  Bounty  to  me  and  my  distress'd  County  Folks  is  to  be  gratefully  re- 
membered. If  that  Author  has  contributed  any  Thing  towards  it,  I  begg  to  be  in- 
formed. I  assure  him  that  my  Acknowledgement  shall  not  be  wanting,  notwith- 
standing his  ill  Treatment :  If  he  has  not,  I  begg  leave  to  tell  him,  that  it  is  mean 
for  him  to  twit  me  with  Benefits  that  I  am  no  ways  beholden  to  him  for. 

That  my  Friends  are  pretendedly  so,  will  (I  hope)  prove  as  false  as  my  Enemies 
are  malicious  ;  whatever  some  of  my  Adversaries  may  be,  I  beleive  my  Friends  to 
be  Men  of  Honour  and  Probity.  And  if  they  even  should  forsake  me,  I  would 
say  of  them  as  Cicero  said  in  Answer  to  the  Notion  the  Epicureans  had  of  a  God, 
fi tales sint  A mici,  utnulla  gratia,  milla  hominum,charitate  teneanturvaleant.  I'll 
trust  to  the  Laws  of  the  Realm  and  my  country,  and  still  retain  my  Integrity :  FOR 
HONESTY  Is  THE  BEST  POLICY. 

My  Sword  was  never  intended  to  protect  me  against  a  sworn  Officer  in  the  Dis- 
charge of  his  Duty :  But  since  this  Scribbler  must  needs  make  himself  merry  with 
it,  I  think  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  tell  my  Readers  a  serious  but  true  Story.  About 
8  Weeks  agoe  the  Honourable  Francis  Harrison,  came  to  my  House,  and  swore 
by  the  God  that  made  him  he  would  lay  his  Cane  over  me  the  first  Time  he  met 
me  in  the  Street,  with  some  scurrilous  Expressions  more  fit  to  be  uttered  by  a  Dray 
Man  than  a  Gentleman.  Against  such  Assaults  my  Sword  not  only  could  but 
would  have  protected  me,  and  shall  while  I  have  it,  against  any  Man  that  has  Im- 
pudence enough  to  attempt  any  thing  of  that  Nature — Veni  fi  repellore  licet. 

What  private  Orders  the  Sheriff  had  concerning  me  are  best  known  to  himself. 
This  I  know  that  from  the  time  of  my  being  apprehended  till  the  Return  of  the 
Precept  by  virtue  of  which  I  was  taken,  I  was  deny'd  the  Use  of  Pen,  Ink,  and  Pa- 
per ;  Alterations  were  purposely  Made  on  my  Account,  to  put  me  in  a  Place  by 
myself,  where  I  was  strictly  confin'd  above  50  Hours,  that  my  Wife  might  not 
speak  to  me  but  in  presence  of  the  Sub-sheriff ;  to  say  this  was  done  without  Or- 
ders is  Lybelling  the  Sheriff,  and  I  hope  he  will  resent  it. 

To  conclude,  I  begg  of  this  indifferent  Gentleman  (indifferent  indeed  but  how 
impartial !)  That  if  he  needs  will  continue  Author,  to  write  Ballads  for  Children 
if  he  has  the  Knack  of  Versifying  ;  if  he  has  not,  then  let  him  write  some  Thing  in 
Imitation  of  Tom  Thum,  yack,  the  Giant  Killer,  or  any  Thing,  the  more  nonsensi- 
cal it  is  the  better  it  will  suit  his  Genius  ;  let  him  bring  his  Lucubrations  to  me, 
and  on  the  Word  of  an  honest  Man,  I'll  earn  his  Money  as  faithfully  as  any  Printer 
in  America :  But  let  him  leave  Lampooning  of  me,  a  Task  equally  mean  as  wick- 
ed, for  I  think  no  honest  Man  can  be  guilty  of  deriding  his  Fellow  mortal  when  he 
sees  him  struggling  in  the  Waves  of  Adversities,  Laughing  is  catching,  what  has 
hapned  to  me  may  befall  him  &  perhaps  with  double  weight.  I  am, 

J.  PETER  ZENGER. 

The  Gazettes  containing  the  libels  and  the  ballads  were  ordered 
to  be  burnt  by  the  common  hangman.  The  mayor  and  magistrates 
of  the  city  were  directed  to  be  present  at  this  holocaust  to  the  free- 
dom of  the  Press.  The  corporation  refused  to  attend.  •  The  Pro- 


Andrew  Hamilton  s  Great  Speech.  .  85 

vincial  Assembly  also  declined  to  join  in  this  crusade  against  the 
Press.  It  was  in  consequence  of  this  rebellion  that  the  government 
party  made  up  their  minds  to  crush  the  editor  under  the  weight  of 
legal  proceedings,  and,  to  accomplish  this  more  effectually,  Zenger's 
counsel,  on  some  quibble,  and  in  the  most  arbitrary  manner,  was 
"thrown  over  the  bar"  by  the  judge,  who  had  been  named  by  Cos- 
by alone,  without  the  sanction  of  his  council,  on  the  plea  of  Zenger's 
counsel  that  he  could  not  have  an  impartial  trial  before  a  court  thus 
constituted.  But  the  friends  of  the  editor  met  this  contingency. 
They  quietly  engaged  Andrew  Hamilton,  the  celebrated  jurist  of 
Philadelphia,  the  warm  personal  friend  of  Franklin,  and  the  sturdy 
upholder  of  the  rights  of  the  Press  and  the  people,  to  defend  Zenger. 
The  court  met  on  the  4th  of  August,  1735.  The  chamber  was 
crowded.  The  unexpected  appearance  of  Hamilton  by  the  side  of 
Zenger  increased  the  excitement  in  the  case.  The  publication  of 
the  article  was  admitted.  Mr.  Hamilton  offered  to  prove  the  truth 
of  the  statements  embraced  in  the  alleged  libel,  but  this  proposition 
was  overruled  by  the  court,  which  was  unmistakably  on  the  govern- 
ment side  of  the  question.  It  was  optional  with  judges  in  England 
to  admit  or  refuse  evidence  in  such  cases,  and  they  were  sustained 
in  this  action  by  the  government.  Indeed,  they  were  encouraged 
to  do  so.  On  the  trial  of  Franklin  in  1731,  in  London,  for  the 
publication  of  a  libel  in  the  Craftman,  Lord  Raymond  refused,  as 
the  chief  justice  in  the  case  of  Zenger  did,  to  admit  any  evidence  to 
prove  the  matter  to  be  true,  and  stated  that  he  was  only  following 
precedents  in  cases  of  a  similar  character.  But  Pemberton  permit- 
ted evidence  to  be  given  as  to  the  truth  of  an  alleged  libel  in  pro- 
testing that  Sir  Edmondbury  Godfrey  had  murdered  himself;  and 
Holt  repeatedly  offered  to  let  Fuller,  on  a  similar  charge,  prove 
the  truth  of  what  he  said.  Interest  regulated  these  rulings.  It  was 
not  for  the  interest  of  Governor  Cosby  that  the  truth  of  the  alleged 
libels  of  Zenger  should  be  proved.  There  being  no  evidence,  there- 
fore, in  the  case,  Mr.  Hamilton  proceeded  to  sum  up,  and  addressed 
the  jury  as  follows  : 

Then,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  it  is  to  you  we  must  now  appeal  for  witnesses  to 
the  truth  of  the  facts  we  have  offered,  and  are  denied  the  liberty  to  prove ;  and 
let  it  not  seem  strange  that  I  apply  myself  to  you  in  this  manner ;  I  am  warrant- 
ed so  to  do,  both  by  law  and  reason.  The  law  supposes  you  to  be  summoned  out 
of  the  neighborhood  where  the  fact  is  alleged  to  be  committed  ;  and  the  reason 
of  your  being  taken  out  of  the  neighborhood  is  because  you  are  supposed  to  have 
the  best  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  is  to  be  tried ;  and  were  you  to  find  a  verdict 
against  my  client,  you  must  take  upon  you  to  say  that  the  papers  referred  to  in 
the  information,  and  which  we  acknowledge  we  printed  and  published,  are  false, 
scandalous  and  seditious ;  but  of  this  I  can  have  no  apprehension.  You  are  cit- 
izens of  New  York  ;  you  are  really  what  the  law  supposes  you  to  be,  honest  and 
lawful  men  ;  and  the  facts  which  we  offer  to  prove  were  not  committed  in  a  cor- 
ner. They  are  notoriously  known  to  be  true  ;  and,  therefore,  in  your  justice  lies 


86  Journalism  in  America. 

our  safety.  And  as  we  are  denied  the  liberty  of  giving  evidence  to  prove  the  truth 
of  what  we  have  published,  I  will  beg  leave  to  lay  it  down  as  a  standing  rule  in 
such  cases,  that  the  suppressing  of  evidence  ought  always  to  be  taken  for  the 
strongest  evidence,  and  I  hope  it  will  have  weight  with  you.  But  since  we  are  not 
admitted  to  examine  our  witnesses,  I  will  endeavor  to  shorten  the  dispute  with 
Mr.  Attorney,  and  to  that  end  I  desire  he  would  favor  us  with  some  standard 
definition  of  a  libel,  by  which  it  may  be  certainly  known  whether  a  writing  be  a 
libel,  yea  or  not. 

Attorney-General. — The  books,  I  think,  have  given  a  very  full  definition  of  a 
libel.  They  say  it  is  in  a  strict  sense  taken  for  a  malicious  defamation,  expressed 
either  in  writing  or  printing,  and  tending  either  to  blacken  the  memory  of  one 
who  is  dead  or  the  reputation  of  one  who  is  alive,  and  to  expose  him  to  public  ha- 
tred, contempt  or  ridicule.  But  it  is  said  that,  in  a  larger  sense,  the  notion  of  a 
libel  may  be  applied  to  any  defamation  whatsoever,  expressed  either  by  signs  or 
pictures  ;  as  by  fixing  up  a  gallows  against  a  man's  door,  or  by  painting  him  in  a 
shameful  and  ignominious  manner  ;  and  since  the  chief  cause  for  which  the  law 
so  severely  punishes  all  offences  of  this  nature  is  the  direct  tendency  of  them  to 
a  breach  of  the  public  peace,  by  provoking  the  parties  injured,  their  friends  and 
families  to  acts  of  revenge,  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  restrain  by  the  seve- 
rest laws,  were  there  no  redress  from  public  justice  for  injuries  of  this  kind,  which 
of  all  others  are  most  seriously  felt ;  and  since  the  plain  meaning  of  such  scan- 
dal, as  is  expressed  by  signs  or  pictures,  is  as  obvious  to  common  sense  and  as 
easily  understood  by  every  common  capacity,  and  altogether  as  provoking  as  that 
which  is  expressed  by  writing  or  printing,  why  should  it  not  be  equally  criminal  ? 
From  the  same  ground  it  also  appears  to  follow  that  such  scandal  as  is  expressed 
in  a  scoffing  and  ironical  manner  makes  a  writing  as  properly  a  libel  as  that  which 
is  expressed  in  direct  terms  ;  as  where  a  writing  in  a  taunting  mannner,  reckon- 
ing up  several  acts  of  public  charity  done  by  one,  says  :  "  You  shall  not  play  the 
Jew  nor  the  hypocrite,"  and  so  goes  on  in  a  strain  of  ridicule  to  insinuate  that 
what  he  did  was  owing  to  his  vain  glory ;  or  where  a  writing,  pretending  to  rec- 
ommend to  one  the  character  of  several  great  men  for  his  imitation,  instead  of 
taking  notice  of  what  they  are  generally  esteemed  famous  for,  pitched  on  such  qual- 
ities only  which  their  enemies  charge  them  with  the  want  of,  as  by  proposing  such 
a  one  to  be  imitated  for  his  courage  who  is  known  to  be  a  great  statesman,  but  no 
soldier ;  and  another  to  be  imitated  for  his  learning  who  is  known  to  be  a  great 
general  but  no  scholar  &c,  which  kind  of  writing  is  as  well  understood  to  mean 
only  to  upbraid  the  parties  with  the  want  of  these  qualities,  as  if  it  had  directly 
and  expressly  said  so. 

Hamilton. — Ay,  Mr.  Attorney,  but  what  certain  standard  rule  have  the  books 
laid  down  by  which  we  can  certainly  know  whether  the  words  or  the  signs  are 
malicious  ?  Whether  they  are  defamatory  ?  Whether  they  tend  to  a  breach  of 
the  peace,  and  are  a  sufficient  ground  to  provoke  a  man,  his  family  or  friends  to 
acts  of  revenge,  especially  those  of  the  ironical  sort  of  words  ?  And  what  rule 
have  you  to  know  when  I  write  ironically  ?  I  think  it  would  be  hard  when  I  say 
such  a  man  is  a  very  worthy,  honest  gentleman,  and  of  fine  understanding,  that 
therefore  I  meant  he  was  a  knave  or  a  fool. 

After  a  brief  discussion  on  the  question  whether  the  jury  or  the 
judges  were  to  find  the  libelous  character  of  the  publication,  the 
court  intimated  that  "  the  jury  could  find  that  Zenger  printed  and 
published  those  papers,  and  leave  it  to  the  court  to  judge  whether 
they  were  libelous,"  Mr.  Hamilton  continued  : 

I  know,  may  it  please  your  Honor,  the  jury  may  do  so ;  but  I  likewise  know 
they  may  do  otherwise.  I  know  they  have  the  right,  beyond  all  dispute,  to  deter- 
mine both  the  law  and  the  fact,  and  where  they  do  not  doubt  the  law  they  ought 
to  do  so.  This  manner  of  leaving  it  to  the  judgement  of  the  Court  whether  the 
words  are  libellous  or  not,  in  effect  renders  juries  useless,  to  say  no  worse,  in  many 
cases ;  but  this  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  to  by-and-by ;  and  I  will,  with  the 
Court's  leave,  proceed  to  examine  the  inconveniences  that  must  inevitably  arise 
from  the  doctrines  Mr.  Attorney  has  laid  down ;  and  I  observe  in  support  of  this 


Andrew  Hamilton  s  Great  Speech.  87 

prosecution,  he  has  frequently  repeated  the  words  taken  from  the  case  de  libellis 
famosis,  in  the  fifth  of  Coke.  This  is  indeed  the  leading  case  to  which  almost 
all  the  cases  upon  the  subject  of  libels  refer ;  and  I  must  insist  upon  saying  that, 
according  as  this  case  seems  to  be  understood  by  the  Court  and  Mr.  Attorney,  it 
is  not  law  at  this  day.  For  though  I  own  it  to  be  base  and  unworthy  to  scandal- 
ize any  man,  yet  I  think  it  is  even  villainous  to  scandalize  a  person  of  public  char- 
acter, and  I  will  go  so  far  into  Mr.  Attorney's  doctrine  as  to  agree,  that  if  the 
faults,  mistakes,  nay,  even  the  vices  of  such  a  person  be  private  and  personal,  and 
do  not  affect  the  peace  of  the  public,  or  the  liberty  or  property  of  our  neighbor,  it 
is  unmanly  and  unmannerly  to  expose  them  either  by  word  or  writing.  But  when 
a  ruler  of  a  people  brings  his  personal  feelings,  but  much  more  his  vices  into  his 
administration,  and  the  people  find  themselves  affected  by  them  either  in  their 
liberties  or  properties,  that  will  alter  the  case  mightily ;  and  all  the  high  things 
that  are  said  in  favor  of  rulers  and  of  dignities,  and  upon  the  side  of  power,  will 
not  be  able  to  stop  people's  mouths  when  they  feel  themselves  oppressed — I  mean 
in  a  free  government.  It  is  true,  in  times  past  it  was  a  crime  to  speak  truth,  and 
in  that  terrible  court  of  star  chamber  many  worthy  and  brave  men  suffered  for  so 
doing ;  and  yet,  even  in  that  court,  and  in  those  bad  times,  a  great  and  good  man 
durst  say  what  I  hope  will  not  be  taken  amiss  of  me  to  say  in  this  place,  that  the 
practice  of  informations  for  libels  is  a  sword  in  the  hands  of  a  wicked  King,  and 
an  arrant  coward  to  cut  down  and  destroy  the  innocent ;  the  one  cannot  because 
of  his  high  station,  and  the  other  dares  not,  because  of  his  want  of  courage,  re- 
venge himself  in  another  manner. 

Attorney -General. — Pray,  Mr.  Hamilton,  have  a  care  what  you  say,  do  not  go 
too  far,  either  !  I  do  not  like  those  liberties. 

Hamilton. — Sure,  Mr.  Attorney,  you  will  not  make  any  applications ;  all  men 
agree  that  we  are  governed  by  the  best  of  Kings,  and  I  cannot  see  the  meaning 
of  Mr.  Attorney's  caution ;  my  well  known  principles,  and  the  sense  I  have  of  the 
blessings  we  enjoy  under  his  present  Majesty,  make  it  impossible  for  me  to  err, 
and  I  hope,  even  to  be  suspected,  in  that  point  of  duty  to  my  King.  May  it  please 
your  honor,  I  was  saying,  that  notwithstanding  all  the  duty  and  reverence  claimed 
by  Mr.  Attorney  to  men  in  authority,  they  are  not  exempt  from  observing  the 
rules  of  common  justice,  either  in  their  private  or  public  capacities  ;  the  laws  of 
our  mother  country  know  no  exemption.  It  is  true,  men  in  power  are  harder  to 
be  come  at  for  wrongs  they  do  either  to  a  private  person  or  to  the  public,  espe- 
cially a  governor  in  the  plantations,  where  they  insist  upon  an  exemption  from  an- 
swering complaints  of  any  kind  in  their  own  government.  We  are  indeed  told, 
and  it  is  true,  they  are  obliged  to  answer  a  suit  in  the  King's  Courts  at  Westmin- 
ster for  a  wrong  done  to  any  person  here  ;  but  do  we  not  know  how  impracticable 
this  is  to  most  men  among  us,  to  leave  their  families,  who  depend  upon  their  la- 
bor and  care  for  their  livelihood,  and  carry  evidence  to  Britain,  and  at  a  great,  nay 
a  far  greater  expense  than  almost  any  of  us  are  able  to  bear,  only  to  prosecute  a 
governor  for  an  injury  done  here.  But  when  the  oppression  is  general,  there  is  no 
remedy  even  in  that  way ;  no,  our  Constitution  has,  (blessed  be  God)  given  us  an 
opportunity,  if  not  to  have  such  wrongs  redressed,  yet  by  our  prudence  and  reso- 
lution to  prevent  in  a  great  measure  the  committing  of  such  wrongs,  by  making  a 
governor  sensible  that  it  is  his  interest  to  be  just  to  those  under  his  care ;  for  such 
is  the  sense  that  men  in  general  (I  mean  freemen)  have  of  common  justice,  that 
when  they  come  to  know  that  a  chief  magistrate  abuses  the  power  with  which  he 
is  trusted  for  the  good  of  the  people,  and  is  attempting  to  turn  that  very  power 
against  the  innocent,  whether  of  high  or  low  degree,  I  say,  mankind  in  general  sel- 
dom fail  to  interpose,  and  as  far  as  they  can,  prevent  the  destruction  of  their  fel- 
low subjects.  And  has  it  not  often  been  seen  (and  I  hope  it  will  always  be  seen) 
that  when  the  representatives  of  a  free  people,  are  by  just  representations  or  re- 
monstrances made  sensible  of  the  sufferings  of  their  fellow  subjects,  by  the  abuse 
of  power  in  the  hands  of  a  governor,  they  have  declared  (and  loudly  too)  that 
they  were  not  obliged  by  any  law  to  support  a  governor  who  goes  about  to  destroy 
a  province  or  a  colony,  or  their  privileges,  which  by  his  Majesty  he  was  appoint- 
ed, and  by  the  law  he  is  bound  to  protect  and  encourage.  But  I  pray  it  may  be 
considered,  of  what  use  is  this  mighty  privilege  if  every  man  that  suffers  must  be 
silent,  and  if  a  man  must  be  taken  up  as  a  libeler  for  telling  his  sufferings  to  his 
neighbor  ?  I  know  I  may  be  answered,  have  you  not  a  legislature  ?  Have  you 


88  Joiirnalism  in  America. 

not  a  house  of  representatives  to  whom  you  may  complain  ?  And  to  this  I  an- 
swer, we  have.  But  what  then  :  is  an  assembly  to  be  troubled  with  every  injury 
done  by  a  governor  ?  Or  are  they  to  hear  of  nothing  but  what  those  in  the  ad- 
ministration will  please  to  tell  them  ?  Or  what  sort  of  a  trial  must  a  man  have  ? 
And  how  is  he  to  be  remedied :  especially  if  the  case  were  as  I  have  known  it  to 
happen  in  America  in  my  time  ;  that  a  governor  who  has  places,  (I  will  not  say 
pensions,  for  I  believe  they  seldom  give  that  to  another  which  they  can  take  to 
themselves)  to  bestow,  and  can  or  will  keep  the  same  assembly,  after  he  has  mod- 
eled them  so  as  to  get  a  majority  of  the  house  in  his  interest,  for  near  twice  sev- 
en years  together  ?  I  pray  what  redress  is  to  be  expected  for  an  honest  man, 
who  makes  his  complaint  against  a  governor,  to  an  assembly  who  may  properly 
enough  be  said  to  be  made  by  the  same  governor  against  whom  the  complaint  is 
made  ?  The  thing  answers  itself.  No,  it  is  natural,  it  is  a  privilege.  I  will  go 
further,  it  is  a  right  which  all  freemen  claim,  and  are  entitled  to,  to  complain  when 
they  are  hurt ;  they  have  a  right  publicly  to  remonstrate  against  abuses  of  power 
in  the  strongest  terms ;  to  put  their  neighbors  upon  their  guard  against  the  craft 
or  open  violence  of  men  in  authority,  and  to  assert  with  courage  the  sense  they 
have  of  the  blessings  of  liberty,  the  value  they  put  upon  it,  and  their  resolution  at 
all  hazards  to  preserve  it  as  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  Heaven  can  bestow. 
And  when  a  house  of  assembly,  composed  of  honest  freemen,  sees  the  general  bent 
of  the  people's  inclinations,  that  is  it  which  must  and  will — I  am  sure  it  ought  to 
— weigh  with  a  legislature  in  spite  of  all  the  craft  caressing  and  cajoling,  made  use 
of  by  a  governor  to  divert  them  from  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  their  country. 

Mr.  Hamilton  then  examined  the  law  of  libel  at  some  length,  and 
continued  : 

From  all  which,  I  insist,  it  is  plain  that  the  jury  are  by  law  at  liberty  (without 
any  affront  to  the  judgement  of  the  Court)  to  find  both  the  law  and  the  fact  in  our 
case,  as  they  did  in  the  case  I  am  speaking  to,  which  I  will  beg  leave  just  to  men- 
tion, and  it  is  this  : — Messrs.  Penn  and  Mead,  being  Quakers,  and  having  met  in 
a  peaceable  manner,  and  after  being  shut  out  of  their  meeting-house,  preached  in 
Grace  Church  street,  in  London,  to  the  people  of  their  own  persuasion,  and  for 
this  they  were  indicted,  and  it  was  said,  "  that  they,  with  other  persons,  to  the  num- 
ber of  three  hundred,  unlawfully  and  tumultuously  assembled,  to  the  disturbance 
of  the  peace,  &c."  To  which  they  pleaded  not  guilty.  And  the  petit  jury  being 
sworn  to  try  the  issue  between  the  king  and  the  prisoners,  that  is,  whether  they 
wyere  guilty  according  to  the  form  of  the  indictment ;  here  there  was  no  dispute 
but  that  they  were  assembled  together  to  the  number  mentioned  in  the  indictment ; 
but,  whether  that  meeting  together  was  riotously,  tumultuously  and  to  the  disturb- 
ance of  the  peace  was  the  question.  And  the  Court  told  the  jury  it  was,  and  or- 
dered the  jury  to  find  it  so;  "for,"  said  the  Court,  "the  meeting  was  the  matter  of 
fact,  and  that  is  confessed,  and  we  tell  you  it  is  unlawful,  for  it  is  against  the  stat- 
ute ;  and  the  meeting  being  unlawful,  it  follows,  of  course,  that  it  was  tumultuous 
and  to  the  disturbance  of  the  peace."  But  the  jury  did  not  think  fit  to  take  the 
Court's  word  for  it ;  for  they  could  find  neither  riot,  tumult  or  anything  tending 
to  breach  of  the  peace  committed  at  that  meeting,  and  they  acquitted  Messrs. 
Penn  and  Mead.  In  doing  of  which  they  took  upon  them  to  judge  both  the  law 
and  the  fact,  at  which  the  Court  (being  themselves  true  courtiers)  were  so  much 
oifended  that  they  fined  the  jury  forty  marks  a  piece,  and  committed  them  till  paid. 
But  Mr.  Bushel,  who  valued  the  right  of  a  juryman,  and  the  liberty  of  his  country 
more  than  his  own,  refused  to  pay  the  fine,  and  was  resolved  (though  at  a  great  ex- 
pense and  trouble^oo,)  to  bring,  and  did  bring  his  habeas  corpus,  to  be  relieved  from 
his  fine  and  imprisonment,  and  he  was  released  accordingly ;  and  this  being  the 
judgement  in  his  case  it  is  established  for  law,  "that  the  judges  how  great  soever 
they  be,  have  no  right  to  fine,  imprison  and  punish  a  jury  for  not  finding  a  verdict 
according  to  the  discretion  o.f  the  Court."  And  this,  I  hope,  is  sufficient  to  prove 
that  jurymen  are  to  see  with  their  own  eyes,  to  hear  with  their  own  ears,  and  to 
make  use  of  their  own  consciences  and  understandings,  in  judging  of  the  lives, 
liberties,  or  estates  of  their  fellow  subjects  ;  and  so  I  have  done  with  this  point. 

This  is  the  second  information  for  libelling  of  a  governor  that  I  have  ever 
known  in  America,  and  the  first,  though  it  may  look  like  a  romance,  yet,  as  it  is 


Andrew  Hamilton  s  Great  Speech.  89 

true,  I  will  beg  leave  to  mention  it : — Governor  Nicholson,  who  happened  to  be 
offended  with  one  of  his  clergy,  met  him  one  day  upon  the  road,  and,  as  was  usual 
with  him,  under  the  protection  of  his  commission,  used  the  parson  with  the  worst 
of  language,  threatened  to  cut  off  his  ears,  slit  his  nose,  and  at  last  to  shoot  him 
through  the  head.  The  parson  being  a  reverend  man,  continued  all  this  time 
uncovered  in  the  heat  of  the  sun,  until  he  found  an  opportunity  to  fly  for  it,  and 
coming  to  a  neighbor's  house,  felt  himself  very  ill  of  a  fever,  and  immediately 
writes  for  a  doctor,  and,  that  his  physician  might  be  the  better  judge  of  his  dis- 
temper, he  acquainted  him  with  the  usage  he  had  received,  concluding  that  the 
governor  was  certainly  mad,  for  that  no  man  in  his  senses  would  have  acted  in 
that  manner.  The  doctor  unhappily  shows  the  parson's  letter ;  the  governor  came 
to  hear  it,  and  so  an  information  was  preferred  against  the  poor  man  for  saying 
he  believed  the  governor  was  mad ;  and  it  was  laid  in  the  information  to  be  false, 
scandalous  and  wicked,  and  wrote  with  intent  to  move  sedition  among  the  people, 
and  bring  his  Excellency  in  contempt.  But  by  an  order  from  the  late  Queen  Anne, 
there  was  put  a  stop  to  that  prosecution,  with  sundry  others  set  on  foot  by  the 
same  governor,  against  gentlemen  of  the  greatest  worth  and  honor  in  that  govern- 
ment. 

And,  may  I  not  be  allowed,  after  all  this,  to  say  that  by  a  little  countenance, 
almost  any  thing  which  a  man  writes  may,  with  the  help  of  that  useful  term  of 
art,  called  an  inuendo,  be  construed  to  be  a  libel,  according  to  Mr.  Attorney's 
definition  of  it ;  that  whether  the  words  are  spoken  of  a  person  of  a  public  char- 
acter, or  of  a  private  man,  whether  dead  or  living,  good  or  bad,  true  or  false,  all 
make  a  libel,  for  according  to  Mr.  Attorney,  after  a  man  hears  a  writing  read,  or 
reads  or  repeats  it,  or  laughs  at  it,  they  are  all  punishable.  It  is  true,  Mr.  Attor- 
ney is  so  good  as  to  allow,  after  the  party  knows  it  to  be  a  libel ;  but  he  is  not  so 
kind  as  to  take  the  man's  word  for  it. 

If  a  libel  is  understood  in  the  large  and  unlimited  sense  urged  by  Mr.  Attorney, 
there  is  scarce  a  writing  I  know  that  may  not  be  called  a  libel,  or  scarce  any  per- 
son safe  from  being  called  t.o  an  account  as  a  libeller ;  for  Moses,  meek  as  he  was, 
libelled  Cain,  and  who  is  it  that  has  not  libelled  the  devil ;  for  according  to  Mr. 
Attorney,  it  is  no  justification  to  say  one  has  a  bad  name.  Echard  was  libelled 
by  our  good  King  William.  Burnet  has  libelled,  among  many  others,  King  Charles 
and  King  James,  and  Rapin  has  libelled  them  all.  How  must  a  man  speak  or 
write,  or  what  must  he  hear,  read  or  sing,  or  when  must  he  laugh,  so  as  to  be  se- 
cure from  being  taken  up  as  a  libeller  ?  I  sincerely  believe,  that  were  some  per- 
sons to  go  through  the  streets  of  New  York  now-a-days,  and  read  a  part  of  the 
Bible,  if  it  was  not  known  to  be  such,  Mr.  Attorney,  with  the  help  of  his  inuenedos, 
would  easily  turn  it  into  a  libel.  As  for  instance,  the  sixteenth  verse  of  the  ninth 
chapter  of  Isaiah :  "  The  leaders  of  the  people  caused  them  to  err  and  they  that 
are  led  by  them  are  destroyed."  But,  should  Mr.  Attorney  go  about  to  make  this 
a  libel  he  would  read  it  thus  :  "The  leaders  of  the  people  (inuendo,  the  Governor 
and  Council  of  New  York)  cause  them  (inuendo,  the  people  of  this  province)  to 
err,  and  they  (the  people  of  this  province  meaning)  are  destroyed  (inuendo,  are 
deceived  into  the  loss  of  their  liberty),  which  is  the  worst  kind  of  destruction.  Or, 
if  some  person  should  publicly  repeat,  in  a  manner  not  pleasing  to  his  betters,  the 
tenth  and  eleventh  verses  of  the  fifty-fifth  chapter  of  the  same  book,  there  Mr.  At- 
torney would  have  a  large  field  to  display  his  skill,  in  the  artful  application  of  his 
inuendos.  The  words  are,  "  His  watchmen  are  all  blind,  they  are  ignorant ;  yea, 
they  are  greedy  dogs,  that  can  never  have  enough."  But,  to  make  them  a  libel 
no  more  is  wanting  but  the  aid  of  his  skill  in  the  right  adapting  his  inuendos.  As 
for  instance, "  His  watchmen  (inuendo,  the  Governor,  Council  and  Assembly,)  are 
blind,  they  are  ignorant,  (inuendo,  will  not  see  the  dangerous  designs  of  his  Ex- 
cellency,) yea,  they,  (the  Governor  and  Council  meaning,)  are  greedy  dogs  which 
can  never  have  enough,  (inuendo,  enough  of  riches  and  power.) 

Such  an  instance  as  this  seems  only  fit  to  be  laughed  at ;  but  I  may  appeal  to 
Mr.  Attorney  himself,  whether  these  are  not  at  least  equally  proper  to  be  applied 
to  his  Excellency  and  his  ministers,  as  some  of  the  inferences  and  inuendos  in  his 
information  against  my  client.  Then,  if  Mr.  Attorney  is  at  liberty  to  come  into 
court  and  file  an  information  in  the  king's  name,  without  leave,  who  is  secure, 
whom  he  is  pleased  to  prosecute  as  a  libeller  ?  And,  as  the  crown  law  is  con- 
tended for  in  bad  times,  there  is  no  remedy  for  the  greatest  oppression  of  this  sort, 


90  Journalism  in  America. 

even  though  the  party  prosecuted  is  acquitted  with  honor.  And  give  me  leave  to 
say,  as  great  men  as  any  in  Britain  have  boldly  asserted  that  th'e  mode  of  prose- 
cution by  information,  when  a  grand  jury  will  not  find  a  bill  of  indictment,  is  a  na- 
tional grievance,  and  greatly  inconsistent  with  that  freedom  which  the  subjects  of 
England  enjoy  in  most  other  cases.  But,  if  we  are  so  unhappy  as  not  to  be  able 
to  ward  off  this  stroke  of  power  directly,  yet  let  us  take  care  not  to  be  cheated  out 
of  our  liberties  by  forms  and  appearances  ;  let  us  always  be  sure  that  the  charge 
in  the  information  is  made  out  clearly,  even  beyond  a  doubt ;  for  though  matters 
in  the  information  may  be  called  form,  upon  trial,  yet  they  may  be  and  often  have 
been  found  to  be  matters  of  substance  upon  giving  judgment. 

Gentlemen  the  danger  is  great  in  proportion  to  the  mischief  that  may  happen 
through  our  too  great  credulity.  A  proper  confidence  in  a  court  is  commendable ; 
but  as  the  verdict  (whatever  it  is)  will  be  yours,  you  ought  to  refer  no  part  of  your 
duty  to  the  discretion  of  other  persons.  If  you  should  be  of  opinion  that  there  is 
no  falsehood  in  Mr.  Zenger's  papers,  you  will,  nay,  (pardon  me  for  the  expression,) 
you  ought  to  say  so  ;  because  you  do  not  know  whether  others,  (I  mean  the  Court,) 
may  be  of  that  opinion.  It  is  your  right  to  do  so,  and  there  is  much  depending 
upon  your  resolution,  as  well  as  upon  your  integrity. 

******** 

I  am  truly  unequal  to  such  an  undertaking,  on  many  accounts.  And  you  see  I 
labor  under  the  weight  of  many  years,  and  am  borne  down  by  many  infirmaties 
of  body;  yet  old  and  weak  as  I  am  I  should  think  it  my  duty,  if  required,  to  go  to 
the  utmost  part  of  the  land,  where  my  service  could  be  of  any  use  in  assisting  to 
quench  the  flame  of  prosecutions  upon  informations  set  on  foot  by  the  govern- 
ment, to  deprive  a  people  of  the  right  of  remonstrating,  (and  complaining  too,)  of 
the  arbitrary  attempts  of  men  in  power.  Men  who  injure  and  oppress  the  peo- 
ple under  their  administration  provoke  them  to  cry  out  and  complain,  and  then 
make  that  very  complaint  the  foundation  for  new  oppressions  and  prosecutions. 
I  wish  I  could  say  there  were  no  instances  of  this  kind.  But  to  conclude,  the 
question  before  the  Court  and  you,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  is  not  of  small  or  pri- 
vate concern  ;  it  is  not  the  cause  of  a  poor  printer,  nor  of  New  York  alone,  which 
you  are  trying.  No !  it  may,  in  its  consequences,  affect  every  freeman  that  lives 
under  a  British  government,  on  the  main  of  America.  It  is  the  best  cause  ;  it  is 
the  cause  of  liberty ;  and  I  make  no  doubt  but  your  upright  conduct,  this  day,  will 
not  only  intitle  you  to  the  love  and  esteem  of  your  fellow  citizens,  but  every  man 
who  prefers  freedom  to  a  life  of  slaverv,  will  bless  and  honor  you  as  men  who  have 
baffled  the  attempts  of  tyranny ;  and  by  an  impartial  and  uncorrupt  verdict,  have 
laid  a  noble  foundation  for  securing  to  ourselves,  our  posterity,  and  our  neighbors, 
that  to  which  nature  and  the  laws  of  our  country  have  given  us  a  right — the  lib- 
erty— both  of  exposing  and  opposing  arbitrary  power  in  those  parts  of  the  world 
at  least,  by  speaking  and  writing  truth. 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  heard  with  intense  interest.  His  address  was 
in  tone,  sentiment,  and  eloquence  equal  to  that  of  the  celebrated 
Erskine  in  1792,  in  the  great  libel  suit  of  Thomas  Paine  for  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Rights  of  Man  in  London.  On  the  conclusion  of 
Mr.  Hamilton's  remarks,  the  Attorney  General  briefly  replied.  The 
Chief  Justice  charged  the  jury,  and  again  said  that  as  the  defend- 
ant had  confessed  the  publication  of  the  words,  the  only  question 
for  them  was  whether  or  not  the  words  were  libelous,  and  as  this 
was  a  question  of  law,  the  jury  could  safely  leave  it  to  the  Court. 
After  a  short  absence,  the  jury  returned  with  a  verdict  of  Not  Guilty. 

The  reception  of  the  verdict  by  the  crowd  was  immense.  Shouts 
filled  the  court.  When  the  Chief  Justice  admonished  the  audience, 
and  threatened  the  leader  with  imprisonment,  a  son  of  Admiral 
Norris  declared  himself  the  leader,  and  called  for  more  cheers;  and 


Freedom  of  the  City  to  Hamilton.  91 

they  were  repeated  with  a  strong  and  significant  will.  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton was  conducted  by  the  crowd  to  a  splendid  entertainment.  When 
he  left  the  city  for  his  home  in  Philadelphia,  a  grand  salute  was 
fired  on  starting  in  the  barge  across  the  North  River.  He  was  pre- 
sented with  the  freedom  of  the  city  by  the  Common  Council  for  "  the 
remarkable  service  done  by  him  to  the  city  and  colony  by  his  learn- 
ed and  generous  defence  of  the  rights  of  mankind,  and  the  liberty 
of  the  Press."  On  the  splendid  gold  box  in  which  the  certificate  of 
the  freedom  of  the  city  was  inclosed  were  these  words,  encircling 
the  arms  of  the  city  : 

Demenscz  Sieges — Timefacta  Libeitas — Htzc  tandem  emergunt. 
In  a  flying  garter : 

Non  mimmis,  virtute  paratur. 
On  the  front : 

Ita  cuique  eveniat  ut  de  republica  meruit. 

Thus  concluded  this  remarkable  case,  important  in  every  aspect 
to  the  Press,  and  the  key-note  to  the  revolutionary  spirit  that  was 
then  springing  up  throughout  the  colonies. 

The  Journal  was  a  small-sized  sheet,  and  printed  on  much-worn 
Pica  type.  Sometimes  one,  and  sometimes  two  or  three  advertise- 
ments would  appear  in  this  famous  paper.  Among  the  few  thus 
published  was  the  following,  which  would  indicate  that  Orange 
County  butter  has,  in  later  times,  perhaps  by  the  introduction  of 
Tricopherous,  lost  some  of  its  virtues  : 

4.fy  To  be  sold,  by  Peter  Lynch,  near  Mr.  Rutgers'  Brewhouse,  very  good  Or- 
ange Butter.  It  is  excellent  for  Gentlewomen  to  comb  up  their  hair  with.  It 
also  cures  children's  sore  heads. 

Zenger  continued  to  publish  the  Journal  till  his  death  in  1746. 
His  widow  then  managed  the  paper  for  a  time.  It  afterward  pass- 
ed into  the  hands  of  his  son,  John  Zenger,  who  conducted  it  till  1752. 
On  the  28th  of  February,  1751,  the  following  curious  announcement 
appeared : 

The  country  subscribers  are  earnestly  entreated  to  send  in  their  arrears ;  if  they 
do  not  pay  promptly,  I  shall  leave  off  sending  the  paper,  and  try  to  recover  my 
money  otherwise.  Some  of  these  easy  subscribers  are  in  arrear  for  more  than 
seven  years.  After  serving  them  so  long,  I  fancy  it  is  time,  and  high  time,  that 
they  should  repay  me  my  advances ;  for  the  truth  is — and  they  may  believe  me — 
I  have  worn  my  clothes  threadbare. 

N.B.  Gentlemen,  if  you  have  no  money  to  spare,  still  think  of  your  printer. 
When  you  have  read  this  Advertisement,  and  thought  on  it,  you  cannot  do  less 
than  say,  "Come,  wife  !"  (I  address  myself  principally  to  married  folk,  but  let  bach- 
elors take  it  to  heart  also),  "  Come,  wife,  let  us  send  the  poor  printer  some  flour, 
or  a  few  hams,  butter,  cheese,  poultry',  etc." 

In  the  mean  while,  I  am  your  obedient  servant,  JOHN  ZENGER. 

In  spite  of  this  appeal  for  bread  and  butter,  in  spite  of  the  fame 
of  his  father's  trial  in  1735,  in  spite  of  the  freedom  of  the  city  in  a 


92  Journalism  in  America. 

gold  box,  in  spite  of  all  these  things,  the  Jotirnal  languished,  and 
finally  died  of  starvation  in  1752.     Ainsi  va  le  monde. 

Meanwhile  the  Gazette  remained  the  official  organ  of  the  govern- 
ment of  New  York.  Occasionally  Bradford  felt  constrained  to  vin- 
dicate himself  and  his  paper  to  the  people.  In  March,  1 736,  several 
months  after  Zenger's  acquittal,  the  Gazette  published  the  following 
manifesto : 

New  York,  March  28,  1736. 
The  PRINTER  To  his  Readers: 

Gentlemen  it  is  but  too  well  Known  to  yon  all  that  for  above  2  years  past,  there 
has  been  a  Difference  between  the  late  Governour  Cosby  and  some  other  Persons 
in  this  Province,  which  has  been  exposed  in  print  with  some  warmth,  but  as  to 
the  merit  of  the  Cause  I  meddle  not  with  it,  nor  will  I  enter  into  Controversie 
about  it,  having  declared  myself  to  be  of  neither  party,  from  the  beginning,  yet  as 
I  am  and  have  been  above  forty  years  last  past  a  Servant  to  the  Government 
(and  consequently  to  the  several  Governours  during  that  Time)  so  I  have  accord- 
ing to  my  duty,  some  times  printed  in  my  Gazette  some  observations  which  the 
late  Governour's  Friends,  thought  proper  to  make  upon  what  the  other  Party 
printed  against  him,  and  for  so  doing  Mr.  Zenger,  or  some  of  the  Party,  have  been 
angry  with  me,  as  I  may  suppose,  (for  I  know  not  of  any  thing  else  that  I  have 
done  by  which  they  could  be  offended  with  me,  they  having  formerly  been  my 
very  good  Friends)  they  have  from  time  to  time,  Reflected  upon  me  and  against 
my  Gazette,  insinuating  that  what  I  published  was  not  true.  That  I  published 
nothing  but  ta/iaf  the  Governour  does  allow  of,  &c.,  whereas  the  contrary  is  most 
true,  for  neither  his  late  Excellency  Governour  Cosby  nor  any  other  Person  ever 
directed  me,  or  ever  saw  what  News  I  put  into  my  Paper  before  it  was  published 
to  the  World  ;  only  what  Answers  on  Observations  were  sent  to  me  against  what 
the  othef  Party  printed  against  the  Goverrour  &c.  (as  before  mentioned)  and 
sometimes  (when  I  was  not  present)  some  Friend  of  mine  would  send  me  an  ac- 
count of  what  passed  and  how  the  Royal  Healths  were  drank  on  Publick  Days, 
and  sometimes  would  say,  That  most  of  the  principal  Merchants  and  Gentlemen  at 
the  Fort,  &c.  This  Zenger's  Journal  oftentimes  would  contradict  and  say,  the 
greatest  number  -were  not  at  the  Fort,  whereas  perhaps  neither  party  had  made  an 
exact  calculation  how  many  were  at  the  Fort,  or  how  many  absent ;  however,  this 
and  such  like  trivial  matters  Zenger's  Journal  would  magnifie  to  be  a  Lie,  in  order 
to  discredit  Will.  Bradford's  News  Paper,  that  People  should  not  believe  what 
he  publishes,  and  consequently  not  buy  his  Gazette.  The  like  Treatment  he  has 
met  with,  at  times,  for  two  years,  without  contradiction,  which  has  induced  some 
to  believe  what  Zenger's  Journal  insinuates,  is  True,  particularly  his  two  last 
Journals  Numb.  123,  124,  where  they  charge  W.  Bradford  -with  his  constant  re- 
spect to  Falsehood  and  dislike  of  Truth.  His  Integrity  lias  been  so  long  established, 
and  the  Falsity  of  his  Assertions  so  often  proved  that  I  (says  the  Journal)  as  a 
Lover  of  Truth,  a  Friend  to  my  Country,  and  one  who  is  in  Charity  'with  all  Men, 
take  the  liberty  [lax  liberty]  of  passing  a  few  genuine  Remarks  upon  "what  he  (Brad- 
ford) has  said.  Why  what  has  he  said  ?  Why  in  his  Gazette,  Number  540,  he 
has  pleased  on  Tuesday  last  to  inform  his  Readers,  that  his  Excellency  (our  then 
Governour)  was  in  a  fair  way  of  Recovery ;  whereas  on  Wednesday  last  (says  the 
Journal)  he  resigned  his  last  breath  ;  Ergo  Bradford  has  a  constant  respect  to 
falsehood  and  a  dislike  of  Truth  ;  the  consequence  of  which  is,  that  what  he  pub- 
lishes is  not  to  be  believed.  But  as  I  have  not  concerned  myself  with  the  present 
Differences,  nor  given  just  occasion  for  these  Reflections  and  false  Charges,  so  I 
do  assure  my  Unprejudiced  Readers,  that  as  I  have  had  a  regard  to  Truth,  so  for 
the  future  I  shall  be  cautious  what  I  do  publish.  But  as  all  men  are  liable  to 
Mistakes,  so  more  especially  the  Publisher  of  a  News  Paper  ;  for  let  him  be  never 
so  careful,  he  will  sometimes  have  wrong  Intelligence ;  and  therefore  we  very 
often  find  in  the  English  Papers  that  they  give  notice  that  they  had  wrong  infor- 
mation in  such  an  affair  mentioned  in  such  a  Paper,  and  this  is  allowed  of,  and 
the  Publisher  not  charged  with  Falsehood,  or  a  Publisher  of  Untruths.  And  I 
hereby  acquaint  my  Friends  and  Readers,  that  if  at  any  time  I  am  made  sensible 


The  Dawn  of  Liberty  to  the  Press,  93 


that  thro'  wrong  Information  I  have  published  anything  not  true,  I  shall  readily 
make  known  the  true  matter  of  facts.  But  as  to  what  I  published  concerning 
the  Governour's  being  in  a  fair  way  of  Recovery  after  his  Imposthume  was  lanced 
is  True,  according  to  the  then  Opinion  of  his  Physicians  and  Friends  about  him, 
as  I  then  had  it  from  some  of  them,  in  writing,  and  still  have  it  by  me.  But  if 
my  account  of  the  Governour's  Indisposition  has  been  wrong,  was  any  body  hurt 
by  it  ?  I  suppose  my  Friends  nor  enemies  will  not  say  it.  So  also  what  I  related 
concerning  his  Excellency's  Funeral  I  find,  upon  enquiry,  to  be  true,  altho'  Mr. 
Zenger's  Journal  insinuates  the  contrary.  They  cite  my  words  The  Gentlemen  of 
tlie  Council  &c.,  Voluntarily  assisted  in  faying  their  last  Duty  to  His  Remains  ; 
and  then  ask  W.  Bradford,  ^uere  none  of  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Council  invited  to 
that  Funeral?  To  which  W.  B.  answers.  That  he  is  informed  that  some  of  the 
Council  were  invited  to  be  Pawl-bearers,  and  yet  he  will  not  allow  that  he  gave  a 
false  account,  when  he  says,  They  Voluntarily  Assisted,  &c.,  because  he  is  very 
well  informed,  that  the  several  Degrees  of  Persons  there  mentioned,  did  come  to 
said  Funeral  of  their  oivn  Voluntarily  good  Will.  To  conclude,  altho'  I  apprehend 
myself  to  be  wronged  by  their  or  his  false  Charges,  I  am  obliged  to  him  for  his 
good  Advice,  (and  which  I  hope  I  shall  follow)  where  he  says,  I  advise  Mr.  Brad- 
ford not  rake  any  more  in  the  Ashes  of  the  Dead.  The  giver  of  which  Advice  will 
do  well  to  apply  it. 

Kind  Reader,  I  thought  myself  obliged  to  say  something  to  take  off  the  edge  of 
some  of  the  unworthy  Reflections  cast  upon  me  in  Zenger's  late  Journals,  and  that 
without  the  least  cause  given  them ;  nor  can  I  think  of  any  design  they  could 
have  in  their  so  abusing  me,  but  with  intent  (what  in  them  lyes)  to  deprive  me  of 
Bread  ;  for  who  will  buy  my  Papers  if  they  can  be  induced  to  believe  that  I  have 
a  constant  respect  to  (or  am  Constant  Publisher  of)  Falsehood,  and  Dislike  to  Truth  ; 
but  as  I  profess  to  be  a  Lover  of  Truth,  I  hope  to  practise  the  same.  I  make  this 
short  Apology  in  my  own  defence,  and  not  to  begin  a  Controversie  or  Paper  War 
with  Zenger's  Journal,  or  its  Coadjutors  (to  use  their  own  word)  for  as  there  is 
nothing  that  can  be  done  or  said,  but  something  may  be  said  against  it,  so  if  they 
make  any  Reflections  or  Observations  upon  what  I  here  say,  I  do  not  intend  to 
answer  it  or  take  any  Notice  of  it,  but  do  my  endeavour  to  serve  my  Superiours 
in  my  Place  and  Station,  as  I  have  done  for  above  Forty  years  last  past,  and  also 
collect  and  publish  such  News  and  Occurrences  as  shall  happen  to  come  to  my 
knowledge,  in  the  best  manner  I  can,  be  obedient  to  the  King  and  to  all  that  are 
put  in  Authority  under  him,  and  to  my  power,  am 

A  Friend  and  Well-  Wisher  To  all  Men, 

WILL.  BRADFORD. 

These  two  newspapers  are  thus  made  prominent  because  in  his- 
tory they  occupy  an  important  niche,  and  because  the  policy  adopt- 
ed by  Zenger,  like  that  of  Franklin,  and  Fleet,  and  Thomas,  and 
Edes,  was  "  the  dawn"  not  only  "  of  that  liberty  which  afterward 
revolutionized  America,"  but  of  the  independence  of  the  Press,  which 
we  now  see  so  splendidly  illustrated  and  exemplified  in  so  many  of 
the  leading  newspapers  of  the  present  day. 

The  Gazette  was  carried  on  by  Bradford  till  1742.  In  January, 
1743,  the  name  was  changed  to  New  York  Gazette  or  Weekly  Post- 
Boy,  and  published  by  James  Parker.  The  Post-Boy  was  a  new 
paper,  and  only  connected  with  the  Gazette  for  the  use  of  its  name, 
and  by  the  purchase  of  the  material  of  that  office.  In  proof  of  this, 
the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed  in  January,  1747,  to  that  of  the 
New  York  Gazette,  Revived  in  the  Weekly  Post-Boy.  As  this  occur- 
red several  years  prior  to  the  death  of  Bradford,  it  was  undoubted- 
ly done  by  arrangement  with  him.  There  were  only  two  printing- 


94  Journalism  in  America. 

offices  in  New  York  at  that  time,  according  to  Professor  Kalm,  who 
described  the  city  in  a  letter  written  in  1748.  "There  are  two 
printers  in  the  town,"  said  Kalm,  "and  every  week  some  gazettes,  in 
English,  are  published,  which  contain  news  from  all  parts  of  the 
world." 

Parker,  like  Zenger,  who  was  "  a  forward  boy,"  had  been  appren- 
tices to  Bradford.  Indeed,  nearly  all  the  printers  of  newspapers  in 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania  had  been  taught  in  his  of- 
fices either  in  New  York  or  Philadelphia.  It  appears  that  Parker 
had  run  away  from  Bradford,  as  Franklin  had  from  his  brother's  of- 
fice. On  the  disappearance  of  Parker,  the  following  advertisement 
was  inserted  in  the  Gazette  of  May  23,  1733,  ten  years  before  the 
Post-Boy  was  started,  giving  a  full  description  of  one  of  our  earliest 
journalists.  Our  modern  newspaper  proprietors  are  not  often  pub- 
licly described  in  this  way : 

Ran  away  on  the  I7th  of  this  Instant  May,  from  the  Printer  hereof,  an  Appren- 
tice Lad,  named  James  Parker,  by  Trade  a  Printer,  aged  about  19  years  ;  he  is 
of  afresh  Complection,  with  short  yellowish  Hair,  having  on  a  yellowish  Bengali 
Coat,  Jacket  and  Breeches,  lined  with  the  same,  and  has  taken  with  him  a  brown 
colour'd  coarse  Coat,  with  flat  Mettal  Buttons,  Two  Frocks,  Two  Shirts,  One  Pair 
of  strip'd  Ticken  Jacket  and  Breeches.  Whoever  takes  up  and  secures  the  said 
Apprentice,  so  that  his  said  Master  may  have  him  again,  shall  have  Twenty  Shil- 
lings as  a  Reward,  and  all  reasonable  Charges  Paid  by 

WILLIAM  BRADFORD. 

The  Post-Boy  had  the  support  of  what  was  called  the  opposition 
party.  It  became  involved  in  a  difficulty  with  the  Episcopal  Church, 
which  it  severely  attacked.  It  died  shortly  after.  Its  proprietor 
was  a  partner  of  Franklin's,  who  had  spread  himself  over  the  colo- 
nies with  his  type  and  presses.  One  printing-office  was  started  in 
South  Carolina,  others  in  different  provinces,  and  that  of  James 
Parker  in  New  York.  These  partnerships  lasted  for  six  years,  and 
all  accounts  were  settled  quarterly.  Franklin  would  send  a  print- 
ing-press and  a  certain  quantity  of  type,  and  take  one  third  of  the 
profits  and  debts  for  his  share.  Quite  a  number  of  the  early  papers 
were  established  in  this  way. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1732,  the  Rhode  Island  Gazette  was  is- 
sued in  Newport,  the  first  in  that  state.  It  was  printed  on  a  half 
sheet  of  cap  paper,  by  James  Franklin.  After  his  failure  in  Boston, 
in  consequence  of  the  persecutions  of  the  authorities,  he  thought,  as 
Roger  Williams  did,  that  he  would  leave  the  original  Puritans,  and 
try  the  atmosphere  and  people  of  Rhode  Island  for  more  freedom 
of  mind  and  conscience  ;  but  he  was  soon  discouraged,  partly  from 
ill  health,  for  only  twelve  numbers  are  known  to  have  been  publish- 
ed. The  Gazette  did  not  survive  three  months,  and  Franklin  died 
in  1735.  The  Gazette  contained  no  advertisements.  There  were  no 


Newport  before  the  Revolution.  95 


Helmbolds,  Knoxes,  Brandreths,  opera-houses  or  theatres,  steam- 
ship lines,  or  Schiedam  schnapps  in  those  days.  There  was  very 
little  local  news.  In  that  period  of  hebdominalism  the  arrivals  and 
departures  of  vessels  were  given  briefly — so  briefly,  indeed,  that  the 
sea-captains  of  the  last  century  were  not  enrolled  on  the  pages  of 
history  as  they  have  since  been.  There  were  no  gentlemanly  cap- 
tains then,  nor  polite  pursers.  Newport  was  not  a  fashionable  wa- 
tering-place,/*?/- se,  in  1732,  as  it  is  in  this  fast  and  elegant  age.  It 
promised  then  to  be  the  Commercial  Emporium  of  the  Western 
World.  It  could  boast  of  its  foreign  commerce,  and  bid  fair  to  be 
more  than  a  rival  to  New  York,  in  consequence  of  possessing  one 
of  the  finest  harbors  on  the  North  Atlantic  coast.  There  was  no 
idea  then  of  simply  being  wealthy  in  magnificent  summer  residences, 
and  having  its  splendid  bay  merely  the  summer  rendezvous  of  the 
New  York  Yacht  squadron. 

One  number  of  the  Gazette,  in  1732,  contained  the  following  ma- 
rine report  of  Newport  for  one  week  : 

Entered  Inward. —  Vincent  from  Virginia,  Dyer  &  Sears  from  Eustatia,  Gitllin 
from  Hispaniola,  and  Walters  from  Boston. 

Outward  Bound. — Briggs  for  Barbados. 

Cleared  Out.  —  Bell  for  Barbados,  Linsey  for  Leward  Islands,  and  Fame  for 
Antigua. 

One  number  of  the  Newport  Mercury  of  1871  contained,  in 
amount  of  tonnage  as  well  as  in  number  of  vessels,  more  arrivals  in 
one  day,  of  pleasure  yachts  alone,  than  is  embraced  in  the  above 
list  of  arrivals  and  departures  for  a  week.  If  any  Rip  van  Winkle, 
who  saw  the  Vincent,  and  Gullin,  and  Walters  enter  that  port  in 
1732,  stood  at  the  railroad  depot  in  the  summer  of  1871,  and  saw 
the  Sappho,  and  Cambria,  and  Dauntless,  and  Fleetwing  come 
bouncing  up  that  expansive  and  beautiful  bay,  he  must  have  been 
bewildered  with  the  sight,  or  believed  it  all  a  dream. 


96  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  V. 

APPEARANCE  OF  THE  PRESS  AT  THE  SOUTH. 

THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER  IN  SOUTH  CAROLINA.  —  THE  FIRST  IN  VIRGINIA. — 
THE  BRADFORD  FAMILY  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. — THE  STAMP  ACT. — ITS  ORIG- 
INATOR IN  BOSTON.  —  OPPOSITION  OF  JOURNALS.  —  THE  FIRST  PAPER  IN 
MARYLAND. — VERY  OLD  PRESS.  —  THE  FIRST  CARRIERS'  ADDRESS. — THE 
GERMAN  PRESS. 

OUR  sketches  of  the  Press  of  the  colonial  period  must  necessari- 
ly be  written  with  a  running  pen. 

The  South  must  have  her  chronicles.  On  the  8th  of  January, 
1731,  the  South  Carolina  Gazette  was  published  in  Charleston  by 
Thomas  Whitemarsh.  It  was  printed  on  a  half  sheet  for  about  a 
year,  and  died  with  its  proprietor.  In  February,  1734,  it  reappeared 
in  name,  and  was  published  for  several  years  by  Lewis  Timothy. 

The  first  paper  in  Virginia  made  its  deb&t  in  Williamsburg  in  1736 
— a  rare  old  town,  the  society  of  which  has  been  graphically  de- 
scribed by  Wirt  in  his  Life  of  Patrick  Henry.  This  newspaper  was 
the  Virginia  Gazette,  and  printed  by  William  Parks,  sometimes  on 
half  a  sheet  of  foolscap,  and  sometimes  on  a  whole  sheet.  It  was 
continued  till  Parks's  death  in  1750,  and  during  that  time  was  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  governor.  After  the  death  of  Parks  the 
Gazette  was  revived  under  new  auspices,  and  issued  in  February, 
1751,  as  the  Virginia  Gazette,  with  the  freshest  advices,  Foreign  and 
Domestic.  The  new  paper  was  printed  on  a  crown  sheet,  and  had 
a  cut  of  the  arms  of  Virginia  incorporated  with  the  title.  It  bore 
this  imprint : 

Williamsburg  :  Printed  by  Wm.  Hunter,  at  the  Post  Office,  by  whom  persons 
may  be  supplied  with  this  paper.  Advertisements  of  a  moderate  length  for  Three 
shillings  for  the  first  week,  and  Two  shillings  each  week  after. 

With  Hunter's  death  in  1761  the  Gazette  was  enlarged,  and  pub- 
lished by  Joseph  Royle.  On  his  demise  it  was  conducted  by  Pur- 
die  and  Dixon  till  the  Revolution.  It  was  managed  by  Purdie  alone 
during  the  war. 

The  Boston  Weekly  Post-Boy,  in  imitation  of  Parker's  paper,  was 
published  by  Ellis  Huske.  Its  first  number  appeared  in  1734. 
Huske  was  Postmaster  of  Boston.  It  was  believed  that  he  recom- 
mended the  obnoxious  Stamp  Act  of  1765  to  the  British  govern- 
ment. He  must  have  been  astonished  with  the  excitement  and  in- 


The  Bradford*  and  the  Stamp  Act.  97 

dignation  that  his  measure  created  in  the  colonies.  The  Post-Boy 
lived  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  but  did  not  reach  the  period  of 
the  odious  act  he  had  suggested  to  the  home  government  to  inflict 
on  the  colonial  Press. 

Nearly  ten  years  elapsed  before  another  paper  appeared  in  the 
colonies.  Then  William  Bradford,  grandson  of  the  one  who  printed 
the  Gazette  in  New  York,  issued  the  Pennsylvania  Journal  and  Week- 
ly Advertiser  in  1742.  Bradford  was  father  of  William  Bradford  who 
was  Attorney  General  of  the  United  States  in  1794-5.  This  Brad- 
ford family,  like  the  Franklins,  had  newspaper  on  the  brain,  as  much 
so  as  De  Foe  had  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  century  in  Scotland. 
They  were  ready  to  print  one  or  edit  one  wherever  and  whenever 
such  an  institution  was  wanted.  The  Journal  was  established  at 
an  important  era  in  American  journalism — shortly  before  the  pas- 
sage of  the  famous  Stamp  Act.  It  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  colonies,  and  was  a  strong  advocate  of  freedom  from  England. 
On  the  3ist  of  October,  the  day  before  the  Stamp  Act  was  to  take 
effect,  the  pages  of  the  Journal  were  inclosed  in  black  lines,  with  a 
picture  of  a  skull  and  cross-bones  over  the  title,  and  with  these 
words  printed  beneath  :  "EXPIRING  :  In  Hopes  of  a  Resurrection 
to  Life  again."  On  the  border  of  the  first  page  were  printed, 
"  Adieu,  adieu,  to  the  Liberty  of  the  Press."  On  the  last  column  of 
the  third  page  were  the  words  "FAREWELL  LIBERTY."  On  the 
fourth  page  was  an  engraving  of  a  coffin,  under  which  was  this  epi- 
taph : 

The  last  Remains  of 

THE  PENNSYLVANIA  JOURNAL, 

Which  departed  this  Life,  the  3ist  of  October,  1765, 

Of  a  STAMP  in  her  Vitals, 

Aged  23  years. 

With  these  typographical  demonstrations  the  publisher  issued  the 
following  patriotic  card  : 

I  am  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  acquaint  my  readers,  that,  as  the  Stamp  act  is 
feared  to  be  obligatory  upon  us  after  the  First  of  November  evening,  (the  fatal 
To-morrow,)  the  Publisher,  unable  to  bear  the  Burthen,  has  thought  it  expedient 
to  STOP  awhile,  in  order  to  deliberate,  whether  any  methods  can  be  found  to  elude 
the  chains  forged  for  us,  and  escape  the  insupportable  Slavery ;  which,  it  is  hoped, 
from  the  just  representations  now  made  against  this  Act,  may  be  effected.  Mean- 
while I  must  earnestly  request  every  individual  of  my  Subscribers,  that  they  would 
immediately  discharge  their  respective  arrears,  that  I  may  be  able,  not  only  to  sup- 
port myself  during  the  Interval,  but  be  the  better  prepared  to  proceed  again  with 
the  paper,  whenever  an  opening  for  that  purpose  appears,  which  I  hope  will  be 
soon.  WILLIAM  BRADFORD. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Oct.  31, 1765. 

No  resurrection  was  necessary,  for  Bradford  continued  the  publi- 
cation of  ftiz  Journal ;  but  in  the  next  issue,  in  place  of  its  regular 

G 


98  Journalism  in  America. 

title,  "  No  Stamp-Paper  to  be  had"  appeared,  and  the  paper  came 
out  as  usual  after  this.  Thomas  Bradford,  a  son  of  the  publisher, 
was  taken  into  partnership  in  1766,  and  the  firm  then  became  Wil- 
liam &  Thomas  Bradford. 

In  the  conflict  with  the  authorities  in.  regard  to  the  unpopular 
Stamp  Act,  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly,  named  John 
Hughes,  sent  a  communication  to  \\\&  Journal^  defending  Franklin  on 
the  charge  that  he  was  an  instigator  of  this  infamous  act.  Hughes 
also  wrote  several  letters  to  the  commissioner  of  the  Stamp  Office 
in  London.  He  was  afterward  appointed  Commissioner  of  Stamps 
for  Pennsylvania.  These  letters  appeared  in  September,  1766,  and 
were  pronounced  forgeries  by  Hughes.  He  commenced  actions 
against  the  Journal,  on  a  charge  of  libel,  for  their  publication.  As 
Selden  said  that  "  more  solid  things  do  not  show  the  complexion  of 
the  Times  so  well  as  Ballads  and  Libels,"  we  insert  the  remarks  of 
the  Journal  on  this  attempt  of  Hughes  to  disown  his  own  letters  in 
his  prosecution  of  Bradford  : 

***##**#.# 

His  suing  the  Printers  of  the  Pennsylvania  Journal,  for  printing  an  exact  copy 
of  his  own  letters,  is  no  more  than  the  ill-judged  effect  of  that  insatiable  passion 
which  he  has,  to  trample  upon  the  most  sacred  Rights  and  Privileges  of  British 
subjects  in  America.  The  letters  themselves,  which  are  but  the  history  of  his  own 
conduct  for  a  considerable  time  past,  plainly  discover  how  heartily  and  passion- 
ately he  wished  for  the  favourable  opportunity  which  would  put  it  into  the  power 
of  this  excellent  patriot,  to  execute  the  detestable  STAMP  ACT,  which  no  Amer- 
ican can  mention  without  abhorrence,  and  to  reduce  the  free  born  Sons  of  Britain 
to  a  state  of  the  most  wretched  slavery.  What  else  can  be  the  meaning  of  his 
barefaced  Falsehood,  in  representing  North-America  as  in  a  state  of  absolute  re- 
bellion against  the  best  of  Kings,  and  in  using  all  his  feeble  endeavours  to  excite 
his  Majesty  and  his  Ministers  to  send  over  an  armed  force  to  quell  us,  as  he  mod- 
estly terms  it  ?  But  such  is  his  insensibility  to  all  the  dictates  of  Honour  or  pub- 
lick  Virtue,  that  to  compleat  his  character,  he  would  now  attempt  to  demolish  the 
Liberty  of  the  Press,  that  invaluable  privilege  of  a  free  people  ;  because  through 
that  channel  his  hidden  arts  are  brought  to  Light. 

'Tis  but  a  piece  of  justice  to  the  public,  to  let  them  know  his  last  effort  to  prop 
his  sinking  character,  which  has  long  laboured  under  violent  suspicions.  He  pro- 
cured a  writ  for  the  printers  of  his  letters,  oh  Saturday  last,  which  was  executed 
by  the  Sheriff  on  Monday  morning  following ;  as  twelve  hundred  pounds  damages 
were  marked  upon  the  writ,  the  printers  sent  him  a  notice  about  12  o'clock,  to 
appear  before  a  Magistrate  to  shew  cause  of  action  ;  but  he  refused  to  appear. 
At  4  o'clock,  the  same  afternoon,  they  sent  him  another  notice,  to  appear  for  the 
same  purpose  at  10  o'clock  the  next  day,  and  informed  him,  that  unless  he  appear- 
ed, they  would  move  for  a  discharge  from  the  arrest.  But  such  was  the  conscious- 
ness of  his  guilt,  that  he  refused  again  to  appear,  and  as  he  could  not  be  compelled 
by  law  to  shew  cause  of  action,  the  arrest  was  accordingly  discharged.  We  are 
only  the  printers  of  a  free  and  impartial  paper,  and  we  challenge  Mr.  Hughes  and 
the  world,  to  convict  us  of  partiality  in  this  respect,  or  of  even  an  inclination  to  re- 
strain the  freedom  of  the  press  in  any  instance.  We  can  appeal  to  North-Amer- 
ica not  only  for  our  impartiality  as  printers,  but  also  for  the  great  advantages  de- 
rived to  us  very  lately  from  the  unrestrained  liberty,  which  every  Briton  claims  of 
communicating  his  sentiments  to  the  public  thro'  the  channel  of  the  press.  What 
would  have  become  of  the  liberties  of  the  British  Colonies  in  North-America,  if 
Mr.  Hughes's  calls  on  Great  Britain  had  been  heard,  to  restrain  the  printers  here 
from  piiblishing  what  he  is  pleased  to  stile  inflammatory  pieces,  and  if  every  pros- 


The  First  Carriers  Address. 


titute  scribbler,  and  enemy  to  his  country  had  been  suffered,  without  control  from 
the  pens  of  true  patriots,  to  rack  their  distempered  brains,  to  find  out  arguments 
to  gull  a  free-born  people  into  a  tame  submission  to  perpetual  slavery,  and  to  im- 
pose their  flimsy  cobwebs  upon  us,  instead  of  solid  and  substantial  reasoning  ? 
To  the  freedom  of  the  press  in  America  we  may  in  a  great  measure  attribute  the 
continuance  of  those  inherent  and  constitutional  privileges,  which  we  yet  enjoy  and 
which  every  Briton,  who  is  not  inslaved  to  private  or  party  interests,  prefers  to  his 
life.  We  cannot  therefore  doubt,  but  that  the  happiness,  which  now  reigns  through 
all  the  British  plantations,  will  inspire  every  friend  of  his  country  with  an  honest 
and  generous  indignation  against  the  wretch  that  would  attempt  to  enslave  his 
countrymen  by  restraints  on  the  press. 

We  would  now  inform  the  publick,  that  the  letters  of  Mr.  Galloway  and  Mr. 
Hughes,  which  we  printed  in  our  last  week's  paper,  were  transmitted  to  Philadel- 
phia, by  Capt.  Sparks,  from  a  gentleman  in  London  of  character  and  integrity,  who 
is  a  friend  of  North- America,  and  never  was  accounted  capable  of  imposing  upon 
the  publick.  They  were  publickly  seen  and  read  in  the  Coffee-Houses  in  Lon- 
don by  great  numbers,  were  laid  before  the  Parliament,  and  are  copied  verbatim 
in  their  Books.  They  came  as  genuine  into  our  hands,  as  such  we  laid  them  be- 
fore the  publick,  and  such,  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  prove  them.  But  were 
there  no  other  evidences  of  his  writing  the  letters  we  printed,  there  may  be  suffi- 
cient Proofs  of  the  Fact  taken  from  the  very  letters  themselves,  to  show  them  the 
genuine  Productions  of  his  accurate  pen. — Let  not  Mr.  Hughes  therefore  think 
that  his  weak  and  faint  denial  of  the  Genuineness  of  the  Letters  will  pass  with 
the  impartial  world,  as  sufficient  to  overthrow  such  a  Variety  and  Strength  of  Ev- 
idence, as  the  Publick  is  already  possessed  of  against  him.  Let  him  reconcile  the 
assurances  he  has  given  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  Stamp  Office,  that  he  ivould 
faithfully  execute  the  stamp-office  when  it  would  be  in  his  power,  with  his  full  res- 
ignation of  it  which  he  made  to  the  public,  before  he  can  expect  to  be  believed  in 
any  matter  by  his  fellow  citizens.  WILLIAM  &  THOMAS  BRADFORD. 

"  Carriers'  Addresses,"  which  are  now  going  out  of  use  as  scarce- 
ly dignified  and  proper  enough  for  the  Press  of  1872  to  indorse  or 
encourage,  originated  with  Bradford  in  1776,  nearly  a  century  ago, 
as  an  indirect  means  of  making  the  public  pay  more  than  the  regu- 
lar subscription  price  of  his  paper.  The  first  address  was  headed, 

THE  NEW-YEAR  VERSES 

OF 
THE  PRINTER'S  LADS,  WHO  CARRY 

THE 
PENNSYLVANIA  JOURNAL, 

To  THE  CUSTOMERS, 
PHILADELPHIA,  JANUARY  i,  1776. 

What  oceans  of  ink  have  been  pressed  into  the  service  of  Thalia 
since  she  stepped  forward  in  aid  of  the  "  Printer's  Lads"  of  the 
Philadelphia  Journal!  Not  much  money  was  paid,  it  is  true,  in 
those  times  of  limited  means,  but  in  1860  or  1865,  the  carriers  of 
the  New  York  papers,  in  English,  German,  French,  Irish,  Welsh, 
Political,  Literary,  Theatrical,  Scientific,  and  Religious,  with  their 
enormous  issue,  no  doubt  received,  on  a  single  New  Year's  Day,  no 
less  than  $5°°°  'm  pour-boires  at  the  doors  of  newspaper  subscribers 
in  that  city  alone.  The  Newspaper  Carriers'  Address  is  probably 
the  last  of  its  class.  Thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  the  Lamplighters,  the 


ioo  Journalism  in  America. 


Watchmen,  and  others  employed  by  the  authorities  of  Boston,  annu- 
ally issued  addresses  in  rhyme,  but  without  reason,  and  received 
considerable  sums  of  money.  The  New  York  Herald  was  the  first 
to  put  a  stop  to  those  of  the  Carriers  in  New  York.  The  Journal 
of  Commerce  followed.  The  Philadelphia  Ledger,  instead  of  an  ad- 
dress in  rhyme,  got  out,  in  1870,  a  very  useful  and  valuable  Alma- 
nac, which  Mr.  Childs,  its  proprietor,  sent  to  each  subscriber  free. 
He  printed  ninety  thousand  of  the  Almanac  in  1872. 

But  Bradford  deserved  well  of  his  country.  His  family  was  one 
of  patriots.  He  served  the  nation  well  and  boldly  in  his  newspaper, 
and  he  served  it  well  and  nobly  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  was  a 
major  of  militia  at  Trenton.  He  came  out  of  the  affair  at  Princeton 
a  colonel.  He  was  at  Fort  MifBin.  He  fought  for  his  principles, 
and  aided  in  gaining  splendid  victories  for  the  Press  and  the  country. 

Another  family  of  printers  made  their  mark  in  the  ranks  of  jour- 
nalism during  this  interesting  epoch.  One  of  the  Greens,  famous 
in  New  England  as  far  back  in  the  annals  of  time  as  1649,  revived 
the  Maryland  Gazette,  the  original  of  which  closed  its  career  under 
Parks  in  1736.  It  was  revived  in  1745  under  the  proprietorship  of 
Jonas  Green,  who  had,  for  many  years  previously,  a  printing-office 
in  Annapolis.  The  Gazette,  thus  re-established,  continued,  with  the 
exception  of  a  brief  suspension  in  1765,  in  consequence  of  the 
odious  Stamp  Act,  under  the  same  name,  and  was  published  weekly 
by  Mr.  Green  and  his  descendants  until  the  year  1839,  nearly  a  cen- 
tury, when,  while  in  the  hands  of  Jonas  Green,  the  great-grandson 
of  the  original  proprietor,  it  was  discontinued,  and  the  St.  Mary's 
Gazette  took  its  place.  Any  one  can  see  a  copy  of  this  Century 
Newspaper  in  the  Maryland  State  Library.  Its  original  shape  was 
quarto. 

The  Gazette  was  printed  on  the  same  press  throughout  its  long 
career.  On  October  30,  1848,  the  St.  Mary's  Gazette  said  : 

But  few  of  our  readers  are  aware,  we  expect,  that  the  press  upon  which  our 
little  sheet  is  printed,  is  the  oldest  now  in  use  in  the  United  States,  and  probably 
in  the  world.  Yet  such  is  the  fact.  The  press  now  used  by  us  has  been  in  almost 
constant  service  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  Upon  it  was  printed  the  Mary- 
land Gazette,  the  earliest  paper  published  in  the  province  of  Maryland,  and  one 
among  the  very  first  in  America.  Upon  it,  also,  was  printed  the  first  volume  of 
the  laws  of  Maryland  that  ever  appeared.  It  is  constructed  somewhat  on  the 
Ramage  principle,  and  requires  three  pulls,  though  two  were  originally  sufficient 
to  produce  a  good  impression.  It  is  truly  a  venerable  object. 

The  next  in  order  of  time,  and  the  last  in  this  epoch,  was  the  New 
York  Evening  Post.  Henry  de  Forrest  issued  the  initial  number 
in  1746.  This  paper  lived  about  a  year  only. 

Two  newspapers,  printed  in  German,  appeared  in  Pennsylvania 
during  this  period.  One  was  published  by  Sower,  in  Germantown, 
in  1739,  and  the  other  by  Ambruster,  in  Philadelphia,  in  1743.  The 


The  First  German  Newspapers.  101 


German  newspaper  literature  of  the  country  has  since  increased 
to  one  hundred  and  forty-two  superior  journals  printed  in  that  lan- 
guage, some  of  which  have  daily  circulations,  like  the  Staats  Zeitung 
of  New  York,  of  thirty,  forty,  and  fifty  thousand  copies.  They  are 
now  a  political  and  literary  power  in  the  United  States. 

This  closes  the  colonial  period  of  newspapers.  They  were  im- 
perfect and  incomplete  in  a  journalistic,  as  the  colonies  were  in  a 
national  point  of  view.  Only  here  and  there,  as  in  the  case  of 
Franklin  and  Fleet  in  Boston,  of  the  Bradfords  in  Philadelphia,  and 
Zenger  in  New  York,  did  they  exhibit  any  fire  or  vitality,  and  in 
these  few  instances  the  sparks  were  nearly  smothered  in  persecutions 
and  imprisonment.  But,  happily,  these  sparks  were  only  smoulder- 
ing. They  brightened  up  in  the  next  epoch,  and  kindled  the  revo- 
lutionary fire  of  1776,  which  made  this  a  great  nation  of  popular 
sovereignty  and  popular  rights. 


THE  THIRD  EPOCH. 


1748—1783. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PRESS. 

THE  SONS  OF  LIBERTY. — OUR  PATRIOTIC  EDITORS  AND  PUBLISHERS. — WHO 
WROTE  FOR  THE  NEWSPAPERS. — OPENING  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  BALL. 
— THE  PROGRESS  OF  JOURNALISM. — THE  INDEPENDENT  ADVERTISER. — NEW 
YORK  MERCURY.  —  HUGH  GAINE'S  GAZETTE.  —  THE  BOSTON  GAZETTE  OF 
EDES  AND  GILL.  —  THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  GAZETTE.  —  NEWPORT  (R.  I.) 
MERCURY.  —  THE  FRANKLIN  PRESSES.  —  IMPRISONMENT  OF  ALEXANDER 
M'DOUGALL. 

REVOLUTION  !  A.D.  1748  opened  the  campaign  for  1776.  The 
Revolutionary  Press  dawned  upon  the  colonies.  This  was  an  im- 
portant era  in  journalism  and  liberalism  every  where.  Newspapers 
had  been  in  existence  for  less  than  half  a  century.  They  were  few 
in  number.  They  were  published  in  Boston,  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, Annapolis,  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  and  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  Nowhere  else  on  this  continent  had  a  newspaper  ap- 
peared. These  news  centres  had  now  become  the  revolutionary 
centres  of  America.  The  arbitrary  acts  of  the  agents  of  the  home 
government,  the  Stamp  Act,  the  persecutions  of  the  Franklins  and 
the  Zengers,  began  to  react  upon  the  people.  The  vigorous  growth 
of  a  spirit  of  independence  among  the  colonists  began  to  develop 
itself  in  clubs  and  in  newspaper  offices.  Sons  of  Liberty  were  active 
in  Boston,  New  York,  and  elsewhere.  Men  of  brains  became  con- 
stant and  fearless  contributors  to  the  Press,  and  the  result — the  gun 
at  Concord, "  which  was  heard  around  the  world" — was  to  startle 
the  crowned  heads  of  Europe. 

Samuel  Adams,  of  whom  Napoleon  borrowed  the  epithet  he  ap- 
plied to  England  as  a  "nation  of  shopkeepers,"  established  the 
Independent  Advertiser  in  1 748.  He  was  assisted  by  a  club  of  ar- 
dent young  rebels.  It  was  full  of  free  thought  and  free  speech. 
The  first  number  was  printed  on  the  4th  of  January  by  Rogers  and 
Fowle.  Among  its  contributors  was  Jonathan  Mayhew,  the  founder 
of  Unitarianism  in  America.  We  have  seen  it  somewhere  stated 
that  the  Advertiser  reproduced  Mayhew's  sermons  as  the  Boston 


The  Poet  Freneau  and  Hugh  Gaine.         103 

Traveller  now  publishes  those  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  This  pi- 
oneer .of  the  revolutionary  Press  was  managed  with  great  skill  and 
good  sense  for  several  years.  Notwithstanding  the  spirit  with  which 
the  paper  was  conducted,  it  did  not  come  in  direct  and  dangerous 
collision  with  the  government  till  1752.  In  1750  Rogers  and  Fowle 
dissolved  partnership,  when  David  Fowle  became  the  printer  for 
these  early  rebels. 

One  of  Mayhew's  sermons,  on  the  occasion  of  an  election,  strong- 
ly advocated  the  republican  form  of  government.  It  was  published. 
Shortly  after  the  Legislative  Assembly  passed  a  bill  imposing  cer- 
tain custom  duties.  This  bill  was  severely  denounced  in  a  pam- 
phlet from  the  office  of  the  Advertiser,  in  which  it  was  called  the 
"  Monitor  of  Monitors,"  and  the  Legislature  somewhat  tartly  han- 
dled. This  onslaught,  immediately  after  the  publication  of  such  a 
sermon,  was  too  much  for  the  authorities  to  overlook.  Fowle,  the 
printer,  was  arrested,  and,  for  refusing  to  divulge  the  name  of  the 
writer  of  the  newspaper  article,  was  sent  to  jail,  where  he  was  con- 
fined for  several  days,  and  harshly  treated  while  there.  This  de- 
cided action  on  the  part  of  government  checked  the  originators  of 
the  Advertiser  for  a  time,  but  a  fresh  impulse  was  soon  given  to  the 
vigorous  young  writers  of  that  eventful  period. 

Sandwiched  between  the  Advertiser  and  the  next  newspaper  en- 
terprise in  New  England  was  the  New  York  Mercury,  the  publica- 
tion of  which  was  commenced  by  Hugh  Gaine  on  the  3d  of  August, 
1752.  With  a  short  intermission  it  was  continued  in  existence  for 
thirty-one  years,  having  been  published  till  after  the  Revolution. 
After  John  Holt  revived  the  Journal  in  1767,  Gaine  added  the 
name  of  Gazette  to  his  paper,  and  it  was  called  Game's  New  York 
Gazette  and  Mercury  from  that  time. 

Philip  Freneau,  the  poet  of  the  Revolution,  had  very  little  affec- 
tion for  Gaine.  When  he  was  editing  the  Freeman's  Journal  in 
Philadelphia,  he  overflowed  with  verses  on  the  public  characters  of 
that  era,  and,  among  others,  Hugh  Gaine,  a  vicar  of  Bray  in  newspa- 
pers, "  who  lied  at  the  sign  of  the  Bible  and  Crown,"  came  in  for  his 
share.  Freneau  published  "  Gaine's  Life"  in  rhyme.  Here  is  an 
extract : 

Now,  if  I  was  ever  so  given  to  lie, 

My  dear  native  country  I  would  n't  denv ; 

(I  know  you  love  Teagues)  and  I  shall  not  conceal, 

That  I  came  from  the  kingdom  where  Phelim  O'Neil 

And  other  brave  worthies  ate  butter  and  cheese, 

And  walked  in  the  clover-fields  up  to  their  knees  : 

Full  early  in  youth,  without  basket  or  burden, 

With  staff  in  my  hand,  I  pass'd  over  Jordan, 

(I  remember  my  comrade  was  Doctor  Magraw, 

And  many  strange  things  on  the  water  we  saw, 


IO4  Journalism  in  America. 

Sharks,  dolphins  and  sea  dogs,  bonettas  and  whales, 
And  birds  at  the  tropic,  with  quills  in  their  tails,) 
And  came  to  your  city  and  government  seat, 
And  found  it  was  true,  you  had  something  to  eat ! 
When  thus  I  wrote  home  :  "The  country  is  good, 
They  have  plenty  of  victuals  and  plenty  of  wood  ; 
The  people  are  kind,  and  whate'er  they  may  think, 
I  shall  make  it  appear  I  can  swim  where  they'll  sink ; 
And  yet  they're  so  brisk,  and  so  full  of  good  cheer, 
By  my  soul !  I  suspect  they  have  always  New  Year, 
And,  therefore,  conceive  it  is  good  to  be  here." 

So  said,  and  so  acted  :  I  put  up  a  press, 
And  printed  away  with  amazing  success  ; 
Neglected  my  person  and  looked  like  a  fright, 
Was  bothered  all  day,  and  was  busy  all  night, 
Saw  money  come  in,  as  the  papers  went  out, 
While  Parker  and  Weyman  were  driving  about, 
And  cursing  and  swearing  and  chewing  their  cuds, 
And  wishing  Hugh  Gaine  and  his  press  in  the  suds. 

Thus  life  ran  away,  so  smooth  and  serene — 
Ah  !  these  were  the  happiest  days  I  had  seen  ! 
But  the  saying  of  JACOB  I've  found  to  be  true, 
"  The  days  of  thy  servant  are  evil  and  few  !" 
The  days  that  to  me  were  joyous  and  glad, 
Are  nothing  to  those  which  are  dreary  and  sad  ! 
The  feuds  of  the  stamp  act  foreboded  foul  weather, 
And  woe  and  vexation,  all  coming  together. 
Those  days  were  the  days  of  riots  and  mobs, 
Tar,  feathers,  and  tories,  and  troublesome  jobs — 
Priests  preaching  up  war  for  the  good  of  our  souls, 
And  libels,  and  lying,  and  liberty-poles, 
From  which  when  some  whimsical  colors  you  waved 
We  had  nothing  to  do,  but  look  up  and  be  saved  ! 
But  this  was  the  reason  that  I  must  lament ; 
I  first  was  a  whig,  with  an  honest  intent — 
Yes,  I  was  a  whig,  and  a  whig  from  my  heart — 
But  still  was  unwilling  with  Britain  to  part. 
I  thought  to  oppose  her  was  foolish  and  vain, 
I  thought  she  would  turn  and  embrace  us  again, 
And  make  us  as  happy  as  happy  could  be, 
By  renewing  the  era  of  mild  sixty-three  ; 
And  yet,  like  a  cruel,  undutiful  son, 
Who  evil  returns  for  the  good  to  be  done, 
Unmerited  odium  on  Britain  to  throw, 
I  printed  some  treason  for  PHILIP  FRENEAU  ! 

Hugh  Gaine  was  an  Irishman  and  an  industrious  journalist.  He 
not  only  collected  his  own  news  and  set  up  his  own  types,  but  he 
did  his  own  press-work,  folded  his  own  papers,  and  delivered  them 
to  his  subscribers.  No  man  could  now  accomplish  so  much. 

After  the  Advertiser  ceased  to  exist,  the  Boston  Gazette,  or  Weekly 
Advertiser,  made  its  appearance.  The  first  number  was  published 
January  3, 1753,  and  lived  till  March,  1755,  and  was  then  stopped  in 
consequence  of  the  provincial  Stamp  Act.  It  was  printed  by  Sam- 
uel Kneeland  after  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  of  Kneeland  and 
Green,  mentioned  in  our  preceding  chapter. 

Symptoms  of  the  approaching  political  storm  now  began  to  show 


The  Organ  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty.  105 

themselves  more  distinctly  on  the  horizon.  Thought  and  speech  in 
coffee-houses  and  club-rooms  became  more  free.  Otis,  the  Adamses, 
Mayhews,  Warrens,  and  Quincys  were  bolder  and  stronger.  But 
talk  and  pamphlets  were  not  sufficient  for  the  public  mind.  Some- 
thing better  was  needed.  On  the  yth  of  April,  1755,  therefore,  the 
real  organ  of  the  Revolutionary  Party,  which  brought  about  the  great 
conflict  of  1766,  made  its  appearance.  '  On  that  day  the  Bosion  Ga- 
zette and  Country  Gentleman  was  established  by  Edes  and  Gill.  The 
Connecticut  Gazette  was  started  in  New  Haven  on  the  ist  of  January 
of  that  year,  by  James  Parker,  of  New  York,  and  John  Holt,  who 
migrated  from  Virginia,  but  the  great  organ  of  the  Revolutionary 
Party  at  that  time  was  the  Boston  Gazette.  It  was  printed  on  two 
pages  folio,  on  a  crown  half  sheet.  On  its  first  appearance  its  title- 
page  was  decorated  with  two  cuts — one  representing  an  Indian  with 
bow  and  arrow  ready  for  instant  use,  evidently  scouting ;  the  other 
represented  Britannia  liberating  a  bird  confined  by  a  cord  to  the 
arms  of  France.  All  the  writers  for  the  Independent  Advertiser, 
with  Samuel  Adams  at  the  head,  became  the  brains  of  the  Gazette. 
There  was  Jonathan  Mayhew,  James  Otis,  John  Adams,  Joseph  War- 
ren, Thomas  Gushing,  Samuel  Dexter,  Oxenbridge  Thatcher,  and 
Samuel  Cooper.  They  were  the  Sons  of  Liberty  of  Massachusetts. 
There  they  stood,  the  real  Bunker  Hill  Monument  of  history.  In- 
dicative of  the  progress  of  events,  the  Gazette  appeared  in  1760  with 
a  new  device.  This  struck  out  Britannia,  and,  instead,  represented 
Minerva  holding  a  spear  surmounted  with  the  cap  of  Liberty  in  her 
left  hand,  seated  at  a  pedestal  on  which  was  a  cage.  With  her  right 
hand  she  opens  the  cage  and  liberates  the  bird,  which  is  depicted 
as  flying  towards  a  tree — the  Tree  of  Liberty.  This  was  ten  years 
before  the  Boston  Massacre,  and  fifteen  years  before  the  fight  at 
Concord. 

The  office  of  the  Gazette  was  the  resort  of  the  leading  spirits  of 
that  day.  Another  rendezvous  during  the  intense  excitement  of  the 
time,  when  the  Stamp  Act  aroused  the  popular  indignation  to  the 
highest  point,  was  a  small  building  in  Milk  Street,  near  the  Old 
South  Church,  occupied  by  Samuel  Shed  as  a  grocery.  Shed  and 
his  family  lived  in  the  rear  part  of  the  building.  His  parlor  was  the 
Inner  Temple  of  Freedom.  No  one  passed  the  old  wooden  build- 
ing in  after  years  without  making  a  sign  of  respectful  and  grateful 
recognition.  Mammon  has  since  destroyed  the  place.  There  these 
patriots  met  and  consulted.  One  day  a  communication  appeared 
in  the  Gazette  which  did  not  emanate  from  any  of  those  in  the  habit 
of  meeting  with  this  little  band  of  brothers.  It  was  bold  and  fear- 
less in  tone.  Shed's  parlor  was  in  commotion.  After  an  effort  the 
author  was  discovered.  It  was  Benjamin  Austin,  Jr.  He  was  im- 


io6  Journalism  in  America. 

mediately  enrolled  as  one  of  their  number,  and  he  became  one  of 
the  most  active  and  effective  minds  of  the  Revolutionary  Press  and 
cause. 

Benjamin  Edes  and  John  Gill/the  publishers  of  the  Gazette,  were 
bold,  fearless  men,  inflexible  in  their  patriotism,  the  right  men,  in- 
deed, in  the  right  place.  With  such  managers  and  such  writers,  this 
paper  became  the  powerful  organ  of  the  Whigs.  The  Stamp  Act, 
the  Boston  Massacre,  the  Tea  Tax,  the  closing  of  the  port  of  Boston, 
the  letters  of  Governor  Hutchinson,  the  measures  of  the  provincial 
government,  the  conduct  of  the  British  soldiers,  were  the  grievances 
which  furnished  the  material  for  these  brilliant  writers  to  arouse  the 
indignation  of  the  colonists,  and  make  rebels,  patriots,  and  freemen 
of  them  all.  The  most  faithful  description  of  the  massacre  in  King 
Street,  Boston,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1770,  was  given  in  the  Gazette. 
The  first  anniversary  of  this  massacre  and  outrage  was  observed  in 
Boston  in  1771,  with  great  solemnity.  It  is  thus  described  in  the 
Gazette,  which  gives  the  reader  a  fair  idea  of  the  local  reporting  at 
that  time : 

Tuesday  last  was  the  Anniversary  of  the  never-to-be-forgotten  Fifth  of  March, 
1770,  when  Messieurs  Gray,  Maverick,  Caldwell,  Carr,  and  Attucks  were  inhuman- 
ly murdered  by  a  Party  of  Soldiers  of  the  XXIXth  Regiment  in  King-Street : — 
The  Bells  of  the  several  Congregational  Meeting-Houses  were  tolled  from  XII 
o'clock  at  Noon  till  I : — In  the  Evening  there  was  a  very  striking  Exhibition  at 
the  Dwelling-House  of  Mr.  PAUL  REVERE,  fronting  the  Old  North  Square.— 
At  one  of  the  Chamber-Windows  was  the  appearance  of  the  Ghost  of  the  unfor- 
tunate.young  Seider,  with  one  of  his  Fingers  in  the  Wound,  endeavoring  to  stop 
the  Blood  issuing  therefrom :  Near  him  his  Friends  weeping :  And  at  a  small 
distance  a  monumental  Obelisk,  with  his  Bust  in  Front : — On  the  Front  of  the 
Pedestal, «were  the  Names  of  those  killed  on  the  Fifth  of  March  :  Underneath  the 
following  Lines, 

Seider1!  pale  Ghost  fresh  bleeding  stands, 
And  Vengeance  for  his  Death  demands. 

In  the  next  Window  were  represented  the  Soldiers  drawn  up,  firing  at  the  Peo- 
ple assembled  before  them — the  Dead  on  the  Ground — and  the  Wounded  falling, 
with  the  Blood  running  in  Streams  from  their  Wounds :  Over  which  was  wrote 
FOUL  PLAY.  In  the  third  Window  was  the  Figure  of  a  Woman,  representing 
AMERICA,  sitting  on  the  Stump  of  a  Tree,  with  a  Staff  in  her  Hand,  and  the  Cap 
of  Liberty  on  the  Top  thereof, — one  Foot  on  the  Head  of  a  Grenadier  lying  pros- 
trate grasping  a  Serpent — Her  Finger  pointing  to  the  Tragedy. 

The  whole  was  so  well  executed,  that  the  Spectators,  which  amounted  to  many 
Thousands,  were  struck  with  solemn  Silence,  and  their  Countenances  covered 
with  a  melancholy  Gloom.  At  nine  o'clock  the  Bells  tolled  a  doleful  Peal,  until 
Ten  ;  when  the  Exhibition  was  withdrawn,  and  the  People  retired  to  their  respect- 
ive Habitations. 

Another  specimen  of  newspaper  description  of  the  pre-Revolution- 
ary  time  is  the  following  simple  and  unpretending  account,  from  the 
Gazette  of  December  20,  1773,  of  the  famous  exploit  of  destroying 
the  tea  in  Boston  Harbor  : 

On  Tuesday  last  the  body  of  the  people  of  this  and  all  the  adjacent  towns,  and 
others  from  the  distance  of  twenty  miles,  assembled  at  the  Old  South  meeting- 
house, to  inquire  the  reason  of  the  delay  in  sending  the  ship  Dartmouth,  with  the 


Specimens  of  Local  Reporting.  107 

East-India  Tea,  back  to  London  ;  and  having  found  that  the  owner  had  not  taken 
the  necessary  steps  for  that  purpose,  they  enjoined  him  at  his  peril  to  demand  of 
the  collector  of  the  customs  a  clearance  of  the  ship,  and  appointed  a  committee 
of  ten  to  see  it  performed  :  after  which  they  adjourned  to  the  Thursday  following, 
ten  o'clock.  They  then  met,  and  being  informed  by  Mr.  Rotch,  that  a  clearance 
was  refused  him,  they  enjoined  him  immediately  to  enter  a  protest  and  apply  to 
the  Governor  for  a  passport  by  the  castle,  and  adjourned  again  till  three  o'clock 
for  the  same  day.  At  which  time  they  again  met,  and  after  waiting  till  near  sun- 
set, Mr.  Rotch  came  in  and  informed  them  that  he  had  accordingly  entered  his 
protest  and  waited  on  the  Governor  for  a  pass,  but  his  excellency  told  him  he 
could  not  consistent  with  his  duty  grant  it  until  his  vessel  was  qualified.  The  peo- 
ple finding  all  their  efforts  to  preserve  the  property  of  the  East-India  Company 
and  return  it  safely  to  London,  frustrated  by  the  tea  consignees,  the  collector  of 
the  customs,  and  the  Governor  of  the  Province,  DISSOLVED  their  meeting. — But, 
BEHOLD  what  followed  !  A  number  of  brave  and  resolute  men,  determined  to  do 
all  in  their  power  to  save  their  country  from  the  ruin  which  their  enemies  had 
plotted,  in  less  than  four  hours,  emptied  every  chest  of  tea  overboard  the  three 
ships  commanded  by  Captains  Hull,  Bruce,  and  Coffin,  amounting  to  342  chests, 
into  the  Sea  ! !  without  the  least  damage  done  to  the  ships  or  any  other  property. 
The  masters  and  owners  are  well  pleased  that  their  ships  are  thus  cleared ;  and 
the  people  are  almost  universally  congratulating  each  other  on  this  happy  event. 

John  Adams,  in  January,  1775,  commenced  the  publication,  in  the 
Gazette,  of  a  series  of  papers  over  the  signature  of  "Novauglus." 
These  communications  were  brought  out  in  reply  to  another  series, 
written  by  Jonathan  Sewall,  an  eminent  jurist,  who  wrote  over  the 
signature  of  "Massachusettensis."  One  authority,  in  speaking  of 
these  two  prominent  men,  said : 

He  and  John  Adams  were  bosom  friends.  He  attempted  to  dissuade  Mr.  Adams 
from  attending  the  first  continental  congress  ;  and  it  was  in  reply  to  his  arguments, 
and  as  they  walked  on  the  Great  Hill  at  Portland,  that  Adams  used  the  memo- 
rable words  :  "  The  die  is  now  cast ;  I  have  now  passed  the  Rubicon  ;  swim  or 
sink,  live  or  die,  survive  or  perish  with  my  country  is  my  unalterable  determina- 
tion." They  parted  and  met  no  more,  until  Sewall  came  to  America  in  1788. 
The  one,  the  high-souled,  the  lion-hearted  Adams,  had  a  country,  and  a  free  coun- 
try ;  the  eloquent  and  gifted  Sewall  lived  and  died  a  colonist. 

The  Gazette  was  removed  to  Watertown  in  1775,  as  the  British 
troops  had  possession  of  Boston.  The  Provincial  Congress  was  sit- 
ting there,  and  the  Gazette  was  filled  with  the  proceedings  of  that 
body.  On  the  evacuation  of  Boston  the  establishment  returned  to 
that  city,  and  the  paper  continued  to  be  published  by  Edes  and  his 
two  sons.  But  the  vigor  of  the  paper  began  to  fall  off.  Warren, 
killed  on  Bunker  Hill ;  Quincy,  dead  of  disease ;  Otis,  disabled 
from  writing  by  a  ruffianly  assault ;  John  Adams,  busy  in  Congress  ; 
and  Samuel  Adams,  active  also  in  other  departments,  and  then  more 
interested  in  the  Chronicle,  where  were  the  vigorous  intellects  to  keep 
up  the  spirit  and  tone  of  the  paper  ?  Edes's  patriotism  was  unflag- 
ging. Occasionally  the  columns  of  the  Gazette  would  flare  up,  like 
the  aurora  borealis,  with  a  brilliant  article  ;  but  the  persistent  ener- 
gy of  its  early  days,  which  did  so  much  for  the  country,  were  dying 
out  in  the  midst  of  the  more  active  scenes  in  Congress  and  on  the 
field.-  It  continued  to  give  the  news  of  the  day,  faithful  accounts  of 


io8  Journalism  in  America. 

the  stirring  and  important  events  of  that  great  epoch  in  the  history 
of  the  world.  But  the  close  of  the  life  of  the  Gazette  belongs  to  the 
next  period  of  journalism,  and  we  will  leave  it  till  then. 

These  old  papers  are  the  resource  of  historians,  and  their  preser- 
vation is  of  prime  importance.  We  are  glad  to  learn,  therefore,  that 
a  large  volume  of  these  Revolutionary  newspapers  has  lately  been 
presented  to  the  public  library  of  Taunton,  Mass.  This  volume  em- 
braces the  Boston  Gazette  and  Country  Journal,  and  the  United  States 
Chronicle,  printed  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  from  July  4, 1768,  to  June  21, 
1792. 

The  North  Carolina  Gazette,  which  was  issued  in  Newbern  in  De- 
cember, 1755,  was  the  next  newspaper  published  in  the  colonies,  and 
the  first  in  the  Old  North  State.  It  was  printed  about  six  years, 
and  then  discontinued  for  a  time.  On  the  27th  of  May,  1768,  it  was 
revived,  and  continued  in  existence  till  after  the  commencement  of 
the  war. 

The  imprisonment  of  Daniel  Fowle,  in  Boston,  as  the  publisher 
of  the  Independent  Advertiser,  having  disgusted  him  with  the  author- 
ities of  that  province,  he  migrated,  with  printing  material,  to  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  where  he  established  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  in 
1756.  The  first  number  was  issued  on  the  7th  of  October.  Of  this 
number  there  is  probably  not  a  copy  now  in  existence.  Its  own  au- 
tobiography is  interesting.  The  Gazette  is  now  the  oldest  paper  in 
the  Union  which  has  been  continued  without  interruption  of  issue 
or  change  of  name.  It  has  often  had  a  second  title,  but  never  gave 
up  the  first.  Number  one  was  called  "  The  New  Hampshire  Gazette 
and  Historical  Chronicle,  containing  the  Freshest  Advices,  Foreign 
&  Domestic."  Among  the  material  carried  to  Portsmouth  by  Mr. 
Fowle  was  a  set  of  wood  or  metal  cuts  belonging  to  u^Esop's  Fables. 
One  of  these,  the  Crow  and  the  Fox,  adorned  the  head  of  his  paper. 
After  this  had  performed  its  duty,  the  cut  of  Jupiter  and  the  Pea- 
cock took  its  place.  Then  the  Royal  Arms  occupied  the  post  of 
honor  till  the  Revolution  overthrew  all  signs  of  royalty.  Mr.  Fowle 
confined  himself  mostly  to  his  paper.  -He  printed  the  laws  of  the 
province  and  a  few  pamphlets.  His  short  stay  in  the  Boston  jail 
made  him  a  very  discreet  man.  He  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the 
peace  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Portsmouth.  His  manners  were 
agreeable,  his  sentiments  liberal,  his  disposition  pacific.  He  was 
attached  to  the  cause  of  his  country.  For  thirty  years  he  published 
the  Gazette.  In  1785  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Melcher  and  Os- 
born.  Mr.  Fowle  died  in  1787.  He  lived  long  enough  to  see  the 
principles  of  Samuel  Adams  and  the  Caucus  Club,  enunciated  in  the 
Independent  Advertiser  in  1752,  sustained  by  the  colonists,  and  in- 
corporated in  a  free  and  independent  nation. 


The  Newport  Mercury  and  the  Franklins.      109 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1757,  the  Boston  Weekly  Advertiser  appeared 
from  the  office  of  Green  &  Russell.  It  was  contemplated  by  its 
proprietors  not  only  to  make  a  newspaper,  but  a  literary  paper  as 
well.  Very  little  success  attended  their  effort  in  literature.  After 
the  second  year  its  name  was  changed  to  Green  6°  Russell's  Post- 
Boy  and  Advertiser.  Subsequently  it  was  again  altered,  and  it  ap- 
peared as  the  Massachusetts  Gazette  and  Post- Boy  and  Advertiser. 
In  1768  it  was  united  with  the  News-Letter,  but  was  disunited  in 
1769.  In  1773  it  was  published  by  Mills  and  Hicks,  and  continued 
by  them  till  1775,  when  the  war  commenced.  It  soon  after  ceased 
to  exist.  It  had  several  good  writers  on  its  staff  of  contributors, 
and  an  excellent  advertising  patronage  for  that  period.  It  is  record- 
ed that  Hicks  was  one  of  the  young  men  who  had  the  difficulty  with 
the  British  soldiers  which  led  to  the  Boston  massacre  of  1770,  and 
that  his  father  was  one  of  the  first  who  fell  in  the  fight  of  the  igth 
of  April,  1775  ;  yet  the  Advertiser  and  young  Hicks  adhered  to  the 
Tory  interest,  and  sustained  the  home  government. 

South  Carolina  could  now  boast  of  its  third  newspaper.  It  was 
published  in  Charleston,  by  Robert  Wells,  in  1758,  and  was  called 
the  South  Carolina  and  American  General  Gazette. 

Another  of  those  long-lived  papers,  so  few  in  number,  appeared  in 
the  same  year.  On  the  i2th  of  June,  1758,  James  Franklin,  son  of 
James  Franklin  who  printed  the  Courant  in  Boston  in  1721,  and  the 
Gazette  in  Newport  in  1732,  more  successful  than  his  father,  estab- 
lished a  newspaper,  which,  with  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  should 
have  Esto  perpetua  for  their  motto.  In  that  year  he  issued  the  New- 
port (R.  I.)  Mercury. 

It  was  a  seven  by  nine  sheet,  with  a  wood-cut  representing  Mer- 
cury flying  over  a  ship  and  fort.  With  this  device  was  the  title  of 
the  paper,  Newport  Mercury,  or  Weekly  Advertiser.  The  printing- 
office  of  the  elder  James  Franklin  had  been  carried  on  by  Mrs.  Ann 
Franklin  during  the  illness  of  her  husband,  after  the  suspension  of 
the  Gazette,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  Mercury  was  originally  pub- 
lished on  the  old  type  of  that  office.  On  the  i6th  of  June,  1866,  in 
giving  a  sketch  of  its  history,  the  Mercury  thus  described  its  initial 
number : 

It  was  about  the  size  of  a  letter  sheet  containing  eight  columns  three  and-a-half 
inches  wide  and  twelve  inches  in  length.  For  a  frontispiece  it  showed  a  ship  leav- 
ing the  harbor,  a  fortification  in  the  rear  with  the  British  flag  flying  and  a  figure  of 
mercury  passing  through  the  air,  holding  in  his  hand  a  package,  signifying  a  news- 
carrier.  Six  columns  were  devoted  to  news  and  CHARLES  HANDY,  JOSEPH 
GARDNER,  SARAH  OSBORNE,  GEORGE  HAZARD,  JOB  ALMY,  WILLIAM  STEVENS, 
BENJAMIN  WILBUR,  MARY  TATE,  CHRISTOPHER  ELLERY,  GIDEON  and  JOHN 
WANTON  occupied  the  other  columns  with  advertisements ;  JAMES  FRANKLIN 
reserving  two-thirds  of  a  column  to  proclaim  the  contents  of  "  Poor  Richard's 
Almanac,  for  1759." 


no  Journalism  in  America. 

The  younger  Franklin,  when  he  entered  upon  his  new  enterprise, 
had  evidently  acquired  some  experience  in  his  profession.  As  was 
customary  with  the  earlier  journalists,  he  often  asked  indulgence  of 
his  patrons.  In  one  instance  he  stated  that  he  had  received  a  new 
font  of  types  from  England,  and  that  he  hoped,  in  the  next  four 
months,  to  bring  up  the  arrears  of  foreign  news.  This  font  of  types 
was  presented  to  him  by  his  uncle,  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  thus 
made  his  brother  James  "ample  amends  for  the  service"  he  had 
"deprived  him  of  by  leaving  him  so  early."  In  these  ancient  sheets 
there  are  always  paragraphs  of  interest.  One  finds  in  the  Mercury, 
for  instance,  a  detailed  account  of  Arnold's  treason,  and  then  the 
news  of  Andre's  execution.  Here  a  piece  of  scandal  from  the 
court  of  Louis  XV.  Then  an  item  of  a  ball  given  by  Washington, 
and  the  particulars  of  one  of  Nelson's  victories.  In  a  number  issued 
in  1759  appeared  a  suggestion  which  was  adopted  three  quarters 
of  a  century  later  in  our  famous  Florida  War.  It  was  this  : 

The  great  Columbus,  we  are  informed,  in  his  expeditions  against  the  Indians, 
made  use  of  dogs  with  great  success.  The  same  experiment  might  be  practised 
at  this  time  against  the  wild  Canadians  and  Indians,  who,  on  account  of  the  im- 
penetrableness  of  the  woods,  have  too  successfully  hitherto  surprised  our  regular 
forces,  &c. 

James  Franklin  the  second  suddenly  left  Newport  and  never  re- 
turned. Mrs.  Ann  Franklin,  his  mother,  immediately  placed  her 
imprint  on  the  paper,  and  issued  it  regularly  as  before.  She  was  a 
woman  of  energy,  industry,  and  experience.  She  carried  on  the 
business  till  the  marriage  of  her  daughter  to  Samuel  Hall.  He  then 
took  charge  of  the  establishment.  Subsequently  he  sold  out  to  Sol- 
omon Southwick,  who  continued  to  publish  the  Mercury  till  Decem- 
ber, 1776,  when  it  was  discontinued  for  a  time  for  fear  that  the  Brit- 
ish, on  landing,  would  destroy  his  office  and  material.  Southwick 
was  a  patriot.  He  early  took  up  the  cause  of  his  country  with  much 
vigor  and  effect.  Three  years  before  the  affair  at  the  North  Bridge, 
in  Concord,  he  published  a  communication  in  which  the  following 
bold  paragraph  appeared  :  * 

To  the  Printer  of  the  Newport  Mercury. 

We  are  much  mistaken  if  there  be  not  something  tienu  brewing,  in  some  parts 
of  Europe,  which  will  infallibly  free  this  country  fromythe  worst  of  temporal  curses, 
under  which  it  at  present  groans,  the  curse  of  being  tyrannized  over  by  a  parcel 
of  dependant  tools  of  arbitrary  power,  sent  hither  to  enrich  themselves  and  their 
MASTERS,  on  the  spoils  of  the  honest  and  industrious  of  these  colonies  ;  whom 
Satan  envies  as  he  did  Adam  and  Eve  in  paradise  ;  and  therefore  has  let  loose  his 
Legions  to  work  their  final  overthrow. 

The  press  on  which  the  elder  James  Franklin  and  his  brother, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  so  often  worked  in  Boston,  remained  in  the  Mer- 
cury office  over  one  hundred  years.  In  1859  it  was  sold  to  John 
B.  Murray,  Esq.,  he  agreeing  to  place  it  in  the  Patent-office  at 


The  Franklin  Presses.  1 1 1 

Washington,  or  some  equally  public  and  safe  place,  the  desire  being 
to  insure  its  preservation  for  future  generations  as  the  first  press 
on  which  Benjamin  Franklin  worked.  Mr.  Murray  decided,  in  1864, 
to  present  it  to  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanics'  Associa- 
tion on  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-eighth  anniversary  of  the  birthday 
of  Franklin.  The  press  will  be  recognized  as  the  original  of  the 
front  panel  of  the  Franklin  statue  in  front  of  the  City  Hall,  in  School 
Street,  Boston. '  Another  press,  on  which  Franklin  worked  in  Lon- 
don in  1725-6,  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Murray  in  1841,  and  placed  in 
the  Patent-office  at  Washington. 

On  the  title-page  of  the  Mercury  it  is  now  published  that  the  paper 
was  "Established  by  Franklin,  A.D.  1758." 

The  New  London  Summary  was  added  to  the  list  of  newspapers 
on  the  8th  of  August,  1758.  Timothy  Green  was  its  publisher  till 
1763,  when  both  paper  and  printer  died. 

Our  records  state  that  another  New  Yfirk  Gazette  was  started  on 
the  i6th  of  February,  1759.  William  Weyman  was  its  printer.  This 
paper  was  a  revival  of  the  old  Gazette  of  Bradford  and  the  Gazette 
and  Post-Boy  of  Parker.  The  latter,  after  a  short  banishment  to 
Connecticut,  returned  and  became  a  partner  of  Weyman's,  and  the 
new  Gazette  was  conducted  by  the  new  firm,  and,  as  such,  was  im- 
mortalized by  Freneau  in  verse.  In  1 763-4  Parker  retired  from  jour- 
nalism, but  continued  his  printing-office  and  became  secretary  of 
the  Post-office. 

In  the  excitement  growing  out  of  the  efforts  of  Sir  Henry  Moore 
to  enforce  the  Mutiny  Act  in  1768-9,.  and  the  favorable  action  of 
the  Assembly  on  the  subject,  an  inflammatory  handbill,  charging  the 
Assembly  with  a  betrayal  of  its  trust,  was  issued  in  the  interests  of 
the  Sons  of  Liberty.  In  the  search  for  the  author,  its  publication 
was  traced  to  the  printing-office  of  Parker,  and  he  was  arrested  and 
confined  in  the  fort.  Threats  to  deprive  him  of  his  office  and  prom- 
ises of  indemnity  induced  him  to  disclose  the  name  of  Alexander 
M'Dougall  as  the  author.  M'Dougall  afterwards  became  famous 
in  the  annals  of  the  patriotic  press  as  the  editor  of  the  Journal. 
He  was,  of  course,  arrested.  He  was  taken  before  the  chief  justice, 
and,  refusing  to  give  bail,  was  confined  in  the  new  jail,  now  the  Hall 
of  Records,  opposite  the  old  Tammany  Hall,  where  the  Sun  Building 
now  stands.  The  Assembly  voted  the  handbill  libelous,  and  the 
proceedings  were  printed  on  the  forty-fifth  page  of  the  journal  of 
that  body.  "  Forty-five"  became,  therefore,  the  countersign  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty.  M'Dougall  was  overrun  with  visitors.  They  were 
so  numerous,  as  in  the  case  of  Leigh  Hunt,  of  the  London  Examin- 
er, in  1812,  that  he  was  compelled  to  publish  the  following  card : 


ii2  Journalism  in  America. 

Many  of  my  Friends  who  have  honored  me  with  their  Visits  since  my  oppress- 
ive Confinement  in  this  Place,  have  advised  me,  as  I  intend  to  devote  a  consider- 
able Part  of  my  Time  to  do  Justice  to  the  Public,  in  the  Cause  for  which  I  am  im- 
prisoned, to  appomt  an  Hour  from  which  will  be  most  convenient  for  me  to  see 
my  Friends  ;  I  do  therefore,  hereby  notify  them,  that  I  shall  be  glad  of  the  Honor 
of  their  Company,  from  Three  o'Clock  in  the  Afternoon  till  Six. 
I  am,  Gentlemen, 

With  great  Esteem  and  Gratitude 

New  Goal  Your  very  humble  Servant, 

Feb.  10, 1770.  Alex.  M'Dougall. 

The  Journal  of  February  15, 1770,  in  giving  an  idea  of  the  char- 
acter of  these  visits,  says  : 

Yesterday,  the  forty-fifth  day  of  the  year,  forty-five  gentlemen,  real  enemies  to 
internal  taxation,  by,  or  in  obedience  to  external  authority,  and  cordial  friends  to 
Captain  McDougal,  and  the  glorious  cause  of  American  liberty,  went  in  decent 
procession  to  the  New  Gaol ;  and  dined  with  him  on  forty-five  pounds  of  beef 
stakes,  cut  from  a  bullock  of  forty-five  months  old,  and  with  a  number  of  other 
friends,  who  joined  them  in  the  afternoon,  drank  a  variety  of  toasts,  expressive 
not  only  of  the  most  undissembled  loyalty,  but  of  the  warmest  attachment  to  Lib- 
erty, its  renowned  advocates  injSreat  Britain  and  America,  and  the  freedom  of  the 
press.  Before  the  evening  the  company,  who  conducted  themselves  with  great 
decency,  seperated  in  the  most  cordial  manner,  but  not  without  the  firmest  reso- 
lution to  continue  united  in  the  glorious  cause. 

The  only  newspaper  printed  in  Delaware,  during  this  epoch,  was 
the  Wilmington  Courant,  which  was  published  for  about  six  months 
in  1761,  by  James  Adams,  who  introduced  printing  in  that  state. 

The  third  paper  in  Rhode  Island  was  published  in  Providence  in 
1762,  and  was  named  the  Providence  Gazette  and  Country  Journal. 
It  was  in  the  Gazette  of  1822  that  the  well-known  song  of  "Old 
Grimes,"  written  by  Albert  C,  Greene,  was  first  published.  Greene 
was  one  of  the  writers,  if  not  the  editor,  of  the  modern  Gazette.  In 
1833-4  he  edited  the  Literary  Journal  and  Weekly  Register.  He  aft- 
erward became  a  judge,  and  died  in  1868. 

Away  down  South  the  next  journalistic  enterprise  appeared. 
James  Johnston,  a  native  of  Scotland,  began  the  publication  of  the 
Georgia  Gazette  in  Savannah  on  the  i7th  of  April,  1763.  It  was 
published  by  Johnston  for  twenty-seven  years,  and  was  the  only 
newspaper  in  that  state  before  the  Revolution, 

On  the  death  of  the  Summary  the  New  London  Gazette  made  its 
appearance.  .It  was  issued  on  the  ist  of  November,  1763.  Its  name 
was  changed  in  1773  to  that  of  the  Connecticut  Gazette,  and  is  the 
oldest  paper  in  that  state. 


Another  Century  Paper.  113 


CHAPTER  VII. 
SPREAD  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  SPIRIT. 

NEW  PAPERS  ESTABLISHED. — SCARCITY  OF  RAGS. — APPEALS  TO  THE  PEOPLE. 

•  — How  PAPER-MILLS  WERE  SUPPLIED. — CHARLES  CARROLL,  OF  CARROLL- 
TON. — EARLY  OPINION  OF  NEWS  IN  VIRGINIA. — THOMAS.  JEFFERSON  AND 
THE  PRESS. 

ANOTHER  century  newspaper  is  now  announced. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1764,  a  specimen  number  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Courant  was  published  by  Thomas  Green  "at. the  Heart  and 
Crown,  near  the  North  Meeting  House,"  in  Hartford.  The  first 
regular  issue  of  the  paper,  which  has  continued  without  interruption 
or  change  of  name  to  the  present  time,- was  on  the  igth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1764. 

Its  prospectus  read  as  follows  : 

OF  all  the  Arts  which  have  been  introduc'd  amongft  Mankind,  for  the  civiliz- 
ing Human-Nature,  and  rendering  Life  agreeable  and  happy,  none  appear 
of  greater  Advantage  than  that  of  Printing  :  for  hereby  the  greateft  Genius's  of 
all  Ages,  and  Nations,  live  and  fpeak  for  the  Benefit  of  future  Generations. — 

Was  it  not  for  the  Prefs,  we  fhould  be  left  almoft  intirely  ignorant  of  all  thofe 
noble  Sentiments  which  the  Antients  were  endow'd  with. 

By  this  Art,  Men  are  brought  acquainted  with  each  other,  though  never  fo  re- 
mote, as  to  Age  or  Situation  ;  it  lays  open  to  View,  the  Manners,  Genius  and  Pol- 
icy of  all  Nations  and  Countries  and  faithfully  tranfmits  them  to  Pofterity. — But 
not  to  infift  upon  the  Ufefulnefs  of  this  Art  in  general,  which  muft  be  obvious  to 
every  One,  whofe  Thoughts  are  the  leaft  extefive.  , 

The  Benefit  of  a  Weekly  Paper,  muft  in  particular  have  its  Advantages,  as  it 
is  the  Channel  which  conveys  the  History  of  the  prefent  Times  to  every  Part  of 
the  World. 

The  Articles  of  News  from  the  different  Papers  (which  we  mail  receive  every 
Saturday,  from  the  neighbouring  Provinces)  that  fhall  appear  to  us,  to  be  moft  au- 
thentic and  interefting  mail  always  be  carefully  inferted  ;  and  great  Care  will  be 
taken  to  collect  from  Time  to  Time  all  domeftic  Occurrences,  that  are  worthy  the 
Notice  of  the  Publick ;  for  which,  we  mall  always  be  obliged  to  any  of  our  Corre- 
fpondents,  within  whofe  Knowledge  they  may  happen. 

The  CONNECTICUT  COURANT,  (a  Specimen  of  which,  the  Publick  are 
now  prefented  with)  will,  on  due  Encouragement  be  continued  every  Monday,  be- 
ginning on  Monday,  the  igth  of  November,  next :  Which  Encouragement  we  hope 
to  deferve,  by  a  coftant  Endeavour  to  render  this  Paper  ufeful,  and  entertaining, 
not  only  as  a  Channel  for  News,  but  affifting  to  all  Thofe  who  may  have  Occafion 
to  make  ufe  of  it  as  an'  Advertifer. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1768,  Ebenezer  Watson  became  a  partner 
in  the  concern,  and  its  sole  publisher  in  December,  1770.  On  the  2d 
of  March,  1779,  Hudson  and  Goodwin  were  the  publishers,  Mr.  Wat- 
son having  died.  Barzillai  Hudson  married  the  widow  Watson,  and 

H 


H4  Journalism  in  America. 

assumed  her  interest.  Various  changes  have  occurred,  since  the 
first  issue  of  the  paper,  in  the  condition  of  the  country  and  the  Press. 
In  running  over  the  early  files  of  a  century  newspaper,  one  can  trace 
the  growth  of  that  sentiment  which  led  to  such  great  results  on  this 
continent.  The  Courant,  in  alluding  to  its  past  history,  said  : 

When  the  COURANT  was  started,  the  utmost  deference  was  paid  in  -words  to  the 
English  government,  and  "  His  Gracious  Majesty's  most  loyal  and  dutiful  sub- 
jects" were  full  of  expressions  which  now  grate  harshly  on  an  American  ear  of 
fealty  to  the  British  throne.  As  the  time  wore  along,  the  "  Loyal  Sons  of  Liber- 
ty" whose  doings  are  faithfully  reported  by  their  organ  the  COURANT,  toned  up 
the  public  mind  to  the  great  issue  which  all  sagacious  men  knew  to  be  not  far  in 
the  future,  and  when  the  war  of  Independence  broke  out,  the  COURANT  was  bold 
as  the  boldest  in  sustaining  the  American  doctrine.  *  *  *  *  The  early  pub- 
lishers of  the  COURANT  were  patriotic  and  courageous  in  opposing  the  tyranny  of 
the'ministers  of  George  3d,  the  stamp  act,  the  tea  tax,  &c. — Historians  like  Ban- 
croft, Trumbull,  Stuart,  Hollister  and  other  writers  and  politicians  have  freely 
quoted  and  cited  from  the  files  of  the  COURANT.  At  the  time  when  the  accept- 
ance or  rejection  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  pending,  the  debate 
is  fully  reported,  and  as  such  men  as  Oliver  Ellsworth,  Jeremiah  Wadsworth  and 
Roger  Sherman  took  part  in  it,  no  abler  debate  can  be  found. 

The  proprietors  of  the  Courant,  during  the  War  of  Independence, 
erected  a  paper-mill  in  Hartford,  and  made  the  paper  on  which  they 
printed,  and  numerous  appeals  and  entreaties  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
files  of  the  paper  to  the  people  to  save  every  scrap  of  rags  or  oth- 
er material  that  could  be  converted  into  paper,  and  take  it  to  the 
Courant  paper-mill.  The  want  of  rags  was  the  great  desideratum  of 
the  early  publishers  of  newspapers.  After  starting  a  paper-mill,  it 
was  difficult  to  supply  it  with  the  raw  material.  Rags  were  gath- 
ered on  a  very  limited  scale.  Increase  of  population  is  an  increase 
of  rags.  Fashion  aids  the  paper-maker.  But  to  gather  the  cast-off 
tatters  was  a  task.  Peddlers'  wagons  now  go  through  towns  and 
villages,  and,  buy  up  all  they  can  find.  They  purchase  old  books, 
old  papers,  old  manuscripts,  for  money  or  tin-ware.  Bell-carts  go 
about  the  cities  and  collect  all  they  can,  but  the  quantity  is  too  small 
to  supply  the  great  demand.  Our  paper-makers,  therefore,  resort 
to  Italy  and  other  foreign  countries.  Immense  quantities  are  im- 
ported. Bell-carts  were  used  in  the  last  century  for  the  collection 
of  rags  only.  Old  books  and  old  newspapers  were  a  rarity  then. 
One  bell-cart,  and  no  more,  it  appears  by  the  following  advertise- 
ment in  the  News-Letter  of  March  6, 1769,  and  only  one  paper-mill, 
in  New  England  in  that  year : 

ADVERTISEMENT. 

The  Bell  Cart  will  go  through  Boston  before  the  end  of  next  month,  to  collect 
Rags  for  the  Paper-Mill  at  Milton,  when  all  people  that  will  encourage  the  Paper 
Manufactory,  may  dispose  of  them.  They  are  taken  in  at  Mr.  Caleb  Davis's  Shop, 
at  the  Fortification  ;  Mr.  Andrew  Gillespie's,  near  Dr.  Clark's  ;  Mr.  Andras  Ran- 
dalis,  near  Phillips's  Wharf;  and  Mr.  John  Boies's  in  Long  Lane;  Mr.  Frothing- 
ham's  in  Charlestown  ;  Mr.  Williams's  in  Marblehead ;  Mr.  Edson's  in  Salem  ; 
Mr.  John  Harris's  in  Newbury ;  Mr.  Daniel  Fowle's  in  Portsmouth ;  and  at  the 
Paper-Mill  in  Milton. 


Scarcity  of  Rags  for  the  Paper-mills.         115 

Rag s  are  as  beauties,  which  concealed  lie, 
But  -when  in  Paper,  how  it  charms  the  eye : 
Pray  save  your  rags,  new  beauties  to  discover, 
For  Paper  truly,  every  one 's  a  lover  : 
By  the  Pen  and  Press  such  knowledge  is  displayed, 
As  wouldtit  exist,  if  Paper  was  not  made, 
Wisdom  of  things,  mysterious,  divine, 
Illustriously  doth  on  Paper  shine. 

Ten  years  later,  when  the  war  was  in  full  force,  the  issue  of  news- 
papers was  very  irregular  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of  paper. 
Every  effort  was  made  to  secure  stock  for  the  mills,  and  the  pub- 
lisher of  the  Massachusetts  Spy  of  the  i6th  of  November,  1780,  ap- 
pealed to  the  women  of  the  nation  in  these  words : 

CASH  GIVEN   FOR  LINEN   AND  COTTON  AND  LINEN   RAGS,  AT  THE   PRINTING 

OFFICE. 

It  is  earnestly  requested  that  the  fair  Daughters  of  Liberty  in  this  extensive 
country  would  not  neglect  to  serve  their  country,  by  saving  for  the  Paper-Mill,  all 
Linen  and  Cotton  and  Linen  Rags,  be  they  ever  so  small,  as  they  are  equally  good 
for  the  purpose  of  making  paper,  as  those  that  are  larger.  A  bag  hung  up  in  one 
corner  of  a  room,  would  be  the  means  of  saving  many  which  would  be  otherwise 
lost.  If  the  Ladies  should  not  make  a  fortune  by  this  piece  of  economy  they  will 
at  least  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  they  are  doing  an  essential  service  to  the 
community,  which  with  TEN  SHILLINGS  per  pound,  the  price  now  given  for  clean 
white  rags,  they  must  be  sensible  will  be  a  sufficient  reward. 

ISAIAH  THOMAS. 

The  Supreme  Executive  Council  of  Pennsylvania  subscribed  for 
Loudon's  New  York  Packet,  and  Secretary  Mallack  wrote  to  have  it 
sent  regularly,  "in  order  to  have  the  files  compleat."  Publisher 
Loudon  replied  as  follows : 

FISHKILL  25th  Feby.  1779. 

Sir, — Agreeable  to  your  desire  the  paper  shall  be  sent  to  you.  I  have  pub- 
lished but  few  papers  for  the  past  three  months,  owing  to  scarcity  of  Paper,  but 
now  have  a  parcel  on  the  way  hither  and  in  two  weeks  shall  begin  to  forward 
them  to  you.  I  am  sr 

Your  h'ble  serv't 

SAM  LOUDON. 

Imagine  such  a  letter  from  the  New  York  Herald  or  the  Philadel- 
phia Ledger  in  February,  1872  !  But  these  were  only  a  few  of  the 
early  struggles  of  the  Newspaper  Press  of  this  country.  The  journal- 
ists of  the  South  experienced  the  same  sort  of  troubles  in  1861-65, 
during  the  rebellion,  and  many  of  the  Paris  papers  were  compelled 
to  suspend  their  issue  during  the  siege  in  1870-71.  More  than 
half  the  papers  in  the  Southern  States  were  stopped  entirely.  Oth- 
ers were  printed  on  light  brown  paper  of  no  better  quality  than  those 
of  the  last  century  were  printed  on.  Many  of  the  Southern  journals 
were  printed  on  common  house-paper,  with  the  news  on  one  side 
and  handsome  figured  patterns  on  the  reverse.  Several  of  the  war 
correspondents  of  the  New  York  Herald and  other  papers  wrote  their 
descriptions  of  Union  victories  on  the  backs  of  rebel  state  bonds 
and  Confederate  scrip  representing  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol- 


n6  Journalism  in  America. 

lars  in  an  account  of  a  single  battle.  They  took  notes  on  the  backs 
of  exploded  bank-notes.  With  cotton  every  where,  they  had  not 
mills  enough  to  turn  it  into  paper. 

"Water,  water,  every  where, 
And  not  a  drop  to  drink." 

All  sorts  of  material  are  now  used.  Old  blank-books  and  ledg- 
ers, footing  up  fortunes  for  their  owners  in  days  gone  by,  old  news- 
papers, old  speeches,  old  sermons,  old  letters,  Congressional  docu- 
ments without  end,  are  made  into  pulp  for  the  enlightenment  of  the 
present  age.  Old  history  is  ground  into  new  history.  There  is  one 
concern  in  New  York  City  alone  that  has  had  more  curious  revela- 
tions in  old  letters  on  love,  politics,  religion,  and  trade,  in  the  tons 
of  old  papers  and  manuscript  that  they  have  purchased,  than  would 
fill  as  many  novels  and  histories  as  are  now  on  the  shelves  of  our 
libraries  with  their  wit  and  wisdom,  plots  and  philosophy,  schemes 
and  sentiment,  humor  and  humbug.  The  advertisement  of  this  con- 
cern appears  daily  in  the  Evening  Telegram  of  New  York,  headed 
with  a  capital  O,  a  picture  of  a  human  eye,  and  a  capital  C,  and  it 
has  paid  five  hundred  dollars  for  a  single  page  of  the  New  York  Her- 
ald for  one  insertion  of  an  advertisement  calling  for  old  books  and 
old  papers.  Here  is  the  advertisement  that  appears  in  the  Tele- 
gram : 

The  Highest  Cash  Prices 

PAID  FOR 
OLD  NEWSPAPERS  OF  EVERY  DESCRIPTION,  OLD 

PAMPHLETS  of  every  kind, 

OLD  BLANK  BOOKS  AND  LEDGERS  that  are  written  full, 

and  all  kinds  of  WASTE  PAPER  from  bankers,  insurance  companies,  broke-s, 

patent  medicine  depots,  printing  offices,  book  binders,  public  and  private 

libraries,  hotels,  steamboats,  railroad  companies,  express  offices,  &c. 

J.  C.  STOCKWELL, 

25  Ann  street,  N.  Y. 

Some  of  the  "  stuff"  thus  obtained  is  valuable.  Some  of  the  old 
volumes  of  newspapers  are  of  considerable  importance  in  a  historical 
point  of  view.  Some  old  files  have  been  rescued  from  oblivion  in 
this  way.  There  was  a  curious  philosopher  living  a  few  years  ago 
in  Brooklyn  named  Eben  Merriam.  He  was  the  veritable  clerk  of 
the  weather.  He  kept  the  New  York  journals  meteorologically 
posted  daily  and  semi-daily.  E.  M.  came  with  every  rain  and  every 
change  of  wind  with  his  atmospheric  "  perturbations."  So  enthu- 
siastic was  he  in  the  pursuit  of  his  hobby,  that  he  would  often  leave 
a  warm  bed  and  ascend  to  the  roof  of  his  house  almost  in  puris  natu- 
ralibus,  to  see  how  many  degrees  below  zero  the  mercury  had  fallen. 
This  singular  man  saved  every  scrap  of  newspaper  that  contained 
an  idea  of  any  value.  When  he  died  his  attic  was  filled  with  this 
salt.  All  was  sold  to  this  Ann  Street  gatherer  in  bulk  by  the  pound. 


Italy  the  American  Rag-bag.  1 1 7 

Nearly  five  hundred  dollars  were  paid  for  the  lot.  Imagine  the 
quantity !  When  the  rebellion  of  1861  burst  upon  us,  thousands  of 
attics  were  filled  with  such  rubbish.  The  almost  fabulous  prices  of 
manufactured  paper,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  the  raw  material,  emp- 
tied these  attics  into  the  paper-mills.  Not,  however,  at  ten  shillings 
a  pound,  as  in  1780. 

But,  as  we  have  said,  Italy  is  our  rag-bag.  It  is  a  perfect  wonder 
to  see  the  constant  supply  poured  out  of  that  lovely  country  into 
the  storehouses  of  the  Crockers,  Butlers,  and  Rices  of  the  United 
States.  If  the  lazzaroni  are  always  in  rags,  how  can  they  supply 
America  with  the  article  ?  Has  this  problem  ever  been  solved  ? 
Other  nations  have  rags,  but  the  exportation  has  been  prohibited  in 
France  and  Belgium  in  order  that  their  paper-mills  may  not  run 
short,  even  under  the  oppressive  and  suppressive  press-laws  of  im- 
perial France.  We  now  import  thirty  millions  of  pounds  annually, 
half  of  which  comes  from  Italy.  One  would  suppose  that  a  year's 
exportation  would  completely  strip  the  lazzaroni  to  the  very  dirt  on 
their  skin,  and  yet,  if  you  visit  that  beautiful  country  of  art  and  song, 
you  will  not  miss  a  rag.  Nothing  has  yet  been  found  to  take  the 
place  of  rags  except  paper  itself.  Straw,  bark,  and  several  fibrous 
plants  have  been  introduced  as  substitutes,  but  nothing  approaches 
cotton  and  linen  rags  for  this  purpose.  In  the  early  days  of  press 
persecutions  the  obnoxious  publications  were  burnt  in  some  public 
square  by  the. common  hangman.  Zenger's  Gazette,  and  others,  were 
thus  treated  by  the  authorities.  This  was  a  wanton  waste  of  raw 
material.  Napoleon  III.,  with  an  eye  to  economy,  managed  better 
with  the  proscribed  newspapers  of  his  reign.  These  unfortunate 
sheets,  when  seized,  were  placed  in'an  immense  storeroom.  When 
filled,  the  papers  were  taken  out,  and  carried,  under  guard,  to  the 
suburbs  of  Paris,  and  thrown  into  caldrons  of  boiling  water,  where 
they  were  reduced  to  a  pulp.  The  mass  was  then  sold  to  the  paper 
and  card-board  makers.  Half  a  million  copies  of  the  Independence 
Bklge,  the  Gazette  de  Francfort,  the  Gazette  de  Moscow,  the  Kladdera- 
datch,  the  comic  paper  of  Berlin,  and  the  Lanterns,  were  thus  served 
just  before  the  war  with  Germany.  Thus  all  the  Bourbonism,  Or- 
leanism,  and  sans  culottism  were  boiled  out  of  them. 

About  the  time  the  Conrant  was  started  in  Hartford,  Andrew 
Stewart,  who  had  opened  a  printing-office  in  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  is- 
sued a  newspaper  in  that  place.  He  named  it  the  Cape  Fear  Ga- 
zette and  Wilmington  Advertiser.  It  was  first  issued  in  1763,  and 
lived  till  1767. 

The  second  newspaper  of  New  Hampshire  made  its  debut  in 
Portsmouth,  which  was  the  important  commercial  centre  of  that 
state,  a  thrifty  little  place  with  a  history  attached  to  it.  The  new 


n8  Journalism  in  America. 

aspirant  for  journalistic  honors  was  entitled  the  Portsmouth  Mer- 
cttry  and  Weekly  Advertiser.  It  was  born  in  1765,  and  died  in  1768. 
It  was  published  by  Ezekiel  Russell,  of  the  firm  of  Russell  and  Fur- 
ber,  who  was  afterward,  it  was  asserted,  in  the  employment  of  the 
home  government  to  write  against  the  wide-awake  Whigs  of  New 
England. 

The  Maryland  Gazette,  started  in  the  last  epoch,  now  loomed  up 
under  the  inspiration  of  Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton.  In  March, 
1765,  the  famous  Stamp  Act  was  passed  in  Parliament,  by  which  all 
instruments  in  writing  were  to  be  executed  on'stamped  paper,  to  be 
purchased  of  the  agents  of  the  English  government,  and  all  offenses 
against  the  act  were  to  be  tried  in  any  royal  marine  or  admiralty 
court  in  any  part  of  the  colonies,  no  matter  how  distant  from  the 
place  of  offense,  thus  interfering  with  the  right  of  trial  by  jury.  The 
colonies  were  aroused,  as  our  pages  have  already  indicated.  On  , 
the  29th  of  May  of  that  year,  when  Washington  occupied  a  seat  in 
the  House  of  Burgesses  of  Virginia,  Patrick  Henry  rose  and  intro- 
duced his  celebrated  resolutions  declaring  that  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  that  state  had  the  exclusive  right  and  power  to  lay  taxes  and 
impositions  upon  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  whoever  maintained 
the  contrary  was  an  enemy  to  the  colony.  On  the  speaker's  object- 
ing to  them  as  inflammatory,  Henry  vindicated  them  in  a  clear  ex- 
position of  colonial  rights,  and  how  they  had  been  assailed,  closing 
with  that  brilliant  flight  which  startled  the  House  and  was  heard 
throughout  the  colonies  :  "  Csesar  had  his  Brutus  ;  Charles  his  Crom- 
well ;  and  George  the  Third — (Treason !  Treason  !  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  chair)  may  profit  by  their  examples.  Sir,  if  this  be 
treason  (bowing  to  the  speaker),  make  the  most  of  it !" 

After  some  slight  modifications  to  meet  the  objections  of  the 
speaker,  the  resolutions  were  adopted.  Fauquier,  the  governor, 
alarmed  and  indignant,  dissolved  the  Assembly,  but  it  was  too  late. 
The  resolutions  appeared  in  full  in  the  next  number  of  the  Mary- 
land Gazette,  accompanied  with  an  article  strongly  approving  the'm. , 
Charles  Carroll  was  then  one  of  the  writers  for  the  Gazette,  and  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  of  Maryland.  Educated  at  St.  Omer  and 
Bourges,  he  returned  home  at  this  critical  period  in  our  history,  and 
with  no  very  strong  attachment  for  England,  he  indorsed  these  res- 
olutions with  his  signature,  and  had  them  published.  Thence  they 
run  through  the  colonies.  They  were  printed  in  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin's Pennsylvania  Gazette  ;  then  in  the  Newport  Mercury,  which  num- 
ber was  instantly  suppressed  as  a  traitorous  publication ;  then  the 
South  Carolina  Gazette,  the  American  General  Gazette,  and  the  Ga- 
zette and  Country  Journal,  all  printed  in  Charleston,  published  them. 
When  they  appeared  in  Massachusetts,  the  Sons  of  Liberty  took 


Charles  Carroll  as  a  Journalist.  119 

them  up  and  indorsed  them ;  and  the  comments  of  John  Adams, 
which  we.  re  published  in  the  Boston  Gazette,  were  afterward  printed 
in  pamphlet  form  in  London.  Efforts  were  made,  without  success, 
to  have  it  suppressed  by  act  of  Parliament,  on  the  plea  that  the  lan- 
guage was  traitorous  and  seditious.  The  Stamp  Act  was  repealed, 
but  the  revolutionary  ball  was  opened.  All  this  was  accomplished 
by  the  few  newspapers  then  in  existence,  and  in  the  hands  of  bold 
and  patriotic  men. 

The  Gazette  and  Country  Journal  was  established  in  Charleston, 
S.  C.,  by  Charles  Crfluch,  in  1765,  in  special  opposition  to  the  Stamp 
Act.  It  was  his  widow,  Mary  Crouch,  who,  twenty  years  later,  moved 
to  Salem,  and  started  one  of  the  Gazettes  there  with  the  type  used 
by  her  husband  in  Charleston. 

There  was  published  in  New  Jersey,  in  1765,  on  Saturday,  the  2ist 
of  September,  a  paper  under  the  title  of  The  Constitutional  Courant. 
It  was  printed  in  Burlington  "  by  Andrew  Marvel,  at  the  sign  of  the 
Bribe  refused,  on  Constitution  Hill,  North  America."  The  real  print- 
er, however,  was  William  Goddard,  who  afterward  published  the  Penn- 
sylvania Chronicle  and  Universal  Advertiser.  It  contained  three  ar- 
ticles only — the  address  of  "  Andrew  Marvel"  and  two  editorials. 
With  its  title  it  had  for  a  device  a  cut  representing  a  snake  divided 
into. eight  parts,  each  part  denoting  a  section  or  colony — the  head 
and  neck  representing  New 'England,  and  the  body  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and  South 
Carolina,  with  the  motto  "  Join  or  Die."  Isaiah  Thomas  adopted, 
in  1774,  for  a  time,  a  similar  device  for  the  Massachusetts  Spy.  It 
was  an  allegorical  appeal  to  the  colonists  to  be  united  in  the  coming 
struggle  with  the  home  government.  The  Constitutional  Courant 
was  sold  in  the  streets  of  New  York,  and  produced  a  sensation.  It 
was  noticed  by  the  government.  There  was  a  "  council  of  war"  on 
the  paper.  One  of  the  "  news-boys"  of  that  day,  Samuel  Sweeney — 
there  are  many  of  that  name  nowadays — on  being  asked  by  one  of 
the  council  "where  that  incendiary  paper  was  printed,"  answered, 
"At  Peter  Hassenclever's  Iron  Works,  please  your  honor."  Only 
one  number  was  issued,  but  that  number  made  its  mark. 
•  Virginia  was  very  backward  in  the  encouragement  of  newspapers. 
Indeed,  from  the  earliest  period  she  discouraged  free-schools  and 
printing  alike.  Settled  first  of  the  American  colonies,  she  was  from 
half  a  century  to  a  century  behind  Massachusetts  in  material  prog- 
ress. It  was  ninety  years  after  the  introduction  of  printing  in  Mas- 
sachusetts that  the  art  was  carried  into  Virginia.  Sir  William  Berke- 
ley, the  governor  of  that  province  for  nearly  forty  years,  said  in  1661, 
"  I  thank  God  we  have  no  free- schools  nor  printing,  and  I  hope  we 
shall  not  have  these  hundred  years  ;  for  learning  has  brought  diso- 


I2O  Journalism  in  America. 

bedience,  and  heresy,  and  sects  into  the  world,  and  printing  has  de- 
vulged  them  and  libels  against  the  government."  Another  distin- 
guished governor  of  that  state,  the  Hon.  Henry  A.  Wise,  as  late  as 
1842,  uttered  a  similar  sentiment  in  thanking  God  there  were  nei- 
ther schools  nor  newspapers  in  the  Accomac  District,  the  enlight- 
ened voters  of  which  had  sent  him  to  Congress.  In  alluding  to  this 
statement,  and  some  later  boasts  of  the  same  gentleman  on  the  floor 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  touching  the  intelligence  of  the 
people  in  this  same  district,  a  correspondent  of  the  Baltimore  Pa- 
triot said  : 

Hast  ever  been,  gentle  reader  of  newspapers,  in  Accomac  County  of  Virginia  ? 
If  you  had  been  there  one  day  in  the  year  1840,  you  would  have  seen  how  good  it 
is  to  have  no  newspaper  to  announce  coming  events.  Mr.  Wise  was  expected  to 
speak  in  a  tavern  porch  in  Drummond  Town,  and  whigs  and  locos  were  notified 
of  it  by  a  man  riding  through  the  town  on  horseback  who  lifted  up  his  voice  and 
thus  proclaimed  :  "O yese,  O yese,  this  here  v&fur  to  give  nods  that  the  honorable 
Henry  A.  Wise,  \sfur  to  be  delivered  of  a  speech  this  afternoon  at  4  o'clock,  right 
in  misty  Waddy's  pe-az,  and  I  want  you  all  for  to  cum." 

But,  in  spite  of  these  drawbacks,  several  very  excellent  newspa- 
pers, for  one  or  two  of  which  the  Wise  family  have  written  some  bril- 
liant articles,  have  existed  in  Virginia.  One,  it  will  be  recollected, 
was  established  in  the  first  epoch,  and  now  we  have  to  chronicle  an- 
other, called  by  the  familiar  name  of  Virginia  Gazette,  the  first  num- 
ber of  which  was  issued  in  1766.  In  May  of  that  year  the  new  Ga- 
zette appeared  with  this  imprint : 

Williamsburg :  Printed  by  William  Rind,  at  the  New  Printing  Office,  on  the 
Main  Street,  All  persons  may  be  supplied  with  this  Gazette  at  ias.  6d.  per  year. 

Its  title  was  "The  Virginia  Gazette,  published  by  Authority  ;  Open 
to  all  Parties,  but  influenced  by  none."  The  arms  of  the  colony 
formed'the  device  with  the  title.  Nearly  all  the  papers  of  that  early 
period  had  representative  cuts  with  their  titles.  Some  had  two,  and 
they  changed  the  designs  and  devices  with  the  changes  in  the  sen- 
timents of  the  editors  and  the  people.  Thomas  Jefferson  was  the 
prime  instigator  in  the  establishment  of  the  second  Gazette.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  other  Gazette  being  entirely  under  the  influence  of 
the  governor,  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  saw 
the  necessity  of  another  newspaper.  Jefferson  said  :  "  Till  the  be- 
ginning of  our  Revolutionary  disputes  we  had  but  one  press,  and 
that,  having  the  whole  business  of  the  government,  and  no  compet- 
itor for  public  favor,  nothing  disagreeable  to  the  governor  could  find 
its  way  into  it.  We  procured  Rind  to  come  from  Maryland  to  pub- 
lish a  free  paper."  After  the  first  year,  "published  by  Authority" 
was  not  printed  with  the  title,  its  tone  not  being  loyal  enough  for 
the  home  government.  William  Rind  published  the  paper  till  his 
death  in  1773.  His  widow,  Clementina  Rind,  carried  it  on  for  some 


Thomas  Jefferson  s  Gazette.  121 

time.  Then  John  Pinckney  conducted  the  establishment.  In  April, 
1775,  it  was  published  by  John  Clarkson  and  A'ugustine  Davis. 

It  is  stated  that  the  first  printed  statement  of  the  adoption  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  of  the  Fourth  of  July  by  Congress  was 
made  in  the  Virginia  Gazette  of  the  igth  of  July,  1776,  and  then  only 
a  synopsis  was  given.  The  document  in  full  was  first  published  in 
the  Gazette  on  the  26th  of  July.  The  fact. of  the  passage  of  the 
Declaration  was  known  by  private  letters  as  early  as  the  loth  or  i2th 
of  the  month. 

There  were  published  in  Virginia  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revo- 
lution two  newspapers  only,  while  in  Massachusetts  there  were  sev- 
en, and  four  in  New  York. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1767,  John  Holt  commenced  the  New  York 
Journal,  or  General  Advertiser.  It  was  brought  into  existence  un^ 
der  the  inspiration  of  George  Clinton  and  Philip  Schuyler,  two  lead- 
ers of  the  Revolutionary  Party.  It  was,  indeed,  a  revival  of  Zen- 
ger's  paper  of  the  same  name,  and  its  columns  soon  amplified  the 
doctrines  of  Andrew  Hamilton,  and  became  a  bold  and  enthusiastic 
organ  of  the  Whigs.  Its  editor  was  a  Scotchman  named  Alexander 
M'Dougall,  previously  mentioned  in  these  pages.  Holt  had  pub- 
lished Parker's  Gazette,  first  in  company  with  Parker,  and  afterward 
on  his  own  account,  from  1760  to  1766.  He  was  a  native  of  Virgin- 
ia, received  a  good  education,  and  was  bred  to  the  mercantile  life. 
He  followed  commercial  pursuits  for  several  years,  and  was  elected 
mayor  of  the  ancient  city  of  Williamsburg,  Virginia.  Not  success- 
ful as  a  merchant,  Holt  left  Virginia  and  went  to  New  Haven,  where 
our  records  unite  him  with  James  Parker  in  the  Connecticut  Gazette 
in  1755.  On  his  arrival  in  New  York  he  managed  the  New  York 
Gazette  and  Post- Boy  and  kept  a  book-store  till  1766.  The  Gazette 
was  a  strong  opponent  of  the  Stamp  Act.  Its  columns  gave  excel- 
lent accounts  of  the  exciting  proceedings  of  the  people  in  New  York 
in  1765-66  in  opposition  to  that  obnoxious  measure.  The  journal 
was  numbered  continuously  from  the  Gazette,  and  was,  in  fact,  a  con- 
tinuation of  that  paper  under  other  auspices.  It  so'on  had  a  very 
extensive  circulation. 

The  Journal  was  a  zealous  advocate  for  the  cause  of  America 
during  the  Revolution.  It  maintained  its  ground  until  the  British 
army  took  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  1776,  when  the 
publisher  removed  to  Kingston,  which  was  called  Esopus,  and  re- 
vived the  paper  there  in  July,  1777.  When  Esopus  was  burned  by 
the  British  in  October,  1777,  Holt  removed  to  Poughkeepsie,  where 
he  published  the  Journal  until  the  termination  of  the  war. 

Holt  was  printer  to  the  state  during  the  Revolution,  and  his  wid- 
ow, at  his  decease,  was  appointed  to  that  office.  He  was  brother- 


122  Journalism  in  America. 

in-law  to  Robert  Hunter,  printer  at  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  who  was 
deputy  postmaster  general  with  Benjamin  Franklin.  The  Massachu- 
setts Spy  of  the  i7th  of  July,  1770,  disposed  of  Holt's  partner  in  an- 
nouncing the  death  of  "James  Parker,  Esquire  :  Printer,  Comptrol- 
ler and  Secretary  of  the  Post  Office,  for  the  Northern  District  of  the 
British  Colonies." 

The  government  in  New  York,  as  in  Boston,  sought  to  use  the 
Press  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  Press.  Without  much  diffi- 
culty they  obtained  control  of  the  Royal  Gazetteer,  which  was  estab- 
lished by  James  Rivington  originally  in  1762.  It  was  managed  with 
more  skill  and  tact  than  the  Chronicle,  also  a  royal  organ,  was  in 
Boston  by  John  Mein.  The  principal  contributors  of  the  Gazetteer 
were  Attorney  General  Seabury  ;  Isaac  Wilkins,  a  man  of  talent  and 
influence  ;  the  Rev.  Samuel  Chandler ;  Myles  Cooper,  President  of 
Kings,  now  Columbia  College  ;  the  Rev.  John  Vardill,  the  great  sat- 
irist, and  one  or  two  others.  The  contributors  to  the  opposition 
paper,  the  Journal,  were  the  most  distinguished  men  of  the  Whig 
party  ;  and  among  those  who  entered  the  ranks  of  the  rebels  and 
journalism  at  that  time  was  Alexander  Hamilton,  then  only  sixteen 
years  of  age.  Alone  he  was  a  match  for  the  writers  on  the  other 
side.  It  was  in  the  beginning  of  this  Revolutionary  excitement,  with 
King  Sears  as  the  chief  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  that  the  people  de- 
cided to  proceed  to  the  college,  seize  Myles  Cooper,  and  cool  his 
ardor  for  the  home  government  by  ducking  him  in  the  Collect,  where 
the  Tombs  now  stand.  It  was  then  that  Hamilton  performed  the 
chivalric  deed  of  rushing  to  the  college,  reaching  there  before  the 
populace,  and  making  a  speech  to  them  on  their  arrival,  enabling 
Cooper  to  escape  on  board  a  British  man-of-war  in  the  harbor,  and 
thus  saving  his  old  preceptor  from  popular  indignation  and  bodily 
harm.  But  the  safety  of  Cooper  was  the  destruction  of  the  office 
of  the  Gazetteer  and  the  house  of  its  proprietor.  The  people  had 
become  so  much  exasperated  and  excited  that  somebody  had  to  suf- 
fer to  appease  their  wrath. 

The  Connecticut  Journal  and  New  Haven  Post-Boy  made  i-ts  debut 
in  October,  1767.  It  was  printed  by  Thomas  and  Samuel  Green 
till  1799.  New  Haven  Post-Boy  was  dropped  from  its  title  in  1775. 
It  was  published  by  Thomas  Green  &  Son  till  1809.  It  was  a  strong 
Whig  paper,  and  helped  along  the  Revolution.  The  paper  is  still 
in  existence. 

On  the  2ist  of  December,  1767,  the  Boston  Chronicle,  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  Royal  Gazetteer,  came  out,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  English  authorities,  by  Mein  and  Fleming.  On  its  appear- 
ance it  created  quite  a  sensation  by  its  literary  character  and  fine 
typographical  arrangement.  It  was  printed  on  a  whole  sheet,  in 


Opposition  to  Royal  Newspapers.  123 

quarto,  and  sold  at  six  shillings  and  eight  pence  per  year.  John 
Mein,  one  of  the  publishers,  was  very  severe  on  the  Whigs  of  Boston, 
and,  having  been  charged  with  insulting  the  people,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  country.  Mein  was  assisted  in  the  editorial  de- 
partment by  Joseph  Green,  a  pre-Revolutionary  wit  of  Boston,  and 
Samuel  Waterhouse,  who  filled  a  superior  post  in  the  Custom-house. 
They  ridiculed  the  piety  and  Puritanism  of  their  opponents,  the 
Whigs,  and  endeavored  in  this  way  to  shatter  the  influence  of  the 
leading  spirits  of  the  Revolutionary  Party  with  the  masses.  But  in 
vain.  Mein  fled,  leaving  his  business  with  Fleming,  his  partner, 
who  soon  followed  the  former  to  England. 

It  was  the  custom  at  that  time  for  the  people  to  amuse  themselves 
on  the  5th  of  November  in  processions  and  displays  in  the  streets, 
and  in  carrying  effigies  depicting  the  pope  and  the  devil.  In  1769 
there  was  an  additional  effigy  representing  Mein.  On  his  right  side 
was  a  label  with  the  following  acrostic  : 

I — nsulting  wretch,  we'll  him  expose — 
O — 'er  the  whole  world  his  deeds  disclose  ; 
H — ell  now  gapes  wide  to  take  him  in ; 
N — ow  he  is  ripe — O  lump  of  Sin  ! 

M— can  is  the  man — Mein  is  his  name  ; 
E — nough  he's  spread  his  hellish  fame  ; 
I — nfernal  furies  hurl  his  soul, 
N — ine  million  times,  from  pole  to  pole  ! 

On  the  left  side  were  labels  denouncing  the  Tories  in  general. 
On  the  lantern  illuminating  the  group  was  a  perfect  Danterian  epi- 
taph on  Mein.  No  wonder,  after  these  poetic  and  patriotic  demon- 
strations, that  the  Chronicle,  in  1770,  with  the  loss  of  public  support 
and  public  sympathy,  made  the  following  announcement : 

*#*  The  Printers  of  the  Boston  Chronicle  return  thanks  to  the  gentlemen,  who 
have  so  long  favored  them  with  their  subscriptions,  and  now  inform  them  that,  as 
the  Chronicle,  in  the  present  state  of  affairs,  cannot  be  carried  on,  either  for  their 
entertainment  or  the  emolument  of  the  Printers,  it  will  be  discontinued  for  some 
time. 

Mein  landed  in  Boston  in  1764  from  Glasgow  in  company  with 
Robert  Sandeman,  a  theological  and  controversial  writer  of  notorie- 
ty, and  the  founder  of  a  religious  sect  known  as  the  Sandemanians, 
sufficiently  numerous  in  Boston  at  one  time.  Mein  was  a  bookseller, 
of  good  education,  and  full  of  enterprise.  Sometimes  he  would  fill 
an  entire  page  of  his  paper  with  advertisements  of  his  books  for  sale. 
On  his  return  home  the  English  government  indemnified  him  for 
his  losses,  and  employed  him  on  one  of  the  newspapers  of  London. 

The  Pennsylvania  Chronicle  and  Universal  Advertiser  was  next  is- . 
sued.     It  was  published  in  Philadelphia  in  1767  by  William  God- 
dard,  who,  it  will  be  recollected,  created  a  sensation  in  New  York 
in  1765  by  throwing  a  political  bomb  into  the  streets  of  that  city  in 


124  Journalism  in  America. 

the  form  of  the  Constitutional  Courant.  The  title  of  Universal  Ad- 
vertiser seemed  a  misnomer,  for  the  business  notices  of  the  paper 
were  few,  and  very  local  in  their  character  and  scope. 

.One  of  the  oldest  papers  now  printed  appeared  in  Salem,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  called  the  ^.svjv?*  Gazette.  On  the  5th  of  August, 
1868,  the  Salem  Gazette  gave  an  interesting  account  of  its  life  of  a 
hundred  years.  Without  much  enterprise  —  without,  indeed,  much 
need  of  any — it  has  maintained  itself  respectably  during  this  long 
period  of  time,  in  which  a  great  republic  has  been  born  and  grown 
to  greatness,  El  Dorado  of  Walter  Raleigh  discovered  and  devel- 
oped, and  the  map  of  Europe  changed  a  dozen  times  by  such  map- 
makers  as  the  Catharines,  the  Napoleons,  the  Victor  Emanuels,  and 
the  Bismarcks.  What  a  panorama  of  wonderful  events  the  columns 
of  such  a  paper  unfolds  to  public  view ! 

The  Salem  Gazette  claims  to  be  a  centenarian,  but  its  early  history 
is  somewhat  mixed  and  muddled.  Our  researches  develop  these 
facts : 

i st  Samuel  Hall  established  a  paper  called  the  Essex  Gazette, 
August  5, 1768. 

2d.  The  Salem  Gazette  and  Newbury  and  Marblehead  Advertiser 
was  commenced  in  June,  1774,  by  Russell.  Ceased  to  exist. 

3d.  The  American  Gazette,  or  Constitutional  Journal,  in  1776. 

4th.  Mary  Crouch  started  the  Salem  Gazette  and  General  Adver- 
tiser January  i,  1781.  Merged  with  Hall's  Gazette. 

The  Essex  Gazette  was  published  by  Hall  in  Salem  till  May,  1775, 
when,  on  the  recommendation  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Whig, 
or  Revolutionary  Party,  the  material  of  the  paper  was  taken  to  Cam- 
bridge, where  it  was  issued  under  the  name  of  the  New  England 
Chronicle,  or  the  Weekly  Gazette,  and  was  an  influential  supporter  of 
the  independence  of  the  nation.  In  1776  the  office  was  again  moved, 
and  the  types  and  press  carried  to  Boston.  Its  last  number  printed 
in  Cambridge  contained  the  following  interesting  document  in  both 
Latin  and  English : 

The  Corporation  of  HARVARD  COLLEGE  in  Cambridge,  in  New  England,  to  all 
the  Faithful  in  Christ,  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come, 

GREETING. 

Whereas  Academical  Degrees  were  originally  instituted  for  this  Purpose,  That 
men  eminent  for  Knowledge,  Wisdom,  and  Virtue,  who  have  highly  merited  of  the 
Republic  of  Letters  and  of  the  Common  Wealth,  should  be  rewarded  with  the 
Honors  of  these  Laurels  ;  there  is  the  greatest  Propriety  in  conferring  such  Hon- 
or on  that  very  illustrious  Gentleman,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  Esq.;  the 
accomplished  General  of  the  confederated  Colonies  in  America,  whose  Knowledge 
and  patriotic  Ardor  are  manifest  to  all :  Who,  for  his  distinguished  Virtue,  both 
Civil  and  Military,  in  the  first  Place,  being  elected  by  the  Suffrages  of  the  Virgin- 
ians, one  of  their  Delegates,  exerted  himself  with  Fidelity  and  singular  Wisdom 
in  the  celebrated  Congress  of  America,  for  the  Defence  of  Liberty,  when  in  the  ut- 
most Danger  of  being  for  ever  lost,  and  for  the  Salvation  of  his  Country ;  and 


The  Salem  Gazette.  x     "125 


then,  at  the  earnest  Request  of  that  Grand  Council  of  Patriots,  without  Hesitation, 
left  all  the  Pleasures  of -his  delightful  Seat  in  Virginia,  and  the  Affairs  of  his  own 
Estate,  that  through  all  the  Fatigues  and  Dangers  of  a  Camp,  without  accepting 
any  Reward,  he  might  deliver  New-England  from  the  unjust  and  cruel  Arms  of 
Britain,  and  defend  the  other  Colonies  ;  and  who,  by  the  most  signal  Smiles  of 
Divine  Providence  on  his  Military  Operations,  drove  the  Fleet  and  Troops  of  the 
Enemy  with  disgraceful  Precipitation  from  the  Town  of  Boston,  which,  for  Eleven 
Months  had  been  shut  up,  fortified  and  defended  by  a  Garrison  of  above  Seven 
Thousand  Regulars ;  So  that  the  Inhabitants,  who  suffered  a  great  variety  of 
Hardships  and  Cruelties  while  under  the  Power  of  the  Oppressors,  now  rejoice  in 
their  Deliverance,  and  the  neighboring  Towns  are  freed  from  the  Tumult  of  Arms, 
and  our  University  has  the  agreeable  Prospect  of  being  restored  to  its  antient 
Seat. 

Know  ye  therefore,  that  We,  the  President  and  Fellows  of  Harvard  College  in* 
Cambridge,  (with  the  Consent  of  the  Honored  and  Reverend  Overseers  of  our 
Academy)  have  constituted  and  created  the  aforesaid  Gentleman,  GEORGE 
WASHINGTON,  who  merits  the  highest  Honor,  DOCTOR  OF  LAWS,  the  Law  of 
Nature  and  Nations,  and  the  Civil  Law ;  and  have  given  and  granted  unto  him  at 
the  same  Time  all  Rights,  Privileges,  and  Honors  to  the  said  Degree  pertaining. 

In  Testimony  whereof,  We  have  affixed  the  Seal  of  our  University  to  these  Let- 
ters, and  subscribed  with  our  Hand  writing  this  Third  Day  of  April  in  the  Year 
of  our  Lord  One  Thousand  Seven  Hundred  and  Seventy-six. 
SAMUEL  LANGDON,  S.  T.  D.  Prases. 
NATHANAEL  APPLETON,  S.  T.  D. 
JOHANNES  WINTHROP,  Math,  et  Phil.  P.  Hoi.  LL.D. 


ANDREAS  ELIOT,  S.  T.  D. 
SAMUEL  COOPER,  S.  T.  D. 
JOHANNES  WADSWORTH,  Log.  et  Eth.  Pre.  Thesaurarius. 


-  Socii. 


On  the  appearance  of  the  paper  in  Boston  the  second  title  was 
omitted.  Shortly  after  the  Chronicle  was  sold  to  Powers  and  Willis. 
Willis  was  the  father  of  Nathaniel  Willis,  who  has  the  reputation  of 
having  established  the  first  religious  newspaper  in  the  United  States, 
and  grandfather  of  Nathaniel  Parker  Willis,  the  poet  and  editor,  the 
associate  of  George  P.  Morris  in  \\\o..New  York  Mirror  and  Home 
Journal.  Hall,  subsequent  to  the  sale  of  the  Chronicle,  still  retain- 
ing the  name  of  Gazette,  returned  to  Salem,  where  he  found,  in  1781, 
a  paper  of  that  name  which  had  just  been  brought  out  by  Mrs. 
Crouch.  She  had  issued  thirty-five  numbers.  On  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Hall  in  October  of  that  year  the  two  Gazettes  were  united,  and 
the  publication  of  the  consolidated  paper,  under  the  title  of  the  Sa- 
lem Gazette,  was  continued  by  Hall  till  November  22,  1785,  when  he 
returned  to  Boston  in  consequence  of  the  obnoxious  tax  on  newspa- 
per advertisements,  and  the  general  decline  in  trade,  which  deprived 
him  of  nearly  three  fourths  of  that  necessary  branch  of  newspaper 
business.  But  the  Gazette  still  lives,  as  our  pages  will  show. 

There  is  an  old  English  press  in  the  attic  of  the  Gazette  office  that 
is  covered  with  the  dust  and  cobwebs  of  tradition.  It  was  a  part 
of  Mr.  Hall's  material,  and  the  story  is  that  the  Essex  Gazette  was 
printed  upon  it  over  a  hundred  years  ago.  There  is  a  legend  in  the 
office  that  Benjamin  Franklin  had  worked  on  that  press  ;  but  Frank- 
lin left  Massachusetts  fifty  years  before  the  establishment  of  the 


126  Journalism  in  America. 

Gazette.  Still,  the  story  may  be  true,  for  Samuel  Hall  had  worked 
in  the  office  of  James  Franklin  in  Newport,  and  had  married  his 
daughter,  a  niece  of  Benjamin  Franklin.  On  that  event  he  became 
the  publisher  of  the  Mercury,  in  which  was  the  old  material  used  in 
Boston  when  Benjamin  Franklin  was  an  apprentice  with  his  broth- 
er. But,  in  the  face  of  this,  the  original  press  on  which  Franklin 
worked  is  now  in  possession  of  the  Mechanics'  Society  of  Boston. 
Yet,  if  we  believe  all  the  newspapers,  there  are  now  no  less  than  sev- 
•  enteen  old  presses  in  different  parts  of  the  country  on  which  Frank- 
Jin  originally  worked  when  he  was  a  printer  ! 

The  pre-Revolutionary  newspapers  were  so  few  in  number  that  it 
is  our  desire  to  mention  each  one.  A  paper  called  the  New  York 
Chronicle  was  issued  in  1768  by  Alexander  and  James  Robertson.  It 
did  not  long  survive,  and  very  little  is  known  of  its  affairs. 

On  the  i3th  of  October,  1769,1116  third  paper  in  North  Carolina 
was  published.  It  was  printed  by  Adam  Boyd,  at  Wilmington,  and 
named  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury. 


The  Massachusetts  Spy.  127 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  REVOLUTIONARY  CRISIS. 

THE  MASSACHUSETTS  SPY.  —  ISAIAH  THOMAS.  —  RIVINGTOX'S  ROYAL  GA- 
ZETTE.— MAJOR  ANDRE  AND  THE  Cow  CHASE. — ETHAN  ALLEN'S  INTER- 
VIEW WITH  RlVINGTON. — FRENEAU'S  SATIRES. 

IMPORTANT  events  were  now  culminating  in  America.  All  the 
leading  minds  had  become  editors,  pamphleteers,  and  agitators. 
All  others  readers  and  believers.  The  Press  was  the  power  and 
the  fulcrum. 

Quite  a  remarkable  newspaper  came  into  existence  at  this  time, 
which,  with  the  Gazette,  and  others  then  in  circulation,  gave  great 
aid  and  comfort  to  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  the  people.  In  July, 
1770,  Isaiah  Thomas,  in  connection  with  Zechariah  Fowle,  issued 
the  Massachusetts  Spy,  named  after  several  of  the  earlier  papers  in 
England,  which  bore  the  title  of  Spye.  We  annex  their  prospectus : 

TO   THE   PUBLIC. 

IT  has  always  been  cuftomary  for  Printers  and  Publifhers  of  new  periodical 
Publications,  to  introduce  them  to  the  World  with  an  Account  of  the  Nature 
and  End  of  their  Defign.  We,  therefore,  beg*  Leave  to  obferve,  That  this  fmall 
Paper,  under  the  name  of  THE  MASSACHUSETTS  SPY,  is  calculated  on  an 
entire  NEW  PLAN.  If  it  meets  with  a  favorable  Reception,  it  will  be  regularly 
publifhed  THREE  Times  every  Week,  viz.  Tuefdays,  Thurfdays  and  Saturdays,  (on 
two  of  which  Days  no  News-Paper  is  published  in  this  Town)  by  which  Means, 
thofe  who  favour  this  Undertaking  with  their  Subfcription,  will  always  have  the 
mod  material  of  the  News,  which  may  from  Tame  to  Time  arrive  from  Europe 
and  from  the  other  Parts  of  this  Continent,  on  the  Day  of  its  Arrival,  or  the  next 
Day  following,  (Sundays  excepted)  which  will  be  fooner  through  this  Channel 
than  any  other.  Great  Care  will  be  taken  in  collecting  and  inferting  the  frefheft 
and  choked  Intelligence  from  Europe,  and  the  material  Tranfaftions  of  this  Town 
and  Province  :  Twice  every  Week  will  be  given  a  Lift  of  the  Arrival  and  Depar- 
ture of  Ships  and  other  Veffels,  alfo  a  List  of  Marriages  and  Deaths,  &c*  and  oc- 
canonally  will  be  inferted  felect  Pieces  in  Profe  and  Verfe,  curious  Inventions  and 
new  Difcoveries  in'Nature  and  Science.  Those  who  choofe  to  advertife  herein, 
may  depend  on  having  their  ADVERTISEMENTS  inferted  in  a  neat  and  confpicuous 
Manner,  at  the  moft  reafonable  Rates.  When  there  happens  to  be  a  larger  Quan- 
tity of  News  and  a  greater  Number  of  Advertisements  than  can  well  be  contained 
in  one  Number,  at  its  usual  Bignefs,  it  will  be  enlarged  to  double  its  Size  at  fuch 
Times,  in  order  that  our  Readers  may  not  be  disappointed  of  Intelligence. 

This  is  a  brief  Sketch  of  the  Plan  on  which  we  propofe  to  publifh  this  Paper, 
and  we  readily  natter  ourfelves  the  Public  will  honour  it  with  that  Regard  the 
Execution  of  it  may  deferve  ;  and  doubt  not,  it  will  be  executed  with  fuch  Judg- 
ment and  Accuracy  as  to  merit  a  favourable  Reception. 

Three  months'  experience  led  to  a  dissolution  of  the  partnership, 
and  Thomas  carried  on  the  paper  alone,  increasing  its  size  to  four 


128  Journalism  in  America. 

pages,  and  publishing  twice  a  week.  With  three  months  more  of 
trial  it  was  changed  to  a  weekly  paper.  On  the  7th  of  March,  1771, 
it  adopted  for  its  motto,  "  Open  to  all  parties,  but  influenced  by 
none."  Although  the  editor  apparently  made  an  effort  to  be  neutral 
and  impartial  in  the  political  character  of  his  columns,  and  published 
communications  from  each  side,  it  was  evident  to  his  readers  that 
Thomas  was  a  Whig,  and  with  the  people  heartily  and  cordially. 
This  soon  became  patent  to  his  Tory  patrons,  and  they  withdrew 
their  support.  The  Spy  then  came  out  fully  and  boldly  for  the  Revo- 
lutionary Party.  Mean  attempts  were  made  to  crush  the  paper  by 
threats  of  libel  suits  and  personal  violence,  and  the  government  offi- 
cers refused  to  allow  Thomas  the  privileges  of  the  Custom-house  to 
obtain  the  arrivals  and  departures  of  vessels.  There  were  no  news- 
boats  or  steam  yachts  in  those  days.  In  noticing  this  folly  on  the 
part  of  the  authorities,  the  Spy  contained  the  following  card  : 

To  THE  PUBLIC. 

A  Tyrant  may  be  justly  compared  to  a  Polypus,  of  which  the  smallest  portion 
broken  off  becomes  almost  immediately  as  big,  as  voracious,  and  as  deformed  a 
thing,  as  the  original ;  entangling,  plaguing,  and  engulphing  every  thing  within  its 
reach  and  power.  How  applicable  this  may  be  to  our  petty  lords,  the  custom- 
house officers,  every  one  is  left  to  judge,  after  being  informed  that  THEY,  to  dis- 
courage this  paper,  as  they  phrase  it,  have  denied  THIS  Press  the  SHIP  LIST,  not- 
withstanding, according  to  the  title,  pieces  from  all  sides  have  been  inserted  in  it. 
The  Printer  conceives  himself  in  no  wise  to  blame  if  the  Court  side  are  now  at  a 
loss  for  writers,  it  being  his  province  only  to  publish. 

The  office  of  the  Spy  was  styled  "the  sedition  foundery"  by  the 
Royalists,  and  Joseph  Greenleaf  was  dismissed  from  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  writing  for  the  paper.  On  the  8th  of  October, 
1772,  nearly  three  years  before  the  fight  at  Concord,  he  closed  an 
article  in  this  bold  manner : 

Should  the  liberty  of  the  press  be  once  destroyed,  farewell  the  remainder  of  our 
invaluable  rights  and  privileges  !  We  may  next  expect  padlocks  on  our  lips,  fet- 
ters on  our  legs,  and  only  our  hands  left  at  liberty  to  slave  for  our  -worse  than 
Egyptian  taskmasters^  or— or— FIGHT  OUR  WAY  TO  CONSTITUTION- 
AL FREEDOM. 

The  government  made  great  efforts  to  counteract  the  influence  of 
the  Boston  Gazette,  and  such  writers  as  the  Adamses  and  the  Quincys, 
and  the  Spy,  with  its  staff  of  contributors  equally  bold  and  resolute. 
After  the  failure  of  the  Chronicle,  another  paper,  called  the  Censor, 
with  Ezekiel  Russell  to  manage  it,  was  started,  but  it  scarcely  sur- 
vived the  year.  The  authorities  then  fell  back  entirely  on  the  old 
News-Letter,  which  was  called  the  Massachusetts  Gazette  and  Weekly 
News-Letter.  All  the  Tory  writers  concentrated  their  power  on  this 
paper.  Andrew  Oliver,  William  Brattle,  Daniel  Leonard,  and  Jona- 
than Sewall  opened  their  batteries  on  the  Whigs.  Sewall  and  Leon- 
ard, in  a  series  of  articles  over  the  signature  of  "'Massachuset- 
tensis,"  were  considered  the  smartest  and  most  important  of  their 


The  Midnight  Ride  of  Paul  Revere.          129 

contributors.  These  articles,  as  we  have  already  stated,  were  an- 
swered by  John  Adams  in  the  Boston  Gazette.  Some  of  the  contri- 
butions in  the  Spy  were  very  powerful.  "  Centinel,"  "  Leonidas," 
and  "  Mucius  Scaevola"  were  terribly  severe  on  the  Tories.  The 
Spy,  as  early  as  1771,  urged  a  recourse  to  arms.  "Mucius  Scag- 
vola"  denounced  Governor  Hutchinson  as  "an  usurper,  and  should 
be  punished  as  such,"  and  showed  Lieutenant  Governor  Oliver  to 
be  a  "recorded  perjured  traitor."  Attorney  General  Sewall  was  di- 
rected to  prosecute  the  printer  for  libel,  but  the  grand  jury  refused 
to  find  a  bill.  So  the  thunders  of  the  Spy  continued  to  roll  and  mut- 
ter over  the  heads  of  the  doomed  authorities. 

It  was  in  1774  that  Thomas  introduced  the  device,  borrowed  from 
the  Constitutional  Courant  of  1765,  which  represented  a  snake  di- 
vided into  nine  parts,  one  part  denoting  New  England,  and  each  of 
the  remaining  parts  denoting  the  other  colonies  —  the  Immortal 
Thirteen  in  all.  Over  this,  in  large  letters,  extending  the  entire 
width  of  the  page,  was  the  motto,  "  JOIN  OR  DIE."  This  device  had 
created  a  sensation  in  the  streets  of  New  York  nine  years  previous- 
ly. It  increased  the  excitement  in  1774. 

More  British  troops  having  landed  in  Boston,  the  place  became 
too  warm  for  Thomas.  Threats  of  personal  violence  were  uttered 
against  him  by  some  of  the  red-coated  soldiers.  He  was  on  the 
list  of  twelve,  with  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  who  were  to 
be  summarily  executed  when  taken.  To  avoid  this  difficulty  and 
unpleasantness,  and  to  do  more  good  with  more  safety,  he  sent  his 
type  and  press  across  the  Charles  River  one  night  preceding  the 
eventful  day  of  the  affair  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  and  had  them 
conveyed  to  Worcester.  The  last  number  of  the  Spy  printed  in  Bos- 
ton was  on  the  6th  of  April,  1775. 

It  was  Isaiah  Thomas,  the  bold  journalist,  who  was,  on  the  i8th 
of  April,  1775,  concerned  with  that  modest  and  determined  patriot, 
Paul  Revere,  in  conveying  information,  by  his  "midnight  ride,"  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  interior  towns,  of  the  crossing  of  Charles  River  by 
the  unfortunate  British  troops,  under  Major  Pitcairn,  on  their  secret 
expedition  to  destroy  the  military  stores  which  had  been  gathered 
by  the  rebel  authorities,  and  stored  at  Concord.  Thomas's  own 
types  and  press  had  only  a  short  time  previously  passed  over  the 
same  historic  stream.  It  was  the  opening  incident  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary drama,  and  is  thus  celebrated  by  Longfellow  : 

Listen,  my  children,  and  you  shall  hear 
Of  the  midnight  ride  of  Paul  Revere, 
On  the  eighteenth  of  April,  in  Seventy-five  ; 
•  Hardly  a  man  is  now  alive 
Who  remembers  that  day  and  year. 
I 


130  Journalism  in  America. 

He  said  to  his  friend,  "  If  the  British  march 

By  land  or  sea  from  the  town  to-night, 
Hang  a  lantern  aloft  in  the  belfry  arch 

Of  the  North  Church  tower  as  a  signal  light, — 
One,  if  by  land,  and  two,  if  by  sea ; 
And  I  on  the  opposite  shore  will  be, 
Ready  to  ride  and  spread  the  alarm 
Through  every  Middlesex  village  and  farm, 
For  the  country-folk  to  be  up  and  to  arm." 

It  was  by  Paul  Revere's  famous  rides  that  the  Sons  of  Liberty 
of  New  York  and  New  England  were  kept  advised  of  the  important 
steps  taken  by  those  in  Massachusetts.  One  of  the  New  York  pa- 
pers of  1765  announced  his  arrival  there  with  the  action  in  Boston 
in  regard  to  the  Stamp  Act.  He  was  two  days  and  a  few  hours  in 
riding  from  one  city  to  the  other — 

"To  spread  the  alarm 
Through  every  New  England  village  and  farm." 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1775,  the  -Spy  made  its  appearance  in  Worces- 
ter. Its  motto,  in  large  type,  over  the  title  of  the  paper,  was, 

AMERICANS  !  LIBERTY  OR  DEATH  !    JOIN  OR  DIE  ! 
In  this  number,  with  a  fancy  head,  and  a  small  device  represent- 
ing the  cap  of  liberty,  the  following  notice  was  printed : 

To  the  PUBLIC., 

THE  good  People  of  this  County,  at  a  Meeting  fome  Time  fince,  voted  to  en- 
courage the  Eftablifhment  of  a  Printing -Office  in  this  Place:  In  Confe- 
quence  thereof,  Application  was  made  to  me,  then  in  Bofton,  to  iffue  Propofals  for 
publifhing  a  weekly  NEWS-PAPER  in  this  Town,  to  be  entitled,  The  WORCESTER 
GAZETTE,  or  AMERICAN  ORACLE  of  LIBERTY  :  This  I  accordingly  did ;  fince  that 
Time,  Things  have  worn  a  different  Face  in  our  diftreffed  Capital,  and  it  was 
thought  highly  neceffary  that  I  mould  remove  my  Printing  Materials  from  Bofton 
to  this  Place,  and  inftead  of  publifhing  the  intended  WORCESTER  GAZETTE,  &c. 
continue  the  Publication  of  the  well-known  MASSACHUSETTS  SPY,  or  THOMAS'S 
BOSTON  JOURNAL  :  I  accordingly  removed  my  Printing  Utenfils  to  this  Place,  and 
efcaped  myfelf  from  Bofton  on  the  memorable  igth  of  April,  1775,  which  will  be 
remembered  in  future  as  the  Anniverfary  of  the  BATTLE  of  LEXINGTON  ! 
I  intend  publifhing  this  Paper  regularly  every  Wednefday,  and  have  made  an  Al- 
teration in  the  Title,  in  order  to  take  in  Part  of  that  intended  for  the  Gazette. 

I  beg  the  Affiftance  of  all  the  Friends  to  our  righteous  Caufe  to  circulate  this 
Paper. — They  may  rely  that  the  utmoft  of  my  poor  Endeavours  fhall  be  ufed  to 
maintain  those  Rights  and  Priviledges  for  which  we  and  our  Fathers  have  bled  \ 
and  that  all  poffible  Care  will  be  taken  to  procure  the  moft  interefting-and  au- 
thentic Intelligence. 

I  am  the  Public's  moft  obedient  Servant,  ISAIAH  THOMAS. 

Worcester,  May  zd,  1775. 

When  Boston  was  evacuated  by  the  English  troops  in  the  follow- 
ing year,  it  was  proposed  to  remove  the  Spy  to  that  city ;  but  on 
the  2ist  of  June  the  establishment  was  taken  by  William  Stearns 
and  Daniel  Bigelow  "  under  a  lease  from  the  proprietor."  With  a 
fresh  motto,  "  Undaunted  by  Tyrants,  we  will  die  or  be  free,"  and 
some  very  wholesome  views  on  journalism,  these  new  publishers 
managed  the  paper  about  a  year.  They  said  : 


The  Worcester  Spy.  131 

The  liberty  and  free  exercise  of  the  Press,  is  the  greatest  temporal  safeguard  of 
the  State.  It  assists  the  civil  magistrate  in  wielding  the  sword  of  justice — holds 
up  to  public  view  the  vicious,  in  their  truly  odious  colors — and  "  is  a  praise  and 
encouragement  to  them  that  do  well."  It  detects  political  impostors,  and  is  a 
terrific  scourge  to  tyrants.  None  can  notoriously  transgress  the  line  of  duty,  who 
may  not  be  hereby  subjected  to  public  contempt  and  ignominy.  It  is  one  grand 
mean  of  promoting  public  virtue.  It  conveys  knowledge  to  mankind,  by  acquaint- 
ing them  with  the  state  of  the  community  to  which  they  belong,  whereby  they  are 
better  able  to  regulate  their  police — to  supply  its  defects,  or  lop  off  its  excres- 
cences. It  serves  to  increase  the  majesty  of  the  people,  by  giving  them  understand- 
ing in  the  times,  and  conveying  to  them  "the  knowledge  of  what  Israel  ought  to 
do."  In  fine,  it  is  capable  of  being  made  the  source  of  general  literature. 

Then  Anthony  Haswell  carried  on  the  establishment  for  a  year. 
Then  Thomas  returned  to  Worcester  and  resumed  the  management 
of  the  Spy,  with  another  new  motto:  "Unanimity  at  Home,  and 
Bravery  and  Perseverance  in  the  Field,  will  secure  the  Independ- 
ence of  America."  These  mottoes  seemed  to  be  the  very  concen- 
tration of  the  thought  and  feelings  of  the  people — a  series  of  strong 
patriotic  editorial  articles,  illustrative  of  the  time,  compressed  into 
a  few  words — into  pointed  revolutionary  epigrams,  that  became  the 
watchwords  throughout  the  colonies'. 

What  better  appeal  than  the  following  could  an  editor  make  to 
the  public  ?  Its  refreshing  quaintness  ought  to  have  increased  his 
subscription-list  largely : 

TO  THE  LOVERS  OF  LITERATURE  IN  THE  COUNTY  OF 
WORCESTER. 

PRINTING  OFFICE,  Worcester,  Nov.  i,  1780. 

For  twelve  months  past  the  number  of  customers  for  this  paper  has  been  so 
small  as  to  be  no  ways  adequate  to  the  support  of  such  a  work,  by  which  means 
the  printer  has  absolutely  sunk  money  by  its  publication.  Books,  Newspapers, 
and  schools,  are  become  too  much  neglected,  and  of  consequence  the  rising  gen- 
eration will  be  great  sufferers  thereby,  if  these  necessary  things,  which  tend  to 
learning,  are  not  more  encouraged. 

Many  people  are  so  mistaken  that  they  image  that  there  will  be  but  little  intel- 
ligence of  consequence  contained  in  News-Papers  in  winter  and  therefore  cease 
to  become  customers  for  them  in  that  season  of  the  year,  not  thinking  that  it  is, 
on  many  accounts,  a  public  benefit  for  News- Papers  to  circulate.  It  is  an  under- 
stood fact,  that  the  expence  to  a  Printer  in  publishing  a  News-Paper  weekly,  is 
very  great,  and  more  so  in  the  winter  than  in  the  summer ;  and  it  is  also  true, 
that  such  a  publication  cannot  be  laid  bye  and  taken  up  again,  at  leisure.  The 
Printer  of  this  paper,  therefore,  begs  leave  to  request  all  those  who  are  desirous 
of  having  the  Press  and  the  publication  of  a  News-paper  continued  in  this  town, 
to  be  so  kind  as  to  procure  as  large  a  number  of  customers  for  the  Massachusetts 
Spy,  as  they  conveniently  can  (by  the  last  Thursday  in  this  month)  in  the  several 
towns  where  they  reside,  who  will  take  said  News-Paper  for  six  months  to  come  ; 
and  if  the  number  shall  then  appear  only  barely  sufficient  to  defray  the  necessary 
expences  of  publishing  said  News-Paper,  through  the  winter,  it  shall  be  continued ; 
otherwise,  said  publication  must  cease  in  this  town,  and  the  press  of  course  be  re- 
moved out  of  this  county  to  another  where  it  has  been  solicited. 

Should  proper  encouragement  appear  for  continuing  the  publication  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Spy  in  this  place,  the  Printer  engages  on  his  part  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  make  it  worthy  of  perusal  and  support. 

ISAIAH  THOMAS. 

The  title  of  the  paper  was  changed  in  1781  to  Thomas' s  Massa- 


132  Journalism  in  America. 

chusetts  Spy,  or  the  Worcester  Gazette,  with  yet  a  new  device  and  an- 
other motto:  "The  noble  Efforts  of  a  Virtuous,  Free,  and  United 
People,  shall  extirpate  Tyranny,  and  establish  Liberty  and  Peace." 
One  of  the  new  devices  represented  a  chain  of  thirteen  links,  with  a 
star  in  each  link,  the  Union  of  the  thirteen  states :  the  chain  is 
placed  in  a  circular  form,  leaving  an  opening  for  the  fleur  de  Us  of 
France,  to  which  the  ends  of  the  chain  were  attached.  Above  the 
arms  of  France  were  two  hands  clasped,  and  over  them  a  sword  with 
its  hilt  resting  on  the  hands. 

The  Spy  continued  its  powerful  support  of  the  Union,  and  the  pa- 
triotic measures  of  the  people  and  of  the  Revolutionary  Party,  till  it 
saw  the  independence  of  the  country  acknowledged  and  its  journal- 
istic efforts  fully  secured  and  rewarded.  As  this  paper  is*  still  in  ex- 
istence, and  known  as  the  Worcester  Spy,  we  shall  have  occasion  to 
speak  of  it  again. 

The  Robertsons,  who  published  the  Chronicle  in  New  York  in  1 768, 
established  the  Post-Boy  in  Albany  in  1772.  It  was  in  circulation 
in  1775,  at  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

In  speaking  of  the  New  York  Journal  and  its  controversy  with 
the  Royal  Gazetteer,  it  was  stated  that  the  publication  of  the  latter 
was  commenced  in  1762.  It  became  notorious  in  the  colonies,  and 
especially  in  New  York,  during  the  Revolutionary  conflict.  It  was 
first  called  Rivington1  s  New  York  Gazetteer,  or  the  Connecticut,  New 
Jersey,  Hudson  River,  and  Quebec  Weekly  Advertiser.  It  was  es- 
tablished in  April,  1762,  by  James  Rivington.  He  had  been  a  suc- 
cessful printer  and  bookseller  with  his  brother  John  in  London, 
where  he  made  about  $50,000.  After  losing  most  of  this  in  his  love 
for  horses  and  horse-racing,  he  came  to  America  in  1760,  when  he 
settled  first  in  Philadelphia,  and  afterward  in  New  York.  The  Ga- 
zette was  a  zealous  Royalist  organ,  and  had  its  office  twice  mobbed 
for  its  zeal,  once  by  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  as  we  have  already  described, 
and  once  by  a  party  of  Connecticut  militia.  After  this  Rivington 
returned  to  London  and  obtained  the  appointment  of  king's  printer 
for  America,  when  he  came  back  with  new  type,  new  presses,  and 
renewed  energy,  and  re-established  his  paper  under  the  name  of 
Rivington 's  Royal  Gazette. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  Revolution  Rivington  conducted  his  pa- 
per with  as  much  impartiality  and  fairness  as  most  of  the  editors  did 
in  that  period,  and  it  may  be  added  that  no  newspaper  in  the  colo- 
nies was  better  printed,  or  more  copiously  furnished  with  foreign  in- 
telligence. In  October,  1773,  Rivington  informed  his  readers  that 
each  impression  of  his  weekly  Gazette  amounted  to  3600  copies.  In 
that  year  a  census  of  the  city -was  taken,  and  showed  that  it  contained 
a  population  of  21,876  inhabitants.  In  Boston,  with  a  population 


.  Major  Andre  and  the  New  York  Papers.     133 

of  8000,  Campbell  succeeded  in  selling  but  300  copies  of  his  News- 
Letter  when  it  was  the  only  newspaper  printed  in  America. 

While  New  York  was  occupied  by  the  British  troops  four  papers 
were  published  there.  In  order  to  have  a  newspaper  issued  daily, 
the  proprietors  made  an  arrangement  by  which  one  was  published 
every  day,  except  Sunday  and  Tuesday  of  each  week,  in  the  follow- 
ing manner : 

Rivington's  Royal  Gazette,  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays. 

Hugh  Game's  Gazette,  or  Mercury,  Mondays. 

Robertson,  Mills,  and  Hicks's  Royal  American  Gazette,  Thursdays. 

Lewis's  New  York  Mercury  and  General  Advertiser,  Fridays. 

And,  according  to  another  authority,  one  of  these  papers  was 
published  on  Tuesday.  These  papers  were  all  published  under  the 
sanction  of  the  British  commander-in-chief,  but  none  of  the  printers 
assumed  the  title  of  "printer  to  the  king"  except  Rivington,  who  had 
a  government  appointment. 

Major  Andre  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  columns  of  Riv- 
ington's paper.  In  his  leisure  moments  he  would  employ  his  time 
in  lampooning  the  American  generals.  He  was  the  author  of  the 
famous  satire  "  The  Cow  Chase,"  which  appeared  in  the  Gazette.  It 
was  in  three  cantos,  and  contained  a  few  specimens  of  genuine  hu- 
mor. It  was  soon  after  the  completion  of  the  third  canto  that  An- 
dre left  New  York  on  his  fatal  visit  to  Arnold  at  West  Point.  It  was 
published  in  the  Gazette  on  the  very  day  of  his  capture. 

"And  now  I  've  clos'd  my  epic  strain, 

I  tremble  as  I  show  it, 
Lest  this  same  warrior-drover,  Wayne, 
Should  ever  catch  the  poet."     ' 

Before  the  three  thousand  subscribers  of  the  Gazette  had  read  this 
canto  the  poet  was  indeed  caught,  and  in  the  hands  of  these  very 
"  warrior-drovers"  and  "  dung-born  tribes"  that  he  had  been  so  fa- 
cetiously lampooning. 

The  American  Literary  Gazette  relates  the  following  incident  in 
Rivington's  journalistic  career  : 

The  wit  of  Rivington's  Gazette  appears  to  have  been  very  offensive  to  some  of 
the  Americans,  and  they  were  very  liberal  of  their  promises  as  to  what  they  would 
do  when  they  got  him  into  their  power ;  but  he  had  a  large  amount  of  tact,  and 
we  suspect  was  very  much  of  the  gentleman  also.  He  used  to  tell  a  capital  story 
of  his  interview  with  Ethan  Allen,  one  of  the  republican  heroes  who  paid  him  a 
visit  for  the  purpose  of  administering  a  "licking."  He  says,  "  I  was  sitting  alone, 
after  a  good  dinner,  with  a  bottle  of  Madeira  before  me,  when  I  heard  an  unusual 
noise  in  the  street  and  a  huzza  from  the  boys.  I  was  in  the  second  story,  and 
stepping  to  the  window  saw  a  tall  figure  in  tarnished  regimentals,  with  a  large 
cocked  hat  and  an  enormous  long  sword,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  boys,  who  occa- 
sionally'cheered  him  with  huzzas  of  which  he  seemed  insensible.  He  came  up  to 
my  door  and  stopped.  I  could  see  no  more,  my  heart  told  me  it  was  Ethan  Al- 
len. I  shut  my  window  and  retired  behind  my  table  and  my  bottle.  I  was  cer- 
tain the  hour  of  reckoning  had  come.  There  was  no  retreat.  Mr.  Staples,  my 
clerk,  came  in  paler  than  ever,  and  clasping  his  hands,  said, '  Master,  he  has  come !' 


134  Journalism  in  America. 

'  I  know  it.'  '  He  entered  the  store  and  asked  if  James  Rivington  lived  there.  I 
answered  yes,  sir.  Is  he  at  home  ?  I  will  go  and  see,  sir,  I  said,  and  now  master 
what  is  to  be  done  ?  There  he  is  in  the  store  and  the  boys  peeping  at  him  from 
the  street.'  I  had  made  up  my  mind.  I  looked  at  the  Madeira — possibly  took  a 
glass.  Show  him  up,  said  I,  and  if  such  Madeira  cannot  mollify  him  he  must  be 
harder  than  adamant.  There  was  a  fearful  moment  of  suspense.  I  heard  him  on 
the  stairs,  his  long  sword  clanking  at  every  step.  In  he  stalked.  '  Is  your  name 
James  Rivington  ?'  It  is,  sir,  and  no  man  could  be  more  happy  to  see  Colonel 
Ethan  Allen.  '  Sir,  I  have  come '  Not  another  word,  my  dear  Colonel,  un- 
til you  have  taken  a  seat  and  a  glass  of  old  Madeira.  '  But,  sir,  I  don't  think  it 

proper '    Not  another  word,  Colonel ;  taste  this  wine,  I  have  had  it  in  glass 

for  ten  years :  old  wine  you  know,  unless  it  is  originally  sound,  never  improves 
by  age.  He  took  the  glass,  swallowed  the  wine,  smacked  his  lips  and  shook  his 

head  approvingly.     '  Sir,  I  come '     Not  another  word  until  you  have  taken 

another  glass,  and  then,  my  dear  Colonel,  we  will  talk  of  old  affairs,  and  I  have 
some  queer  events  to  detail.  In  short,  we  finished  two  bottles  of  Madeira,  and 
parted  as  good  friends  as  if  we  had  never  had  cause  to  be  otherwise." 

When  the  war  was  about  to  close  Rivington  threw  away  the  ap- 
pendages of  royalty.  The  arms  of  Great  Britain  no  longer  appeared 
on  his  office.  It  was  no  more  the  Royal  Gazette,  but  a  plain  Repub- 
lican newspaper,  entitled  Rivingtorfs  New  York  Gazette  and  Univer- 
sal Advertiser.  But  the  people  put  very  little  trust  in  its  editor ;  the 
public  patronage  fell  off,  and  the  paper  ended  in  1783.  There  were 
few  men  better  qualified  in  energy  and  enterprise  than  Rivington  to 
publish  a  newspaper.  His  sagacity  during  the  war  in  keeping  clear 
of  difficulties,  after  King  Sears  and  his  men  had  destroyed  his  types 
before  the  Revolution,  was  remarkable.  The  following  appeared  in 
the  Gazette  of  July  10, 1782,  when  there  was  a  prospect  of  peace,  as 
an  instance  of  the  tact  of  its  editor  : 

To  the  Public. 

The  publisher  of  this  paper,  sensible  that  his  zeal  for  the  success  of  his  Majes- 
ty's arms,  his  sanguine  wishes  for  the  good  of  his  country,  and  his  friendship  for 
individuals,  have  at  times  led  him  to  credit  and  circulate  paragraphs,  without  in- 
vestigating the  facts  so  closely  as  his  duty  to  the  public  demanded,  trusting  to  their 
feelings,  and  depending  on  their  generosity,  he  begs  them  to  look  over  past  errors, 
and  depend  on  future  correctness.  From  henceforth  he  will  neither  expect  nor 
solicit  their  favours  longer  than  his  endeavours  shall  stamp  the  same  degree  of 
authenticity  and  credit  on  the  Royal  Gazette  of  New-York,  as  all  Europe  allow 
to  the  Royal  Gazette  of  London. 

Freneau,  who  was  then  editing  a  paper  in  Philadelphia,  frequently 
satirized  Rivington  and  his  Royal  Gazette.  On  one  occasion,  when 
the  title  to  the  Gazette  was  scarcely  legible,  Freneau  wrote  : 

Says  Satan  to  Jemmy,  "  I  hold  you  a  bet, 

That  you  mean  to  abandon  our  Royal  Gazette ; 

Or,  between  you  and  me,  you  would  manage  things  better, 

Than  the  title  to  print  in  so  sneaking  a  letter. 

Now,  being  connected  so  long  in  the  art, 

It  would  not  be  prudent  at  present  to  part ; 

And  the  people,  perhaps,  would  be  frightened,  and  fret  • 

If  the  devil  alone  carried  on  the  Gazette" 

Says  Jemmy  to  Satan  (by  way  of  a  wipe,) 

"  Who  gives  me  the  matter,  should  furnish  the  type ; 

And  why  you  find  fault  I  can  scarcely  divine, 

For  the  types,  like  the  printer,  are  certainly  thine." 


Rivingtoris  Royal  Gazette  of  New  York.      135 

After  the  Gazette  had  somewhat  improved  in  its  typographical  ap- 
pearance, Freneau  proceeded : 

From  the  regions  of  night  with  his  head  in  a  sack 
Ascended  a  person  accoutred  in  black. 

****** 
"  My  mandates  are  fully  complied  with  at  last, 
New  arms  are  engraved,  and  new  letters  are  cast ; 
.  I  therefore  determine  and  fully  accord, 

This  servant  of  mine  shall  receive  his  reward." 
Then  turning  about,  to  the  printer  he  said, 
"  Who  late  was  my  servant,  shall  now  be  my  aid ; 
Kneel  down  !  for  your  merits  I  dub  you  a  knight ; 
From  a  passive  subaltern  I  bid  you  to  rise — 
The  inventor,  as  well  as  the  printer,  of  lies." 

Although  Rivington  discontinued  the  Gazette  soon  after  the  peace 
of  1783,  he  uninterruptedly  traded  largely  in  books  and  stationery 
for  several  years  subsequent  to  that  period.  He  finally  failed  in  that 
business,  and  retired.  He  died  in  July,  1802,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight.  One  of  the  old  thoroughfares  of  New  York  City  is  still  named 
Rivington  Street. 

In  August,  1773,  the  Maryland  Journal  and  Baltimore  Advertiser 
appeared.  It  was  published  by  William  Goddard,  the  old  printer  of 
the  ephemeral  and  sensational  Constitutional  Courant  at "  Peter  Has- 
senclever's  Iron  Works,"  and  the  Pennsylvania  Chronicle  in  1767. 
Goddard  was  one  of  the  itinerant  journalists  of  his  day. 

The  Norwich  (Connecticut)  Packet  was  published  for  the  first  time 
in  October,  1773. 

Isaiah  Thomas,  like  Franklin,  and  Goddard,  and  Parks,  and  Rind, 
did  not  confine  his  enterprise  to  one  paper.  He  established  others 
wherever  he  thought  he  could  accomplish  any  thing.  On  the  4th  of 
December,  1773,  he  issued  the  Essex  Journal  and  Merrimack  Pack- 
et, or  the  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  General  Advertiser.  It 
was  published  in  Newburyport.  Thomas  had  for  partner  in  this  en- 
terprise Henry  Walton  Tinges.  In  a  few  months  Thomas  sold  his 
share  to  Ezra  Lunt,  and  in  two  years  and  a  half  the  whole  concern 
passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Mycall,  who  published  the  paper  for 
a  number  of  years — twenty  or  more. 


136  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD. 

INCREASE  OF  NEWSPAPERS.  —  NAMES.  —  LINES  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  WARREN. 
—  WILLIAM  GORDON,  THE  HISTORIAN  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  —  DEATH  OF 
JAMES  OTIS.  —  PUBLICATION  OF  HISTORIES  AND  GEOGRAPHIES.  —  NEWSPA- 
PERS IN  NEW  JERSEY  AND  VERMONT.  —  THE  GREENBACKS  OF  THE  LAST 
CENTURY. 

ANNO  DOMINI  1775  not  only  inaugurated  the  Revolution,  giving 
birth  to  a  new  nation,  but  it  imparted  new  life  to  journalism.  News- 
papers had  become  an  important  institution  in  the  colonies.  It  was 
the  vox  populi  of  that  eventful  period. 

No  great  wealth  had  been  acquired  by  either  printers  or  editors, 
but  many  became  easy  in  their  circumstances.  Not  much  capital 
was  required  to  carry  on  an  establishment  then.  Journalists  run 
no  expensive  expresses ;  they  employed  no  European  correspond- 
ents ;  they  did  not  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  staff  of  paid  writers.  The 
Atlantic  cable,  with  tolls  at  five,  three,  or  two  dollars  a  word,  was 
not  then  laid ;  they  had  not  even  dreamed,  as  Shakspeare  had,  of 
Puck's  "putting  a  girdle  around  about  the  earth  in  forty  minutes." 
It  is  positive  that  the  expense  of  a  common  news-boat  would  have 
ruined  John  Campbell  and  the  News-Letter  outright,  and  sent  him 
to  an  insane  asylum,  if  there  had  been  one  in  Boston  at  that  time. 
But  the  spirit  of  the  colonies  was  revolutionary.  Wonderful  achieve- 
ments of  the  Press  were  in  the  womb  of  time.  They  were  begin- 
ning to  develop  themselves  in  the  increase  of  newspaper  readers, 
and  the  consequent  increase  of  newspapers  and  newspaper  enter- 
prise. The  progress  was  slow,  but  sure.  No  less  than  eight  news- 
papers were  established  during  the  first  year  of  the  Revolution. 
Four  of  these  appeared  in  Philadelphia,  where  the  Continental  Con- 
gress sat,  and  where  Thomas  Paine  and  Philip  Freneau  lived.  John 
Dunlop  published  the  Pennsylvania  Packet,  or  General  Advertiser; 
James  .Humphreys,  Jr.,  the  Pennsylvania  Ledger,  or  the  Virginia, 
Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey  Weekly  Advertiser;  B. 
Towne  the  Pennsylvania  Evening  Post ;  and  Story  and  Humphreys 
the  Pennsylvania  Mercury  and  Universal  Advertiser,  the  latter  en- 
deavoring evidently  to  outstrip  the  Ledger,  which  modestly  asked,  in 
its  title,  for  advertisements  from  four  provinces  only.  Another  Ger- 
man paper  in  Philadelphia  was  established  at  this  time. 

The  Constitutional  Gazette  was  issued  in  New  York  in  1775,  its 


The  Independent  Chronicle  of  Boston.          137 

first  number  appearing  in  August.  John  Anderson  was  its  pub- 
lisher. 

The  other  paper  originating  in  this  year  was  A  New  Hampshire 
Gazette,  called  so  because  there  was  a  newspaper  then  in  existence 
entitled  The  New  Hampshire  Gazette.  The  latter  was  sometimes 
called  Freeman's  Journal,  or  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  and  sometimes 
Fowle's  Gazette.  It  appears  to  have  been  the  custom  in -those  days 
to  repeat  the  names  of  papers,  regardless  of  principle,  proprietor- 
ship, meaning,  property,  or  originality.  The  only  two  papers  pub- 
lished in  Virginia  before  the  Revolution  bore  the  same  name,  the 
Virginia  Gazette,  and  were  issued  at  the  same  time  and  in  the  same 
town.  Occasionally  a  weekly  paper  would  be  styled  the  Journal. 
Time,  and  experience,  and  necessity,  and  genius,  perhaps,  have  made 
an  improvement — a  change,  at  all  events,  in  the  title-pages  of  the 
Press,  for  our  newspapers  now  display  many  curious  and  some  very 
ludicrous  names. 

The  New  England  Chronicle,  which  had  been  published  in  Cam- 
bridge, and  afterward  sold  to  Powers  &  Willis  by  Samuel  Hall,  ap- 
peared in  the  summer  of  1776  under  the  title  of  The  Independent 
Chronicle.  In  November  of  that  year  Universal  Advertiser  was  add- 
ed to  its  name.  The  Chronicle  was  a  strong  Whig  paper.  With  all 
the  papers  of  the  last  century,  it  had  a  pictorial  device  at  the  head 
of  the  paper,  with  the  motto,  "Appeal  to  Heaven.  Independence." 
John  Hancock,  William  Gordon,  and  Samuel  Adams  wrote  for  its 
columns.  It  was  influential  in  the  cause  of  the  Revolution,  and 
powerful  in  its  support  of  the  principles  of  that  great  struggle.  Aft- 
er the  Boston  Gazette  and  Massachusetts  Spy,  no  paper  in  New  En- 
gland accomplished  more  for  the  cause  of  the  country  and  its  inde- 
pendence than  the  Chronicle.  In  one  of  its  numbers  it  published  a 
few  verses  on  the  death  of  Warren  on  Bunker  Hill,  one  of  which  we 
give,  embracing  the  sentiment  "  of  his  soul  marching  on"  of  the  fa- 
mous John  Brown  song.  It  embodied  the  spirit  of  the  times  : 

Columbia,  forbear  !  not  a  sigh  to  alloy, 

For  thy  Warren,  so  justly  beloved ; 
Thy  griefs  shall  be  changed  into  triumphs  of  joy, 

Thy  Warren 's  not  dead,  but  removed. 

The  sons  of  the  earth,  the  proud  giants  of  old, 

Have  broke  from  their  darksome  abode ; 
And  this  is  the  news — for  in  heaven  it  is  told — 

They  are  marching  to  war  with  the  gods. 
A  council  was  held  in  the  chambers  of  Jove, 

And  this  was  the  final  decree, 
That  Warren  should  soar  to  the  armies  above — 

And  the  charge  was  entrusted  to  me. 

On  the  second  year  of  the  publication  of  the  paper,  early  in  1777, 
the  proprietors  said : 


138  Journalism  in  America. 

The  Printers  and  publishers  of  the  Independent  Chronicle  and  Universal  Ad- 
vertiser, (to  keep  pace  with  others  of  their  profession  of  more  ancient  standing) 
beg  leave,  through  this  channel,  to  congratulate  their  customers  on  the  arrival  of 
the  New  Year, — being  the  first  that  has  rolled  over  since  their  publication. 

At  the  same  time  that  they  welcome  in  the  New  Year,  they  cannot  pass  over, 
in  silent  forgetfulness,  the  cruel,  inhuman  treatment,  that  America  has  experienced, 
during  a  series  of  months,  without  mentioning  the  desolating  conflagration  of 
Charleston,  Falmouth,  Norfolk,  &c.  from  those,  whom  she  once  embraced  as  her 
bosom  friends ;  and  whose  interest  would,  to  this  day,  have  been  considered  as 
inseperably  connected  with  her  own,  had  not  a  sincere  love  to  America,  in  general, 
and  to  the  great  and  good  law  of  self-preservation,  dictated  a  total  seperation  : 
Which  the  Grand  Council  of  these  Confederated  States,  in  their  Wisdom,  have 
seen  fit  for  ever  to  dissolve. 

That  America  may  prove  victorious,  and  all,  who  have  spirit,  resolution,  forti- 
tude, and  virtue,  sufficient  to  assist  her  much  injured  (though  glorious)  cause,  ob- 
tain what  the  whole  collective  wisdom  of  these  States  say  they  have  an  "  inalien- 
able right"  to,  viz.  "PEACE,  LIBERTY,  and  SAFETY"  is  the  ardent  wish  of  the 
Public's  much  obliged,  and  most  devoted,  humble  servants, 

THE  PRINTERS. 

One  of  the  contributors  to  the  Chronicle,  the  Rev.  William  Gordon, 
was  the  author  of  the  first  "History  of  the  American  Revolution." 
He  was  chaplain  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  and 
took  a  great  interest  in  the  Constitution  of  that  state,  a  draft  of 
which  was  then  before  the  Convention. 

The  Chronicle  was  published  by  Powars  and  Willis  till  near  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  by  Willis  alone  till  the  end  of  1783. 

Samuel  Loudon,  in  January,  1776,  issued  the  New  York  Packet  and 
American  Advertiser.  It  was  a*  revival  in  name  of  the  Pacquet  of 
1763.  Loudon  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  settled  in  New  York  sev- 
eral years  before  the  Revolution,  establishing  himself  there  as  a  ship- 
chandler.  '  He  bought  a  printing-office  and  material  of  Frederick 
Shober,  a  German,  in  1775.  With  this  material  he  opened  a  book- 
store in  Water  Street,  near  Old  Slip,  and  started  the  Packet.  He 
was  a  decided  Whig.  Just  before  the  British  took  possession  of 
New  York  he  removed  with  his  press  and  types  to  Fishkill,  where 
he  published  his  paper  till  the  peace  of  1783,  when  he  returned  to 
the  city.  The  Packet,  having  been  established  in  January,  1776,  was 
the  last  paper  started  in  New  York  before  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. 

There  was  a  paper  published  in  Boston  in  1776  under  the  title  of 
The  Continental  Journal  and  Weekly  Advertiser.  Its  first  number 
was  issued  on  the  3oth  of  May  of  that  year  by  John  Gill,  the  former 
partner  of  Edes,  of  the  Boston  Gazette.  Gill  was  a  sound  Whig,  and 
aided  the  Revolutionary  cause  .so  far  as  he  could.  When  James 
Otis  was  killed  by  lightning  in  Andover  in  1783,  a  fate  which,  it 
seems,  he  singularly  desired,  Thomas  Dawes  wrote  a  poem  on  his 
death  which  was  published  in  the  Journal.  Otis,  a  master-spirit  of 
the  Revolution,  was  one  of  the  glorious  band  which  gave  the  Gazette 
so  much  influence  in  shaping  the  policy  of  the  colonies  in  their 


Newspapers  in  New  Jersey  and  Mississippi.    139 

struggle  with  England.     Here  is  an  extract  from  Dawes's  apothe- 
osis : 

When  flushed  with  conquest  and  elate  with  pride, 
Britannia's  monarch  Heaven's  high  will  defied, 
And,  bent  on  blood,  by  lust  of  rule  inclined 
With  odious  chains  to  vex  the  freeborn  mind, — 
On  these  young  shores  set  up  unjust  command, 
And  spread  the  slaves  of  office  round  the  land ; 
Then  OTIS  rose,  and,  great  in  patriot  fame, 
To  listening  crowds  resistance  dared  proclaim. 
From  soul  to  soul  the  bright  idea  ran, 
The  fire  of  freedom  flew  from  man  to  man ; 
His  pen,  like  Sydney's,  made  the  doctrine  known, 
His  tongue,  like  Tully's,  shook  a  tyrant's  throne  : 
Then  men  grew  bold,  and,  in  the  public  eye, 
The  right  divine  of  monarchs  dared  to  try ; 
Light  shone  on  all,  despotic  darkness  fled, 
And,  for  a  sentiment,  a  nation  bled, 
******** 

Hark  !  the  deep  thunders  echo  round  the  skies  ! 
On  wings  of  flame  the  eternal  errand  flies  ; 
.    One  chosen  charitable  bolt  is  sped, 

And  OTIS  mingles  with  the  glorious  dead. 

It  was  considered  enterprising  to  publish  histories  and  geogra- 
phies in  full  in  the  columns  of  the  papers.  The  Journal,  for  in- 
stance, like  the  Spy,  published  the  whole  of  Robertson's  History  of 
America.  It  took  two  years  to  accomplish  this  typographical  feat. 

The  first  regular  newspaper  issued  in  New  Jersey  was  published 
thereon  the  3d  of  December,  1777,  Vh&New  Jersey  Gazette.  In  1758, 
James  Parker,  the  New  York  printer,  established  a  literary  periodical, 
called  the  New  American  Magazine,  which  was  edited  by  Samuel 
Nevil,  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  state,  and  who  had  been 
editor  of  the  London  Evening  Post.  But  the  first  newspaper  was  pub- 
lished in  1777  by  an  enterprising  Quaker  named  Isaac  Collins,  a 
printer,  for  a  number  of  years,  in  that  remarkable  and  respectable 
province.  It  was  regularly  issued  till  crowded  out  of  existence  by 
other  more  pretentious  papers  in  November,  1786.  Collins,  like 
Franklin  in  Pennsylvania,  printed  the  paper  money  of  that  state, 
the  greenbacks  of  the  last  century,  with  this  important  exception : 
the  greenbacks  of  this  century  are  redeemed ;  those  of  the  Revolu- 
tion are  in  public  and  private  museums  and  collections  of  curios- 
ities, and  unredeemed. 

There  was  a  paper,  entitled  the  New  Jersey  Journal,  established 
at  Chatham,  N.  J.,  in  1778,  by  David  Franks.  It  was  continued  till 
the  close  of  the  Revolution.  Franks  afterward  removed  to  New 
York,  and  issued  a  weekly  paper  there.  He  also  published,  in  con- 
nection with  Shepard  Kollock,  the  first  Directory  of  that  city.  He 
then  returned  to  New  Jersey  and  his  first  love,  and  revived  the 
Journal at  Elizabethtown,  and  remained  its  editor  till  1818. 


140  Journalism  in  America. 

On  the  i5th  of  June,  1778,  the  first  number  of  the  Independent 
Ledger  and  American  Advertiser  appeared  in  Boston  —  Draper  and 
Folsom  publishers.  It  was  revolutionary  in  sentiment.  Its  pros- 
pectus was  modest.  Like  other  papers,  it  had  a  motto  :  "All  hands 
with  one  inflamed  and  enlightened  Heart."  In  1779  the  people  be- 
gan to  reflect  on  what  kind  of  government  and  what  code  of  laws 
they  should  have  after  they  had  acquired  their  independence.  In- 
dicative of  the  prevailing  sentiment,  the  Ledger  published  a  peculiar 
communication  on  the  subject.  These  communications  were  the 
editorials  of  the  newspapers.  Original  articles,  such  as  fill  a  page 
of  the  Tribune  or  Sun  to-day,  on  the  prevailing  topics,  were  unknown 
then.  Communications  from  the  most  distinguished  writers  were 
the  opinions  and  sentiments  of  the  paper  publishing  them. 

In  1783  the  Ledger  was  published  by  John  W.  Folsom  alone. 

Edward  E.  Powars,  who  had  been  connected  with  Nathaniel  Wil- 
lis in  the  publication  of  the  Independent  Chronicle,  started  the  Amer- 
ican Herald  in  Boston  in  1781,  which  he  continued  till  1788,  when 
he  removed  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  published  the  paper  there  for 
a  couple  of  years  with  the  additional  name  of  Worcester  Recorder. 

Mississippi  began  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  a  newspaper  in  1779. 
There  was  one  published  there  in  that  year. 

Vermont  now  entered  the  field  of  journalism,  and  closes  our  epoch 
of  the  Revolutionary  Press  by  the  publication  of  the  Vermont  Ga- 
zette, or  Green  Motmtain  Post-Boy,  in  1781.  It  was  printed  at  West- 
minster by  Judah  Paddock  Spooner  and  Timothy  Green.  The  es- 
tablishment was  removed  to  Windsor  in  1783. 

The  forty-nine  newspapers  which  were  established  in  the  colonies 
from  1748  to  1783  were  all  weekly  or  semi-weekly  publications — 
not  a  daily,  not  a  journal,  was  issued  to  this  time  in  America.  One 
paper  had  been  started  as  a  tri-weekly,  but  failed  on  that  plan,  and 
was  then  issued  semi-weekly,  and  finally  weekly.  While  New  York 
was  occupied  by  the  English  troops,  the  several  papers  there  ar- 
ranged their  days  of  publication,  as  has  since  been  done  in  Liver- 
pool, England,  so  that  one  paper  was  issued  each  day,  thus  giving 
the  public  a  daily  newspaper.  Of  all  the  newspapers  published  on 
this  continent  to  the  end  of  this  period,  sixty-seven  in  number,  from 
1690  to  1783,  only  forty-three  were  in  existence  in  1783,  when  the 
independence  of  the  United  States  was  acknowledged  by  George 
the  Third,  and  the  young  republic  commenced  its  career  of  great- 
ness and  glory. 


THE  FOURTH  EPOCH. 


1783—1832. 

\       '••  '  • 

THE  POLITICAL  PARTY  PRESS. 

CHAPTER   X. 
ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  GREAT  POLITICAL  PARTIES. 

AFTER  THE  REVOLUTION. — THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  FEDERAL  AND  REPUBLI- 
CAN PARTIES. — METTERNICH'S  OPINION. — THE  PARTY  PRESS. — ITS  TROUB- 
LES.— ITS  LIBELS. — ITS  DUELS  AND  ASSAULTS. — THE  NATIONAL  CONSTITU- 
TION.— THE  MASSACHUSETTS  CENTINEL.  —  MAJOR  BENJAMIN  RUSSELL. — 
Louis  PHILIPPE  AND  TALLEYRAND  IN  BOSTON. — THE  BLACK  AND  TRI-COL- 
ORED  COCKADES. — THE  METHUSELAHS  OF  JOURNALISM. 

THE  printer  and  the  Press  have  ceased  to  be  martyrs  in  England 
and  America.  The  time  when  journalists  were  dragged  through  the 
streets  to  Tyburn,  or  had  their  ears  cut  off  as  with  Prynne,  or  put  in 
the  pillory  as  with  Defoe,  or  had  their  papers  burned  by  the  com- 
mon hangman  as  with  Zenger,  has  passed  with  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race.  Occasionally,  it  is  true,  by  the  blunders  and  passions  of  those 
in  power,1  as  in  the  enactment  of  the  Alien  and  Sedition  laws  in  1798, 
in  the  suspension  of  the  New  York  World  and  Journal  of  Commerce 
in  1864,  and  in  the  arrest  of  Samuel  Bowles,  of  the  Springfield  Re- 
publican, in  New  York  in  1868,  there  is  a  glimmering  of  the  despot- 
ism of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  But  this  is  all. 
Such  mistakes  as  these  are  not  likely  to  be  repeated  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic. 

After  numerous  persecutions  of  the  Press  in  England,  more  free- 
dom began  to  dawn  on  journalism  there  ;  and  in  the  great  struggle 
for  the  abolition  of  the  stamp  duty,  which  originated  in  an  effort  to 
muzzle  the  Press  in  17 12,  the  journalists  of  Great  Britain  made  rap- 
id progress  in  acquiring  their  rights.  This  struggle  began  in  1828, 
and  ended,  for  a  time,  in  1836,  in  a  reduction  of  the  tax  from  four- 
pence  to  one  penny,  and  its  final  abolition  in  1871.  But  in  obtain- 
ing this  result  there  were  nearly  a  thousand  prosecutions,  imprison- 
ments, and  fines  for  selling  unstamped  publications.  So  decisive  a 
victory  was  only  finally  achieved  after  a  fierce  contest,  and  through 
the  early  exertions  of  Hetherington,  the  cheap  journalist,  aided  by 


142  Journalism  in  America. 

such  men  as  Hume,  Grote,  Bulvver,  Birkbeck,  Cobden,  and  others, 
at  a  later  day. 

There  was  now  greater  latitude  in  the  United  States.  Some  of 
the  best  intellects  of  the  country  continued  their  contributions  to  the 
•newspapers  in  the  organization  of  society,  of  parties,  of  politics,  of 
literature,  and  of  religion.  It  was  necessary  to  place  the  nation  on 
a  solid  foundation.  Newspapers  were  necessary  to  accomplish  this 
desirable  result.  Scarcely  had  the  echo  of  the  last  hostile  gun  of 
the  Revolution  died  away  when  the  country  became  divided  into 
two  great  political  camps,  with  newspapers  as  their  needle-guns,  and 
pamphlets  as  their  chassepots.  Journalism,  however,  had  not  yet 
become  a  profession.  It  was  a  power  with  the  people,  but  it  was 
managed  by  ambitious  political  chiefs,  as  armies  are  manoeuvred  by 
their  generals.  It  was,  during  these  fifty  years,  a  Party  Press.  It 
had  more  enterprise,  more  reading  matter,  more  advertisements, 
more  originality,  but  its  views  and  opinions  on  public  affairs  were 
the  inspiration  of  politicians  and  statesmen.  Editors  were  free  of 
prisons;  they  were  in  no  danger  of  having  their  ears  cut  off;  they 
could  fight  duels ;  they  had  their  legal  rights ;  they  felt  their  power 
in  all  elections,  and  in  all  great  questions  that  agitated  the  public 
mind,  but  they  were  bound  to  party.  Independence  of  opinion  and 
expression,  outside  of  party,  was  political  and  financial  ruin.  But 
the  world  was  moving,  and  its  soul  was  marching  on. 

When  the  independence  of  the  United  States  was  acknowledged 
in  1783,  the  people,  solid  and  compact  during  the  war,  began  to  dis- 
integrate, and,  from  a  grand  Revolutionary  Party,  with  one  sublime 
object  in  view,  formed  themselves  into  two  political  parties.  Each 
was  a  safety-valve  to  the  country ;  each  was  honest  and  patriotic  in 
its  purposes,  but  each  entertained  different  views  on  the  policy  and 
form  of  government  deemed  best  for  the  republic.  With  the  close 
of  the  Revolution,  fought  out  on  military  principles,  the  organization 
of  the  nation  and  its  political  progress  and  improvement  were  to  be 
arranged  and  settled  by  lesser  contests  and  revolutions,  which  would 
take  place  every  four  years,  and  peacefully  accomplish  their  objects 
and  purposes  at  the  ballot-box.  This  was  the  course  of  things  dur- 
ing this  epoch. 

The  remarkable  events  in  our  national  history,  nowhere  else  so 
splendidly  achieved  as  on  this  continent,  were  results  obtained  by 
the  political  leaders  and  political  parties  through  the  Press.  Thus 
the  pen  became  "mightier  than  the  sword."  But  the  people  had 
not  acquired,  any  more  than  the  newspaper,  their  full  freedom  of 
thought  and  action,  for  they  had  become,  in  the  heats  and  passions 
of  political  campaigns,  strong  partisans.  Through  the  light  of  time, 
however,  and  with  the  spread  of  that  great  national  school-book,  the 


Metternich  on  American  Politics.  143 

Newspaper,  the  masses  have  become  educated  to  think  and  act  more 
independently. 

In  the  organization  of  parties  after  the  Revolution,  one  was  called 
the  Federalist,  under  the  lead  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  the  oth- 
er the  Republican,  under  the  guidance  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  The 
term  Democrat  was  then  applied  to  the  Republicans  as  one  of  re- 
proach. In  retaliation,  the  term  Aristocrat  was  given  to  the  Fed- 
eralists. The  names  of  the  parties  were  changed  in  1824.  The 
Republicans,  in  the  campaign  resulting  in  the  election  of  John  Quin- 
cy  Adams,  accepted  the  name  of  Democrat,  and  the  party  has  ever 
since  been  known  as  such,  with  a  few  local  distinctions,  such  as 
Hard  Shells,  Soft  Shells,  Barn-burners,  Hard-fisted,  Locofocos,  Tam- 
manyites,  Huge  Paws,  etc;  The  Federalists  also  changed  their 
name  to  National  Republicans,  and  since  then  the  opposition  party 
to  the  democracy  has  gone  through  several  revolutions  and  changes. 
It  has  been  known  since  1789  as  Federalist,  National  Republican, 
and  Whig,  and  since  the  Fremont  campaign  of  1856  it  has  assumed 
the  original  name  of  the  Democratic  Party,  and  fought  its  political 
battles  as  Republicans.  Splits,  in  certain  localities,  have  taken  in- 
dependent names,  such  as  Conservatives  and  Silver  Grays  in  New 
York — Nathaniel  P.  Talmadge  at  the  head  of  one,  and  Millard  Fill- 
more  the  representative  man  of  the  other.  Attempts  have  been 
made  to  rally  the  masses  under  the  names  of  popular  candidates, 
without,  however,  much  success.  Adams  men  and  Jackson  men 
were  known,  but  the  titles  remained  only  for  an  election.  There 
were  Hard-Cider  and  Log-Cabin  Whigs  in  the  Harrison  campaign, 
but  "  principles,  not  men,"  seemed  to  be  the  governing  idea  of  the 
people. 

One  day  Dr.  Nehemiah  Niles,  our  charge'  d'affaires  to  Sardinia, 
was  in  Vienna,  and  had  an  interview  with  the  venerable  Metternich. 
.  "  If  I  lived  in  the  United  States,"  said  Metternich,  "  I  would  be  a 
Locofoco."  "  Why  so  ?"  asked  Dr.  Niles.  "  Why  ?"  continued  the 
prime  minister ;  "  because  that  is  the  party  of  your  people ;  their 
interests  are  democratic,  and  the  people  govern  the  nation.  I  am 
in  favor  of  absolutism  here4>  One  is  .as  necessary  to  America  as 
the  other  is  to  Austria."  Wise  old  diplomat !  Swept  away  in  the 
revolution  of  1848,  he  died  before  Sadowa  semi-liberalized  the  ab- 
solutism of  the  Hapsburg  empire. 

On  the  conclusion  of  peace  North  America  was  under  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Articles  of  Confederation  which  had  been  adopted  by 
the  colonies,  and  which  went  into  operation  on  the  zd  of  March, 
1781.  It  was  demonstrated,  after  the  war  was  over,  that  this  form 
of  government  was  too  weak  and  too  defective  to  build  a  great  and 
powerful  nation  upon,  leading  to  serious  confusion  in  the  intercourse 


144  Journalism  in  America. 

and  commerce  of  the  several  states.  This  experience  resulted  in 
the  calling  of  a  Convention,  which  met  in  Philadelphia  on  the  25th 
of  May,  1787,  and  gave  the  world,  on  the  i7th  of  September  of  that 
year,  the  present  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  In  the  political 
contest  growing  out  of  the  immature  condition  of  the  nation  from 
1783  to  the  final  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  the  first  two  parties, 
the  Federalists  and  Anti-Federalists,  came  into  existence.  It  was 
during  this  period  of  public  excitement  and  popular  agitation  that 
the  newspapers  were  arrayed  on  either  side,  and  it  was  in  this  im- 
portant and  vital  political  conflict  that  the  Party  Press  had  its  ori- 
gin in  the  United  States. 

Of  those  papers  that  passed  through  the  fire  of  the  Revolution 
and  entered  the  new  political  arena,  the  New  York  Journal,  the  New 
York  Packet,  the  Massachusetts  Spy,  the  Boston  Gazette,  the  Newport 
Mercury,  the  Connecticut  Courant,  the  Maryland  Gazette,  the  Boston 
Independent  Chronicle,  the  Salem  Gazette,  th'e  New  Hampshire  Gazette, 
the  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  the  Pennsylvania  Journal,  were  the  most 
prominent.  Other  journals  were  soon  established,  and  many  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  who  have  since  held  high  positions  started 
in  political  life  and  distinction  with  these  papers. 

The  several  New  York  journals  which  were  removed  from  that 
city  during  its  occupancy  by  the  British  troops  were  returned  to 
their  old  quarters  on  the  conclusion  of  peace.  Among  others  was 
the  New  York  Journal,  published  by  John  Holt.  It  was  now  named 
the  Independent  Gazette,  or  the  New  York  Journal  revived.  In  the 
following  January  it  was  printed  on  new  and  handsome  Bourgeois 
type,  and  issued  twice  a  week.  Holt  died  before  the  end  of  the 
year,  and  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  Elizabeth  Holt,  his 
widow.  Holt  was  a  man  of  ardent  feelings,  a  High-Churchman,  a 
good  writer,  and  a  firm  Whig.  Soon  after  his  death  his  widow  print- 
ed a  memorial  of  him  on  cards  for  distribution  among  her 'friends. 
It  was  as  follows : 

A  due  tribute  to  the  memory  of  JOHN  HOLT,  printer  to  this  State ;  a  native  of 
Virginia ;  who  patiently  obeyed  Death's  awful  summons,  on  the  3Oth  of  January 
1 784,  in  the  64th  year  of  his  age.  To  say  that  his  family  lament  him,  is  needless  ; 
that  his  friends  bewail  him,  useless  ;  that  all  regret  him,  unnecessary ;  for,  that  he 
merited  every  esteem,  is  certain.  The  tongue  of  slander  cannot  say  less,  though 
justice  might  say  more.  In  token  of  sincere  affection,  his  disconsolate  widow 
hath  caused  this  memorial  to  be  erected. 

Mrs.  Holt  continued  the  Journal  till  1785,  but  it  was  published 
only  once  a  week.  Eleazar  Oswald,  a  kinsman  of  Mrs.  Holt,  who 
had  been  a  colonel  in  the  American  army,  conducted  the  paper  for 
her  from  1785  to  1786,  after  which  Oswald  printed  it  in  his-own  name, 
Mrs.  Holt  receiving  a  proportion  of  the  profits.  In  January,  1787, 
Mrs.  Holt  and  Oswald  sold  the  Journal  and  their  printing  establish- 
ment to  Thomas  Greeenleaf.  Oswald  died  in  September,  1795. 


The  First  Democratic  Organ.  145 


Soon  after  Greenleaf  took  possession  of  the^z^r^^/he  made  the 
establishment  the  foundation  of  two  papers.  The  paper  intended 
for  city  circulation  was  called  The  New  York  Journal  and  Daily  Pa- 
triotic Register  ;  the  other,  with  the  same  title,  was  published  weekly, 
on  Thursday,  for  the  country.  The  titles  of  these  papers  were  after- 
ward altered  ;  the  daily  was  called  The  Argus,  or  Greenleaf  's  New 
Daily  Advertiser  ;  and  Greenleaf  's  New  York  Journal  and  Patriotic 
Register  was  published  twice  a  week.  When  the  two  great  political 
parties  were  forming,  the  measures  of  Washington's  administration 
were  attacked  with  virulence  in  Greenleaf's  paper.  It  was,  in  fact, 
the  first  Democratic  organ  in  the  country. 

Thomas  Greenleaf  was  born  in  Abington,  Massachusetts,  and 
learned  to  set  type  of  Isaiah  Thomas.  He  was  the  son  of  Joseph 
Greenleaf,  who  was  a  printer  in  Boston  in  1774.  The  Journal  and 
Argus  were  published  by  Greenleaf  in  New  York  till  1798,  when  he 
died  of  yellow  fever,  at  the  age  of  forty-two.  He  was  a  good  print- 
er, enterprising,  and  of  an  amiable  character.  He  was  elected  one 
of  the  sachems  of  the  Tammany  Society  in  1789.  He  had  been  an 
editor  on  the  Independent  Chronicle,  of  Boston,  prior  to  1787.  That 
paper,  on  the  24th  of  September,  1798,  in  noticing  his  death,  said  : 

He  was  a  steady,  uniform,  zealous  supporter  of  the  Rights  of  Humanity  ;  a 
warm  friend  to  civil  and  religious  liberty,  unawed  by  persecution  or  prosecution, 
both  of  which  it  has,  not  unfrequently,  been  his  lot  to  experience.  He  loved  his 
country  ;  and  if,  at  any  time,  as  Editor  of  this  paper,  he  dipped  his  pen  in  gall, 
and  exercised  it  with  unusual  severity,  it  was  occasioned  by  that  strong  abhorrence 
he  felt  against  political  apostacy,  and  the  fervor  of  his  wishes  to  preserve  the 
Constitution  from  encroachment. 

Mrs.  Greenleaf,  his  widow,  published  both  the  daily  and  semi- 
weekly  papers  for  some  time,  but  finally  disposed  of  the  establish- 
ment to  James  Cheetham,  an  Englishman,  who  altered  the  titles  of 
both  papers  ;  the  daily  to  the  American  Citizen,  and  the  semi-week- 
ly to  the  American  Watchman. 

These  papers  flourished  from  1801  to  1810.  They  were  edited 
with  marked  ability  by  Cheetham,  who  acted  with  that  portion  of 
the  Democratic  party  of  which  George  Clinton,  De  Witt  Clinton, 
and  Judge  Spencer  were  leaders,  in  opposition  to  Aaron  Burr.  Vi- 
olent quarrels  took  place  between  the  Van  Nesses,  Swartwouts,  Mat- 
thew L.  Davis,  and  other  friends  of  Colonel  Burr  on  one  side,  and 
Cheetham,  Richard  Riker,  afterward  Recorder  of  New  York,  De 
Witt  Clinton,  and  Judge  Spencer  on  the  other.  Several  duels  took 
place.  On  one  occasion,  Matthew  L.  Davis  sallied  forth  in  Wall 
Street  with  pistol  in  hand,  expecting  to  be  constrained  to  shoot 
Cheetham  at  sight.  The  latter,  however,  kept  out  of  the  way  of 
Davis,  and  the  affair  ended  without  bloodshed.  In  1805  Colonel 
Burr  instituted  a  suit  against  Cheetham  for  libel,  growing  out  of  the 

K 


146  Journalism  in  America. 

Presidential  election  in  the  House  of  Representatives  ih  1801,  which 
created  considerable  excitement.  There  were  some  able  writers  for 
Cheetham's  paper,  and  he  always  stood  high  with  his  section  of  the 
Democratic  party  as  a  ready  writer  and  skillful  tactician.  He  wrote 
a  life  of  Thomas  Paine,  which  was  distasteful  to  Paine's  followers. 
In  opposing  the  embargo  the  Citizen  declined,  and  ceased  to  be  the 
organ  of  the  Republican  or  Democratic  Party  the  year  previous  to 
Cheetham's  death. 

Cheetham  was  not  a  professional  printer,  but  he  was  an  able  ed- 
itor, and  acquired  great  distinction  as  a  writer.  Occasionally  the 
vigor  and  pungency  of  his  style  caused  his  productions  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  letters  of  Junius,  which  were  long  considered  a  model 
for  political  writers  here  as  well  as  in  England.  But  Junius  was 
not  alone  his  model.  Dr.  Francis,  who  was  with  him  when  he  died, 
thus  described  his  death-bed  scene  : 

He  had  removed  with  his  family  to  a  country  residence,  some  three  miles  from 
the  city,  in  the  summer  of  1809. — Within  a  few  days  after  he  exposed  himself  to 
malaria,  by  walking  uncovered  by  his  hat,  through  the  fields,  under  a  burning  Sep- 
tember sun.  He  was  struck  with  a  complication  of  ills  :  fever,  congestion  of  the 
brain,  and  great  cerebral  distress.  The  malignancy  of  his  case  soon  foretold  to 
his  physician  the  impossibility  of  his  recovery.  Being  at  that  time  a  student  of 
medicine,  I  was  requested  to  watch  him ;  on  the  second  day  of  his  malady,  his 
fever  raging  higher,  he  betrayed  a  disturbed  intellect.  On  the  night  of  the  third 
day,  raving  mania  set  in.  Incoherently  he  called  his  family  around  him  :  address- 
ed his  sons  as  to  their  peculiar  avocations  for  life  :  giving  advice  to  one  ever  to  be 
temperate  in  all  things  :  upon  another  urging  the  importance  of  knowledge.  Aft- 
er midnight  he  became  much  worse,  and  ungovernable.  With  herculean  strength 
he  now  raised  himself  from  his  pillow  :  with  eyes  of  meteoric  fierceness,  he  grasp- 
ed his  bed  covering,  and  in  a  most  vehement  but  rapid  articulation,  exclaimed  to 
his  sons,  "  Boys,  study  Bolingbroke  for  style,  and  Locke  for  sentiment."  He 
spoke  no  more.  In  a  moment  life  had  departed. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Cheetham  was  remarkable  :  tall  and 
athletic.  None  of  his  political  difficulties  ever  made  him  a  princi- 
pal in  an  actual  duel,  but  in  1804  he  challenged  William  Coleman, 
of  the  Evening  Post.  Mutual  friends  interfered,  preventing  a  meet- 
ing, which,  however,  resulted  in  a  duel,  in  which  Cheetham  was  a 
second.  This  remarkable  affair  of  honor  we  shall  fully  describe  in 
our  sketch  of  the  Post.  Mrs.  Cheetham  died  about  the  same  time 
that  her  husband  departed  this  life.  We  believe  that  his  orphan 
daughter,  a  very  beautiful  girl,  was  sent  to  Norwich,  Connecticut, 
for  education,  after  the  death  of  her  parents. 

The  New  York  Packet,  published  by  Samuel  Loudon,  returned  to 
New  York  with  the  others.  Shortly  after  its  publication  was  changed 
from  a  weekly  to  a  daily,  and  was  continued  for  several  years.  It 
was  called,  as  late  as  1793,  the  Diary,  or  Lotidoris  Register.  In  the 
number  of  February  12  of  that  year  it  contained  the  following  dra- 
matic advertisement : 


Appearance  of  Major  Benjamim  Russell.      147 


T    H    E    A     T    R    E. 


BY  THE  OLD  AMERICAN  COMPANY 
THIS  EVENING,  the  I2th  of  February, 

A    C  0  ME  D  Y, 

CALLED,  THE 

ROAD     TO     RUIN. 

To  which  will  be  added, 

A     COMIC    OPERA, 

called,  the 

ROMP; 

Or,  A  Cure  for  the  SPLEEN. 

PLACES  in  the  BOXES  may  be  had  of  Mr.  Faulkner,  at  the  Box  Office  from 
Ten  to  Twelve  A.M.  and  on  the  Days  of  Performance  from  t  hre  to  Jive,  P.  M. 
where  alfo  Tickets  may  be  had,  and  at  Mr.  Gaine's  book-ftore  at  the  Bible  in 
Hanover-Square. 

3^="  The  Doors  will  be  opened  at  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  Five,  and  the  Cur- 
tain drawn  up  precifely  at  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  Six  o'clock. 
BOX  8s.     PIT  6s.     GALLERY  45. 

VIVA  T  RESPUBLICA. 

On  the  i2th  of  February,  1869,  there  were  four  columns  of  adver- 
tisements of  theatres  and  other  places  of  public  amusement  in  the 
New  York  Herald,  and  there  were  twenty-three  theatres  open  night- 
ly in  that  city.  One  religiously  inclined  would  say  that  the  Road 
to  Ruin  was  an  open  thoroughfare  in  1869  in  that  metropolis. 

The  Packet was  the  political  opponent  of  the  yourna/,  and  strong- 
ly advocated  the  Federal  side,  and  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution. 
Loudon  was  an  elder  in  the  Scotch  Seceders'  Church  in  New  York. 
He  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  Several  years  previous  to  his  death 
he  had  retired  from  business. 

The  most  influential  and  enterprising  paper  in  Massachusetts  aft- 
er the  Revolution  was  the  Massachusetts  Centinel  and  the  Republican 
Journal,  started  as  a  semi-weekly  by  Warden  and  Russell  in  1784, 
and  managed  for  forty-two  years  by  Major  Benjamin  Russell,  who 
was  the  master-spirit  of  the  establishment.  Its  first  number  was 
issued  on  the  24th  of  March.  It  was,  after  the  war,  what  the  Spy 
and  Gazette  were  before  the  war — the  popular  guide  in  Massachu- 
setts. Major  Russell  learned  the  art  of  printing  in  the  office  of 
Isaiah  Thomas,  and  served  six  months  in  the  Continental  Army  as 
a  substitute  for  Thomas.  He  was  one  of  the  guard  at  the  execu- 
tion of  Andre'.  The  Centinelvizs  immediately  recognized  as  a  good 
newspaper,  and  its  proprietors  endeavored  to  keep  up  with  the 
progress  of  the  times.  It  was  established  at  an  important  period 
in  the  world's  history :  when  Europe  was  being  remapped  and  re- 


148  Journalism  in  America. 

organized  by  revolutions  and  Napoleon's  victories,  and  this  country 
moulded  into  a  great  republic. 

Major  Russell,  with  the  true  instinct  of  a  journalist,  made  politics 
and  the  interests  of  the  merchant  and  mechanic  the  standard  mat- 
ter of  his  paper.  But  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  literature.  Nearly 
all  of  Goldsmith's  poems,  the  narrative  of  Cook's  voyages,  Cunning- 
ham's Pastorals,  and  portions  of  Cowper,  Gray,  and  other  British 
poets,  were  published  by  him.  Original  poetry  also  found  a  place  in 
his  columns.  The  Centinel  was  in  favor  of  protection  to  all  domes- , 
tic  manufactures.  The  British  factors  and  agents  made  great  efforts 
to  establish  themselves  in  the  United  States.  Having  lost  the 
country,  they  endeavored  to  save  the  trade.  Several  public  meet- 
ings were  held  in  Boston  to  deliberate  on  the  subject.  One,  of 
merchants  and  mechanics,  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall  in  1785,  when  it 
was  voted,  as  many  opposed  to  the  extravagance  of  our  day  and  the 
course  of  England  during  the  late  rebellion,  would  have  voted  in 
1863-4, 

That  we  do  pledge  our  honor,  that  \ve  will  not  directly  or  indirectly,  purchase 
any  goods  of,  or  have  any  commercial  connections  whatever,  with,  such  British 
merchants,  agents,  or  factors,  as  are  now  residing  among  us,  or  may  hereafter  ar- 
rive ;  and  that  we  will  not  let,  or  sell,  any  warehouse,  shop,  house,  or  any  other 
place,  for  the  sale  of  such  goods,  nor  will  we  employ  any  persons,  who  will  assist 
said  merchants,  factors,  or  agents,  by  trucks,  carts,  barrows,  or  labor,  (except  in 
the  reshipment  of  their  merchandize)  but  will  discountenance  all  such  persons, 
who  shall  in  any  way  advise,  or  in  the  least  degree  help  or  support  such  merchants, 
factors,  or  agents,  in  the  prosecution  of  their  business ;  as  -we  conceive  all  such 
British  importations  are  calculated  to  drain  us  of  our  currency,  and  have  a  direct 
tendency  to  impoverish  this  country. 

These  meetings  and  these  appeals  had  very  little  more  effect  then 
than  they  would  now  have.  Fashion  was  more  potent. 

The  Centinel  also  opposed  the  return  of  the  refugees.  Other  pa- 
pers favored  their  restoration  to  political  and  property  rights,  be- 
cause other  states,  more  liberal  than  Massachusetts,  would  allow 
their  return,  and  reap  the  advantages  of  their  property  and  industry. 
Some  of  the  newspaper  paragraphs  on  this  subject,  which  we  have 
lately  seen  in  regard  to  the  Southern  rebels,  remind  one  of  those 
published  eighty-five  years  ago.  The  Centinel,  in  August,  1784,  said  : 

However  the  principles  of  common  benevolence,  and  the  desire  of  curing  the 
calamities  of  our  fellow  citizens,  might  operate  in  favor  of  an  act  of  amnesty  and 
naturalization  to  the  ill-fated  body  of  men,  the  refugees  ;  yet  the  antipathies  nur- 
tured during  the  war  have  taken  so  deep  a  root,  as  will,  we  are  apprehensive,  be 
very  difficult  to  remove. 

In  our  sketch  of  the  Gazette,  the  course  of  the  venerable  Edes  in 
regard  to  the  threats  against  the  editor  of  the  Centinel  is  noticed. 
In  the  latter  paper  of  January  iQth,  1785,^6  assault,  then  antici- 
pated, was  made  on  Major  Russell,  which  is  thus  naively  para- 
graphed : 


The  Contest  over  the  Federal  Constitution.     149 

A  few  days  since  we  were  requested  to  publish  a  small  performance  on  the  in- 
stitution of  the  Sans  Souci.  After  carefully  perusing  it,  and  perceiving  it  to  be 
only  intended  to  display  the  dangerous  tendency  of  that  society,  not  the  vehicle 
of  personal  abuse,  (as  has  been  too  common)  we  determined  to  publish  it  and  ad- 
vertised our  intentions  of  so  doing.  This  roused  the  passions  of  those  who  con- 
ceived themselves  deserving  the  lash  of  satire,  and  urged  them  to  endeavor  to  sup- 
press it  in  embryo.  A  variety  of  injuries  was  threatened  us,  if  we  persisted  in  our 
determination  of  publishing  it.  In  the  afternoon  of  Saturday  we  were  waited  upon 
by  Mr.  Samuel  Jarvis,  who  desired  to  speak  with  one  of  us  in  another  apartment ; 
being  attended  thither,  he  demanded  to  know  whether  or  not  we  intended  publish- 
ing 'A  Farce,'  and  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  exclaimed,  "By  God,  I  '11 
kill  you  if  you  do,"  and  endeavored  to  put  his  threat  into  execution,  but  found  his 
efforts  inadequate  to  the  task. 

In  the  political  contests  of  those  days  the  newspapers  were  fre- 
quently more  violent  in  coarse  invective  and  ribaldry  than  even  in 
our  modern  political  campaigns.  With  an  exception  here  and  there, 
an  improvement  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  in  many  others,  affecting 
the  character  and  dignity  of  the  Press  of  America,  has  certainly  taken 
place.  When  the  local  Stamp  Act  of  1785  was  passed,  the  Centinel 
was  quite  tame  on  the  subject.  Major  Russell  thought  the  tax  on 
newspapers  injudicious,  but  was  really  in  favor  of  the  tax  on  adver- 
tisements ! 

Shay's  rebellion  was  denounced,  but  the  great  feature  of  the  Cen- 
tinel was  its  course  in  favor  of  the  acceptance  of  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution by  the  people.  From  the  adoption  of  this  instrument  in 
National  Convention  till  its  adoption  in  State  Conventions,  the  Cen- 
tinel kept  up  a  constant  fire  in  its  favor.  One  is  reminded,  in  read- 
ing its  paragraphs  and  illustrations,  of  the  energy  and  persistency 
of  the  New  York  Herald  in  carrying  through  an  important  measure 
in  after  years.  Meetings  of  mechanics,  a  series  of  them  indeed, 
were  held  in  Boston  by  the  influence  of  Major  Russell,  to  represent 
their  sentiments  to  the  State  Convention,  then  in  session,  and  the 
petition  from  this  class  which  was  submitted  on  that  occasion  turned 
the  scale,  said  John  Hancock,  in  favor  of  the  Constitution.  The 
Centinel  announced  with  great  enthusiasm,  as  the  news  came  in,  the 
fact  of  the  ratification  of  the  Constitution  by  the  several  states.  Ac- 
cording to  Russell,  little  Delaware  was  the  first,  and  he  based  large 
hopes  on  the  result  in  this  small  state.  He  said  : 

The  State  of  Delaware  being  the  first  to  adopt,  ratify,  and  confirm  the  American 
Constitution,  argues  well.  It  is  a  good  maxim,  which  inculcates  the  practice  of 
'•entering  at  the  little  end  of  the  horn  ;' — as,  at  every  step  we  take,  our  circle  is  in- 
creased, and  our  basis  progressively  growing  broader  and  broader. 

Delaware  was  the  eighth  state ;  New  Jersey  was  the  first. 

The  Massachusetts  Convention  met  in  an  old  church,  on  the  spot 
where  William  Ellery  Channing  afterward  preached,  in  Federal 
Street.  Its  proceedings  were  reported  by  Russell.  He  thus  de- 
scribes his  own  labors  and  a  scene  in  the  Convention : 


I 
150  Journalism  in  America. 

I  had  never  studied  stenography,  nor  was  there  any  person  then  in  Boston  that 
understood  reporting.  The  presiding  officer  of  the  Convention  sat  in  the  Deacon's 
seat,  under  the  pulpit.  I  took  the  pulpit  for  my  reporting  desk,  and  a  very  good 
one  it  was.  I  succeeded  well  enough  in  this  my  first  effort  to  give  a  tolerably  fair 
report  in  my  next  paper ;  but  the  puritanical  notions  had  not  entirely  faded  away, 
and  I  was  voted  out  of  the  pulpit.  A  stand  was  fitted  up  for  me  in  another  place, 
and  I  proceeded  with  my  reports,  generally  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Convention. 
The  doubts  that  still  existed  as  to  whether  enough  of  the  states  would  come  into 
the  compact  as  to  make  the  constitution  binding,  made  the  proceedings  of  the 
Convention  intensely  interesting.  When  the  news  arrived  of  the  acceptance  of  it 
by  the  State  of  Virginia,  there  was  a  most  extraordinary  outbreak  of  rejoicing. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  meeting-house  would  burst  with  the  acclamation. 

On  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  there  were  celebrations  every 
where.  When  it  was  evident  that  a  sufficient  number  of  states  had 
voted  in  its  favor,  New  York  had  a  grand  pageant.  This  was  on 
the  23d  of  July,  1788.  There  was,  of  course,  a  procession.  All  the 
trades  turned  out  in  costume.  Among  the  others,  numerously  rep- 
resented, were  the  printers,  bookbinders,  stationers,  and  all  those 
connected  with  the  Press.  They  marched  in  this  order,  with  the 
other  trades  and  professions  : 

THE  PRESS  SECTION. 

MARSHALS. 

Hugh  Gaine  of  the  Gazette. 
Samuel  Loudon  of  the  Register, 
on  horseback. 

The  standard  was  alternately  supported  by  Messrs.  Bryce,  Carroll,  Harrison 
and  Purdy. 

A  handsome  stage,  drawn  by  four  horses. 

Upon  the  stage,  the  federal  printing-press  complete ;  cases,  and  other  typo- 
graphical implements,  with  pressmen  and  compositors  at  work.  During  the  pro- 
cession, many  hundred  copies  of  a  song  and  an  ode,  adapted  to  the  occasion,  were 
struck  off,  and  distributed,  by  Messrs.  A.  M'Lean  and  J.  Russel,  among  the  multi- 
tude. A  small  flag  on  the  top  of  the  press,  on  which  was  inscribed  the  word 
"  Publius,"  in  gold  letters.  Mr.John  Loudon,  representing  a  herald,  mounted  on 
the  back  of  the  press,  dressed  in  a  flowing  robe,  and  a  cap,  on  which  were  writ- 
ten the  words,  "  The  Liberty  of  the  Press ;"  with  a  brazen  trumpet  in  the  right 
hand,  proclaiming,  "The  epocha  of  Liberty  and  Justice,"  pending  from  the  mouth 
of  the  trumpet.  In  the  left  hand,  a  parchment  scroll,  representing  the  new  con- 
stitution. 

The  master  Printers,  Booksellers  and  Bookbinders,  with  their  journeymen  and 
apprentices,  four  abreast,  following  the  stage. 

Description  of  the  Standard. 

Fame,  blowing  her  trumpet,  and  supporting  the  medallion  of  his  excellency  Doc- 
tor Franklin  ;  Liberty  attending,  holding  her  cap  over  his  head ;  the  electric  fluid 
darting  from  below ;  on  the  upper  corner,  the  union  flag,  and  Stationers'  arms  ; 
and  below,  the  Bible  and  federal  constitution,  representing  the  religious  and  civil 
constitution  of  our  country. 

Mottos, 

1st.  "Ars  arthtm  omnium  conservatrix."  . 

2d.  "  May  the  liberty  of  the  Press  be  inviolably  preserved,  as  the  palladium  of 
the  constitution,  and  the  centinel  of  freedom." 

Surrounding  the  medallion  of  his  excellency  Doctor  Franklin,  the  following 
words  : 

"  Where  liberty  dwells,  there  is  my  country." 

With  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  the  Federal  Party  consid- 
ered itself  fully  organized,  and  prepared  to  sit  en  permanence  over 


I 

Organization  of  the  Federal  Party.  151 

the  destinies  of  the  nation.  On  the  inauguration  of  Washington 
and  Adams,  the  Boston  Centincl  formally  announced  the  death  of  the 
Anti-Federalists  after  the  following  manner  : 

Notwithstanding  the  medical  exertions  of  a  celebrated  Physician — the  prescrip- 
tions of  three  gubernatorial  Esculapians — and  the  endeavors  of  the  whole  frater- 
nity of  State  Quacks  and  Moimtebanks  to  prolong  its  existence — in  convulsions  the 
most  violent — in  contortions  and  wreathings  the  most  painful,  on  Wednesday  last, 
finished  its  wicked  career, 

The  Genius  of  Antifederalism. 

It  was  born  in  August,  1787 — was  aged  17  months.  Though  thus  cut  off  in  its 
childhood,  it  still  lived  to  do  much  mischief;  and  to  have  grown  so  detestable, 
that  even  its  friends — its  foster-parents,  shewed  the  utmost  resentment  whenever 
called  by  its  name  :  It  has,  however  expired,  a  striking  instance  of  the  truth  of 
the  adage, — "  The  wicked  shall  not  live  half  their  days." 

On  WEDNESDAY,  MARCH  4th,  the  funeral  obsequies  will  be  consummated 
—when  a  GRAND  PROCESSION  will  be  formed. 


ORDER  OF  THE  PROCESSION. 

The    DEMON    of  REBELLION, 

drawn  in  a  flaming  Car,  by  Ignorance,  Knavery,  and  Idleness. 

DANIEL  SH-YS,  and  JOHN  FR-NKLIN, 

armed  with  levelers  in  their  right,  and  halters  in  their  left  hands. 
DAY,  SHATTUCK,  &c.  &c.  their  followers,  two  and  two,  each  with 

caps  and  bells. 
Several  "great  men"  their  abettors,  in  disguise. 

CHIEF  PHYSICIAN — 
Supporters,  H  Supporters, 

&" 

Injustice,  Knavery, 

W 
Abuse,  O  Defamation, 

g 

Prevarication,  ^  Falsehood. 

His  SATANIC  MAJESTY— Chief  Mourner. 

His  standard — motto — "  The  prop  of  my 
,  Empire  is  fallen." 

A  KNOW-YE  Rhode-Islander — and  a  pine-barren  Carolinian,  in 

sackcloth,  with  brazen  helmets — crest  "A  Highwayman 

robbing  by  law,"  motto—"  'Tis  power  which 

sanctifies  a  crime." 
A  cart  drawn  by  Fraud — with  Paper-Money,  Tender-Laws,  &c. 

the  sides  painted,  "Be  it  enacted"  &c. 

The  GODDESS  of  DISCORD— in  weepers. 

— In  her  right  hand  a  torch  expiring — in  her  left  a  bloody 

sword  broken. 
BENEDICT  ARNOLD,  SILAS  DEANE,  &c.  with  swords  embossed, 

"In  '75  we  were  right." 
A  standard,  motto,  "Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together" 

Hon.  PATRICK  H-NRY,  of  Virginia, 

Bearing  a  scroll,  with  the  words,  "In  the  creation  of  TWO 
Confederacies  are  all  my  hopes  of  greatness" 

His  Excel.  G.  CL-NT-N,  Esq. 

In  both  hands  a  Purse,  tied  up.     The  words  thereon, 
"If  New-  York  loses  the  Impost,  I  lose  thee" 

The  GENIUS  of  IMBECILITY, 

In  a  car — painted  on  both  sides  with  hieroglyphicks.  "A  ship  rotting  in  the 
harbor. — An  English  Crow  picking  the  Eaglets  eyes  out — the  Eagle  asleep  ;  his  tal- 
ons cut — an  American  fort,  with  English  colors — a  rusty  sword — a  broken  plough- 
share— starving  mechanics — broken  merchants,  &>c." 


152  Journalism  in  America. 

200  Wrongheads,  two  and  two 

"  While  we're  in,  let's  keep  in" 

A  WOLF,  covered  with  the  golden  fleece  of  a  LAMB,  marked 

4000!.  per  ann. 

The  Geniuses  of  the  Philad.  Gazetteer — New-York  Journal — 
Boston  Gazette,  &c.  in  their  original  blackness; 

"  The  days  of  our  years  are  evil  and  few." 
A  cart,  with  antifederal  Pamphlets,  Essays,  Protests,  &c.  in  reams, 

marked  '''"waste-paper." 

GALEN  and  the  Junto — two  and  two. 

The  GODDESS  of  POVERTY— in  tatters— 

"Follow  me,  my  sons,"  she  cries, 

" We  do"  each  scribbler  replies. 

A  dray  with  stumps  of  pens,  broken  inkstands,  &c. 

Antifederal  Scribblers,  in  dishabille,  two  and  two,  chaunting  the 

following  lines  : —  Who  will  close  the  Procession. 

There  was  a  singular  prediction  of  the  recent  rebellion  in  the  Vir- 
ginia scroll  borne  by  Patrick  Henry  in  this  imaginary  procession. 

On  the  i6th  of  June,  1790,  the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to 
Columbian  Centinel.  Very  few  of  the  journals  of  the  last  century 
continued  long  under  one  title.  Some  of  the  newspapers  had  as 
many  aliases  as  an  English  nobleman.  Major  Russell  and  Isaiah 
Thomas  were  ever  inventing  some  new  title  or  some  new  device  for 
their  figure-heads.  In  the  progress  of  the  republic,  and  in  the  prog- 
ress of  journalism,  the  broader  views  of  Russell  suggested  the  more 
comprehensive  name  of  Columbian  Centinel,  and  so  it  was  thereafter 
called..  It  became  more  national  in  its  character.  It  was  strongly 
in  favor  of  Washington,  Adams,  and  Hamilton.  It  was  full  of  Fed- 
eralism and  patriotism.  On  one  occasion  Russell  printed  all  the 
public  laws  gratuitously.  When  called  upon  for  his  bill,  he  sent  it 
to  the  State  Department  receipted.  "  This  must  not  be,"  said  Wash- 
ington on  learning  the  fact.  "When  Mr.  Russell  offered  to  publish 
the  laws  without  pay,  we  were  poor.  It  was  a  generous  offer.  We 
are  now  able  to  pay  our  debts.  This  is  a  debt  of  honor,  and  must 
be  discharged."  Shortly  after,  a  check  for  seven  thousand  dollars 
was  sent  to  Major  Russell. 

The  "war  of  editors,"  which  began  in  England  in  1645,  an<^  m 
America  in  1719,  continued  at  this  period  of  our  history.  Wherever 
and  whenever  two  newspapers  come  in  competition  in  politics,  cir- 
culation, or  advertisements,  there  is  a  fight.  Such  was  the  case  with 
the  Centinel  w\&  Chronicle  in  1790-3,  and  such  is  the  case  with  the 
Times,  and  Tribune,  and  World,  and.  Snn  now.  There  was  a  dis- 
graceful scene  in  Faneuil  Hall  and  on  'Change  in  1793  between  Ma- 
jor Russell  and  Benjamin  Austin,  Jr.,  of  the  Chronicle.  Austin  pub- 
licly, in  Faneuil  Hall,  called  his  opponent  "  such  a  fellow  as  Ben 
Russell."  Shortly  after,  Russell  met  Austin  on  'Change,  and  spat 
in  his  face.  There  was  an  action  for  damages,  and  the  jury  award- 
ed Austin  twenty  shillings.  • 


Organization  of  the  Democratic  Party.        153 

The  Citizen-king  of  France  in  1830,  Louis  Philippe,  was  an  exile 
in  Boston,  teaching  school  there,  in  1793-4.  Talleyrand  was  also  in 
that  city  at  that  time.  They  often  visited  the  office  of  the  Centinel, 
especially  on  the  arrival  of  news  from  Europe.  In  return  for  the 
privilege  of  looking  over  the  Monitenr,  Louis  Philippe  presented  an 
Atlas  to  Russell,  then  a  rare  book  in  the  colonies,  and  it  was  by  the 
aid  of  the  maps  thus  obtained  that  he  was  enabled  to  make  his  com- 
pilations of  the  movements  of  the  armies  on  the  Continent  of  Eu 
rope  so  clear  and  comprehensive  that  the  reader  could  easily  trace 
the  operations  of  Napoleon, .and  his  opponents  in  all  the  great  bat- 
tles of  the  Empire.  In  this  way  the  Centinel  acquired  a  high  repu- 
tation throughout  the  country. 

In  the  Presidential  contest  of  1796,  the  Centinel,  two,  to  its  party, 
although  Federalism  began  to  show  evident  signs  of  weakness,  ad- 
vocated the  claim  of  John  Adams.  The  aggressions  of  the  French 
on  our  commerce  were  the  irritating  and  exciting  topics.  Adams 
was  elected.  But  the  Democratic  Party  began  its  real  existence  in 
that  contest,  and  secured  the  office  of  Vice-president  for  Jefferson. 
It  was  at  the  instigation  of  Russell  that  the  Federalists  of  Massa- 
chusetts wore  the  black  cockade.  In  the  Centinel  Q{  July  4, 1798,  it 
was  strongly  recommended : 

It  has  been  repeatedly  recommended,  that  our  citizens  wear  in  their  hats  on  the 
day  of  Independence,  the  American  Cockade,  (which  is  a  Rose,  composed  of  black 
ribbon,  with  a  white  button,  or  fastening)  and  that  the  Ladies  should  add  to  the 
attraction  of  their  dress  (the  Ladies'  cockade  should  be  a  ivhite  rose,)  this  symbol 
of  their  attachment  to  the  government,  which  cherishes  and  protects  them — either 
on  their  breasts  or  in  their  bonnets.  The  measure  is  innocent ;  but  the  effect  will 
be  highly  important.  It  will  add  cement  to  the  Union,  which  so  generally  and  so 
happily  exists.  Every  cockade  will  be  another  edition  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, and  the  demonstration  of  it,  by  this  national  emblem  now,  will  be  as 
highly  laudable  as  the  display  of  the  immortal  instrument  of  1776  was  then: 
Those  who  signed  the  Address  to  the  President  are  pledged  to  display  this  evi- 
dence of  it  to  the  world — and  they  may  be  assured,  that  the  influence  of  their  ex- 
ample in  this  measure  will  be  productive  of  as  great  good,  as  the  influence  of  their 
names  was  on  the  paper.  All  those,  who  have  not  had  opportunity  to  sign  the 
address,  and  who  feel  themselves  Independent  Americans,  cannot  hesitate  to 
show  by  some  outward  mark,  that  they  love  their  country  better  than  any  other  in 
the  world ;  this  mark  ought  to  be  the  black  cockade.  The  Ladies,  we  under- 
stand, are  universally  in  favor  of  the  measure ;  and  if  they  lead,  who  will  not 
follow  ? 

This  suggestion  arose  from  the  order  of  Adet,  which  had  pre- 
viously appeared  in  the  Philadelphia  Aurora,  for  all  Frenchmen  in 
the  United  States  to  wear  the  tri-colored  cockade.  In  the  heat  of 
political  excitement  many  Americans  wore  the  same  emblem.  Aft- 
er the  appearance  of  the  above,  the  Centinel  said : 

The  Jacobins  have  the  impudence  to  say,  that  the  people  of  Boston  were  really 
divided,  and  they  give  as  a  proof,  that  not  more  than  half  of  them  wear  the  Amer- 
ican Cockade.  This  being  the  case,  let  every  Bostonian,  attached  to  the  consti- 
tution and  government  of  the  United  States,  immediately  mount  the  COCKADE, 


154  Journalism  in  America. 

and  swear  that  he  will  not  relinquish  it,  until  the  infamous  projects  of  the  exter- 
nal and  internal  enemies  of  our  country  shall  be'  destroyed. 

Again  Russell  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  black  cockade  : 

The  Cockade  is  generally  worn  by  every  class  of  citizens  in  almost  every  town 
in  the  United  States.  It  is  considered  as  a  token  of  patriotism  and  union.  It 
will  enliven  our  commencement  at  Cambridge  this  day.  It  will  receive  the  smiles 
and  approbation  of  the  Fair  Daughters  of  Columbia;  and  will  convince  the  Gal- 
lic spies,  now  in  our  country,  that  we  are  not  a  divided  people. 

It  appears  that  William  Cobbett,  although  in  the  interests  of  the 
Federalists,  had  hit  Russell  several  times  in  the  columns  of  the  Por- 
cupine, then  published  in  Philadelphia.  In  reply,  the  Centinel  said : 

******  COBBETT  was  never  encouraged  and  supported  by  the  Federalists 
as  a  solid,  judicious  writer  in  their  cause  ;  but  was  kept  merely  to  hunt  Jacobinic 
foxes,  skunks,  and  serpents.  The  Federalists  found  the  Jacobins  had  the  Aurora, 
Argus,  and  Chronicle,  through  which  they  ejected  their  mud,  filth,  and  venom,  and 
attacked  and  blackened  the  best  characters  the  world  ever  boasted ;  and  they 
perceived  that  these  vermin  were  not  to  be  operated  on  by  reason  or  decency.  It 
was  therefore  thought  necessary  that  the  opposite  party  should  keep,  and.  feed  a 
suitable  beast  \.Q  hunt  down  these  skunks  and  foxes  ;  and  "  the  fretfiil  Porcupine" 
was  selected  for  this  business.  This  imported,  or  transported  beast  has  been  kept 
as  gentlemen  keep  a  fierce  bull  Dog,  to  guard  his  house  and  property  against 
thieves,  Jacobins  and  Frenchmen,  and  as  such  he  has  been  a  good  and  faithful 
dog,  and  has  been/ft/  and  caressed  accordingly.  ****** 

In  the  next  great  political  contest,  which  resulted  in  the  over- 
throw of  the  Federal  party  and  the  election  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  the 
Centinel,  and  many  of  the  Federalists  of  Massachusetts,  declared  in 
favor  of  Aaron  Burr.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1801,  Major  Russell  pub- 
lished an  epitaph  for  the  tombstone  of  his  party  under  the  head  of 

iilouumental  jJnsrrtptton. 

"T7iat  life  is  long  which  answers  Life's  great  end." 

YESTERDAY  EXPIRED, 

Deeply  regretted  by  MILLIONS  of  grateful  Americans, 
And  by  all  GOOD  MEN, 

The   FEDERAL   ADMINISTRATION 

Of  the 
GOVERNMENT  of  the  United  States  ; 

Animated  by 

A  WASHINGTON,  an  ADAMS ;— a  HAMILTON,  KNOX, 

PICKERING,  WOLCOTT,  M'HENRY,  MARSHALL, 

STODDERT  and  DEXTER. 

fiLt.  12  years. 

Its  death  was  occasioned  by  the 
Secret   Arts   and  Open  Violence, 
Of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Demagogues  : 

Notwithstanding  its  whole  Life 
Was  devoted  to  the  Performance  of  every  Duty 

to  promote 
The  UNION,  CREDIT,  PEACE,  PROSPERITY, 

HONOR,  and 
FELICITY  OF  ITS  COUNTRY. 


The  Origin  of  Gerrymandering.  155 

The  remainder  of  the  inscription  is  very  long,  and  gives  an  elab- 
orate epitome  of  the  political  history  of  the  United  States  for  the 
previous  twelve  years,  showing  how  much  good  the  Federalists  ac- 
complished for  the  country.  It  ends  by  saying 

The  "  Sun  of  Federalism  is  set  for  ever." 
"Oh  shame,  where  is  thy  blush  ?" 

The  Centinel  opposed  all  the  measures  of  Jefferson  and  Madison, 
and  strongly  denounced  the  war  with  England.  With  Russell  orig- 
inated, during  Madison's  administration,  that  famous  political  term 
"Gerrymandering."  The  incident  is  thus  related  by  Buckingham  : 

In  1 81 1,  when  Mr.  Gerry  was  governor  of  the  commonwealth,  the  Legislature 
made  a  new  division  of  the  districts  for  the  election  of  representatives  to  Con- 
gress. Both  branches  had  then  a  democratic  majority.  For  the  purpose  of  se- 
curing a  democratic  representative,  an  absurd  and  singular  arrangement  of  towns 
in  the  county  of  Essex  was  made  to  compose  a  district.  Russell  took  a  map  of 
the  county,  and  designated  by  a  particular  coloring  the  towns  thus  selected.  He 
then  hung  the  map  on  the  wall  of  his-,  editorial  closet.  One  day,  Gilbert  Stuart, 
the  celebrated  painter,  looked  at  the  map,  and  said  the  towns,  which  Russell  had 
thus  distinguished,  formed  a  picture  resembling  some  monstrous  animal.  He 
took  a  pencil,  and,  with  a  few  touches,  added  what  might  be  supposed  to  repre- 
sent claws.  "  There,"  said  Stuart,  "  that  will  do  for  a  salamander."  Russell,  who 
was  busy  with  his  pen,  looked  up  at  the  hideous  figure,  and  exclaimed, "  Salaman- 
der !  call  it  Gerrymander."  The  word  became  a  proverb,  and,  for  many  years, 
was  in  popular  use  among  the  Federalists  as  a  term  of  reproach  to  the  democratic 
Legislature,  which  had  distinguished  itself  by  this  act  of  political  turpitude.  An 
engraving  of  the  "  Gerrymander"  was  made,  and  hawked  about  the  State,  which 
had  some  effect  in  annoying  the  democratic  party. 

De  Witt  Clinton  was  the  Federal  candidate,  in  opposition  to  Mad- 
ison, for  the  presidency  in  1812.  The  Centinel  gave  him  a  very 
weak  support.  On  the  election  of  Monroe  in  1816-17,  the  "  era  of 
good  feelings,"  a  phrase  which  also  originated  with  Russell,  com- 
menced, and  the  Federalists  were  no  longer  known  as  a  party.  The 
Centinel  began  then  to  lose  its  hold  upon  the  public.  It  had  changed 
its  name  by  adding  "American  Federalist"  to  the  principal  title.  It 
advocated  the  election  of  John  Quincy  Adams  in  1824,  and  his  re- 
election in  1828.  With  the  incoming  of  the  Democratic  Party  again 
under  the  lead  of  Andrew  Jackson,  the  influence  of  the  Centinel  be- 
came still  less  potential.  In  November,  1828,  Russell  sold  the  es- 
tablishment to  Adams  and  Hudson,  and,  with  a  farewell  banquet 
given  him  at  the  Exchange  Coffee-house  by  the  editors  and  printers 
of  Boston,  he  retired  to  private  life. 

In  1830  the  New  England  Palladium,  and  in  1836  \hzBoston  Ga- 
zette, were  merged  with  the  Centinel.  In  1840  the  Centinel  disap- 
peared in  the  embrace  of  the  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

That  Methuselah  of  newspapers,  the  New  Hampshire  Gazette,  start- 
ed in  the  last,  lives  through  this,  and  runs  through  all  our  epochs. 
After  the  death  of  Daniel  Fowle  the  establishment  passed  into  the 
hands  of  two  of  his  apprentices,  John  Melcher  and  George  Jerry  Os- 


156  Journalism  in  America. 

borne,  in  1785.  Shortly  after  Osborne  retired,  and  Melcher  car- 
ried it  on  till  February  9,  1802,  when  he  sold  the  establishment  to 
Nathaniel  S.  and  Washington  Pierce.  The  Pierces  began  to  print 
the  Gazette  February  9,  1802,  when  they  changed  its  politics  from 
Federal  to  Republican,  or  Democratic,  as  it  would  now  be  called. 
They,  in  connection  with  Benjamin  Hill  and  Samuel  Gardner,  pub- 
lished it  till  May  21, 1805,  when  they  sold  it  to  William  Weeks.  Up 
to  this  time  little  or  no  editorial  writing  had  appeared  in  the  paper, 
except  a  little  political  matter  at  certain  seasons.  The  scissors  did 
most  of  the  work.  The  news  and  selected  matter  were  all  that  was 
expected.  Mr.  Weeks  wrote  more  than  his  predecessors,  and  re- 
mained editor  more  than  four  years  of  a  stormy  period,  and  until 
December  14,  1813,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Beck  and  Foster. 
This  firm  continued  the  publication  till  it  was  dissolved  by  the  death 
of  David  C.  Foster,  which  occurred  in  1823.  From  that  time  to  1834 
Gideon  Beck  was  the  publisher.  He  then  admitted  Albert  Green- 
leaf  as  a  partner,  and  published  it  with  him  till  July  14, 1835,  when 
Mr.  Beck  finally  left  the  business. 

In  conducting  their  paper  and  managing  their  business,  Beck  and 
Foster  were  industrious  and  successful.  Both  of  them  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  of  the  state,  and  the  decease  of  Mr.  Foster 
was  felt  to  be  a  public  loss.  On  the  i4th  of  July,  1835,  the  imprint 
bore  the  names  of  Thomas  B.  Laighton  and  Abner  Greenleaf,  Jr. ; 
from  1836  to  1841  the  name  of  A.  Greenleaf,  Jr.  On  the  i5th  of 
June,  1841,  it  was  changed  to  Virgin  and  Moses,  who  published  it  to 
1843,  when  Virgin  left,  and  S.  W.  Moses  appears  as  publisher.  In 
1844  Abner  Greenleaf  is  named  as  editor  ;  then  A.  Greenleaf  and 
Son,  editors.  The  year  closed  without  any  imprint  whatever,  and 
the  paper  was  published  without  any  during  the  year  1845-6.  Ab- 
ner Greenleaf  died  in  September,  1869,  aged  eighty-three.  In  1847 
the  N.  H.  Gazette  and  Republican  Union  was  published  by  William  P. 
Hill,  who  began  in  March,  and  remained  till  August  13,  1850,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Gideon  Rundlett.  The  present  publisher,  Ed- 
ward N.  Fuller,  commenced  in  March,  1852.  Several  of  these  nu- 
merous editors  were  men  of  talent  and  energy  ;  but  the  sudden  and 
frequent  changes  of  conductors  and  printers  have  operated  against 
the  profit  of  the  proprietors. 

The  Connecticut  Courant,  which  became  the  property  of  Hudson 
and  Goodwin  in  1779,  was  printed  by  them  till  November  21, 1815, 
when  George  Goodwin  and  Sons  appeared  as  printers.  That  inter- 
val of  excitement  and  anxiety  between  the  peace  with  Great  Britain 
of  1783  and  the  practical  operation  of  the  new  Constitution  in  1789 
is  vividly  outlined  in  the  files  of  the  Courant,  and  the  beneficent  in- 
fluence of  Washington's  administrations  clearly  traced  through  its 


The  Methuselahs  of  the  Press.  157 

columns.  It  was  a  supporter  of  Washington  and  Adams.  The  pa- 
per remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Goodwin  family  until  September 
12, 1836.  When  the  last  Goodwin  retired  in  that  year  he  was  eighty 
years  of  age,  and  had  been  in  the  establishment,  as  apprentice,  jour- 
neyman, and  owner,  for  seventy  years  !  In  1836  the  concern  passed 
into  the  hands  of  John  L.  Boswell,  and  was  published  by  him  until 
January  i,  1850,  when  William  Faxon  was  associated,  and  the  paper 
appeared  in  the  name  of  Boswell  and  Faxon  until  the  ist  of  Janu- 
ary, 1855,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Thomas  M.  Day.  It  ap- 
peared in  the  sole  name  of  Mr.  Day  until  the  ist  of  January,  1857, 
when  A.  N.  Clark  was  taken  in,  and  the  paper  appeared  in  the 
names  of  Day  and  Clark.  In  1865  the  firm  was  again  changed, 
and  the  paper  published  by  A.  N.  Clark  and  Company. 


158  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XL 
THE  NEWSPAPERS  ON  THE  PENDING  QUESTIONS. 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  THE  TORIES  TO  CITIZENSHIP. — SOCIETY  OF  CINCIN- 
NATI.— THE  ALIEN  AND  SEDITION  LAWS. — PROSECUTIONS  OF  NEWSPAPERS. 
— LAW  OF  LIBEL  IN  MASSACHUSETTS. — THE  COMMON  LAW  OF  ENGLAND 
"THE  BIRTHRIGHT  OF  EVERY  AMERICAN.  —  ASSASSINATION  OF  CHARLES 
AUSTIN. — THE  MASSACHUSETTS  STAMP  ACT. — TAX  ON  ADVERTISEMENTS. 
— AMERICAN  TITLES. — THE  RISE  AND  FALL  OF  NEWSPAPERS. — THE  FIRST 
EXPRESS. — JUDGE  STORY  ON  NEWSPAPER  PERSONALITIES. 

ON  the  conclusion  of  the  Revolution  the  Independent  Chronicle  of 
Boston  became  the  property  of  Adams  and  Nourse.  This  journal 
was  the  strong  opponent  of  two  measures  which  came  up  for  the  ac- 
tion and  indorsement  of  the  people.  In  the  Chronicle  of  May  22d, 

1783,  the  following  article  appeared,  which,  in  view  of  recent  events, 
is  interesting.     It  was  inspired  by  the  efforts  in  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature  to  restore  the  Tories,  who  had  left  the  country,  to  their 
original  rights.     It  is  an  illustration  of  the  spirit  of  the  times  in 
New  England  after  the  war : 

As  Hannibal  swore  never  to  be  at  peace  with  the  Romans,  so  let  every  Whig 
swear — by  the  abhorrence  of  Slavery — by  liberty  and  religion — by  the  shades  of 
those  departed  friends  who  have  fallen  in  battle — by  the  ghosts  of  those  of  our 
brethren  who  have  been  destroyed  on  board  of  prison-ships  and  in  loathsome 
dungeons — by  the  names  of  a  Hayne  and  other  virtuous  citizens  whose  lives  have 
been  wantonly  destroyed — by  every  thing  that  a  freeman  holds  dear, — never  to 
be  at  peace  with  those  fiends  the  Refugees,  whose  thefts,  murders,  and  treasons 
have  filled  the  cup  of  wo  ;  but  show  the  world  that  we  prefer  war,  with  all  its  dire- 
ful calamities,  to  giving  those  fell  destroyers  of  the  human  species  a  residence 
among  us.  We  have  crimsoned  the  earth  with  our  blood  to  purchase  peace, — 
therefore  are  determined  to  enjoy  harmony,  uninterrupted  with  the  contaminating 
breath  of  a  Tory. 

The  Society  of  Cincinnati,  which  was  then  being  formed,  was  bit- 
terly denounced.  While  the  armies  of  the  North,  engaged  in  the 
late  rebellion,  are  repeating,  but  on  a  grander  scale,  the  action  of 
the  soldiers  of  the  Revolution  in  1783,  the  fears  of  the  Chronicle  in 

1784,  which  represented  a  large  class,  will  be  noticed  with  interest 
and  curiosity : 

The  institution  of  Cincinnati  is  concerted  to  establish  a  complete  and  perpetual 
personal  distinction  between  the  numerous  military  dignitaries  of  their  corpora- 
tion and  the  whole  remaining  body  of  the  people,  who  will  be  styled  Plebeians 
through  the  community.  ******  If  the  Order  of  Cincinnati  should  appear 
to  be  fraught  with  danger  to  the  exalted  rights  of  human  nature,  tending  rapidly 
to  the  introduction  of  an  American  nobility,  as  has  been  publicly  affirmed,  and  not 
gainsaid, — such  a  military  nobility,  as  plagued  and  domineered  over  Europe  for 


The  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws.  159 

centuries, — or  if  it  tends  to  introduce  even  the  mildest  nobility,  since  nobility  itself 
is  reprobated  by  these  confederated  republican  states,  is  it  not  the  duty  of  legislat- 
ors, governors,  and  magistrates,  and  their  ELECTORS,  by  all  judicious  and  proper 
means  in  their  power,  to  prevent  such  an  institution  from  acquiring  any  degree  of 
strength  or  influence  in  this  free  commonwealth  ? 

Cambridge,  by  a  formal  vote  at  a  town  meeting  in  1784,  indorsed 
these  remarks  of  the  Chronicle  by  instructing  their  representative  in 
General  Court  to  use  his  endeavors  to  have  the  Society  of  Cincinnati 
suppressed.  Those  few  venerable  gentlemen,  with  Hamilton  Fish 
at  their  head,  who  meet  once  a  year  in  the  City  of  New  York,  on 
each  fourth  of  July,  to  elect  officers  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati,  will 
wipe  their  glasses  and  read  the  above  paragraph  with  a  sigh  for 
the  ribbons  and  orders  of  this  much-feared  "American  Nobility." 
Where  are  the  ribbons  of  the  Veterans  of  1812,  a  handful  of  men, 
poor  enough  in  pocket,  who  yearly  parade  the  streets  of  New  York  ? 
Are  they  the  tape  that  tie  up  their  annual  petitions  to  the  Legisla- 
ture for  relief? 

The  Chronicle  and  the  country  bravely  survived  these  two  meas- 
ures. After  1783,  and  in  the  interval  to  1789,  the  people  were  in  a 
state  of  transmutation,  and  shaping  themselves  and  their  views  for 
the  political  divisions  subsequent  to  that  period.  The  Chronicle  was 
an  organ  of  the  Republican  Party,  fiery  against  England,  and  strong- 
ly in  favor  of  France.  In  1793  the  paper  was  issued  twice  a  week. 

The  Alien  and  Sedition  laws  of  1798  created  a  prodigious  excite- 
ment throughout  the  states.  The  Sedition  Law,  restricting  the  lib- 
erty of  press  and  of  speech  especially,  aroused  the  opposition  party, 
and  caused  great  indignation  in  all  newspaper  offices.  There  were 
about  two  hundred  papers  published  in  the  country  at  that  time. 
It  was  calculated  that  of  these  twenty  or  twenty-five  were  not  only 
opposed  to  the  leading  measures  of  the  administration  of  John  Ad- 
ams, but  were  edited  and  controlled  by  aliens.  These  laws  affected 
them.  It  was  asserted  that  Jefferson  and  Madison,  but  especially 
the  former,  sustained  these  writers.  In  Virginia  and  Kentucky  the 
Legislatures  declared  these  laws  to  be  gross  infractions  of  the  Con- 
stitution, and  appealed  to  the  other  states  to  unite  in  opposition  to 
them. 

The  Chronicle  powerfully  opposed  these  obnoxious  laws,  and  was 
prosecuted  under  the  provisions  of  the  Sedition  Act,  in  the  Federal 
Circuit  Court.  When  the  resolutions  of  the  Legislature  of  Virginia, 
denying  the  constitutionality  of  these  laws,  were  adopted,  they  were 
transmitted  to  Massachusetts  as  to  other  states.  The  Legislature 
of  Massachusetts,  in  reply,  affirmed  the  constitutionality  of  the  acts 
and  disapproved  of  the  Virginia  resolutions.  On  this  point  the  irre- 
pressible conflict  arose  between  the  North  and  South  which  culmi- 
nated with  the  surrender  of  Lee  under  the  apple-tree  at  Appomattox 


160  Journalism  in  America. 

Court  House  in  1865.     In  noticing  these  proceedings  in  Massachu- 
setts and  Virginia,  the  Chronicle,  on  the  i8th  of  February,  1799,  said  : 

HISTORICAL  FACTS. 

A  correspondent  observes,  that,  on  the  last  Wednesday  in  May,  1798,  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts  was  a  "free,  sovereign,  and  independent  State,  in  all 
matters  not  specially  committed  to  the  Continental  Government  ;"  and,  in  proof 
of  it,  appeals  to  the  affidavits  of  about  two  hundred  respectable  witnesses,  who 
made  oath  to  the  fact,  as  well  as  to  the  opinion  that  the  Commonwealth  "  ought 
to  be"  so,  in  order  to  the  admission  of  the  witnesses  to  a  seat  in  the  Legislature 
of  the  Commonwealth. 

A  question  being  started  by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  whether  the  sovereign- 
ty of  the  individual  states  was  not  invaded  by  certain  acts  of  Congress,  which  the 
state  of  Virginia  deems  unconstitutional  ;  a  majority  of  the  same  witnesses,  quo- 
ted in  the  preceding  paragraph,  disclaim  for  themselves,  as  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature of  Massachusetts,  and  deny  to  all  other  States  in  the  Union,  any  right  to 
decide  on  the  constitutionality  of  any  acts  of  Congress. 

As  it  is  difficult  for  common  capacities  to  conceive  of  a  sovereignty  so  situated 
that  the  sovereign  shall  have  no  right  to  decide  on  any  invasion  of  his  constitutional 
powers,  it  is  hoped,  for  the  convenience  of  those  tender  consciences,  who  may 
hereafter  be  called  upon  to  swear  allegiance  to  the  State,  that  some  gentleman, 
skilled  in  Federal  logic,  will  show  how  the  oath  of  allegiance  is  to  be  understood, 
that  every  man  may  be  so  guarded  and  informed,  as  not  to  invite  the  Deity  to 
witness  a  falsehood. 

Another  paragraph  complimentary  to  a  member  of  the  Legislature 
for  favoring  the  Virginia  resolutions  appeared  on  the  same  day. 
These  articles  were  considered  as  libels  on  the  Legislature  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  Abijah  Adams,  the  book-keeper  of  the  Chronicle  of- 
fice —  Thomas  Adams,  the  editor,  being  confined  to  a  bed  of  sick- 
ness —  was  indicted  on  the  plea  that  he  sold  the  papers,  and  there- 
fore published  the  libel.  James  Sullivan,  for  the  Commonwealth, 
upheld  the  doctrine  of  libels  according  to  .the  common  law  of  En- 
gland. Whitman  and  Blake,  for  the  defendant,  asserted  that  the  com- 
mon law  was  inconsistent  with  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts, 
and  hostile  to  the  nature  and  genius  of  the  government.  Judge  Dana, 
in  charging  the  jury,  declared  that  the  common  law  of  England  was 
the  birthright  of  every  American.  Adams  was  found  guilty  of  "pub- 
lishing only."  The  sentence  was  thirty  days'  imprisonment  in  the 
county  jail,  to  pay  the  costs,  and  to  give  bonds  for  good  behavior  for 
one  year.  The  Chronicle  thus  announced  the  event  : 


The  Patrons  of  the  Chronicle  may  still  depend  on  the  regular  supply  of 
their  papers.  The  Editor  is  on  the  bed  of  languishment,  and  the  Book-keeper  in 
prison,  yet  the  CAUSE  OF  LIBERTY  will  be  supported  amid  these  distressing  cir- 
cumstances. 

While  in  prison,  Adams,  like  M'Dougall  in  New  York,  was  visited 
by  many  of  the  chief  citizens,  among  whom  was  the  venerable  pa- 
triot Samuel  Adams.  The  Chronicle  of  April  25,  1799,  thus  men- 
tions the  expiration  of  the  sentence  : 

Yesterday,  Mr.  Abijah  Adams  was  discharged  from  his  imprisonment,  after  par- 
taking of  an  adequate  proportion  of  his  "  birthright"  by  a  confinement  of  thirty 
days  under  the  operation  of  the  Common  Law  of  England. 


Impartial  Journalism  Attempted.  161 

On  the  ist  of  May  the  Chronicle  was  purchased  by  James  White, 
and  Ebenezer  Rhoades  was  selected  as  editor  and  printer.  It  was 
Mr.  White's  purpose  to  make  the  paper  an  impartial  organ  of  public 
opinion,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  he  succeeded.  On  the  ist  of  May, 
1800,  the  paper  became  the  property  of  Rhoades  and  the  book- 
keeper Adams,  who  had  been  imprisoned  for  the  libel  on  the  Legis- 
lature. The  new  proprietors,  on  assuming  control,  proclaimed  these 
sentiments  : 

Every  departure  from  truth  is  pernicious.  Impartiality  should  be  a  perpetual 
attribute  of  the  press.  Neither  fear  on  the  one  side,  nor  the  hope  of  reward  on 
the  other,  should  intimidate  or  influence  its  inquiries.  It  should  neither  be  bribed 
to  lavish  unmerited  applause,  nor  menaced  into  silence.  The  usefulness  of  peri- 
odical publications  depends  upon  their  steady  adherence  to  rectitude.  The  mo- 
ment corrupt  or  foreign  considerations  are  suffered  to  bias  or  stain  their  pages, 
they  become  injurious  to  the  general  interests  of  society. 

The  Chronicle,  under  these  new  managers,  still  kept  up  the  vigor 
of  its  comments.  It  again  got  into  trouble.  E.  W.  Thomas,  in  his 
reminiscences,  gives  the  following  particulars  of  this  affair  : 

In  August  or  September,  I  wrote  "Sidney,'1''  addressed  to  President  Adams,  and 
sent  it  to  the  post-office  in  Boston,  directed  to  the  Independent  Chronicle,  published 
by  Adams  and  Rhodes,  who  never  knew  who  was  the  author.  Two  days  after,  I 
rode  into  Boston  and  found  that  Sidney  was  published,  and  made  quite  a  stir 
"aipon  change  ;"  and  I  was  not  a  little  flattered  to  learn  that  it  was  attributed  to 
the  celebrated  Doctor  Charles  Jarvis,  who  declared  to  me  he  was  not  the  author, 
nor  did  he  know  who  was.  All  of  this  I  could  readily  believe,  as  there  was  but 
one  person,  besides  myself,  in  the  secret.  Mr.  Russell  came  out  in  the  Centinel 
very  severe  upon  the  Doctor ;  and  that  there  should  be  no  mistake  as  to  whom 
he  took  for  the  author,  he  said,  "  The  calomel  and  jalap  of  the  law  would  soon  be  ad- 
ministered to  him."  This  satisfied  me  that  they  had  no  suspicion  of  my  being  the 
author.  The  Sedition  Law  was  then  in  the  full  tide  of  successful  experiment,  and 
I  had  no  particular  desire  to  come  within  the  reach  of  its  tender  mercies,  which 
Matthew  Lyon  and  others  were  then  in  the  full  enjoyment  of.  Adams  and  Rhodes 
were  prosecuted  for  the  publication,  and  Mr.  Adams  died  while  the  prosecution 
was  pending.  My  friend  to  whom  I  had  confided  the  authorship  could  not  keep 
a  secret,  but  must  tell  it  to  Doctor  Ames,  and  it  became  known  to  some  few  oth- 
ers. The  court  met  soon  after,  and  the  judge  gave  it  in  charge  to  the  grand  jury ; 
and  so  far  as  he  had  been  able  to  get  information  on  the  subject,  recommended 
me  to  their  particular  attention ;  but  it  was  too  late ;  the  bird  had  flown  ;  I  was 
then  at  Newport,  on  my  way  to  Charleston. 

About  this  time  a  tragical  incident  occurred  in  connection  with 
the  Chronicle,  which  produced  a  painful  sensation  in  New  England. 
After  the  Revolution,  the  well-known  Benjamin  Austin  became  one 
of  the  volunteer  contributors  of  the  Chronicle.  In  spite  of  his  other 
business  pursuits  as  a  manufacturer  of  cordage,  he  continued  to 
write  for  the  Press.  This  labor  he  performed  for  the  mere  love  of 
the  excitement  it  gave  him,  and  for  the  good  he  accomplished  with 
his  pen.  In  1798  he  defended  the  policy  of  John  Adams  in  regard 
to  a  war  with  France.  One  of  his  signatures  was  Honestus.  He 
was  assailed  by  the  opposition  writers  in  violent  terms.  Some  idea 
of  the  style  of  a  few  of  the  writers  may  be  obtained  from  a  contri- 
bution, abusive  of  Austin,  which  appeared  in  the  Mercury : 

L 


1 62  Journalism  in  America. 

"  HONESTUS"— A  hungry,  lean-faced  fellow, 

A  mere  anatomy,  a  rope-maker, 

An  envious,  hollow-eyed,  sharp-looking  wretch  ; 

This  living  dead  man,  this  incessant  scribe, 

Forsooth,  took  on  him  as  a  chronicler, 

And,  with  no  face,  out-facing  federal  foes, 

Cries  out,  They  are  possessed. 

In  1801  Thomas  Jefferson  appointed  Austin  as  Commissioner  of 
Loans.  Other  offices,  such  as  selectman  and  representative,  had 
been  acceptably  filled  by  him.  Nothing  could  keep  him  out  of  the 
excitement  of  politics,  and,  in  the  midst  of  it,  the  sad  event  we  have 
alluded  to  occurred.  It  had  been  arranged  in  1806  that  each  party 
should  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July  by  a  festival.  The  Republicans 
held  theirs  on  Copp's  Hill ;  the  Federalists  in  Faneuil  Hall.  Aft- 
er the  celebration  it  was  reproachfully  reported  that  the  Republi- 
cans had  not  satisfactorily  paid  for  their  festival.  In  retaliation,  the 
Chronicle,  in  stating  that  "  a  receipt  in  full"  could  be  produced,  in- 
timated that  the  Federalists  could  not  show  a  similar  document. 
Other  irritating  paragraphs  appeared.  In  this  celebration  Austin 
was  the  most  active  member  of  the  Anti-Federal  committee,  and 
Thomas  O.  Selfridge  of  the  Federal  committee  of  arrangements. 
These  gentlemen  were,  therefore,  the  most  prominent  in  the  affair. 
After  a  few  more  offensive  paragraphs,  warming  up  to  fever  heat, 
the  following  card  appeared  in  the  Boston  Gazette  of  August  4, 1806  : 

AUSTIN  POSTED. 

BENJAMIN  AUSTIN,  Loan-Officer,  having  acknowledged  that  he  has  circulated 
an  infamous  falsehood  concerning  my  professional  conduct,  in  a  certain  case,  and 
having  refused  to  give  the  satisfaction  due  to  a  gentleman  in  similar  cases : — I 
hereby  publish  said  Austin  as  a  COWARD,  a  LIAR,  and  a  SCOUNDREL ; 
and  if  the  said  Austin  has  the  effrontery  to  deny  any  part  of  the  charge,  he  shall 
be  silenced  by  the  most  irrefragable  proof.  THOMAS  O.  SELFRIDGE. 

P.  S.  The  various  editors  in  the  United  States  are  requested  to  insert  the  above 
notice  in  their  journals ;  and  their  bills  shall  be  paid  to  their  respective  agents  in 
this  town. 

The  rejoinder  appeared  in  a  part  of  the  edition  of  the  Chronicle 
on  the  same  morning : 

Considering  it  derogatory  to  enter  into  a  newspaper  controversy  with  one  T.  O. 
Selfridge,  in  reply  to  his  insolent  and  FALSE  publication  in  the  Gazette  of  this 
day  ;  if  any  gentleman  is  desirous  to  know  the  facts  on  which  his  impertinence  is 
founded,  any  information  will  be  given  by  me  on  the  subject. 

Boston,  Aug.  4.  BENJAMIN  AUSTIN. 

2J^=  Those  who  publish  Selfridge's  statement  are  requested  to  insert  the  above, 
and  they  shall  be  paid  on  presenting  their  bills. 

The  melancholy  incident  which  followed  the  publication  of  these 
short  and  sharp  cards  is  thus  related  by  Buckingham  : 

About  one  o'clock  of  the  day,  on  which  these  publications  appeared,  Charles, 
a  son  of  Mr.  Austin,  and  Mr.  Selfridge  met  on  the  side-walk,  on  the  south  side  of 
State-street,  not  far  from  the  corner  of  Congress-street.  No  person  was  near 
enough  to  hear  any  words  that  might  have  passed  between  them.  In  less  than  a 
minute  after  they  met,  Selfridge  was  seen  to  draw  a  pistol  from  his  pocket,  and 


The  Shooting  of  Charles  Aiistin.  163 

discharge  it  at  Austin.  Austin  instantly  struck  Selfridge, — or  at  him, — with  a 
small  stick  he  had  in  his  hand,  and  fell  from  the  side-path  on  to  the  pavement, 
and,  without  speaking,  expired, — the  blood  gushing  from  his  mouth.  The  ball 
had  entered  his  heart,  just  below  the  left  pap,  and  passed  through  the  body.  This 
sad  and  agonizing  event,  the  judicial  proceedings,  which  followed,  and  the  acquit- 
tal of  the  man,  whom  the  jury  of  inquest  charged  with  murder,  had  a  deep  and 
painful  influence  on  the  after  life  of  Mr.  Austin.  The  expressions  of  sympathy 
were  many  and  sincere,  even  from  political  adversaries.  Whatever  provocation 
might  have  been  given  by  the  bitterness  of  political  controversy,  it  is  certain  that 
none  but  the  most  implacably  vindictive,  could  fail  to  be  softened  by  a  knowledge 
of  the  agony  of  this  tremendous  infliction,  and  by  the  suffering  it  carried  into  the 
midst  of  a  family,  which  his  domestic  habits  and  attachments  had  made  the  centre 
of  all  his  affections. 

Charles  Austin  was  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Senior  class  of  Harvard  College.  He  acquired  the  rudiments  of  a  collegiate 
education  at  Phillips  Academy,  in  Andover,  and  had  frequently  received  from  the 
instructers  in  that  institution,  as  well  as  those  at  Harvard,  testimonials  of  appro- 
bation. The  Faculty  of  the  College  had  assigned  to  him  one  of  the  highest  parts 
in  the  exercises  of  the  Commencement,  that  was  then  soon  to  follow.  His  friends 
looked  forward  to  that  day,  with  pleasing  anticipations  of  a  performance,  that 
would  justify  the  estimate  they  had  formed  of  his  talents  and  principles.  He  died 
by  the  hand  of  violence,  in  the  midst  of  his  hopes.  His  funeral  was  attended  by 
a  long  procession  of  citizens  of  Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns.  The  pall  was 
supported,  and  the  corpse  preceded,  by  the  Senior  class  of  Harvard  College,  and 
followed,  immediately  after  the  relatives,  by  the  President,  Professors,  and  Tutors 
of  that  institution. 

For  many  weeks  succeeding  this  tragedy,  the  Chronicle  poured  out  its  anathe- 
mas on  the  Federalists,  whom  it  charged  with  art,  intrigue,  and  deception,  and  a 
desire  to  stifle  all  investigation  of  their  measures,  even  by  the  use  of  the  pistol. 
The  "  Reflections"  of  the  editors,  and  the  communications  of  correspondents, 
were  not  adapted  to  allay  excitement.  The  federal  papers  of  Boston  maintain- 
ed a  general  silence  in  relation  to  the  subject ;  but  numerous  letters,  written  from 
Boston,  and  published  in  other  places,  tended  to  provoke  a  continuance  of  the 
animadversions  of  the  Chronicle. 

Among  the  numerous  writers  who  contributed  to  the  Chronicle, 
there  were  Thomas  Greenleaf,  afterward  editor  of  the  New  York 
Journal  and  Argus,  Perez  Morton,  afterward  Attorney  General  of 
Massachusetts,  and  Dr.  Charles  Jarvis,  an  orator  of  distinction,  and 
a  leading  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature.  Samuel  Coop- 
er, Thomas  Adams,  and  Isaac  Larkin  were  also  moving  spirits  in 
the  Chronicle. 

Among  the  printers  in  the  Chronicle  office  was  the  Hon.  John 
Prentiss,  now  living  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  over  ninety  years  of  age,  and 
still  a  writer  for  the  Press ;  also  George  Hough,  of  the  Courier  of  New 
Hampshire.  Mr.  Prentiss  was  an  apprentice  in  1792  in  the  Chron- 
icle office,  which  was  where  the  Advertiser  building  now  stands.  He 
was  afterward  editor  of  the  New  Hampshire  Sentinel  for  nearly  half 
a  century,  beginning,  we  believe,  in  1807. 

The  Chronicle,  true  to  its  Democratic  sentiments,  zealously  advo- 
cated and  supported  the  war  with  England  in  1812-15.  The  pub- 
lication of  the  paper  was  continued  by  Rhoades  and  Adams  till  the 
death  of  the  latter,  and  then  by  Rhoades  till  1819,  when  it  became 
the  property  of  Davis  C.  Ballard  and  Edmund  Wright,  Jr.,  publishers 


164  Journalism  in  America. 

of  the  Boston  Patriot,  with  which  paper  it  was  united.     In  1832  the 
Patriot  was  merged  with  the  Daily  Advertiser. 

The  Boston  Gazette,  the  contemporary  of  the  Independent  Chronicle, 
through  the  anxious  years  of  the  war,  the  exciting  period  of  the  for- 
mation of  the  government,  the  framing  of  its  financial  policy,  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution,  and  the  resulting  organization  of  par- 
ties, continued  to  be  published  by  Edes  and  Sons.  It  had  lost  much 
of  its  vigor,  as  we  have  said,  by  circumstances  beyond  its  control. 
Its  publishers  were  patriotic  printers,  but  had  not  the  mental  ca- 
pacity to  keep  up  the  intellectual  fire  and  spirit  of  its  earlier  days, 
when  a  club  of  vigorous  writers  contributed  to  its  columns,  one  or 
two  of  whom  had  gone  over  to  the  Chronicle.  But  occasionally,  when 
an  odious  act  was  enacted  by  the  Legislature,  like  the  "  two  thirds  of 
a  penny"  tax  on  every  newspaper  and  almanac  in  1785,  the  old  fire 
would  burst  out  and  light  up  the  public  mind  in  opposition  to  the 
measure.  This  modernized  Stamp  Act,  from  the  pressure  of  public 
opinion,  was  modified,  and  advertisements  alone  were  taxed.  This 
second  importation  of  shackles  for  the  Press  from  England  met  with 
the  same  determined  opposition,  and  the  Gazette  thus  evaded  the 
penalties  of  the  law,  and  showed  the  folly  of  the  measure  : 

The  sixteenth  article  of  our  Bill  of  Rights  says  "  The  Liberty  of  the  Press  is 
essential  to  the  security  of  Freedom  in  a  State  :  It  ought  not  therefore  to  be  re- 
strained in  this  commonwealth." 

While  the  papers  of  the  other  states  are  crowded  with  advertisements,  (free  of 
duty)  those  of  this  state  are  almost  destitute  thereof;  which  justly  occasions  the 
oppressed  printers  of  those  shackled  presses  to  make  their  separate  complaints, 
as  many  do,  owing  to  their  being  prohibited  advertising  in  their  own  papers  their 
own  Books  and  Stationery  without  incurring  a  penalty  therefor.  We,  for  the 
same  reason  that  our  brother  Typographers  use,  forbear  publishing  that  Bibles, 
Testaments,  Psalters,  Spelling- Books,  Primers,  Almanacks,  &*c.  besides  Stationery 
and  all  kinds  of  Blanks,  may  be  had  at  No.  42,  Cornhill. 

The  duty  on  advertisements  also  prevents  our  publishing  that  we  have  lately 
reprinted  an  excellent  moral  Discourse,  entitled, "  The  Shortness  and  Afflictions 
of  Human  Life  illustrated,"  for  the  price  of  said  book  being  but  eight  pence,  it  will 
take  away  the  profits  of  too  many ;  and  perhaps  encourage  government  to  con- 
tinue this  burthen." 

About  this  time  the  editors  of  the  Centinel  were  threatened  with 
personal  violence  in  consequence  of  some  strictures  on  a  club  call- 
ed the  Sans  Souci,  in  Boston.  Edes,  true  to  his  instincts,  although 
politically  and  professionally  opposed  to  the  Centinel,  had  the  esprit 
dii  corps  to  speak  thus  on  the  subject : 

The  attack  made  upon  the  printers  of  the  Centinel  on  Saturday  last,  by  a  num- 
ber of  •well-known  persons,  ought  to  excite  the  serious  attention  of  all  those,  who 
duly  regard  the  bulwark  of  our  liberties,  THE  FREEDOM  OF  THE  PRESS.  If  a 
printer,  for  advertising  that  he  intends  to  publish  a  certain  book  for  the  informa- 
tion, or  merely  the  amusement  or  innocent  diversion  of  his  fellow-citizens,  is  to  be 
beset  and  abused  by  a  set  of  club-men,  because  the  title-page  does  not  happen  to 
hit  their  taste,  we  may  take  a  farewell  of  our  independence,  which  we  have  glo- 
riously obtained,  not  without  great  expense  of  our  treasure,  and  the  loss  of  some 
of  our  best  blood.  A  wound  in  so  tender  a  point  must  surely  prove  fatal !  Should 


The  Sad  Fate  of  Benjamin  Edes.  165 

the  government  appoint  licensers  of  the  Press,  it  would  give  just  cause  of  offence. 
What  right,  then,  has  any  set  of  men  to  forbid  the  printing  a  book,  till  it  has  had 
their  imprimatur,  or  to  punish  a  printer  with  club-law,  for  advertising  it  ?  The 
institution  of  a  society  under  the  name  of  Sans  Souci,  or  Free  and  Easy,  has  raised 
the  apprehensions  as  well  as  curiosity  of  many  men  of  sober  sentiments  in  this 
community,  and  such  a  manner  of  defending  it  does  not  tend  to  diminish  their  ap- 
prehensions. But  since  this  mode  has  been  taken  for  its  defence,  it  concerns  the 
PUBLIC  to  inquire  into  its  nature  and  design  ; — that,  if  it  be  innocent,  it  may  have 
the  common  protection  ;  but  if  it  tends  to  promote  GAMING,  IDLENESS,  and  DISSI- 
PATION, it  may  be,  as  it  ought,  discountenanced  and  suppressed. 

The  Gazette,  after  1794,  was  published  by  Benjamin  Edes  alone. 
The  paper  had,  for  a  variety  of  reasons,  run  into  strong  opposition 
to  the  Constitution  of  1787  and  the  Federal  Party.  Although  John 
Adams  was  one  of  the  early  writers  for  the  Gazette,  and  gave  that  pa- 
per much  of  its  influence  in  producing  the  Revolution,  it  denounced 
him  as  a  monarchist  and  an  aristocrat.  It  also  opposed  Jay's  treaty 
with  England,  then  an  exciting  topic,  and  very  unpopular  with  a 
large  class.  Without  the  force  of  the  Chronicle,  it  fell  off  in  influ- 
ence, in  public  favor,  in  dignity  of  character,  and  in  subscribers.  Its 
rise,  its  power  and  usefulness,  and  its  fall,  like  that  of  Zengers  jour- 
nal, presents  a  bright  as  well  as  a  melancholy  aspect,  the  two  phases 
often  seen  in  the  history  of  journalism  all  over  the  world.  On  the 
ist  of  January,  1797,  the  venerable  editor  of  the  Gazette  appealed  to 
his  fellow-citizens,  and,  in  doing  so,  made  a  few  truthful  allusions  to 
his  career  as  a  journalist : 

The  aged  editor  of  the  GAZETTE  to  the  PUBLIC. 

A  few  years  since,  the  misfortunes  and  necessities  of  my  family  induced  me  to 
throw  myself  on  the  benevolence  of  that  Public,  to  which,  as  an  editor  of  a  paper, 
I  have  for  upwards  of  forty-one  years  been  a  faithful  servant,  as  far  as  my  abili- 
ties and  the  purity  of  my  principles  would  enable  me.  I  wish  not  to  boast,  but  a 
consciousness  of  the  integrity  of  my  motives,  and  the  conspicuous  part,  which  I 
took  in  those  perilous  times,  when  not  only  LIBERTY  but  LIFE,  were  suspended 
on  the  issue,  justify  me,  at  this  late  period  of  my  existence,  in  GLORYING  in  those 
duties,  which  as  a  citizen  I  was  called  on  to  perform.  The  Boston  Gazette  was 
both  the  Herald  and  the  Centinel,  in  the  days  of  OTIS,  HANCOCK,  the  ADAMSES, 
WARREN,  &c.  while  contending  against  Britain  !  when  their  declaratory  act  was 
expressive  of  the  disposition  of  that  arrogant  nation,  when  they  assumed  a  right 
to  "  tax  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever  !"  when  the  streets  of  Boston  were  crimsoned 
with  the  blood  of  our  slaughtered  citizens  !  At  these  all-trying  periods,  did  you, 
my  fellow-citizens,  ever  find  the  Boston  Gazette  deficient  in  a  manly  and  energetic 
remonstrance  against  these  horrid  and  cruel  impositions  ?  Did  an  OTIS  at  that 
time  seek  in  vain  to  declare  his  principles  through  this  channel  ? — or  did  WAR- 
REN unnerve  himself  or  the  cause  of  freedom,  by  strains  of  submission,  through  this 
conveyance  ? — No,  fellow-citizens  ;  the  Gazette  of  Edes  &  Gill,  was  always  sub- 
servient to  the  cause  of  Freedom,  and  this  was  the  CLARION,  which  announced 
through  the  continent  the  sentiments  of  your  Patriots.  Soon  expecting  to  quit 
this  world,  for  the  mansions  of  those,  where  honesty  and  integrity  will  be  reward- 
ed, by  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe,  I  shall  submit  the  following  simple 
statement  of  my  determination  and  situation,  and  then  resign  myself  to  that  fate 
which  Providence  may  allot  me  in  my  retirement — conscious,  however,  that  I  have 
served  my  country  with  faithfulness,  and  the  most  disinterested  zeal,  I  cannot  but 
observe  with  regret,  that  thousands  have  become  enriched  by  a  base  speculation 
on  those  services  which  have  impoverished  me  and  many  others. 

J^^  The  aged  Editor  of  the  Gazette  presents  the  compliments  of  the  Season 
to  his  generous  Benefactors,  and  invites  all  those  who  have  any  demands  on  him 


1  66  Journalism  in  America. 

to  call  and  receive  their  dues  :  He  likewise  requests  those  of  his  Customers,  who 
are  two,  three,  and  more  years  in  debt,  to  discharge  their  arrears,  as  he  finds  it  im- 
possible to  live  upon  the  wind,  and  promises  equally  uncertain.  By  the  indulgence 
of  Providence  he  is  determined  to  complete  the  42d  year  of  publication,  which  will 
end  the  last  of  March  ensuing,  (and  which  is  longer  than  any  Printer  in  the  United 
States  ever  did  before,  only  one  excepted)  after  which  time  he  shall  discontinue 
its  publication,  unless  he  meets  with  greater  encouragement  than  he  has  had  for 
more  than  two  years  past.  The  former  number  of  subscribers  to  the  Gazette  (in 
times  which  tried  men's  souls,  and  bodies  too)  were  upwards  of  Two  Thousand  ; 
near  three  fourths  of  which  are  no  more.  But  being  now  reduced  to  400,  and  not 
advertisements  enough  Weekly  to  procure  Paper,  he  is  necessitated  to  relinquish 
publishing  it  any  longer  than  the  Time  before  mentioned. 

BENJAMIN  EDES. 

This  produced  no  effect.  His  services  as  a  fearless  editor  in  the 
interests  of  the  country  were  to  obtain  no  recognition.  Those  of 
his  colaborers  who  survived  the  Revolution  had  reached  high  dis- 
tinction. John  Adams  had  been  Vice-President  of  the  nation,  and 
John  Hancock  Governor  of  Massachusetts.  Others,  like  Warren, 
and  Quincy,  and  Otis,  had  become  immortal.  What  was  to  become 
of  poor  Edes?  Like  poor  Zenger's  son  at  the  "dawn  of  American 
Liberty,"  he  reached  poverty  and  destitution.  On  the  i;th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1798,  Edes  issued  his  farewell  address,  full  of  pathos,  patri- 
otism, and  poverty,  which  we  give  in  full,  as  a  document  too  inter 
esting  and  touching  not  to  be  preserved  in  history  : 

The  EDITORS  FARE  WELL. 


The  Editor  of  the  Boston  Gazette,  after  repeated  attempts  to  prosecute  his  pro- 
fessional occupation,  in  the  declining  period  of  his  life,  is  at  length  obliged  to  re- 
linquish his  exertions,  and  to  retire  to  those  melancholy  paths  of  domestic  embar- 
rassments, to  which  misfortune  has  consigned  him. 

While  thus  passing  the  gloomy  valley  of  old  age  and  infirmity,  his  consolation 
still  rests  on  that  STAFF,  which  can  support  a  mind  conscious  of  its  own  rectitude  ; 
and  though  he  often  feels  the  thorns  and  briers  on  the  road,  goading  him  in  his 
passage,  yet  he  patiently  suffers  under  these  afflictions,  hoping  that  ere  long  he 
shall  arrive  at  that  peaceful  abode,  "  where  the  weary  are  at  rest." 

During  upwards  of  forty-three  years  of  hard  labor  in  that  "ART  WHICH  SUP- 
PORTS ALL  ARTS,"  he  has  uniformly  attempted  to  vindicate  the  RIGHTS  OF  HIS 
COUNTRY.  He  early  made  himself  conspicuous  as  the  scourge  of  tyrants  —  His 
press  was  the  asylum  of  the  distressed  —  through  that  meditim  an  injured  people 
could  ever  express  their  wrongs,  or  plan  measures  for  their  deliverance.  At  that 
AFFLICTING  CRISIS,  when  America  lay  groaning  under  the  innumerable  tortures 
of  a  relentless  nation,  the  Boston  Gazette  was  employed  as  the  HERALD  to  sound 
the  alarm  through  the  most  remote  parts  of  the  Continent. 

The  Patriots  of  our  Country,  at  those  "  times  ivhich  tried  men's  souls,"  were 
constantly  assembled  within  the  confines  of  his  office,  and  their  manuscripts  were 
displayed  as  with  a  TELEGRAPH,  in  legible  characters,  within  the  columns  of  his 
periodical  publications. 

ADAMS,  HANCOCK,  WARREN,  with  a  train  of  co-patriots,  were  his  chosen  inti- 
mates ;  under  their  guidance  and  direction,  he  stood  on  the  WATCH  TOWER,  and, 
like  a  faithful  Soldier  in  the  cause  of  Freedom,  ever  held  himself  ready,  and  will- 
ing, to  fall  or  rise  with  the  ruin  or  happiness  of  his  country. 

But,  alas  !  the  cause  of  LIBERTY  is  not  always  the  channel  of  preferment  or 
pecuniary  reward.  The  little  property  which  he  acquired  has  long  since  fell  a 
sacrifice  ;  —  the  paper-evidences  of  his  services  were  soon  consumed  by  their  rapid 
depreciation,  and  the  cares  of  a  numerous  family  were  too  powerful  to  be  resist- 
ed, though  he  fed  them  with  property  ztfonr  shillings  and  sixpence  in  the  pound, 
which  he  faithfully  and  industriously  earned  at  twenty  shillings. 


The  Success  of  Isaiah  Thomas.  167 

However,  it  is  beneath  a  patriot  to  mourn  his  own  misfortunes.  The  INDE- 
PENDENCE of  America  being  obtained,  he  enjoys  the  pleasing  contemplation,  that 
the  same  virtuous  sentiments  which  led  to  the  acquisition  will  not  cease  to  operate 
for  its  continuance — That  his  fellow-citizens  will  ever  revere  the  FIRST  PRINCI- 
PLES of  the  Revolution ;  and  it  is  his  earnest  prayer  to  Heaven,  that  the  RISING 
GENERATION  will  remember  the  exertions  of  THEIR  FATHERS,  in  opposing  the 
lawless  attempts  of  BRITAIN  for  their  subjugation. 

Let  the  citizens  of  America  REVERENCE  THEMSELVES.  Let  them  strive  to  main- 
tain the  REPUBLICAN  PRINCIPLES  of  their  own  Constitution ;  and  while  practising 
these  duties,  we  may  trust  to  the  GUARDIAN  ANGEL,  which  has  conducted  us 
through  dangers,  the  most  alarming  and  distressing. 

And  now,  my  Fellow  Citizens,  I  bid  you  FAREWELL!  MAINTAIN  YOUR 
VIRTUE — CHERISH  YOUR  LIBERTIES — and  may  THE  ALMIGHTY  protect  and  de- 
fend you.  B.  EDES. 

Boston,  Sept.  1 7,  1 798 — and  in  the  Forty-fourth  Year  of  the  Independence  of  the 
BOSTON  GAZETTE. 

Then,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five,  this  once  influential  journalist 
passed  from  affluence  and  high  position,  with  a  few  old  type,  and  an 
elderly  daughter  as  an  assistant,  to  the  attic  of  an  old  wooden  build- 
ing in  Boston,  there  to  eke  out  five  years  more  of  life  on  a  misera- 
ble pittance  earned  at  case  in  a  small  job-office  in  the  Athens  of 
America ! 

The  fate  of  the  contemporary  of  the  Gazette,  one  of  the  other  spir- 
ited organs  of  the  Revolution,  the  Massachusetts  Spy,  was  quite  dif- 
ferent. Amidst  alt  difficulties  it  stood  erect.  After  the  war,  Thom- 
as enlarged  and  improved  the  Spy.  Again  changing  his  motto,  as 
a  thing  of  course  with  him,  and  now  going  beyond  "  the  English  un- 
defiled,"  he  dipped  into  Latin,  and  adopted  Noscere  res  humanas  est 
Hominis  as  his  guide.  He  published  in  his  columns  Robertson's 
History  of  America,  and  Gordon's  History  of  the  Revolution,  com- 
plete. Other  useful  matter,  of  a  similar  character,  he  gave  from 
time  to  time.  News  also  appeared  in  full.  Thomas  was  clearly  a 
man  of  progress. 

The  Spy  was  suspended  in  1786  in  consequence  of  the  State 
Stamp  Act.  The  revival  of  an  act,  made  so  odious  before  the  Revo- 
lution, by  a  Legislature  of  a  free  people,  became  as  unpopular  as  the 
original  law  of  1765,  and  as  obnoxious  as  the  Alien  and  Sedition 
laws  of  1798.  Many  of  the  papers  published  in  that  state  were  sus- 
pended, and  the  editors  of  Massachusetts  felt  the  oppression,  and 
acted  with  the  same  spirit  that  prompted  the  following  curious  arti- 
cle, which  appeared  in  the  Spy  of  March  30, 1786  : 

Extra  Information.     Real! 

THE  MASSACHUSETTS  SPY  (which  it  is  acknowledged  has  been  of  very  essen- 
tial service  to  the  cause  of  the  United  States,  and  to  this  Commonwealth  in  par- 
ticular, before,  at,  and  since  the  late  Revolution)  is  now  languishing  with  a  dan- 
gerous Wound  given  it  by  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  on  the  second  day  of 
July  last.  Humble  and  united  application  has  been  made  for  a  particular  kind 
of  Court  Plaister,  which  could  speedily  have  wrought  a  Cure  ;  but  as  that  Power, 
only,  who  gave  the  Wound,  could  apply  the  Remedy  with  effect,  it  could  not  be 
obtained  !  The  wound  grows  worse  daily — Mortification  has  taken  place,  and  in 


1 68  Journalism  in  America. 

all  probability  will  soon  prove  fatal  to  the  existence  of  that  Old  Piiblick  Servant } 
— "Alas,  POOR  SPY  !" 

Gentle  Reader,  if  thou  hast  a  benevolent  heart,  thy  compassion  will  be  moved, 
when  thou  art  informed  that  the  Wound  given  was  as  unjust  as  it  was  unmerited 
— it  was  given  at  a  time  when  this  faithful  Servant  of  the  Publick,  after  having 
fought  the  battles  of  its  country,  was  sounding  forth  her  Praise — endeavoring  to 
clear  her  from  the  Aspersions  thrown  upon  her  by  her  enemies,  and  diligently 
watching  their  motions. 

Generous  Reader,  the  services  rendered  by  the  SPY  to  the  Publick,  were  not 
for  the  sake  of  sordid  gain,  but  from  Principle: — The  only  Reward  for fifteen  years 
hard  duty  was  this  inhuman  attack  upon  its  existence  !  and  the  existence  of  all  its 
near  Relations,  the  whole  Family  of  Gazettes  in  this  Commonwealth. 

On  the  ad  of  April,  1788,  the  Spy  came  out  again,  and  was  happy. 
It  thus  felicitated  itself: 

The  Printer  has  the  happiness  of  once  more  presenting  to  the  Publick,  the  MAS- 
SACHUSETTS SPY,  or  the  WORCESTER  GAZETTE,  which  at  length  is  restored  to  its 
Constitutional  Liberty,  (thanks  to  our  present  Legislature,)  after  a  suspension  of 
two  years.  Heaven  grant  that  the  FREEDOM  of  the  PRESS,  on  which  depends 
the  FREEDOM  of  the  PEOPLE,  may,  in  the  United  States,  ever  be  guarded 
with  a  watchful  eye,  and  defended  from  Shackles  of  every  form  and  shape,  until 
the  trump  of  the  celestial  messenger  shall  announce  the  final  dissolution  of  all 
things. 

While  the  country  was  in  a  transition  state,  passing  from  depend- 
ence to  independence,  the  Spy,  like  other  papers  and  individuals 
of  intelligence  and  influence,  had  its  crude  ideas  on  the  character 
which  the  nation  and  the  people  should  assume.  While  it  favored 
the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  it  strongly  advocated  the  use  of 
titles.  Thomas  spoke  of  the  President  as  "  His  Highness  the  Pres- 
ident General"  and  "  His  Highness  George  Washington."  If  we  rec- 
ollect rightly,  the  Constitution  of  Massachusetts  alone,  of  all  State 
Constitutions,  still  bestows  the  title  of  "  His  Excellency  the  Govern- 
or" on  its  chief  magistrate,  and  "  His  Honor"  has  been  the  prefix 
to  the  title  of  Mayor  of  New  York  till  1869,  when  A.  Oakey  Hall, 
the  incumbent  of  the  office,  directed  that  the  title  should  be  drop- 
ped. The  Senate  of  the  United  States  had  previously  directed  that 
"Hon."  should  not  be  prefixed  to  the  names  of  senators.  This, 
however,  is  a  matter  of  choice  with  those  who  choose  to  use  the 
title.  It  was  sanctioned  by  no  law.  "  My  honorable  friend"  from 
Kamtschatka,  or  the  "honorable  senator"  from  Timbuctoo,  appeared 
in  speeches.  They  were  mere  phrases  of  courtesy,  and  oftener  of 
irony. 

The  Spy  was  published  by  Isaiah  Thomas  and  Leonard  Worces- 
ter in  1792,  and  by  Isaiah  Thomas,  Jr.,  after  1801.  Worcester  be- 
came a  well-known  clergyman  in  1798,  and  was  settled  in  Peacham, 
Vermont,  where  he  preached  for  half  a  century. 

The  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  elder  Thomas  continued  through 
life.  He  opened  book-stores,  and,  like  Franklin,  started  printing- 
offices  and  newspapers  in  half  a  dozen  places.  In  1810  he  wrote 
the  History  of  Printing,  an  elaborate  and  valuable  publication,  which 


One  of  the  Century  Newspapers.  169 

Munsell,  of  Albany,  intends  reprinting  for  an  antiquarian  society. 
After  that  he  founded  the  American  Antiquarian  Society.  In  1812 
he  was  made  a  justice  of  the  Court  of  Sessions.  Several  degrees 
were  conferred  upon  him  by  colleges,  and  he  was  a  member,  or  an 
honorary  member,  of  many  societies  and  institutions.  He  made  sev- 
eral donations  of  value  in  land,  books,  and  buildings  to  the  town 
and  country  in  which  he  thrived.  Thus,  in  striking  contrast,  Ben- 
jamin Edes  of  the  Gazette,  and  Isaiah  Thomas  of  the  Spy,  the  two 
great  journalists  of  the  Revolution,  passed  away — one  in  poverty  at 
the  age  of  eighty,  and  the  other  in  affluence  at  the  age  of  eighty-two, 
full  of  years  and  full  of  patriotism. 

The  Spy,  in  1814,  became  the  property  of  William  Manning.  It 
passed  in  1823  into  the  hands  of  John  Milton  Earle,  and  now,  with 
a  new  motto — new  to  those  who  read  the  paper  of  1801 — and  the 
coat  of  arms  of  the  state  for  its  device,  it  is  published  by  J.  D.  Bald- 
win and  Co.  It  is  the  second  oldest  paper  in  the  state.  Its  daily 
issue  is  called  the  Worcester  Daily  Spy  ;  its  weekly  the  Massachusetts 
Spy.  Its  editor  was  a  member  of  the  Fortieth  Congress,  and  its 
politics  are  Republican.  In  1867  the  establishment  was  moved  into 
a  new  edifice,  the  Spy  Building,  erected  expressly  for  its  use  on  Main 
Street,  Worcester.  One  of  Hoe's  new  double  cylinder  presses  was 
purchased,  and  the  paper  enlarged  and  improved.  All  these  signs, 
in  face  of  the  increasing  facilities  for  circulating  the  metropolitan 
papers  over  the  state,  are  healthy,  and  speak  well  for  the  present 
management  of  the  Spy. 

On  the  day  the  Spy  was  one  hundred  years  old,  July  17,  1870,  its 
present  proprietors  celebrated  the  event  with  a  dinner.  Its  present 
editor  then  said  : 

The  SPY  having  completed  the  hundredth  year  of  its  age,  the  proprietors  had 
invited  the  gentlemen  present  to  dine  with  them  and  assist  in  a  celebration.  When 
the  SPY  was  started,  an  hundred  years  ago,  there  were  six  other  papers  in  Massa- 
chusetts ;  but  they  all  disappeared  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 
The  Boston  Newsletter,  the  first  papfir  printed  in  America,  might  be  living  now, 
if  it  had  not  become  a  malignant  tory  and  fallen  under  the  influence  of  the  royal- 
ists, at  the  beginning  of  the  revolution.  Its  first  number  was  printed  in  1704. 
For  a  long  time  it  had  no  competitor ;  it  became  strong  and  prosperous ;  but, 
when  the  revolution  approached,  it  took  the  way  to  death  ;  and,  instead  of  living 
to  hold  its  centennial  celebration  nearly  seventy  years  ago,  it  died  of  toryism,  as 
soon  as  the  British  army  left  Boston.  The  Spy  was  living  yet,  because  it  received 
life  from  the  ideas  that  created  the  revolution  and  the  nation,  and  preserved  this 
life.  It  was  established  by  a  patriot  whose  integrity  could  not  be  corrupted. 

Ex-editor  Earle,  "the  founder  of  the  daily  Spy,"  made  some  re- 
marks. 

He  spoke  of  the  circumstances  under  which  the  publication  of  the  Daily  was 
begun,  in  1845.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  size  of  the  city  and  its  business  and 
commercial  interests  warranted  such  an  enterprise.  He  had  published  and  edited 
the  Massachusetts  Weekly  Spy  since  1823,  and  during  that  time  it  had  been  well 
supported  by  the  people  ;  but  when  the  question  of  a  daily  was  brought  up,  many 


170  Journalism  in  America. 

discouraging  objections  were  made,  especially  by  business  men.  On  the  morning 
of  July  3ist,  1845,  twenty-five  years  ago,  the  first  number  was  issued.  One  reason 
urged  by  merchants  against  starting  the  daily,  was,  that  the  cost  of  advertising 
would  be  increased.  To  meet  this,  he  adopted  the  policy  of  inserting  in  the  Daily, 
without  charge,  the  advertisements  sent  in  for  the  Weekly  ;  and  when  their  cus- 
tomers came,  inquiring  for  articles  advertised  in  the  Daily,  they  began  to  see  that 
it  was  greatly  for  their  interest  to  advertise  in  the  Daily.  Then  he  left  out  of  the 
Daily  their  advertisements  sent  for  the  Weekly.  The  result  was,  that,  in  a  short 
time,  they  cared  much  less  for  the  Weekly  than  for  the  Daily. 

Another  newspaper  which  survived  the  Revolution,  and  stands  in 
peculiar  contrast  with  its  unsuccessful  contemporaries,  is  the  Salem 
Gazette.  Our  sketch  of  this  paper  in  a  preceding  chapter  left  it  sus- 
pended under  the  Massachusetts  Stamp  Act  of  1785.  It  was  re- 
vived in  October,  1786,  by  John  Dabney  and  Thomas  C.  Gushing. 
They  purchased  the  materials  of  the  old  Gazette  of  Samuel  Hall. 
Gushing  had  been  an  apprentice  of  Hall's.  He  had  also  published 
the  American  Recorder  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts.  The  resus- 
citated paper  was  first  called  the  Salem  Mercury  ;  then  the  American 
Eagle ;  and  then,  on  the  ist  of  January,  1790,  the  Salem  Gazette. 
On  the  ist  of  June,  1796,  it  was  issued  semi-weekly.  Timothy  Pick- 
ering used  to  relate  that  his  uncle,  John  Pickering,  was  greatly  ex- 
ercised in  his  mind  by  this  symptom  of  modern  degeneracy.  "  The 
paper  never  had  been  published  but  once  a  week,"  he  said,  "and 
that  was  often  enough ;  it  was  nonsense  to  disturb  people's  minds 
by  sending  newspapers  amongst  them  twice  a  week,  to  take  their 
attention  from  the  duties  they  had  to  perform." 

William  Carlton  joined  Mr.  Gushing  in  1794,  and  remained  till 
1797.  In  1800  Mr.  Carlton  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Sa- 
lem Register,  which  has  continued  in  existence,  and  is  now  nearly 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  Warwick  Palfray,  who  succeeded  to  the 
paper  in  1805,  was  an  apprentice  with  Mr.  Carlton.  Of  Chapman 
and  Palfray,  the  present  proprietors  of  the  Register,  the  latter  was 
son,  and  the  former  an  apprentice  of  Warwick  Palfray.  With  the 
year  1823,  the  publication  of  the  Observer  was  commenced  by  Wil- 
liam Ives,  whose  vigorous  age,  like  that  of  Mr.  Chapman,  tends  to 
prove  the  healthfulness  of  the  printing  business.  Ives  served  his 
apprenticeship  in  the  Gazette  office  with  Gushing,  and  his  paper  has 
always  been  thoroughly  respectable  and  creditable  to  all  who  have 
been  concerned  in  its  management. 

The  Boston  Journal,  in  November,  1871,  published  the  following 
paragraph  of  the  present  octogenarian  editor  of  the  Register : 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  a  vigorous,  green  old  age,  has  recently 
been  brought  to  our  notice  in  the  person  of  the  venerable  John  Chapman,  of  the 
Salem  Register,  now  nearly  eighty  years  of  age.  Mr.  Chapman  began  his  journal- 
istic life  as  a  boy  in  the  office  of  the  Essex  Register,  when  Judge  Story  wrote  the 
famous  motto  for  that  paper : — 

"  Here  shall  the  Press  the  people's  right  maintain, 
Unawed  by  influence  and  unbribed  by  gain. 


Contents  of  an  Old  Newspaper.  171 

Here  patriot  Truth  her  glorious  precepts  draw, 
Pledged  to  Religion,  Liberty  and  Law." 

During  the  past  fifty-six  years,  at  half-past  twelve  o'clock  every  Sunday  night, 
the  city  watchman  patrolling  the  street  in  front  of  his  residence  has  aroused  him, 
and  he  has  risen,  and  going  to  his  office  assisted  in  making  up  the  matter  for  his 
paper  and  mailing  for  his  subscribers.  During  all  these  years  he  has  never  missed 
a  single  night,  with  the  exception  of  the  time  he  was  sick  with  the  scarlet  fever, 
and  that  was  some  twenty  years  since,  which  was  the  only  occasion  he  was  ever 
ill  enough  to  have  a  physician.  He  may  often  be  found  at  the  case  lending  a 
helping  hand  in  setting  type  for  his  paper.  His  step  is  today  as  firm  and  elastic 
as  when  half  a  century  ago  he  plodded  through  the  wintry  streets  of  Salem. 

The  Gazette  was  published  by  Mr.  Gushing  from  October,  1786,10 
January,  1823.  He  then  transferred  the  establishment  to  Caleb 
Gushing  and  Ferdinand  Andrews.  On  the  ist  of  April,  1825,  Caleb 
Foote  bought  Cushing's  share  in  the  concern.  In  October,  1826, 
Andrews  sold  his  share  to  William  Brown,  and  removed  to  Lancas- 
ter, where  he  published  a  paper  for  several  years.  He  afterwards 
assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the  Boston  Traveller.  Brown,  in 
1833,  sold  out  to  the  present  senior  proprietor,  and  the  junior  part- 
ner became  interested  in  the  paper  in  1854. 

The  Gazette  office  has  been  in  one  building,  where  the  paper  is 
now  printed,  for  over  seventy  years.  Nathaniel  Silsbee  was  in  the 
habit,  toward  the  close  of  the  last  century,  of  resorting,  when  a  boy, 
to  the  office  to  accompany  a  juvenile  friend,  who  was  a  carrier  of 
the  paper,  on  his  weekly  rounds.  Among  the  contributors  to  this 
venerable  journal  was  the  Rev. William  Bentley,  one  of  the  fathers 
of  Unitarianism  in  America.  Weekly  he  furnished  articles  for  the 
Gazette,  and  afterward  for  the  Register,  for  thirty  years.  He  was  a 
great  linguist,  reading  with  ease  more  than  twenty  different  lan- 
guages. 

The  Gazette,  in  speaking  of  itself  in  1868,  said : 

When  the  Gazette  was  established,  four  years  had  elapsed  since  the  first  formal 
demonstration  of  opposition  to  the  novel  claims  of  the  British  Parliament  to  the 
entire  control  and  government  of  the  Colonies,  and  to  an  authority  to  impose 
taxes  on  and  legislate  for  them  in  all  cases,  without  their  voice  or  consent.  The 
stamp  act  had  been  passed  in  1765  ;  and  in  1766  the  Massachusetts  House  of 
Representatives  had  issued  an  address  to  all  the  Colonies,  calling  upon  them  to 
rally  their  energies,  and  stand  in  the  breach  against  parliamentary  taxation.  The 
controversy  was  going  on  between  the  General  Court  and  Governor  Bernard,  the 
former  having  been  arbitrarily  removed  from  Boston  to  Cambridge,  by  order  of 
the  latter.  The  first  Gazette  contained  an  account  of  a  town  meeting,  called  to 
support  the  Salem  Representatives  in  their  opposition  to  the  measures  of  the  roy- 
al governor. 

Throughout  the  Colony,  traders  had  been  compelled  to  sign  agreements  to  dis- 
continue the  importation  of  British  goods  ;  and  their  customers  had  equally  obli- 
gated themselves,  to  refrain,  as  much  as  possible,  from  the  use  of  all  articles  which 
were  superfluous  and  unnecessary.  Nothing  can  be  more  curious,  as  an  indica- 
tion of  the  spirt  of  the  times,  than  the  agreements,  published  in  the  Gazette,  of  the 
traders  of  Salem,  Marblehead  and  Beverly,  for  the  non-importation  of  British 
goods  ;  the  charges  often  made  against  them  of  violating  their  agreement,  and 
their  defences  against  the  same. 

The  Gazette  bristled  with  personal  cards  and  controversies,  and  with  resolutions 
of  the  various  towns,  small  and  large,  to  discourage  extravagance  and  the  use  of 


172  Journalism  in  America. 

all  superfluities,  especially  of  foreign  production  ;  to  encourage  industry  and  fru- 
gality, and  to  promote  manufactures.  Spinning  and  weaving  parties  were  held 
on  Boston  common,  and  took  the  place  of  pic-nics  with  the  women  and  girls  of 
all  the  country  places,  while  the  men  planted  liberty  poles  and  trees. 

##********#*# 

In  those  years  when  the  contest  was  fiercest  against  the  "oppressions  of  Brit- 
ain" the  advertising  columns  of  the  Gazette  were  constantly  disfigured  by  such  ad- 
vertisements as  "  a  strong  likely  negro  boy  for  sale  ;" — "  Run  away,  a  negro  man 
named  Pharo,  of  a  very  light  complexion,  something  scarred  in  the  face  ;" — "To 
be  sold,  a  likely  negro  man,  talks  broken  French  and  a  little  English  ;" — "To  be 
sold,  a  likely  strong  negro  girl,  about  17  years  of  age  ;" — "To  be  sold,  a  healthy 
strong  negro  boy,  very  ingenious  in  the  farming  business  ;" — "  To  be  sold,  a 
strong,  healthy  likely  negro  boy,  about  9  years  of  age  ;  also,  a  very  likely  healthy 
negro  girl,  about  6  years  old."  In  1776  several  slaves  were  brought  into  Salem, 
who  were  found  on  board  a  British  prize  ship  from  Jamaica,  and  they  were  pub- 
licly advertised  to  be  sold ;  but  the  Legislature  forbade  the  sale,  and  ordered 
them  to  be  set  at  liberty — voting  at  the  same  time  that  "  the  selling  and  enslaving 
the  human  species  is  a  direct  violation  of  the  natural  rights  alike  vested  in  all  men 
by  their  Creator,  and  utterly  inconsistent  with  the  avowed  principles  on  which 
this  and  the  other  United  States  have  carried  their  struggle  for  liberty  even  to  the 
last  appeal. 

Nothing  is  more  striking  than  the  gradual  change  in  the  tone  of  the  newspaper 
from  professions  of  loyality  and  devotion  to  the  British  crown,  to  preparations  for 
war,  the  raising  of  troops,  providing  of  munitions,  &c.  By  1774  the  people  were 
industriously  collecting  arms  for  themselves,  wherever  and  from  whomsoever  they 
could  obtain  them. 

The  Gazette  contained  an  account  of  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga 
"by  the  American  forces  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  Colonel  Easton 
demanded,  in  the  name  of  the  American  Congress,  an  instant  sur- 
render of  the  fort."  Colonel  Ethan  Allen  was  left  commander  of 
the  fort,  but  there  is  nothing  said  of  his  having  demanded  its  sur- 
render "in  the  name  of  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress." 

One  of  the  earliest  newspaper  expresses,  if  not  the  first  of  these 
enterprises,  was  regularly  run  for  Samuel  Hall  in  the  early  days  of 
the  Gazette.  Colonel  Pickering  is  the  authority  for  stating  that  he 
run  the  express  from  Boston  to  Salem  the  day  before  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Gazette,  in  order  to  furnish  the  latest  news  for  its  read- 
ers. The  distance  run  was  fifteen  miles !  But  it  was  a  special  ex- 
press. 

There  is  an  incident  connected  with  the  Gazette  worth  relating. 
There  was  a  sharp  political  contest  in  the  Essex  District  in  1802. 
Jacob  Crowninshield  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  Congress, 
and  Timothy  Pickering,  who  had  been  Secretary  of  State  in  the  cab- 
inet of  the  elder  Adams,  was  the  Federal  candidate.  The  friends 
of  each  party  became  much  excited.  The  Gazette  and  Register  en- 
tered the  fight  with  zeal,  and  each  candidate  was  violently  assailed. 
One  Saturday  evening  early  in  November,  Joseph  Story,  afterward 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  Captain 
Crowninshield,  called  on  Editor  Gushing  at  his  house,  and  request- 
ed a  private  interview.  They  stated  that  they  came  on  unpleasant 
business.  Story  said  that  he  had  been  placed  before  the  community 


The  Amenities  of  Joiirnalism.  173 

in  an  injurious  point  of  view;  that  he  was  a  young  man,  come  into 
town  to  gain  an  honorable  livelihood  ;  that  he  had  a  right  to  express 
his  political  sentiments  ;  that  he  had  no  objection  to  having  his  ar- 
guments fairly  combated,  but  that  he  would  not  submit  to  be  ar- 
raigned before  the  public  in  the  manner  he  had  been.  Captain 
Crowninshield  was  more  emphatic,  and  stated  that  many  of  the  ar- 
ticles in  the  Gazette  were  highly  injurious,  and  that  the  editor  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  making  personal  reflections  on  him  and  his 
family  that  he  did  not  like.  He  concluded  by  saying  that  if  Gush- 
ing persisted  in  such  a  course  he  would  shoot  him  at  sight.  When 
this  interview  became  known  there  was  increased  excitement  in  the 
community,  and  Gushing  was  urged  to  publish  a  statement  of  the 
affair.  In  his  reply  to  Story  and  Crowninshield  he  said : 

That  it  was  my  desire,  and  had  been  my  uniform  endeavor  to  keep  my  paper 
free  from  undue  personalities — that  I  considered  public  characters  and  public  con- 
duct as  proper  subjects  of  animadversion — that  such  was  the  present  state  of  par- 
ties, and  irritation  of  the  public  mind,  that  possibly  (for  I  would  not  be  my  own 
judge)  I  might  have  admitted  expressions  not  strictly  within  the  bounds  pre- 
scribed to  myself — that  I  could  not  say  how  I  should  conduct  my  paper  in  future, 
but  should  still  be  governed  by  the  same  regard  to  decency,  and  endeavor  to  give 
no  just  cause  of  offence — that  threats,  however,  would  have  no  effect  upon  me  in 
that  respect,  but  if  they  meant  to  address  my  reason  and  sense  of  propriety,  on 
that  ground  I  was  willing  to  hear  them.  With  respect  to  the  asperity  of  language 
used  in  my  paper,  I  observed,  if  there  had  been  such,  it  was  excited  by  that  of  the 
opposite  paper — that  the  candidates  for  office  in  my  paper  against  Captain  Jacob 
Crowninshield  had  been  treated  with  a  degree  of  indelicacy  and  abuse  in  the  Reg- 
ister, which  had  not  been  exercised  in  return  against  him.  I  told  them  that  it  had 
been  impossible  for  me,  from  appearances,  not  to  view  them  in  connection  with 
the  paper  in  which  these  things  appeared.  Here  they  disavowed  all  connection 
with  the  Register,  othenvise  than  that  of  being  its  customers,  except  that  Mr.  Story 
acknowledged  himself  to  be  one  of  its  writers.  They  observed  at  length,  that,  as 
to  what  was  past,  they  had  no  more  to  say ;  their  only  object  was,  that  I  should 
refrain  in  future  from  personalities  towards  them  and  their  friends.  They  left  it 
to  me  to  divulge  the  meeting  or  not,  as  I  pleased ;  it  would  not  be  done  by  them. 
I  informed  them  that  I  felt  a  disposition  not  to  make  it  known. 

Editor  Gushing  was  not  shot,  but  Captain  Crowninshield  was  elect- 
ed to  Congress. 

The  Gazette,  according  to  its  own  photographic  view,  recorded 
the  troubles  arising  from  the  inefficiency  of  the  Old  Confederation, 
and  the  dangers,  dissensions,  and  distresses  consequent  to  the  strug- 
gle for  liberty.  The  attempt  of  the  mob  in  Hampshire  County,  in- 
stigated by  the  demagogue  Parson  Ely,  to  prevent  the  regular  course 
of  justice,  and  shut  up  the  courts ;  Shay's  rebellion,  commencing 
in  Hampshire,  and  spreading  into  Worcester,  Middlesex,  Bristol,  and 
Berkshire,  leaving  the  whole  eastern  sea-board  untouched  ;  the  bit- 
ter contest  between  the  adherents  of  Hancock  and  Bowdoin,  as  can- 
didates for  governor;  the  tour  of  Washington  through  the  Northern 
States,  and  his  reception  in  Salem  by  that  model  speech  of  wel- 
come by  good  Quaker  Selectman  Northey :  "  Friend  Washington, 


174  Journalism  in  America. 

we  are  glad  to  see  thee,  and,  in  behalf  of  the  inhabitants,  bid  thee 
a  hearty  welcome  to  Salem." 

There,  too,  are  to  be  found  the  debates  on  the  adoption  of  a  Fed- 
eral Constitution  ;  the  election  and  inauguration  of  Washington ; 
the  organization  of  the  national  government ;  the  civic  feasts,  and 
the  roasting  of  whole  oxen  in  celebration,  by  the  sober  and  orderly 
citizens  of  Massachusetts ;  of  the  successes  of  our  allies,  the  French, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  French  Revolution ;  the  enthusiastic  recep- 
tion of  Genet,  Adet,  and  Fouchet,  and  their  intrigues  ;  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Federal  and  Republican  parties;  the  ratification  of  Jay's 
British  treaty,  and  the  popular  commotion  against  it ;  the  troubles 
and  war  with  France ;  the  days  of  the  "  Black  Cockade ;"  the  build- 
ing of  a  navy  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of  the  people,  including 
the  generous  gift  of  the  frigate  Essex  by  the  patriotic  citizens  of 
Salem ;  the  glorious  victories  of  Truxtun  and  our  other  naval  he- 
roes ;  the  Alien  and  Sedition  laws,  standing  army,  loans,  and  the 
"  civil  revolution,"  when  Jefferson  routed  and  overthrew  John  Ad- 
ams, "  the  Duke  of  Braintree,"  as  he  was  called.  There,  too,  is  the 
history  of  the  first  settlement  of  Ohio,  and  of  the  founding  of  every 
state  in  the  Union  except  the  original  thirteen ;  the  narratives  of 
the  defeat,  by  the  savages,  of  Harmer  and  St.  Clair,  and  the  victory 
by  Wayne  ;  Jefferson's  embargo,  and  the  War  of  1812-15,  called 
"  Madison's  War ;"  the  Hartford  Convention ;  the  Gerrymander — 

"A  monster  of  such  frightful  mien 
As  to  be  hated  needs  but  to  be  seen ;" 

the  cessation  of  the  bitterness  of  political  strife ;  the  "  era  of  good 
feelings,"  and  consequent  unanimous  election  of  Monroe  to  the 
presidency ;  the  renewal  of  party  virulence  in  the  contest  between 
Andrew  Jackson  and  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of 
the  chapter. 


The  First  Daily  Newspapers.  175 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  FIRST  DAILY  NEWSPAPERS. 

THE  AMERICAN  DAILY  ADVERTISER  OF  PHILADELPHIA. — NATIONAL  SEAT  OF 
GOVERNMENT. — THE  DAILY  ADVERTISER  OF  NEW  YORK. — JUNIUS  AND  THE 
FEDERALIST.  —  INTERESTING  INCIDENTS. — OLD  LANG'S  GAZETTE.  —  AULD 
LANG  SYNE.  —  SHIPPING  NEWS  AND  NEWS-BOATS. — THE  UNITED  STATES 
GAZETTE  AND  NORTH  AMERICAN  OF  PHILADELPHIA. — NEWSPAPER  ENTER- 
PRISE.— THE  IMPARTIAL  INTELLIGENCER. 

THE  first  daily  newspaper  published  in  the  United  States  was  the 
American  Daily  Advertiser.  It  was  issued  in  Philadelphia  in  1784, 
by  Benjamin  Franklin  Bache,  afterwards  of  the  Aurora.  When  the 
seat  of  national  government  was  in  Philadelphia,  it  shared  the  con- 
fidence and  support  of  Jefferson  with  the  National  Gazette,  It  was 
strong  in  its  opposition  to  the  Federal  section  of  the  administration 
of  Washington,  and  to  all  the  measures  originating  with  Hamilton. 
Zachariah  Poulson  became  its  proprietor  and  publisher  in  1802,  and 
it  was  known  as  Paulson's  Advertiser,  and  we  believe  he  continued 
its  publisher  till  October  28, 1839,  when  the  establishment  was  sold 
to  Brace  and  Newbold,  the  publishers  of  a  new  paper  called  the 
North  American.  The  name  after  that  was  the  North  American  and 
Daily  Advertiser.  The  Advertiser  came  from  the  Pennsylvania  Pack- 
et, published  by  Dunlap  and  Claypole.  Its  character  was  like  that 
of  Poulson,  its  proprietor,  very  slow  and  very  respectable.  Poulson 
died  in  Philadelphia  July  30, 1844. 

The  New  York  Daily  Advertiser,  the  second  real  journal  in  the 
United  States,  was  published  in  1785.  It  was  commenced  on  the 
ist  of  March  by  Francis  Childs  &  Co.  It  had  a  little  unpleasant- 
ness with  the  Journal.  Colonel  Oswald,  of  the  latter,  charged  the 
Advertiser  with  a  design  to  injure  the  Widow  Holt,  of  \h&  Journal, 
and  quite  a  newspaper  quarrel  grew  out  of  the  affair. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1789,  when  Washington  arrived  at  New 
York  from  Mount  Vernon  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  President, 
after  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  he  was  received  at 
Elizabethtown,  and  escorted  thence  to  the  city  by  a  procession  of 
boats.  In  the  account  of  the  affair,  it  is  stated  that  the  schooner 
Columbia,  Captain  Philip  Freneau,  eight  days  from  Charleston,  came 
up  the  bay  with  the  aquatic  procession.  Shortly  after  this  event 
Freneau  became  the  editor  of  the  Advertiser,  and  continued  in  that 


176  Journalism  in  America. 

capacity  till  the  removal  of  the  seat  of  government  to  Philadelphia. 
It  was  supposed  that  the  articles  against  the  Journal  were  written 
by  him. 

J6hn  Pintard,  so  well  known  in  New  York,  where  he  was  born  in 
1759,  and  where  he  died  in  1844,  was  another  writer  for  the  Adver- 
tiser. Pintard  was  a  strong  Federalist,  but  he  and  Freneau  were 
close  and  intimate  friends.  On  all  public  occasions,  and  in  all  pub- 
lic improvements,  Pintard  was  favorably  conspicuous.  Many  of  the 
valuable  and  useful  institutions  of  the  metropolis  were  suggested  by 
him. 

The  first  paper  printed  in  Maine  was  the  Falmouth  Gazette  and 
Weekly  Advertiser,  on  the  ist  of  January,  1785.  It  was  published 
by  Thomas  B.  Wait  and  Benjamin  Titcomb.  In  1786,  when  Port- 
land was  incorporated  and  made  out  of  Falmouth,  this  paper  was 
printed  by  Wait,  and  called  the  Ciimberland  Gazette.  Titcomb  short- 
ly after  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Gazette  of  Maine.  It  was 
discontinued  in  1796.  The  Eastern  Star  was  established  in  Hallo- 
well  in  that  year.  Elijah  Russell,  in  1798,  issued  a  paper  in  Frye- 
burg,  where  Daniel  Webster  taught  school  a  few  years  later.  This 
paper  was  known  as  Russell's  Echo,  or  the  North  Star — a  queer  com- 
bination of  names.  Its  proprietor  had  previously  printed  a  paper 
in  Concord,  N.  H. 

There  was  a  daily  paper  issued  in  Portland  in  1829,  called  the 
Daily  Courier.  It  was  edited  by  Seba  Smith,  Jr.,  the  original  Jack 
Downing,  of  Downingsville.  The  Courier  was  commenced  on  the 
i3th  of  October.  On  the  5th  of  January,  1831,  the  Daily  Evening 
Advertiser,  the  second  daily  paper  in  Portland,  was  published  by 
John  and  W'illiam  E.  Edwards.  It  was  in  this  office  that  James  and 
Erastus  Brooks,  of  the  New  York  Express,  started  as  journalists. 
The  Advertiser  afterwards  published  a  morning  edition,  which  was 
discontinued  in  1869.  In  an  obituary  notice  of  William  Bartlett 
Sewall,  who  died  in  Kennebunk  in  1869,  it  was  stated  that  he  be- 
came editor  of  the  Advertiser  in  1833,  and  held  that  position  for  sev- 
eral years. 

One  of  those  veteran  newspapers,  that  seem  to  live  through  all 
time  without  growing  beyond  an  influence  acquired  in  their  youth, 
is  published  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts.  It  is  the  Hampshire 
Gazette.  William  Butler  issued  the  first  number  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1786.  It  is  an  historical  paper.  In  the  midst  of  the  ex- 
citement growing  out  of  Shay's  Rebellion,  when  meetings  were  held 
at  which  the  supposed  grievances  of  the  people  were  strongly  de- 
picted, it  became  necessary  to  establish  a  paper  to  convey  informa- 
tion to  the  people  in  the  interest  of  the  government,  and  to  stem  the 
current  of  popular  insubordination.  The  Hampshire  Gazette  was 


Value  of  Newspapers  after  the  Revolution.     177 

the  paper  thus  established.  Among  the  writers  for  its  columns  were 
Caleb  Strong,  afterwards  governor  of  the  state,  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Lyman,  and  Major  Hawley.  It  became  the  duty  of  patriotism  in 
the  infancy  of  the  republic  to  crush  at  once  the  schemes  of  the  dem- 
agogues then  floating  with  the  debris  of  the  Revolution  throughout 
the  country,  taking  advantage  of  the  scarcity  of  money  and  the  heavy 
taxes  to  excite  the  people  to  revolt,  and  it  was  only  by  means  of 
newspapers  that  this  could  be  effectually  accomplished.  Open  in- 
surrections and  rebellions,  it  is  true,  are  physically  suppressed  by 
military  power,  but  the  only  way  to  reach  the  minds  of  the  people, 
and  unite  sections  and  communities  in  the  bitterness  of  their  sup- 
posed troubles,  is  through  the  newspaper,  which  penetrates  to  the 
hearths,  and  heads,  and  hearts  of  every  family,  and  silently  and  ef- 
fectively accomplishes  its  object. 

After  the  suppression  of  Shay,  and  Day,  and  Parson,  and  their  as- 
sociates, the  Gazette  continued  in  existence,  and  became  a  perma- 
nent institution.  It  was  owned  by  William  A.  Hawley  in  1852,  and 
was  the  third  oldest  paper  in  Massachusetts,  the  Salem  Gazette  and 
Worcester  Spy  being  its  seniors. 

With  the  settlement  of  the  country  newspapers  began  to  spread 
with  the  population.  It  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  America  that 
the  newspaper  keeps  up  with  the  migration  of  the  people.  In  the 
progress  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  the  Frontier  Index,  as  we  have 
stated,  moved  on  toward  the  setting  sun,  keeping  a  little  ahead  of 
the  rails  and  the  locomotive.  On  the  2gth  of  July,  1786,  the  Pitts- 
burg  (Penn.)  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  printed  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghany  Mountains,  appeared,  and  in  1796  the  Post  was  issued,  and 
now  there  are  ten  or  eleven  daily  papers  printed,  three  or  four  of 
which  are  in  German.  The  Oracle  of  Dauphin  was  issued  in  Har- 
risburg  in  1791.  It  was  the  first  newspaper  in  that  place.  John 
Wyeth  was  its  editor.  The  late  chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania,  Ellis 
Lewis,  and  Senator  Simon  Cameron,  were  apprentices  of  Mr.  Wyeth. 
The  first  paper  printed  in  Kentucky  was  commenced  by  John  Brad- 
ford, in  Lexington,  also  in  1786.  Another  was  soon  after  issued  in 
Frankfort. 

If,  in  the  estimation  of  many,  the  letters  of  Junius,  published  in 
the  Public  Advertiser  of  London  in  1765,  gave  an  impulse  to  the 
power  and  influence  of  the  Press  in  England  such  as  it  never  before 
enjoyed,  what  has  been  the  effect  of  the  Federalist,  published  in  the 
Independent  Journal  in  New  York  in  1787,  on  the  power  and  influ- 
ence of  the  Press  of  America  ?  We  have  seen  in  these  sketches 
the  necessity  of  the  Press  in  preparing  the  people  for  a  revolution, 
and  in  sustaining  the  authorities  through  that  eventful  struggle.  It 
is  true  that  our  independence  could  not  have  been  achieved  by  the 

M 


178  Journalism  in  America. 

Press  alone,  but  mental  force  was  as  necessary  to  success  as  physical 
force.  It  has  been  so  in  all  great  revolutions,  and  in  all  important 
movements  affecting  the  people.  On  one  occasion  a  Hungarian  of- 
ficer was  asked  if  Kossuth  had  any  military  capacity  or  experience. 
"Not  exactly,"  replied  the  officer,  "but  he  was  our  lip  warrior." 
"  Lip  warrior  ?"  we  asked.  "  Yes,"  continued  the  Hungarian ;  "  when 
our  men  were  discouraged  and  needed  a  little  urging,  Kossuth  would 
appeal  to  them  with  his  eloquence,  or  make  a  prayer  as  no  other 
man  could,  and  our  soldiers  would  go  to  work  again  with  renewed 
ardor  and  enthusiasm."  So  with  Junius.  So,  too,  with  the  power 
of  the  newspapers  in  the  Revolution  of  1776  and  the  Rebellion  of 
1861,  and  so  with  the  influence  of  the  communications  of  Hamilton, 
Madison,  and  Jay,  known  as  the  Federalist,  in  accomplishing  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution  in  1789,  under  which  we  have  become 
a  great  and  powerful  nation. 

The  first  number  of  the  Federalist  was  published  in  the  Indepen- 
dent Joitrnal  on  the  27th  of  October,  1787.  This  paper  was  printed 
by  J.  &  A.  M'Lean,  in  Hanover  Square,  New  York,  near  where  the 
Journal  of  Commerce  is  now  printed.  The  remaining  numbers  were 
published  in  that  and  the  other  papers  of  that  day.  They  were 
afterwards  collected,  and  printed  in  two  volumes  under  this  title : 

THE  FEDERALIST  :  A  COLLECTION  OF  ESSAYS,  WRITTEN  IN  FAVOR  OF 
THE  NEW  CONSTITUTION,  AS  AGREED  UPON  BY  THE  FEDERAL  CONVENTION, 
SEPT.  17, 1787,  IN  TWO  VOLUMES,  VOLUME  I.  NEW  YORK.  PRINTED  &  SOLD 
BY  J  &  A  MCLEAN.  No  41  HANOVER  SQUARE,  1788. 

The  preface,  written  by  Hamilton,  thus  introduces  the  letters,  giv- 
ing the  reasons  for  their  republication  : 

It  is  supposed  that  a  collection  of  the  papers  which  have  made  their  appear- 
ance in  the  Gazettes  of  this  City,  under  the  Title  of  the  Federalist,  may  not  be 
without  effect  in  assisting  the  public  judgement  on  the  momentous  question  of 
the  Constitution  for  the  United  States,  now  under  the  consideration  of  the  people 
of  America.  A  desire  to  throw  full  light  upon  so  interesting  a  subject  has  led, 
in  a  great  measure  unavoidably,  to  a  more  copious  discussion  than  was  at  first 
intended.  And  the  undertaking  not  being  yet  completed,  it  is  judged  advisable 
to  divide  the  collection  into  two  Volumes,  of  which  the  ensuing  Numbers  consti- 
tute the  first.  The  second  Volume  will  follow  as  speedily  as  the  Editor  can  get 
it  ready  for  publication. 

In  this  more  compact  form  the  Federalist  was  sent  to  several 
State  Conventions  before  which  the  Constitution  was  then  pending. 
These  communications  were  anonymous  when  originally  published, 
and  the  authorship  of  several  of  the  essays  has  been  a  matter  of 
controversy  as  late  as  1864,  but  it  can  be  so  no  longer.  Madison, 
in  December,  1787,  in  writing  to  Edmund  Randolph  in  regard  to 
the  Federalist,  was  reticent  as  to  the  names  of  those  concerned  with 
him  in  their  production.  He  said  : 

*****  You  will  probably  discover  marks  of  different  pens.  I  am  not 
at  liberty  to  give  you  any  other  key,  than,  that  I  am  in  myself  for  a  few  numbers  ; 
and  that  one,  besides  myself,  was  a  member  of  the  Convention. 


Junius  and  the  Federalist.  1 79 

About  the  year  1850,  Colonel  Alexander  Hamilton  purchased  at 
an  old  book-stand  in  Nassau  Street,  then  opposite  the  office  of  the 
New  York  Herald,  kept  by  John  M'Cabe,  and  much  frequented  by 
such  men  as  Washington  Irving,  an  old  copy  of  the  Federalist,  for 
which  he  paid  seventy-five  cents.  After  looking  over  it  with  great 
interest  and  curiosity,  Colonel  Hamilton  crossed  the  street  and 
walked  into  the  editorial  rooms  of  the  Herald.  "  Well,  this  is  very 
singular,"  said  Colonel  Hamilton.  "Here  is  a  copy  of  the  Federal- 
ist that  I  have  just  bought  that  has  the  initial  letter  of  each  writer 
of  each  essay  over  each  one,  and  the  initials  seem  to  be  in  the  hand- 
writing of  my  father." 

It  had  probably  been  marked  by  the  elder  Hamilton  for  some 
friend  into  whose  library  it  passed,  and  out  of  which,  in  the  whirligig 
of  time,  it  had  slipped  in  some  auction,  and  thence  on  to  the  dusty 
old  book-shelves  of  John  M'Cabe  ;  and  after  a  lapse  of  fifty  or  sixty 
years,  a  son  of  one  of  the  distinguished  writers  finds  the  old  copy, 
with  its  additional  evidence  of  authorship,  in  one  of  the  narrow  by- 
ways of  the  metropolis. 

According  to  Rives's  Life  and  Times  of  James  Madison,  the  Fed- 
eralist appeared  in  the  New  York  Daily  Advertiser.  It  is  probable 
that  Madison  had  saved  the  essays  as  they  appeared  in  that  paper. 
But  the  first  essay  was  published  in  the  Independent  journal,  and 
after  that  they  appeared  in  all  the  papers.  Mr.  Hamilton  left  a 
memorandum  in  the  law-office  of  a  friend  on  the  eve  of  his  fatal 
duel  with  Burr  by  which  it  appeared  that  he  wrote  sixty-five  out  of 
the  eighty-five  essays.  Mr.  Madison  wrote,  in  the  original  edition 
of  1788,  the  names  of  the  authors,  and  by  this  it  seems  he  wrote 
twenty-nine.  It  is  claimed  that  Jay  wrote  six.  There  is  a  mistake 
somewhere,  but  it  is  of  very  little  consequence.  This  distinguished 
trio  accomplished  the  great  object  they  had  at  heart,  and  that  is 
their  reward  as  well  as  our  gain. 

The  M'Leans,  in  consequence,  probably,  of  the  name  of  Indepen- 
dent Journal  conflicting  with  Holt's  yournal Revived,  which  opposed 
Washington's  administration,  changed  the  title  of  their  paper  to  that 
of  the  New  York  Gazette  in  1788.  It  was  afterwards  published  by 
John  Lang,  Lang  and  Turner,  Lang,  Turner,  and  Co.,  Lang's  Sons, 
and  Alexander  M'Call.  The  Gazette  evidently  never  aspired  to  be 
a  commanding  journal.  Its  most  important  and  interesting  matter 
was  its  shipping  intelligence,  to  which  its  managers  paid  great  atten- 
tion. There  was  no  other  marked  feature  in  the  paper.  There  is 
an  anecdote  illustrative  of  the  character  of  its  chief  editor  which  we 
must  record.  It  is  told  by  Dr.  Francis  : 

The  scholastic  discussions  which  occurred  on  the  question  of  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  awaked  some  attention  among  the  mathematicians 


180  Journalism  in  America. 

and  astronomers  abroad,  and  of  many  among  us.  The  learned  and  pious  Dr. 
Kunze,  after  much  investigation,  addressed  a  communication  on  the  vexed  ques- 
tion to  Mr.  Lang.  He  had  adverted  to  the  Gregorian  style  in  his  letter,  and  had 
mentioned  Pope  Gregory.  The  faithful  Gazette  printed  the  article  Tom  Gregory  : 
the  venerable  Dr.  hastened  to  his  friend,  and  remonstrated  on  the  injury  he  had 
done  him,  and  requested  the  erratum  to  specify  instead  of  Tom  Gregory,  Pope 
Gregory  XIII.  Again  an  alteration  was  made,  and  the  Gazette  requested  its  read- 
ers, for  Tom  Gregory,  to  read  Pope  Tom  Gregory  XIII.  One  more  attempt  at 
correction  was  made,  when  the  compositor  had  its  typography  so  changed  as  to 
read  Tom  Gregory,  the  Pope.  The  learned  divine,  with  heavy  heart,  at  a  final 
interview  with  the  erudite  editor,  begged  him  to  make  no  further  improvements, 
as  he  dreaded  the  loss  of  all  the  reputation  his  years  of  devotion  to  the  subject 
had  secured  him. 

Auguste  Villemot  had  a  similar  experience.  "When  I  wrote  in 
I!  Independance  Beige"  said  he,  " the  compositors,  if  I  spoke  of  the 
repertoire  classique  of  the  French  comedy,  never  failed  to  print  the 
repertoire  elastique.  One  day  I  went  to  Brussels  expressly  to  touch 
the  compositor's  hearts ;  they  promised  me  that  no  error  should 
again  occur.  The  following  week  I  spoke  of  a  man  with  an  elas- 
tique conscience ;  they  printed  it  classique  conscience.  Ultra  petita!" 

The  credit  of  originating  the  collection  of  shipping  news  by  boats 
in  New  York  Harbor  is  given  to  the  elder  Lang.  He  was  fond  of 
boating,  and  would  frequently  go  down  the  bay,  accompanied  by  an 
old  colored  servant.  On  returning  home  on  one  occasion,  he  pass- 
ed a  ship  just  arrived.  He  hailed  her,  obtained  her  name,  and 
where  she  was  from,  and  these  facts  appeared  in  the  next  morning's 
Gazette.  Those  interested  in  her  were  surprised  to  see  her  arrival 
thus  announced,  and  before  they  knew  that  she  had  made  her  ap- 
pearance. Tradition  gives  this  as  the  origin  of  the  news-boat  serv- 
ice which  has  since  become  so  necessary,  and  now  we  see  the 
steam  news-yacht  Herald,  like  a  water-witch,  running  around  Sandy 
Hook,  and  away  out  to  sea,  for  the  latest  arrivals  and  "  the  freshest 
foreign  advices." 

The  Gazette  lived  till  1840,  when  the  subscription -list  was  pur- 
chased by  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  the  Gazette  ceased  to  exist. 
Its  list  had  been  run  down  to  a  few  names,  and  the  paper  seemed 
to  breathe  with  only  one  newspaper  lung,  its  few  advertisements,  for 
a  number  of  years  before  it  finally  expired.  John  Lang,  the  last 
editor,  had  previously  died,  March  17,  1836,  in  New  York  City. 

The  Langs  had  over  the  door  of  their  publication-office  a  bust  of 
Franklin  as  a  sign,  a  very  good  figure-head  for  a  printing-office.  But 
Halleck,  in  "  Croaker,"  in  the  Evening  Post,  finding  that  Franklin's 
bust  was  carved  from  a  block  of  wood,  wickedly  wrote — 

"Take  Franklin's  bust  from  off  thy  door, 
And  place  thy  own  head  there." 

In  the  latter  days  of  " Old  Lang's  Gazette"  as  it  was  familiarly 
called,  there  was  a  famous  restaurant  in  Water  Street,  kept  by  a 


The  First  Libel  Suit  after  the  Revolution.    1 8 1 


portly  gentleman  named  George  W.  Browne.  Over  one  of  his  de- 
partments a  still  more  portly  gentleman,  named  Charles  Ridabock, 
presided.  He  was  a  wag  whom  every  body  liked,  and  whom  every 
body  called  Alderman  Ridabock,  for  he  always  carried  an  extensive 
corporation  with  him.  One  day,  when  the  Journal  of  Commerce 
swallowed  the  Gazette  for  lunch  instead  of  getting  a  more  nourish- 
ing one  at  Browne's,  the  alderman  "  set  up  for  himself,"  and  opened 
a  restaurant  in  the  basement  of  the  old  Tontine  Coffee-house,  which 
since  then,  we  are  pleased  to  say,  has  been  fixed  up  and  painted. 
Hudson's  News-room  was  on  the  first  floor,  and  was  the  centre  of 
news  at  that  time.  Merchants,  sea-captains,  editors,  brokers  and 
bankers,  resorting  there,  extensively  patronized  the  alderman.  On 
the  sale  of  the  lars  et penates  of  Lang's  Gazette,  the  genial  Ridabock 
purchased  the  old  bust  of  Franklin.  He  had  it  regilded,  the  old 
specs  cleaned,  and  the  whole  appropriately  and  conspicuously  la- 
beled 

OLD  LANG'S  SIGN. 

It  was  then  mounted  over  his  door,  and  the  old  scenes  of  Wall, 
Water,  Front,  Pearl,  and  Broad  Streets  were  thus  ever  "  brought  to 
mind." 

The  Herald  of  Freedom  and  Federal  Advertiser,  published  by  Free- 
man and  Andrews,  made  its  appearance  in  Boston  on  the  i5th  of 
September,  1788.  It  was  issued  twice  a  week.  It  was  only  remark- 
able for  its  advocacy  of  Hancock  for  governor  in  opposition  to  Bow- 
doin,  and  for  the  fact  that  it  was  engaged  in  the  first  libel-suit  tried 
in  Massachusetts  after  the  Revolution.  This  occurred  in  1791  for 
a  savage  attack  on  a  member  of  the  Legislature.  The  case  was  de- 
cided in  favor  of  the  newspaper.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  men  of  his  day,  was  counsel  for  the  editor.  The 
name  of  the  paper  was  subsequently  changed  to  that  of  the  Argus, 
which  was  published  by  Edward  Eveleth  Powars,  previously  of  the 
Chronicle. 

The  United  States  Gazette  was  started  in  New  York  in  1789  by 
John  Fenno,  of  Boston.  Its  original  name  was  Gazette  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  first  issued  in  New  York,  because  the  seat  of  the  na- 
tional government  was  then  in  that  city.  When  Congress  removed 
to  Philadelphia  in  1790,  the  Gazette  went  with  that  body.  In  1792 
it  was  the  special  organ  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  and  his  friends,  and  was  furious  on  the  Jacobins  of 
that  day.  Thomas  Jefferson,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  Paris,  thus 
spoke  of  this  paper  and  its  opposition  : 

The  Tory  paper,  Fenno's,  rarely  admits  any  thing  which  defends  the  present 
form  of  government  in  opposition  to  his  desire  of  subverting  it,  to  make  way  for  a 
king,  Lords  and  Commons.  There  are  high  names  here  in  favor  of  this  doctrine. 


1 82  Journalism  in  America. 


Adams,  Jay,  Hamilton,  Knox  and  many  of  the  Cincinnati.  The  second  says 
nothing ;  the  third  is  open.  Both  are  dangerous.  They  pant  after  union  with 
England,  as  the  power  which  is  to  support  their  projects,  and  are  most  detei mined 
Anti-Gallicans. 

Fenno  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1798,  in  the  same  year  with  Bache 
qf  the  Aurora.  Maiy  Eliza  Fenno,  daughter  of  the  editor  of  the 
Gazette,  married  Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  of  New  York,  in  1811.  Ver- 
planck, so  well  known  in  literary  circles  in  that  city,  died  there  in 
1870.  William  Cullen  Bryant,  in  a  eulogy  on  Verplanck,  said  that 
he  had  seen  an  exquisite  miniature  of  Mrs.  Verplanck,  by  Malbone, 
"  taken  in  her  early  girlhood,  when  about  fifteen  years  old — beauti- 
ful as  an  angel,  with  light  chestnut  hair  and  a  soft  blue  eye,  in  the 
look  of  which  is  a  touch  of  sadness,  as  if  caused  by  some  dim  pre- 
sentiment of  her  early  death.  I  remember  hearing  Miss  Sedgwick 
say  that  she  should  always  think  the  better  of  Verplanck  for  having 
been  the  husband  of  Eliza  Fenno." 

Fenno  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  John  Ward  Fenno,  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  Gazette.  It  was  subsequently  conducted,  at  differ- 
ent periods,  by  Caleb  P.Wayne,  Elihu  Chauncey,  Enos  Bronson,  and 
Joseph  R.  Chandler.  Bronson  once,  in  an  affidavit,  reproachfully 
called  Cheetham,  of  the  American  Citizen,  "  an  Englishman  and  a 
hatter."  Cheetham  had  a  brother  in  business  as  a  hatter  in  Chat- 
ham Street,  New  York.  Bronson  was  a  brisk  journalist,  boasting  at 
one  time  of"  seven  prosecutions  commenced  within  twelve  months." 
He  had  more  enterprise  than  any  of  his  contemporaries.  There 
was  a  paper  published  a  short  time  in  Philadelphia  in  1820  styled 
the  Mirror  and  United  States  Gazette,  but  it  should  not  be  confound- 
ed with  Fenno's,  and  Bronson's,  and  Chandler's  paper.  But  what 
became  of  the  United  States  Gazette  ? 

When  the  newspapers  of  New  York  experienced  a  revival  in  1844, 
'45,  and  '46,  the  journals  of  Philadelphia  partook  of  the  excitement. 
Expensive  and  extensive  expresses  were  run  with  European  news 
from  Boston  and  Halifax.  They  extended  to  the  Quaker  City.  Gov- 
ernor William  B.  Dinsmore  and  Colonel  E.  S.  Sandford,  of  Adams's 
Express  Line,  were  ardently  active  in  these  enterprises.  If  they  had 
not  been  in  the  express  business,  they  would  have  made  splendid 
journalists. 

The  most  spiritedly  managed  newspaper  in  Philadelphia  at  that 
time  was  the  North  American.  It  was  first  issued  in  1839,  as  already 
stated,  absorbing  the  old  Advertiser  in  that  year.  It  afterward  pass- 
ed into  the  hands  of  Childs  and  Fry,  taking  in  the  Commercial Her- 
ald in  1840,  and  thence  to  the  management  of  George  R.  Graham, 
well  known  as  the  publisher  of  Graham 's  Magazine,  and  Alexander 
Cummings,  who  subsequently  published  the  Evening  Bulletin  of 


Ten  Newspapers  in  One.  183 

Philadelphia,  and  spent  $200,000  in  establishing  the  New  York 
World  on  religious  principles.  On  account  of  political  differences 
between  the  publishers,  the  North  American,  standing  firmly  on  the 
Whig  platform,  became  the  property  of  Graham  and  Judge  R.  T. 
Conrad,  and  then  of  Graham  and  Morton  M'Michael.  Both  Con- 
rad and  M'Michael  have  been  chief  magistrates  of  Philadelphia. 
Conrad  edited  the  Daily  Intelligencer  in  1832,  and  then  the  Philadel- 
phia Gazette,  with  which  the  Intelligencer  was  united.  Condy  Ra- 
gout, the  economist,  was  associated  with  him  on  the  Gazette. 

It  was  the  North  American  that  inspired  the  other  journals  of  Phil- 
adelphia to  great  efforts,  and  helped  to  infuse  more  energy  in  the 
operations  and  enterprise  of  the  Tribune  of  New  York.  The  amia- 
ble George  H.  Hart,  an  old  partner  of  Chandler's  in  the  United 
States  Gazette,  made  frequent  visits  to  New  York  in  the  news  com- 
petition of  this  period  ;  but  so  largely  increased  had  the  expenses  of 
the  papers  become  by  this  fresh  energy  in  their  management,  that 
the  venerable  Chandler  felt  constrained  to  retire  from  journalism, 
and  in  1847  he  disposed  of  his  entire  establishment  to  the  proprie- 
tors of  the  North  American  for  $45,000,  and  the  two  names  and  the 
two  papers  were  merged  in  one.  This  closed  the  career  of  the 
United  States  Gazette.  The  intellectual  power  of  the  new  concern 
was  increased  by  the  addition  of  Dr.  Robert  M.  Bird,  the  author  of 
Gladiator  and  the  Broker  of  Bogota,  and  G.  G.  Foster,  afterward  the 
well-known  "  City  Items"  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  author  of 
New  York  by  Gaslight. 

The  North  American  is  now  owned  and  nominally  edited  by  Mor- 
ton M'Michael.  It  is  made  up  of  many  papers  and  of  the  follow- 
ing material  : 

i  st.  The  Pennsylvania  Packet,  or  the  General  Advertiser,  established 
in  1771. 

2d.  The  American  Daily  Advertiser,  1784. 

3d.  Gazette  of  the  United  States,  1789. 

4th.  Evening  Advertiser,  1793. 

5th.  United  States  Gazette,  1804. 

6th.  True  American,  1820. 

7th.  Commercial  Chronicle,  1820. 

8th.  The  Union,  1820. 

9th.  The  North  American,  1839. 

loth.  Commercial  Herald,  1840. 

Thus  the  North  American  and  United  States  Gazette  of  the  pres- 
ent day  has  absorbed  no  less  than  nine  other  papers,  and  if  the  good 
qualities  of  these  nine  are  concentrated  in  one,  that  journal  ought 
to  be  an  excellent  one.  The  North  American  can  claim  to  be,  by 


184  Journalism  in  America. 

purchase,  the  oldest  daily  paper,  morning  and  evening,  published  in 
the  United  States,  although  its  own  age  dates  back  to  1839  only,  and 
its  name  and  that  of  the  original  journal  of  the  United  States  are 
entirely  different. 

The  Impartial  Intelligencer  was  established  in  Greenfield,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  the  ist  of  February,  1792,  by  Thomas  Dickman.  Six 
months  subsequently  this  name  was  abandoned,  and  the  paper  be- 
came the  Greenfield  Gazette.  Its  publication  was  continued  with  va- 
rious changes  in  name  till  1841,  when  it  was  united  with  the  Courier, 
and  was  thenceforward  known  as  the  Gazette  and  Cqurier,  and  is  still 
published.  It  was  passed  over  to  John  Denio,  who  had  been  ap- 
prentice to  Dickman,  by  purchase,  in  1801.  He  went  to  Albany  in 
1827,  where  he  published  the  Morning  Chronicle  for  several  years. 
Buckingham,  and  many  other  prominent  printers  and  journalists, 
commenced  as  apprentices  in  the  office  of  the  Gazette. 


Remarkable  Journals.  185 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SEVERAL  NOTABLE  JOURNALS. 

THE  NATIONAL  GAZETTE  OF  PHILADELPHIA.  —  ORGAN  OF  THOMAS  JEFFER- 
SON.— THE  CELEBRATED  FRENEAU.  —  NEWSPAPERS  IN   NEW  JERSEY. — THE 

MASSACHUSETTS  MERCURY  AND  NEW  ENGLAND  PALLADIUM.  —  SHIPPING 
NEWS  AND  HARRY  BLAKE.  —  INCIDENTS  IN  HIS  LIFE.  —  NOAH  WEBSTER 
AND  THE  NEW  YORK  COMMERCIAL  ADVERTISER.  —  COLONEL  WILLIAM  L. 
STONE. 

ONE  of  the  remarkable  journalists  that  the  creation  of  parties 
produced  in  this  country  was  Philip  Freneau.  We  have  already 
mentioned  him  in  these  pages.  In  October,  1791,  he  started  the 
National  Gazette  in  Philadelphia,  while  he  was  a  clerk  in  the  State 
Department  under  Jefferson,  a  position  which  he  obtained  through 
the  influence  of  Madison,  who  had  been  a  classmate  of  his  at  Nas- 
sau College.  Ten  years  previously  he  was  connected,  as  a  writer, 
with  the  Freeman's  Journal.  Three  or  four  years  of  his  time  were 
spent  on  that  paper.  Other  publications  afterward  received  his  con- 
tributions in  numerous  sharp  paragraphs  and  satirical  verses  on  the 
men,  manners,  and  measures  of  that  momentous  period  of  our  his- 
tory. After  being  a  sea-captain,  he  edited  the  Daily  Advertiser  of 
New  York.  When  the  national  government  went  to  Philadelphia 
he  accompanied  Jefferson,  and  became  famous  as  the  editor  of  one 
of  the  leading  organs  of  the  rising  Democratic  Party. 

The  National  Gazette  was  a  Democratic  organ  in  every  sense  of 
the  word.  It  violently  assailed  the  measures  of  Hamilton  and  his 
adherents  in  the  cabinet  of  Washington  ;  it  was  vituperative  on 
Adams,  and  boldly  attacked  Washington  personally  whenever  he 
showed  any  leaning  to  the  Federal  side.  The  course  of  Freneau 
created  trouble  in  the  political  family  of  the  President.  It  would 
have  been  strange  if  it  had  failed  to  do  this.  Indeed,  it  was  be- 
lieved that  the  policy  of  the  Gazette  was  inspired  by  Jefferson. 
Washington  was  of  this  opinion.  Freneau  at  one  time,  on  oath, 
made  a  statement  that  Jefferson  did  not  suggest  or  furnish  any  of 
the  contents  of  the  paper  at  that  period.  This  did  not  shake  the 
belief  of  Washington,  who  repeatedly  brought  the  matter  up  in  cab- 
inet meetings.  The  President  had  even  requested  Jefferson  to  ad- 
minister some  rebuke  to  Freneau  for  his  conduct.  In  his  Anas, 
Jefferson  stated  that,  at  a  cabinet  council,  Washington  remarked  : 


1 86  Journalism  in  America. 

That  rascal,  Freneau,  sent  him  three  copies  of  his  paper  every  day,  as  if  he 
thought  he  (Washington)  would  become  the  distributor  of  them;  that  he  could 
see  in  this  nothing  but  an  impudent  design  to  insult  him :  he  ended  in  a  high 
tone. 

On  another  occasion,  speaking  of  the  President,  Jefferson  said  : 

He  adverted  to  a  piece  in  Freneau's  paper  of  yesterday ;  he  said  he  despised 
their  attacks  on  him,  personally,  but  that  there  had  never  been  an  act  of  the  gov- 
ernment, not  meaning  in  the  executive  line  only,  but  in  every  line,  which  that  pa- 
per had  not  abused.  He  was  evidently  sore  and  warm,  and  I  took  his  intention 
to  be,  that  I  should  interpose  in  some  way  with  Freneau,  perhaps  withdraw  his 
appointment  as  translating  clerk  in  my  office.  But  I  will  not  do  it.  His  paper 
has  saved  our  Constitution,  which  was  galloping  fast  into  monarchy,  and  has  been 
checked  by  no  one  means  so  powerfully  as  by  that  paper.  It  is  well  and  univer- 
sally known  that  it  has  been  that  paper  which  has  checked  the  career  of  the  mon- 
ocrats. 

According  to  Griswold,  it  was  acknowledged  by  Freneau,  in  his 
old  age,  to  Dr.  John  W.  Francis,  in  New  York,  that  Jefferson  wrote  or 
dictated  the  most  offensive  articles  in  the  Gazette  against  Washing- 
ton and  his  Federal  friends.  On  one  occasion  he  showed  a  file  of 
that  paper  to  Dr.  James  Meade,  in  which  the  alleged  contributions 
of  Jefferson  were  marked. 

Shortly  after  the  Presidential  election  of  1792,  when  John  Adams 
and  George  Clinton  were  the  candidates  for  Vice-President,  the  Ga- 
zette published  a  paragraph  which  we  annex,  and  which  was  in  full 
accordance  with  the  views  of  Jefferson,  as  indicated  in  the  above 
memoranda  from  his  Anas  : 

The  mask  is  at  last  torn  from  the  monarchical  party,  who  have,  but  with  too 
much  success,  imposed  themselves  upon  the  public  for  the  sincere  friends  of  our 
republican  constitution.  Whatever  may  be  the  event  of  the  competition  for  the 
Vice-Presidency,  it  has  been  the  happy  occasion  of  ascertaining  the  tsvo  following 
important  truths  : — first,  that  the  name  of  Federalist  has  been  assumed  by  men 
who  approve  the  constitution  merely  as  "  a  promising  essay  towards  a  well-order- 
ed government ;"  that  is  to  say,  as  a  step  towards  a  government  of  kings,  lords, 
and  commons.  Secondly,  that  the  spirit  of  the  people  continues  firmly  republi- 
can, and  if  the  monarchical  features  of  the  party  had  been  sooner  held  up  to  the 
public  view,  would  have  universally  marked  the  division  between  two  candidates 
(equally  unassailed  in  their  private  characters)  one  of  whom  is  as  much  attached 
to  the  equal  principles  of  liberty  entertained  by  the  great  mass  of  his  fellow-citi- 
zens, as  the  other  is  devoted  to  the  hereditary  titles,  orders,  and  balances,  which 
they  abhor  as  an  insult  to  the  rights  and  dignity  of  man. , 

Freneau  was  severe  on  Hamilton.  He  was  so  frequent  in  his  at- 
tacks that  Hamilton  finally  came  out  in  reply,  in  which  he  charged 
that  the  National  Gazette  had  been  established  for  the  special  use 
of  the  Secretary  of  State.  In  the  controversy,  Jefferson  assigned  as 
a  reason  for  sustaining  Freneau  the  desire  he  had  to  have  the  news 
from  the  Continent  of  Europe  translated  from  the  Leyden  Gazette,  in- 
stead of  having  it  come  frittered  through  the  English  press  to  the 
American  readers  :  all  Jefferson  did  was  to  furnish  the  Leyden  Ga- 
zette to  Freneau ! 

The  National 'Gazette  continued  to  be  the  organ  of  the  Republican 


The  Close  of  Freneau  s  Career.  187 

Party,  pouring  its  hot  shot  into  the  Federal  camp  whenever  a  proc- 
lamation was  issued  or  any  opportunity  offered,  and  was  only 
eclipsed  in  violence  by  the  Aurora.  Soon  after  the  appearance  of 
the  yellow  fever  in  Philadelphia  in  October,  1793,  the  Gazette  said  : 

With  the  present  number  (208)  concludes  the  second  volume,  and  second  year's 
publication  of  the  National  Gazette.  Having  just  imported,  on  his  own  account, 
a  considerable  quantity  of  new  and  elegant  printing  types  from  Europe,  it  is  the 
editor's  intention  to  resume  the  publication  of  this  paper  in  a  short  time,  and  pre- 
viously to  the  meeting  of  Congress  on  the  second  day  of  December  next. 

The  publication  of  the  paper  was  never  resumed.  It  had  ac- 
complished its  work.  Freneau  afterward  contemplated  publishing 
a  paper  in  New  York,  and  both  Jefferson  and  Madison  gave  him  let- 
ters to  parties  in  that  city,  commending  him  for  his  "  extensive  in- 
formation and  sound  discretion."  The  publication  of  the  paper  in 
New  York  was  deferred.  In  May,  1795,  ^ie  issued  the  Jersey  Chron- 
icle at  Mount  Pleasant,  N.  J.,  in  which  he  continued  to  oppose  the 
Federalists.  He  set  the  Time-Piece  agoing  in  New  York  in  March, 
1797.  Matthew  L.Davis  afterward  became  its  editor.  It  passed 
from  his  management  into  the  hands  of  an  Irishman,  named  John 
D'Oley  Burke,  the  author  of  a  play  called  "  Bunker  Hill,  or  the 
Death  of  Warren."  Burke  was  arrested  in  1798,  under  the  Alien 
and  Sedition  laws.  In  1808  he  was  killed  in  a  duel. 

Meanwhile  Freneau  again  "  went  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,"  and 
commanded  a  merchant  vessel  for  several  years.  With  his  active 
brain  there  was  no  rest,  and,  for  want  of  other  mental  stimulant,  he 
published  and  republished  his  poems.  In  the  War  of  1812-15  he 
celebrated  our  victories  as  the  lamented  Halpine,  better  known  as 
Miles  O'Reilly,  did  those  of  the  rebellion  of  1861-5,  in  characteris- 
tic song  and  sentiment. 

In  1832,  Freneau,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  perished  in  a 
snow-storm  near  Freehold,  New  Jersey.  On  the  2gth  of  August, 
1871,  Miss  Catharine  L.  Freneau,  his  daughter,  died  near  Newtown, 
L.  I.,  aged  70.  No  doubt  she  has  left  papers  belonging  to  her  fa- 
ther of  considerable  historical  value. 

Newspapers  have  not  made  their  mark  in  New  Jersey  as  in  many 
of  the  old  states.  Situated  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
it  has  been  placed  in  a  position  to  enjoy  the  news  facilities  of  those 
two  cities.  All  the  expresses  of  the  New  York  journals  from  Wash- 
ington had  to  pass  over  its  territory.  The  State  Gazette  and  True 
American  of  Trenton,  and  the  Daily  Advertiser  of  Newark,  are  now 
the  leading  papers  of  the  state.  The  State  Gazette  was  established 
in  1792.  It  is  at  present  edited  by  E.  R.  Borden.  The  Newark 
Advertiser,  which  was  the  old  Whig  organ,  has  been  the  most  enter- 
prising sheet  in  the  state.  It  was  the  first  daily  paper  there.  Its 
first  number  was  issued  on  the  ist  of  March,  1832.  It  would  run 


1 88  Journalism  in  America. 

expresses  from  New  York  with  important  news,  and  make  other 
efforts  at  first-class  journalism.  William  B.  Kenney  is  its  proprietor 
and  chief  editor.  He  was  appointed  minister  to  Sardinia  by  Presi- 
dent Fillmore.  While  absent  on  this  diplomatic  mission  the  Adver- 
tiser was  managed  by  a  son  of  its  proprietor.  The  True  American 
is  edited  by  Judge  David  Noar,  and  is  the  Democratic  organ  in  that 
state.  The  Evening  Courier  is  the  extreme  radical  Republican  or- 
gan in  Newark,  and  perhaps  in  the  state.  The  Daily  Journal,  pub- 
lished in  Newark,  is  a  leading  Democratic  paper.  It  is  said  that 
its  ablest  articles  were  written  by  the  late  ex-Senator  James  W. 
Wall. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1793,  Alexander  Young  and  Samuel  Eth- 
eridge  issued  a  tri-weekly  paper  in  Boston,  which  they  named  The 
Massachusetts  Mercury.  In  the  course  of  a  year  the  junior  partner 
retired,  and  Thomas  Minns  came  into  the  establishment.  "  Con- 
scious that  the  low  ribaldry  and  personal  defamation  which  frequent- 
ly disgrace  European  publications,  and  sometimes  contaminate  the 
purer  effusions  of  the  American  Press,  have  a  most  certain  tenden- 
cy to  depreciate  its  worth,  obstruct  its  utility,  and  to  sap  the  founda- 
tion of  every  thing  dear  and  valuable  to  mankind,  the  editors  of  the 
Mercury  will  ever  strive,  with  the  most  cautious  attention,  to  avoid 
the  rocks  on  which  but  too  many  of  their  contemporaries  have  been 
shattered."  They  also  endeavored  to  make  the  Mercury  "immuta- 
bly impartial ;"  but  it  became  a  little  excited  over  a  controversy  on 
the  organization  of  the  Illuminati  in  Europe,  in  which  the  Freema- 
sons in  this  country  became  a  party.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Morse  preached 
a  sermon  on  the  subject,  which  was  published  in  the  Mercury.  Dr. 
Josiah  Bartlett,  of  Charleston,  replied  on  behalf  of  the  Masons. 

Warren  Dutton  was  the  chief  editor  of  the  Mercury  in  1801,  when 
the  name  of  New  England  Palladium  was  appended  to  the  original 
title.  Among  its  contributors  was  Fisher  Ames,  who  did  so  much 
toward  the  ratification  of  the  Federal  Constitution  in  Massachusetts. 
Ames,  in  an  essay  on  newspapers  in  1801,  strongly  opposed  de- 
scriptions of  murders  in  the  public  prints.  He  was  desirous  of  hav- 
ing a  higher  class  of  information  given. 

Another  controversy  sprung  up  in  1808,  on  the  writings  of  William 
Godwin  and  the  works  of  Noah  Webster,  who  was  then  publishing 
the  Columbian  Dictionary.  Webster  contended  for  the  rights  of 
America  in  literature,  as  in  commerce  and  manufactures.  All  these 
questions  have  been  solved,  and  passed  into  history,  and  have  had 
their  influence  on  the  public  mind. 

Notwithstanding  its  "immutable  impartiality,"  the  Palladium,  like 
all  its  predecessors,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  exciting  questions,  and 
of  changes  of  editors  and  writers,  did  not  always  please  its  readers, 


Harry  Blake,  the  Marine  Reporter.  189 


and  it  began  to  lose  the  influence  and  patronage  it  had  received. 
Its  commercial  reports,  although  comparatively  meagre,  aided  ma- 
terially in  its  prosperity.  These  were  not  affected  by  politics,  or  re- 
ligion, or  morals.  It  was  in  advance  of  its  contemporaries  in  this 
department.  Shipping  news  seemed  to  have  been  one  of  the  chief 
features  with  the  press  in  Boston,  and  afterward  with  the  press  in 
all  the  sea-port  towns  of  the  United  States.  Major  Russell,  of  the 
Gazette,  was  in  the  habit  of  boarding  the  vessels  himself  for  such 
news.  He  paid  more  attention  to  this  branch  of  intelligence  than 
many  of  his  rivals.  The  Palladium  became  well  known  for  the  full- 
ness of  its  marine  department.  It  was  under  the  management  of 
Henry  Ingraham  Blake,  a  small,  active  man,  a  journeyman  printer, 
who  preferred  running  around  the  wharves,  boarding  vessels,  and 
visiting  merchants'  offices,  picking  up  items  of  shipping  news  here 
and  there,  to  standing  all  day  in  an  office  at  case. 

Harry  Blake,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was  as  much  of  a  genius 
in  his  branch  of  journalism  as  the  most  accomplished  writer  was  in 
his  department.  Indeed,  it  requires  a  man  of  peculiar  tact  to  col- 
lect and  arrange  shipping  news  intelligently  and  economically  for  a 
newspaper  and  the  merchant.  It  has  always  been  difficult  to  find 
competent  persons  to  manage  such  a  department  with  accuracy  and 
knowledge.  There  is  no  poetry  about  it.  It  is  made  up  of  hard 
facts.  There  are  only  two  or  three  attached  to  the  Press  of  the 
present  clay  that  at  all  comprehend  its  value  and  importance.  The 
Journal  of  Commerce  antUfera/d,  of  New  York,  have  always  made 
a  feature  of  marine  news.  They  have  spent  large  sums  of  money 
for  this  purpose.  It  has  always  been  a  feature  with  the  Boston  Ad- 
vertiser, which  it  inherited  when  it  absorbed  the  Palladium  and  Ga- 
zette. Harry  Blake  made  it  an  indispensable  department  of  the  Pal- 
ladium. He  knew  all  about  the  mercantile  marine  of  Boston.  Not 
a  ship,  not  a  vessel,  indeed,  belonging  to  that  port,  that  he  did  not 
know  her  history,  from  her  launch  till  she  ceased  to  float.  He  knew 
her  owner's  name,  her  captain's  name,  when  she  was  due  at  any 
port,  could  almost  point  out  on  the  map  where  she  ought  to  be  on 
any  given  day.  Wonderful  genius  was  Harry  Blake  ! 

It  was  the  early  habit  in  Boston  for  each  paper  to  collect  its  own 
shipping  news.  Its  marine  reporter  would  spend  much  of  his  time 
in  looking  over  log-books,  gathering  facts  from  sea-captains,  or  from 
late  letters  just  received  by  merchants.  On  the  establishment  of 
the  Merchants'  News-room  in  the  old  State  House  by  the  indefati- 
gable Topliffs,  much  of  the  shipping  intelligence  of  the  port  of  Bos- 
ton was  collected  by  Samuel  Topliff,  who  kept  a  small  row-boat 
for  the  purpose  of  boarding  vessels.  Such  news  was  immediately 
placed  on  his  books.  Thence  it  passed,  through  the  reporters,  into 


190  Journalism  in  America. 

the  papers.  But  Harry  Blake  depended  upon  no  one  individual  for 
his  news.  He  would  travel  miles  for  a  solitary  fact,  and  lose  a 
night's  sleep  for  a  mere  item.  In  the  worst  weather  he  was  on 
duty.  He  had  a  quick,  nervous  way  of  doing  business.  He  would 
ask  a  captain  a  hundred  questions.  But  for  his  knowledge,  enabling 
him  to  put  the  right  questions  to  the  right  persons,  much  interest- 
ing information  would  have  been  lost.  If  short  of  paper,  he  would 
dot  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  vessels  met  at  sea  on  his  finger 
nails,  trusting  the  rest  of  the  intelligence  to  a  tenacious  memory. 
Sometimes  he  would  collect  a  mass  of  news  on  a  small  piece  of  pa- 
per that,  in  its  stenographic  character,  would  throw  the  chirography 
of  the  elder  Napoleon  or  Jules  Janin  into  the  shade.  It  was,  how- 
ever, as  clear  as  old  English  to  Blake.  He  put  his  own  news  in 
type.  No  compositor  was  necessary  for  him.  It  was  a  curiosity  to 
see  him  at  work  at  his  case.  His  motion  was  see-saw,  mumbling 
to  himself  some  words,  intelligible  only  to  Blake  or  Neptune,  with 
an  occasional  look  at  an  old  scrap  of  paper,  or  at  his  finger-nails,  for 
the  degrees  of  latitude  and  longitude — the  most  beautiful  figures  of 
rhetoric  to  him. 

It  is  related  that  on  one  Tuesday  afternoon  he  saw  a  ship  com- 
ing up  the  Boston  Harbor  under  full  sail,  with  every  inch  of  canvas 
spread.  He  was  standing  on  the  end  of  Long  Wharf,  opposite 
which  the  ship  rounded  to  and  dropped  anchor.  Harry  Blake 
hailed  her.  "  Ship  ahoy  !  What's  your  name  ?"  "  The  Hero,  Cap- 
tain Fox,  from  Liverpool,"  was  the  answer.  "  When  did  you  sail  ?" 
"  Sunday  before  last !"  came  thundering  from  the  stentorian  lungs 
of  her  commander.  "  Good  gracious  !"  exclaimed  Harry,  "  only 
two  weeks  from  Liverpool  ?"  Much  excited,  he  ran  up  the  wharf, 
up  State  Street,  telling  every  one  he  met  of  the  Flying  Dutchman, 
and  back  again  to  the  end  of  the  pier  before  he  became  calm 
enough  to  get  the  news  brought  so  rapidly  across  the  Atlantic  by 
this  wonderful  clipper. 

After  a  long  service  on  the  Palladium,  and  then  on  the  Courier, 
he  was  induced  to  go  to  New  York,  where  he  undertook  to  arrange 
the  shipping  news  for  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  afterward  for 
the  New  York  Express.  He  failed  on  both  papers.  New  York, 
with  her  extensive  range  of  short  piers,  her  immense  commerce,  her 
mode  of  collecting  news  of  this  sort  so  entirely  different  from  that 
he  had  been  accustomed  to,  bewildered  an  already  worn-out  and 
overtasked  man.  He,  therefore,  utterly  failed,  and  he  returned  to 
Boston  discomfited,  disheartened,  emphatically  disgusted  with  the 
metropolis.  His  usefulness  was  gone,  and  he  died  shortly  after  his 
return  home. 

The  end  of  the  Palladium  was  near.     In  1828  Young  and  Minns 


Noah  Webster  as  an  Editor.  191 


retired,  and  G.  V.  H.  Forbes,  of  Zion's  Herald,  took  charge  of  it.  In 
another  year  it  was  passed  over  to  E.  Kingman.  Then  it  became  a 
part  of  the  Centinel,  and  was  finally  merged  with  the  Advertiser.  On 
their  retirement,  Young  and  Minns  were,  like  Major  Russell,  the  re- 
cipient of  a  banquet  from  the  editors  and  printers  of  Boston.  They 
both  died  in  the  same  year — 1834. 

We  recollect  Mr.  Young  very  well  in  1830.  He  then  lived  in 
Oliver  Street,  and  was  very  tenacious  of  his  rights  to  an  old  pear- 
tree  that  bore  fruit  on  the  edge  of  his  yard.  It  was  very  old — as 
old,  perhaps,  as  the  famous  Stuyvesant  Pear-tree  on  the  Third  Ave- 
nue, New  York.  Such  trees  were  not  common  in  Boston.  To  get 
some  of  the  pears  before  they  were  ripe  was  an  enterprise  of  the 
boys  who  lived  in  Milk  Street,  and  whose  father's  yards  extended 
to  the  court  leading  to  Mr.  Young's  yard.  But  the  old  gentleman 
was  too  much  for  the  boys.  There  he  stood  guard,  with  his  white 
hair  streaming  in  the  breeze,  watching  over  that  tree.  Not  a  pear 
could  they  get.  When  the  fruit  was  ripe  he  had  it  carefully  picked, 
divided  into  as  many  lots  as  there  were  houses  on  the  court,  and 
sent  to  each  neighbor  a  full  basket,  with  his  compliments  to  parents 
and  children.  Such  was  the  character  of  the  old  publisher  whose 
newspaper  we  have  briefly  sketched  on  these  pages. 

One  of  the  sons  of  Mr.  Young  became  a  distinguished  Unitarian 
clergyman  in  Boston  j  another  was  a  teacher  in  one  of  the  large 
schools  in  that  city ;  and  a  grandson  now  very  creditably  occupies 
a  professor's  chair  at  Harvard. 

Noah  Webster,  the  lexicographer  of  America,  was  a  lawyer  in 
1793,  and  had  an  office  in  Hartford,  Connecticut.  Washington's 
administration  was  then  violently  assailed  by  the  Aurora,  National 
Gazette,  and  other  organs  of  the  Republican  Party,  and  by  the  par- 
tisans of  France.  Jefferson  was  organizing  the  opposition  elements, 
and  Hamilton  was  endeavoring  to  strengthen  the  Federal  party. 
Newspapers  were  established  on  each  side  as  the  chief  means  of 
accomplishing  the  objects  each  party  had  in  view.  Noah  Webster 
was  considered,  in  this  state  of  affairs,  the  man  to  aid  the  Federal- 
ists journalistically  in  New  York.  He  was,  therefore,  induced  to  re- 
move to  that  city  and  take  charge  of  a  Federal  organ. 

On  the  gth  of  December,  1793,  he  issued  the  first  number  of  a 
daily  paper,  which  was  named  the  Minerva.  According  to  its  im- 
print, it  appeared  "  every  day,  Sundays  excepted,  at  four  o'clock,  or 
earlier  if  the  arrival  of  the  mail  will  permit."  On  its  title  was  in- 
scribed its  purposes  and  objects — its  trade-mark.  It  was  the  "Pa- 
troness of  Peace,  Commerce,  and  the  Liberal  Arts."  Mr.  Webster, 
on  entering  his  journalistic  career,  announced  that  his  paper  would 
be  the  "  Friend  of  Government,  of  Freedom,  of  Virtue,  and  every 


192  Journalism  in  America. 

Species  of  Improvement."     Later,  in  reply  to  complaints  from  his 
readers,  he  published  an  address,  in  which  he  said  : 

I  have  defended  the  administration  of  the  national  government  because  I  be- 
lieve it  to  have  been  incorrupt  and  according  to  the  Spirit  of  the  Constitution. 
I  have  advocated  the  Constitution  because,  if  not  perfect,  it  is  probably  the  best 
we  can  obtain,  and  because  experience  teaches  us,  it  has  secured  to  us  important 
rights  and  great  public  prosperity.  *  *  *  *  I  have  cautioned  my  fellow-citizens 
against  all  foreign  intrigues,  because  I  am  aware  of  the  fatal  dissensions  they  would 
introduce  into  our  councils,  and  because  I  hold  it  proper  for  us  to  attach  ourselves 
to  no  foreign  nation  whatever,  and  be  in  spirit  and  truth  Americans. 

One  of  the  first  numbers  of  the  Minerva  contained  an  article  on 
slavery, "  intended  to  demonstrate  that  the  labor  of  slaves  in  any 
country  is  less  productive  than  that  of  freemen." 

With  the  Minerva  was  connected  a  semi-weekly  paper  called  the 
Herald.  This  was  the  first  weekly,  or  semi-weekly,  or  tri-weekly 
paper  arranged  for  country  circulation,  and  made  up  without  re- 
composition.  Nearly  every  daily  paper  has  now  its  weekly  edition, 
prepared  in  this  way,  although  the  telegraph  is  beginning  to  drive 
them  out  of  existence. 

The  names  of  Minerva  and  Herald 'were  shortly  changed  to  those 
of  Commercial  Advertiser  and  New  York  Spectator,  and  the'se  names 
have  continued  for  over  three  quarters  of  a  century,  and  the  princi- 
ples of  the  establishment  have  been  those  of  the  Federal,  National 
Republican,  Whig,  and  the  present  Republican  parties.  While  Mr. 
Webster  was  editor,  the  paper  was  published  by  George  Bunce  & 
Co.  They  were  superseded  by  Hopkins,  Webb  &  Co.,  in  May, 
1796.  On  the  ist  of  July,  1799,  Mr.  Webster  dissolved  partnership 
with  Mr.  Hopkins,  and  published  the  paper  in  the  name  of  his 
nephew,  Ebenezer  Belden,  and  the  firm  was  E.  Belden  &  Co.  till 
1803,  when  he  retired  in  favor  of  Zachariah  Lewis.  Noah  Webster 
was  a  remarkable  man.  He  was  "somewhat  above  the  ordinary 
height,  slender,  with  gray  eyes  and  a  keen  aspect ;  remarkable  for 
neatness  in  dress,  and  characterized  by  an  erect  walk,  a  broad  hat, 
and  a  long  cue."  Mr.  Webster  died  in  New  Haven  in  May,  1843, 
aged  85. 

On  the  i3th  of  January,  1813,  Mr.  Lewis  announced  that  he  had 
associated  with  him  Mr.  Francis  Hall,  who  had  then  been  with  him 
in  the  office  for  about  two  years.  Mr.  Lewis  continued  to  occupy 
the  chief  editorial  chair  until  April  n,  1820,  when  he  retired  in  favor 
of  Colonel  W.  L.  Stone,  at  that  time  editor  of  \hzAlbany  Daily  Adver- 
tiser. The  firm  was  now  changed  to  Francis  Hall  &  Co.  Colonel 
Stone,  in  his  salutatory,  defining  his  plan  of  conducting  the  paper 
politically,  took  occasion  to  hint  to  those  editors  who  "regret  the 
transfer  of  this  paper  because  the  sacred  interests  of  Virtue,  Moral- 
ity, and  Religion  may  suffer  by  the  change,"  that  "  they  will  so  much 
the  more  expose  to  ridicule  their  own  inconsistencies,  and  slander 


William  L.  Stone,  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser.  193 

and  insult  the  printed  licentiousness  and  hypocrisy  of  their  conduct. 
For  their  honest  fears  we  thank  them,  hoping  that  we  may  always 
be  induced  to  exemplify  toward  them  that  great  Christian  example 
of  returning  good  for  evil." 

John  Inmaiij  a  brother  of  the  well-known  artist,  and  called  "the 
erudite  and  classic  Inman,"  and  Robert  C.  Sands,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  writers  of  his  day,  were  editors  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser. 
Sands  became  connected  with  the  paper  in  1827,  and  remained  till 
his  death  in  1833.  Much  of  the  reputation  of  the  paper  is  due  to 
these  two  writers. 

Fitz  Greene  Halleck  relates  an  anecdote  of  Colonel  Stone,  the 
chief  editor  of  the  paper,  and  James  G.  Percival,  the  poet.  In  1826, 
Percival  had  visited  New  York  in  reference  to  the  publication  of 
his  poems,  the  third  volume  of  Clio,  which  afterwards  appeared.  On 
Percival's  return  to  New  Haven,  Mr.  Halleck  says : 

Mr.  William  L.  Stone,  then  the  editor  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  opened  a 
correspondence  with  him  referring  to  the  desired  volume,  and  offering  his  services 
in  obtaining  a  publisher,  carrying  the  work  through  the  press,  &c.,  and  for  a  time 
had  reason  to  hope  that  his  request  would  be  granted ;  but  after  a  delay  of  some 
weeks,  PERCIVAL  wrote  him  that  circumstances  had  put  it  out  of  his  power  to  de- 
vote himself  to-  poetry,  and  had  compelled  him  to  accept  employment  in  that  most 
degrading  and  disgraceful  of  all  occupations — the  editorship  of  a  party  newspaper. 
As  Mr.  STONE  had  long  and  honorably  held  that  position,  and  cherished  it  dearly 
as  a  source  not  only  of  power  and  profit,  but  of  social  pleasure,  the  mal  apropos 
ingenuousness  of  the  sensitive  poet  amused  us  all  exceedingly,  and  no  one  more 
so  than  Mr.  STONE  himself. 

Mr.  Percival  subsequently  became  connected  with  Noah  Webster 
in  superintending  the  printing  of  the  first  quarto  edition  of  the  Amer- 
ican Dictionary. 

Colonel  Stone,  having  acquired  considerable  reputation  for  his 
Biography  of  Red  Jacket  and  his  Life  of  Brant,  was  in  1839  ap- 
pointed Commissioner  to  England  and  Holland,  to  search  for  docu- 
ments in  the  archives  and  museums  of  those  countries  to  illustrate 
the  history  of  New  York,  but  he  was  rejected  by  the  State  Senate. 

The  following  letter  from  Mrs.  Stone,  describing  the  last  moments 
of  Colonel  Stone,  is  interesting  : 

SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  Aug.  20, 1844. 
GERADUS  CLARK  Esq. 

Dear  Sir :  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  communication  of  the  2ist  to- 
gether with  the  list  of  the  resolutions  passed  by  the  Board  of  Education  on  the  oc- 
casion of  my  husbands  death. 

************* 

He  suffered  greatly  during  his  illness,  physically  and  mentally.  His  mental  de- 
pression was  doubtless  the  result  of  his  disease.  But  the  sense  which  he  had  of 
his  unworthiness  and  the  depth  of  his  humility,  were  most  touching.  He  was  con- 
stantly praying  that  he  might  not  be  deceived — that  there  should  be  no  mistake 
— that  his  repentance  might  be  genuine.  "  Oh"  he  would  say  in  the  midst  of  all 
his  mental  distress  "if  it  be  my  Heavenly  Father's  discipline  to  fit  me  for  heaven, 
and  I  may  have  the  very  lowest  place  at  his  footstool,  I  shall  rejoice  in  it  all."  * 
*  -  *  *  a 

N 


194  Journalism  in  America. 

One  day,  he  said,  "I  may  go  suddenly,  and  not  be  able  to  say  any  thing  to  bear 
testimony  to  my  belief."  He  then  repeated  in  a  very  audible  and  impressive  man- 
ner the  creed  as  it  is  in  the  book  of  Common  Prayer — adding  "should  my  impres- 
sion be  realized,  remember  this  my  dying  testimony — this  I  solemnly  believe." 
He  had  his  reason  till  the  last,  though  he  dropped  away  very  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly to  us  all.  But  at  the  closing  struggle,  a  beam  of  heavenly  light  over- 
spread all  his  features,  and  the  expression  upon  his  face  was  that  of  unutterable — 
unutterable  happiness.  There  was  also  an  expression  of  holy  triumph,  which 
seemed  to  say  "  I  have  escaped  the  tempter  forever." 

*****#'****#** 
With  great  respect, 

S.  P.  STONE. 

Colonel  Stone  was  very  particular  in  the  use  of  words.  He  was, 
indeed,  a  hypercritic.  This  incident,  therefore,  is  curious.  In  a 
paper  read  before  the  Historical  Society  of  New  York  in  1844,  by 
John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  on  American  Provincialisms,  he  said,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  term  "cocked  hat," 

About  two  years  ago  there  was  a  severe  storm  in  this  section  of  country,  the 
mails  were  all  stopped,  and  the  New  York  Commercial  Advertiser  on  the  day  of 
the  departure  of  the  steamer  for  England,  apologized  for  the  paucity  of  its  news  by 
saying  that  the  storm  had  been  so  heavy  as  to  knock  all  the  mails  into  a  cocked 
hat.  Upon  this  the  London  Spectator  remarked  that  the  news  from  America,  by 
that  arrival,  was  very  light,  which  was  accounted  for  by  the  New  York  Commercial 
Advertiser  in  a  very  strange  way.  That  paper  stated  that  there  had  been  a  heavy 
storm  there,  and  that  all  the  mails  were  knocked  into  a  cocked  hat,  a  singular  po- 
sition of  things,  which  it  was  impossible  to  define. 

On  the  death  of  Colonel  Stone,  his  interest  was  purchased  by 
John  B.  Hall.  Nothing  else  of  interest  occurred  till  the  retirement 
of  Francis  Hall  on  the  ist  of  January,  1863,  when  William  H.  Hurl- 
but  became  its  editor.  Then  Thurlow  Weed,  still  affected  with  the 
cacoethes  scribendi,  took  up  the  editorial  pen  of  the  Commercial  Adver- 
tiser. But,  breaking  down  in  health,  compelled  to  go  to  Europe, 
then  to  pass  a  winter  in  South  Carolina,  he  abandoned  journalism, 
and  left  that  paper  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Hugh  Hastings,  who  had 
become  interested  in  the  concern.  Hastings  had  been  an  editor  in 
Albany,  where,  among  other  papers,  he  managed  the  Knickerbocker. 
Since  his  arrival  in  New  York  he  has  been  in  an  irrepressible  con- 
flict with  Horace  Greeley  and  James  Brooks.  The  latter  carried 
the  matter  into  Congress,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Hastings  has 
modernized  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  and  made  it  a  lively,  spirit- 
ed paper  of  the  new  school. 

The  Commercial  Advertiser  is  the  oldest  daily  newspaper  in  the 
metropolis.  Of  the  hundreds  of  daily  papers  started  in  New  York, 
from  the  time  of  Bradford's  Gazette  in  1725  to  the  Journal  of  Com- 
merce in  1827,  there  are  now  only  two  survivors — the  Evening  Post 
and  the  Commercial  Advertiser.  So  passes  away  the  glory  of  jour- 
nalism. 


The  Western  Press.  195 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  PRESS  AT  THE  WEST. 

THE  CENTINEL  OF  THE  NORTHWESTERN  TERRITORY. — THE  FIRST  JOURNAL- 
IST OF  THE  NORTHWEST.  —  NEWSPAPERS  IN  CINCINNATI. — THE  GAZETTE. 
—  CHARLES  HAMMOND.  —  THE  FIRST  DAILY  PAPER.  —  INTRODUCTION  OF 
STEAM. — SYMMES'S  HOLE. — HORSE  EXPRESSES. — E.  S.THOMAS. — NEWSPA- 
PERS IN  CHICAGO.  —  WONDERFUL  PROSPERITY  OF  JOURNALISM  IN  OHIO, 
ILLINOIS,  AND  INDIANA. — THE  OHIO  STATESMAN. — THE  ST.  Louis  REPUB- 
LICAN.— SALE  OF  THE  MISSOURI  DEMOCRAT. — THE  EARLY  DAYS  OF  THUR- 
LOW  WEED  AND  WILLIAM  L.  STONE. — REMINISCENCES  OF  NEWSPAPERS. 

THE  introduction  of  newspapers  in  the  new  settlements  of  Amer- 
ica was  at  first  slow,  and  as  difficult,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth and  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth,  as  the  introduction  of 
printing  seemed  to  have  been  in  the  fifteenth  century.  Sometimes 
type  and  ink  could  not  be  obtained.  Then  paper  and  a  press  were 
scarce  articles.  After  these  materials  were  gathered,  subscribers 
were  as  rare  as  Diogenes  found  honest  men  to  be.  But  all  this  has 
since  been  changed.  Steam-boats  and  railroads  have  annihilated 
all  these  difficulties  and  troubles,  and  now  the  progress  of  journal- 
ism is  rapid,  and  encouraging,  and  remunerative. 

The  Post-office  and  the  Press  were  almost  as  intimately  connect- 
ed in  their  relations  at  the  West  as  at  the  East  when  Campbell,  the 
Postmaster  of  Boston,  started  the  News-Letter.  On  the  Qth  of  No- 
vember, 1793,  the  Centinel  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  somewhat 
of  a  high-sounding  title,  was  founded  in  Cincinnati  by  William  Max- 
well, who  was  the  second  postmaster  of  that  town.  This  was  the 
first  newspaper  and  the  first  printing-office  established  north  of  the 
Ohio  River,  or  in  what  was  then  called  the  Northwest.  The  Centi- 
nel was  subsequently  removed  to  Chillicothe. 

It  has  been  stated  that  Nathaniel  Willis,  in  establishing  the  Sriota 
Gazette  at  Chillicothe,  was  the  pioneer  journalist  of  the  Northwest. 
Willis,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  one  of  the  publishers  of  the  Chron- 
icle in  Boston  during  the  Revolution.  After  leaving  that  concern 
he  went  to  Virginia,  and  started  a  paper  there  in  1793.  Then  he 
published  a  paper  at  Shepardstown,  and  another  at  Martinsburg, 
familiar  places  during  the  Rebellion  of  1861-5.  The  latter  paper 
was  called  the  Potomac  Guardian.  It  was  after  this  period  that  Mr. 
Willis  drifted  into  the  Northwest  with  his  printing  material,  and  it 


196  Journalism  in  America. 

was  not  till  1796  that  he  issued  the  Sriota  Gazette  as  the  organ  of 
the  Territorial  government.  It  is  therefore  quite  evident  that  Wil- 
liam Maxwell  must  enjoy  the  title  of  Father  of  the  Press  of  the 
Northwest. 

In  1799,  another  paper,  the  third  in  that  wild  region,  was  estab- 
lished. Its  title  was  the  Western  Spy  and  Hamilton  Gazette.  The 
name  of  this  paper  was  changed  in  1823  to  that  of  the  National  Re- 
publican and  Ohio  Political  Register.  In  November  of  that  year  the 
Independent  Press  and  Freeman 's  Advocate  was  united  with  the  Repub- 
lican. This  paper  has  had  among  its  editors  Sol.  Smith,  since  so 
well  known  as  the  actor  and  manager  in  St.  Louis  and  elsewhere. 
His  valedictory  was  characteristic.  Stating  to  his  patrons  that, 
"  with  big  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks,  and  conflicting  emotions 
struggling  within  his  bosom,  through  the  vicissitudes  of  fate  he  is 
constrained  to  take  leave  of  them,"  he  mentions  various  persons  and 
parties  of  whom  he  must  take  particular  farewell.  Under  the  plea 
that  editors  are  "  lawful  game,"  he  gives  the  conductors  of  the  Ga- 
zette, Republican,  and  Advertiser  some  hard  hits,  and  then  says  : 

To  Cincinnati  Bankers. — I  have  done  you  some  service — I  have  opened  the 
people's  eyes  respecting  your  praiseworthy  exertions  to  benefit  community,  and 
there  are  not  now  ten  in  the  city  who  would  not  rejoice  to  see  you  exalted  high  as 
your  actions  have  merited. 

To  the  Honorable  City  Council. — Wear  crape  on  your  left  arms  three  weeks  in 
remembrance  of  me. 

Tattlers. — I  am  such  a  universal  favorite  with  you  that  I  will  not  attempt  to 
stop  your  compassionate  tears — let  them  flow  freely — my  good  creatures. 

Editors  throughout  the  U.  S. — You  must  endeavor  to  elect  a  President  without 
my  assistance. 

Sol.  Smith  died,  we  believe,  in  1869. 

On  the  gth  of  December,  1804,  the  Liberty  Hall  and  Cincinnati 
Mercury  appeared,  and  was  published  for  eleven  years,  when  it  was 
united  with  the  Gazette,  which  had  been  started  into  life  in  1806. 
The  Gazette  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  papers  at  the  West. 
Its  first  great  reputation  was  acquired  while  under  the  editorial  man- 
agement of  Charles  Hammond.  Judge  Bouvier  declared  it  to  have 
been  one  of  the  best-edited  papers  in  the  Western  country.  It  was 
originally  a  weekly.  One  of  its  most  active  proprietors  was  Ephra- 
im  Morgan,  who  left  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  the  early  part  of  this 
century,  and  learned  to  be  a  printer  in  the  office  of  the  Western  Spy, 
of  which  he  became  part  owner  in  1813.  On  the  reappearance  of 
the  Gazette,  which  was  suspended  for  a  time,  Morgan,  in  1815,  sold 
his  interest  in  the  Spy^  and  purchased  a  share  of  the  Gazette.  About 
that  time,  or  in  1819,  that  paper  was  published  as  a  semi-weekly — 
the  first  in  Cincinnati. 

The  West  now  began  to  show  rapid  material  development.  The 
Cincinnati  press  gave  us  the  particulars  of  the  first  steam-boat  on 


Charles  Hammond,  of  the  Cincinnati  Gazette.   197 

the  Western  waters.  The  General  Pike,  one  hundred  feet  keel  and 
twenty-six  feet  beam,  was  launched  at  Cincinnati  in  the  winter  of 
1819.  Her  cabin  was  forty  feet  long  and  twenty-five  broad.  She 
had  fourteen  state-rooms  and  twenty-one  side  berths,  and  could  ac- 
commodate eighty-six  passengers. 

It  was  in  the  Gazette,  somewhere  about  1820,  we  believe,  that 
Captain  John  Clewes  Symmes  presented  his  curious  theory  of  the 
formation  of  the  earth  and  other  planets,  and  "Symmes's  Hole"  was 
as  famous  then  as  the  more  recent  astronomical  discovery  by  Sec- 
retary Boutwell  of  the  "  Hole  in  the  Sky,"  which  he  demonstrated 
with  so  much  clearness  on  the  celebrated  impeachment  trial  of  An- 
drew Johnson. 

Isaac  C.  Burnet,  brother  of  Judge  Jacob  Burnet,  was  editor  of  the 
Gazette  in  1822,  a*nd  had  been  such  for  several  years.  He  sold  his 
interest  to  Benjamin  F.  Powers,  a  brother  of  Hiram  Powers,  the 
sculptor.  Powers  continued  as  editor  till  1825,  when  Charles  Ham- 
mond took  his  place.  Hiram  Powers,  in  a  conversation  with  the 
Rev.  Dr. -Bellows,  in  Florence,  in  1868,  in  giving  an  account  of  his 
life  before  he  went  to  Italy,  said  that  he  "  was  born  in  Woodstock, 
in  Vermont.  His  father  was  a  half  blacksmith  and  a  half  ox-yoke 
maker.  He  lost  all  the  property  he  had  by  becoming  surety  for  a 
friend,  and  his  family  came  near  starving  to  death,  subsisting  a 
whole  winter  on  milk  and  potatoes.  Finally  one  of  his  sons  picked 
up  education  enough  to  teach  school,  and  migrated  to  Cincinnati, 
then  a  town  of  14,000  inhabitants,  where  he  started  a  newspaper." 

There  was  an  effort  made  to  establish  a  daily  paper  in  Cincin- 
nati in  1826.  It  was  the  Commercial  Register.  Morgan  Neville  was 
its  editor.  It  lived  six  months.  In  1828  its  original  publisher  re- 
vived it,  with  Edward  Harrison  as  editor.  This  second  effort  ex- 
pired in  three  months.  One  year  previously,  the  Gazette,  with  a  list 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  subscribers,  made  its  appearance  as  a 
daily  paper.  This  was  on  the  25th  of  June,  1827.  In  1834,  twenty 
years  after  its  introduction  by  the  London  Times,  the  Gazette  intro- 
duced the  steam  power-press  in  the  Northwest.  Stephen  S.  L'Hom- 
medieu,  another  of  the  owners  of  the  Gazette,  should  have  the  credit 
of  this  piece  of  enterprise.  This  press,  it  is  said,  has  since  been 
doing  good  service  in  the  office  of  the  Dayton  (Ohio)  Journal. 

Charles  Hammond,  as  we  have  stated,  gave  the  Gazette  its  first 
reputation.  This  was  in  the  early  days  of  Western  journalism.  His- 
style  was  strong  and  vigorous,  and  sometimes  rather  rough.  He 
was  thoroughly  anti-slavery,  and  opposed  the  institution  on  the  "oth- 
er side  of  the  line"  amid  all  the  changes  in  the  ownership  and 
management  of  the  paper.  His  was  the  master  mind  in  that  estab- 
lishment. He  was  assisted  as  editor  by  William  D.  Gallagher  from 


198  Journalism  in  America. 


1839  to  1849.  Subsequent  to  Hammond  came  Judge  John  C.  Wright 
in  the  editorial  chair  of  the  Gazette.  He  had  been  a  member  of 
Congress  from  that  district.  After  Wright,  and  in  1853,  Colonel 
William  Schouler,  previously  of  the  Lowell  Courier  and  Journal,  and 
of  the  Boston  Atlas,  assumed  control  of  the  paper.  It  had  a  circu- 
lation of  1800  daily,  6000  weekly,  and  400  semi-weekly  at  that  time. 
Some  new  energy  was  afterwards  infused  into  the  concern.  Jo- 
seph Glenn  and  one  or  two  others  took  the  establishment  in  hand, 
and  Cincinnati  grew  in  newspaper  readers.  More  attention  was 
paid  to  news.  More  vigor  was  thrown  into  its  original  articles.  We 
are  told  that  as  much  was  paid  in  telegraph  tolls  in  1868  as  the 
entire  receipts  of  the  establishment  were  in  1853.  Its  aggregate 
circulation  reached  78,000.  Its  daily  circulation  was  as  high  as 
44,000,  although  it  has  since  fallen  below  that  figure.  The  war  ex- 
citement, of  course,  had  much  to  do  with  this  prosperity. 

The  establishment  is  now  owned  by  an  association  of  six  active 
men.  Its  capital  stock  is  $100,000.  Its  dividend  in  1865  was  100 
per  cent. ;  in  1866,  50  per  cent. ;  in  1867,  80  per  cent.  These  div- 
idends were  exclusive  of  salaries  paid  to  the  proprietors.  What  is 
the  cause  of  this  marvelous  prosperity  ?  Of  course  the  war  had  its 
effect,  and  enterprise  its  influence ;  but  the  real  basis  was  in  the 
wonderful  growth  of  the  West  in  railroads  and  population.  In  1853 
there  were  80,000  inhabitants  in  Cincinnati.  In  1870  there  were 
216,000.  This  great  growth  is  indicated  more  clearly  by  the  re- 
turns of  the  Cincinnati  journals  of  the  receipts  from  sales  alone  for 
the  year  ending  December  31, 1869,  as  follows  : 


Enquirer $172,387 

Gazette       ....       216,947 
Commercial      -      -      -       251,847 


Volksblatt  -  -  -  $  97,065 
Times  ....  127,000 
Volksfreund  -  -  -  70,008 


Such  remarkable  facts  as  these  are  to  be  seen  in  the  statistics  of 
every  large  Western  city.  All  the  newspapers  had  to  do,  in  this 
state  of  things,  was  to  keep  pace  in  enterprise  with  this  increase  in 
means  and  people. 

William  T.  Coggeshall,  in  speaking  of  the  Cincinnati  press,  gives 
the  following  striking  facts  : 

On  the  3d  of  December  1835,  there  was  published  entire  in  the  Gazette ;  "  THE 
CENTINEL  OF  THE  NORTHWESTERN  TERRITORY,VO!,  i,  No.  10,  issued  by  William 
Maxwell  at  the  corner  of  Front  and  Sycamore  streets,  January  nth,  1794,"  almost 
42  years  previous.  This  paper  occupied  four  columns  and  a  quarter  of  the  Ga- 
zette, in  which  there  were  twenty-eight  such  columns ;  therefore  the  Centinel  of 
1794  only  contained  about  one  seventh  as  much  matter  as  the  Gazette  of  1835. 
The  Centinel,  gave  news  from  France  dated  Sept  loth — from  Portland,  Me.,  Nov. 
I  ith — from  Baltimore  Nov.  22d.  It  was  announced  in  an  advertisement  that  two 
packet  boats  would  leave  Cincinnati  for  Pittsburgh  and  return  every  four  -weeks  al- 
ternately. Cincinnati  was  thenyfrwr  weeks  distant  from  Pittsburgh — in  1835  it  was 
about  seven  days,  and  in  1850  it  was  about  48  hours,  by  steam,  and  not  over  fifteen 
minutes  by  telegraph.  In  the  Gazette  of  Dec.  3rd,  1835,  was  news  from  New  Or- 


Newspapers  in  Cincinnati.  199 

leans  as  late  as  Nov.  I2th  and  from  New  York  as  late  as  Nov.  rgth.  Papers  are 
now  received  from  New  York  on  the  third  day  after  their  publication,  and  the 
readers  of  Cincinnati  daily  journals  are  by  telegraph  furnished  every  morning  with 
important  New  York,  Baltimore,  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Washington  items,  up 
to  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  previous. 

There  was  another  paper  of  note  in  Cincinnati  called  the  Inquisi- 
tor and  Cincinnati  Advertiser.  It  was  started  on  the  23d  of  June, 
1818,  by  Cooke,  Powers,  and  Penny.  In  1819,  G.  F.  Hopkins,  of 
New  York,  took  the  place  of  Cooke  and  Penny.  He  was  a  friend 
of  De  Witt  Clinton,  and,  full  of  that  statesman's  ideas,  advocated 
internal  improvements  with  vigor.  It  was  through  his  efforts  that 
grants  were  obtained  for  the  Ohio,  Erie,  and  Miami  Canals.  James 
M.  Mason  succeeded  Hopkins  and  Powers,  and  during  his  regime 
Moses  Dawson  became  notorious  as  an  editor.  He  purchased  the 
paper,  and  changed  its  name  to  that  of  the  Advertiser.  In  1825  the 
political  status  of  the  newspapers  in  Cincinnati  became  defined. 
The  Gazette,  under  Hammond,  was  Whig,  and  the  Advertiser,  under 
Dawson,  was  Democratic.  These  journals  became  bitter  foes,  and 
the  warfare  between  Hammond  and  Dawson  was  a  relentless  one. 
Oceans  of  ink  were  wasted  in  the  conflict. 

Another  attractive  paper  in  Cincinnati  is  the  Commercial.  It  was 
established  in  1845  by  Greeley  Curtis,  although  for  J. W.S.Browne, 
now  of  Memphis,  Tennessee,  this  honor  is  claimed.  These  were 
succeeded  by  Potter,  who  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Murat  Halsted, 
who  is  a  thoroughly  enterprising  journalist.  In  a  recent  libel-suit 
its  daily  circulation  was  sworn  to  be  20,000.  It  cleared,  in  1867,  a 
profit  of  $100,000.  This  paper  was  conducted  with  much  tact,  abil- 
ity, and  courage.  Its  correspondence  from  Washington  and  else- 
where indicates  a  true  idea  of  journalism.  One  of  its  correspond- 
ents at  the  national  capital  was  placed  under  arrest,  in  1870,  for  the 
premature  publication  of  the  treaty  made  by  the  Joint  High  Com- 
mission of  England  and  the  United  States. 

The  Enquirer,  the  well-known  Democratic  organ  in  Cincinnati,  is 
a  paying  concern,  with  an  excellent  daily  and  weekly  circulation. 

Among  the  early  editors  of  Cincinnati  was  E.  S.  Thomas,  a 
nephew  of  Isaiah  Thomas,  in  whose  office  in  Worcester  he  served 
his  apprenticeship.  The  former  edited  the  City  Gazette  in  Charles- 
ton, S.  C.,  from  1809  till  1817.  He  established  the  Commercial 
Daily  Advertiser  \T\  Cincinnati  early  in  1829,  and  was  a  supporter 
of  Andrew  Jackson  till  toward  the  close  of  his  final  term.  Then  he 
nominated  John  M'Lean  for  that  office.  This  political  movement 
proving  a  failure,  he  retired  from  the  Advertiser.  In  1835  he  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the  Daily  Evening  Post  in  the  same  city, 
which  supported  William  Henry  Harrison  for  the  presidency.  In 
December,  1839,  this  paper  was  suspended  for  want  of  support. 


2OO  Journalism  in  America. 


The  most  interesting  literary  labor  performed  by  Mr.  Thomas  was 
his  "  Sixty-five  Years  of  Reminiscences."  He  died  in  Cincinnati  on 
the  22d  of  October,  1845. 

Frederick  W.  Thomas,  son  of  the  aforesaid  E.  S.  Thomas,  and 
author  of  Clinton  Bradshaw,  established  the  Democratic  Intelligencer 
in  1834.  It  was  in  favor  of  Judge  M'Lean  for  the  presidency.  It 
lived  six  months.  Thomas's  popular  song — 

"'Tis  said  that  absence  conquers  love, 

But,  O  !  believe  it  not ! 
I've  tried,  alas  !  its  power  to  prove, 
But  thou  art  not  forgot — " 

was  originally  published  in  the  American  of  Cincinnati  in  July,  1838. 

The  Times  is  an  afternoon  paper  of  Cincinnati.  Its  owner,  one 
of  the  original  proprietors,  Calvin  W.  Starbuck,  died  in  1870,  leaving 
a  property  worth  three  quarters  of -a  million  of  dollars  made  by 
journalism.  He  refused,  a  few  years  ago,  $225,000  for  his  newspa- 
per establishment.  Starbuck,  with  two  other  printers,  started  the 
Times  in  1841  on  a  borrowed  capital  of  $200.  His  associates  soon 
became  discouraged,  when  Mr.  S.  assumed  the  whole  control,  and 
made  the  daily  and  weekly  editions  two  of  the  wonderful  successes 
of  the  West. 

The  Times  had  an  opposition  paper  to  contend  with  in  1868.  The 
Cincinnati  Chronicle,  as  an  evening  paper,  was  issued  in  that  year, 
with  a  capital  of  $150,000.  There  was  a  Chronicle  printed  in  Cin- 
cinnati a  number  of  years,  about  1840,  which  was  edited  by  E.  D. 
Mansfield,  afterward  known  as  the  "Veteran  Observer"  of  the  New 
York  Times.  Henry  J.Raymond  was  its  New  York  correspondent 
shortly  after  he  took  up  his  residence  in  that  city.  But  this  en  pas- 
sant. The  originators  of  the  new  Chronicle  made  an  effort  to  pur- 
chase the  Times  before  issuing  their  paper,  but  refused  to  comply 
with  Mr.  Starbuck's  terms.  On  his  death  the  Times,  material  and 
good  will,  was  appraised  at  $200,000.  It  was  afterwards  sold  at  auc- 
tion for  $138,550  to  the  Chronicle,  and  the  two  papers  merged  in  one. 
The  Chronicle  is  now  the  only  evening  paper  published  in  Cincinnati. 
It  is  Republican  in  politics,  and  in  favor  of  a  protective  tariff. 

The  first  notable  piece  of  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  Cincinnati 
papers,  after  the  steam  power-press,  was  the  running  of  an  express 
with  the  President's  Message.  This  was  done  by  the  Gazette  in 
1835.  It  was  sixty  h6urs  from  Washington.  Here  is  a  reminiscence : 

John  H.Wood,  when  publisher  of  the  Crisis  in  1825,  had  "stolen  a  march"  on 
his  cotemporaries  by  getting  several  hundred  copies  of  the  Message  printed  in 
Washington,  and  having  them  forwarded  by  mail,  so  that  they  arrived  ready  for 
distribution  as  early  as  the  Advertiser  and  the  Gazette  received  their  "  copy."  The 
Message  was  issued  from  the  Crisis  office  in  forty-five  minutes  after  its  reception, 
When  the  compositors  at  other  printing-offices  had  just  received  their  "  takes," 
the  "extra  Crisis"  was  being  "cried"  about  the  streets.  On  Jhe  following  year, 


Expresses  from  Washington.  201 

Mr.  Dawson,  of  the  Advertiser,  determined  not  to  be  behind  hand  again,  through 
the  intervention  of  a  friend  had  extras  printed  in  Washington  and  forwarded  by 
mail,  but  again  Wood  "  stole  a  march"  upon  him.  Hearing  of  Mr.  Dawson's  plan, 
he  made  arrangements  to  have  a  copy  of  the  Message  sent  one  day  in  advance  of 
the  mail  as  far  as  Wheeling.  It  was  brought  to  Cincinnati  by  the  first  boat,  and 
before  the  "  Advertiser  extras"  reached  the  city,  the  "extra  Crisis"  had  been  ex- 
tensively sold  through  the  streets.  In  1835  the  express  was  managed  for  the  Ga- 
zette by  Mr.  Wood.  The  Message  was  issued  at  the  Gazette  office  before  other 
copies  were  received  in  the  city.  The  expense  of  this  express  was  nearly  $200, 
still  Richard  L'Hommedieu  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise, that  with  characteristic  liberality  he  gave  an  oyster  supper  to  all  the  per- 
sons concerned,  who  could  be  collected  at  Columbus. 

The  Ohio  Repository,  which  was  established  in  Canton,  Stark 
County,  in  1814,  is  still  published.  It  was  started  by  John  Saxton, 
who  continued  to  work  as  compositor  and  writer  from  that  time  till 
his  death,  early  in  1871.  He  was  always  a  Whig  and  modern  Re- 
publican. When  news  reached  the  office  of  the  Repository,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1870,  of  the  victory  of  the  Germans  at  Sedan,  Saxton  copied 
from  his  files  of  more  than  half  a  century  previous  an  account  of 
the  defeat  of  the  French  at  Waterloo,  and  the  surrender  of  Napoleon 
I.  to  the  Germans  and  English  in  1815,  and  placed  it  with  that  of 
the  surrender  of  Sedan  and  Napoleon  III.  in  parallel  columns. 

The  Ohio  Statesman  was  once  a  power  in  Ohio.  It  was  a  wing 
of  the  Democracy  in  the  West.  What  the  Patriot  was  in  New  En- 
gland, the  Argus  in  New  York,  and  the  Enquirer  in  Virginia,  the 
Statesman  was  in  the  Northwest.  Samuel  Medary,  its  publisher, 
was  a  well-known  man  in  1837-8-9.  The  Statesman  had  the  public 
printing  to  help  it  along.  In  those  days  of  party  papers  it  was 
thought  impossible  to  print  a  paper  without  this  pap  from  the  public 
treasury.  The  Statesman  for  a  time  was  under  the  management  of 
Charles  C.  Hazewell.  C.  C.  H.  is  an  extraordinary  man ;  his  ex- 
perience as  a  political  writer  is  great ;  his  historical  knowledge 
wonderful ;  his  memory  marvelous.  While  he  had  charge  of  the 
Statesman  he  published  one  number  of  the  Western  Review.  This 
number  contained  nearly  three  hundred  pages  of  original  matter. 
He  wrote  every  article  and  every  line.  It  was  equal  in  quality  and 
quantity  to  any  number  of  the  North  American  Review.  Hazewell, 
like  Greeley,  always  needed  a  good  business  manager  to  carry  him 
through.  Steam-engines,  whether  on  a  man's  shoulders  or  on  a  rail- 
road, must  have  engineers.  Hazewell  is  now  connected  with  the 
Boston  Traveller.  Samuel  Sullivan  Cox,  member  of  Congress  in 
1871-2  from  New  York,  and  known  as  "Sunset  Cox,"  was  owner 
and  editor  of  the  Statesman  in  1853  and  '54. 

Indiana  followed  Ohio.  The  first  paper  was  published  in  that 
state  in  1808.  It  appeared  in  Vincennes.  Since  then  newspapers 
have  increased  in  that  as  in  other  states.  In  May,  1870,  the  journal- 
ists of  Indiana  held  their  twenty-first  semi-annual  meeting  in  Indian- 


202  Journalism  in  America. 

apolis.  Various  topics  connected  with  the  profession,  such  as  "The 
Personalities  of  Journalism,"  "The  Uses  and  Abuses  of  Advertis- 
ing," "The  true  Relation  of  a  Paper  to  its  Party,"  were  discussed  ; 
and  there  was  also  a  poem  by  Benjamin  F.  Taylor,  and  an  address 
by  Mr.  Fishback,  of  The  Indianapolis  Daily  Journal.  Indiana  had 
in  1840  the  famous  Chapman.  He  was  editor  of  the  Indianapolis 
State  Sentinel  in  that  year,  and  in  the  notable  campaign  resulting  in 
the  election  of  General  Harrison,  he  received  false  reports  of  the 
success  of  the  Democracy.  He  ordered  a  woodcut  of  an  enormous 
rooster  to  be  inserted  in  his  paper,  and  wrote  to  his  brother  to 
"  Crow,  Chapman,  crow !"  When  the  correct  returns  changed  the 
political  aspect,  poor  Chapman  became  the  target  of  his  opponents. 
But  he  survived  the  attacks,  was  a  successful  editor,  but  was  always 
known  as  "Crow,  Chapman,  crow." 

Missouri  came  next.  The  leading  paper  in  that  state  seemed  to 
be  the  St.  Louis  Republican.  It  was  established  in  1808.  When  its 
first  issue  appeared  St.  Louis  was  a  small  trading  post,  and  Missouri 
had  not  even  become  an  organized  territory.  The  Republican  was 
8  by  13  inches  in  size.  Now  it  is  a  blanket  sheet.  Since  the  com- 
mencement of  its  publication  the  Missouri  Compromise  excitement 
has  thrice  swept  over  the  country,  in  1820,  in  1850,  and  in  1861,  and 
with  what  wonderful  results !  The  Republican  has  chronicled  the 
weekly  and  daily  growth  of  the  Great  West,  starting  with  St.  Louis 
as  a  small  trading  station,  till  the  population  extends  to  the  Pacific, 
and  St.  Louis  has  become  a  great  city,  the  fourth  in  rank  in  the 
Union,  with  a  population  of  310,864,  and  Missouri  with  a  population 
of  1,721,295,  the  fifth  in  rank  of  the  thirty-seven  states.  "Thz  Repub- 
lican is  a  monster  folio  sheet,  ably  edited,  and  conducted  with  enter- 
prise. One  of  its  editors,  Judge  William  S.  Allen,  died  in  1868.  He 
was  editor  of  the  Newburyport  Herald  in  1835,  and  went  to  Missouri 
in  1837.  The  Republican  was  purchased  in  1838  for  $28,000.  It  is 
now  probably  valued  at  $350,000  to  $400,000. 

The  other  leading  journal  of  that  state  and  that  section  is  the  St. 
Louis  Democrat,  Republican  in  politics,  which  was  recently  sold  for 
$456,100.  J.  B.  M'Cullough,  at  one  time  editor  of  the  Cincinnati  En- 
quirer, is  the  editor-in-chief.  The  Republican  of  March  23d,  1872, 
thus  described  the  sale  of  the  Democrat  : 

In  compliance  with  the  order  of  Judge  Madill,  of  the  Circuit  Court,  the  Missouri 
Democrat  newspaper,  together  with  all  its  appurtenances,  presses,  subscription  list, 
engine,  type,  cases,  leases  of  office  building,  good-will,  &c.,  was  sold  yesterday  to 
George  W.  Fishback,  one  of  the  proprietors,  for  the  sum  of  $456,100.  By  the 
terms  of  the  court's  order  the  bidding  was  restricted  to  the  partners  themselves, 
viz. :  William  McKee,  owning  one-half;  George  W.  Fishback,  owning  one-third  ; 
and  D.  M.  Houser,  owning  one-sixth.  The  sale  was  simply  an  equitable  transac- 
tion to  adjust  and  close  up  a  partnership  which  the  partners  had  failed  to  settle 
by  their  own  efforts.  The  terms  of  the  sale  were  :  One-half  cash,  one-fourth  in 


Sale  of  the  St.  Louis  Democrat.  203 

three  months,  and  one-fourth  in  six  months.  The  sale  took  place  in  the  office  of 
Irvvin  Z.  Smith,  one  of  the  counsel  of  McKee  and  Houser.  The  partners  were 
attended  by  their  counsel,  S.  T.  Glover  and  H.  N.  Hitchcock,  for  Fishback,  and 
Sam  Knox  and  Irwin  Z.  Smith  for  McKee  and  Houser,  together  with  William  E. 
Burr,  president  of  the  St.  Louis  National  Bank ;  A.  G.  Edwards,  United  States  As- 
sistant-Treasurer, and  General  J.  S.  Fullerton,  as  friend  of  Fishback ;  James  Rich- 
ardson, W.  H-:  Benton,  and  Henry  T.  Blow,  friends  of  McKee  ;  and  Constantine 
Maguire,  Thomas  Walsh,  and  ex-Collector  Harris,  friends  of  Houser.  Mr.  Theo- 
phile  Papin  acted  as  auctioneer.  The  first  bid  was  made  by  Mr.  Fishback  at 
$100,000,  to  which  Mr.  McKee  responded  with  one  for  $150,000.  The  third  bid 
was  $175,000,  and  the  fourth  $200,000,  and  then  the  bids  were  an  increase  of  $5,000 
up  to  $330,000,  when  they  dropped  first  to  $1,000,  then  to  $500,  and  at  last  to  $100. 
Seventy-five  were  made  at  the  latter  figures,  Mr.  McKee's  last  one  being  $456,000, 
and  Mr.  Fishback's  last  the  purchasing  price.  The  sale  will  be  formally  completed 
on  Monday,  and  Mr.  Fishback  will  then  take  possession  of  the  office  and  property. 
This  is  the  first  direct  public  sale  of  a  large  and  established  newspaper  that  has 
taken  place  in  this  country  for  many  years,  and  the  price  paid  affords  some  indi- 
cation of  the  cash  value  of  such  a  journal.  It  has  been  held  a  difficult  matter  to 
accurately  estimate  the  worth  of  such  an  institution  on  account  of  the  varied  prop- 
erties that  make  it  up.  The  actual  material  in  the  Democrat  establishment  would 
be  valued  at  a  comparatively  small  proportion  of  the  price  which  the  journal  has 
just  sold  for ;  but  this  material  comprises  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  real  value 
of  the  establishment.  The  attributes  of  age,  established  character,  political  views, 
advertising  patronage,  public  influence,  and  subscription  list,  all  grouped  usually 
under  the  head  of  "good  will,"  constitute  the  substantial  elements  of  value  in  an 
established  journal.  They  are  of  a  moral  nature,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  inde- 
structible. The  Democrat  has  its  own  share  of  the  valuable  elements,  and  they 
represent  the  larger  portion  of  the  handsome  price  for  which  the  paper  was  sold. 
Notwithstanding  rumors  to  the  contrary,  we  understand  that  the  political  com- 
plexion of  the  Democrat  will  remain  unchanged,  and  that  it  will  continue  to  give 
a  cordial  support  to  the  administration  of  President  Grant.  Mr.  Fishback  is  an 
experienced  and  accomplished  journalist,  who  has  had  a  connection  with  the  Demo- 
crat for  nearly  eighteen  years  ;  he  will  therefore  be  perfectly  at  home  in  his  posi- 
tion as  sole  proprietor.  Mr.  McKee  and  Mr.  Houser,  in  retiring  from  the  profes- 
sion, will  bear  with  them  the  cordial  good  will  and  esteem,  not  only  of  journalists* 
but  of  all  citizens  who  have  a  personal  acquaintance  with  them. 

Mr.  Henry  R.  Boss,  in  a  lecture  before  the  Franklin  Typograph- 
ical Society  of  Chicago  on  the  early  newspapers  of  Illinois,  gave 
the  following  interesting  text : 

The  first  newspaper  established  in  this  State  was  the  Illinois  Intelligencer,  print- 
ed at  Kaskaskia,  in  1814  or  1815.  The  first  journal  printed  in  Chicago  was  the 
Democrat,  which  was  founded  in  November,  1833.  The  Illinois  State  Journal 'was 
established  in  1831,  and  the  State  Register  on  February  12, 1836.  The  latter  was 
originally  printed  at  Vandalia,  but  removed  to  Springfield.  The  total  number  of 
newspapers  now  printed  in  this  State  is  over  400. 

Thus,  in  Illinois  as  in  Ohio,  the  progress  has  been  marvelous. 
Wherever  a  village  is  organized  and  a  post-office  introduced,  a  news- 
paper and  a  printing-office  was  sure  to  follow.  Indeed,  the  Lanes- 
borough  {Minnesota)  Herald  is  printed  eighteen  miles  distance  from 
the  nearest  post-office,  and  its  exchanges  are  sometimes  three  weeks 
old  before  they  reach  the  editor ;  and  such  is  the  mania  for  news 
and  intelligence  in  that  teeming  region,  that  Colorado,  it  is  stated, 
has  now  as  many  daily  papers  as  New  Hampshire. 

One  of  the  Chicago  correspondents,  in  mentioning  the  newspa- 
pers of  that  city  after  the  Rebellion,  said  : 


204  Journalism  in  America. 

The  newspapers  of  this  city  flourished  during  the  war,  and  reached  large  circu- 
lations. The  Tribune  took  the  lead,  and  its  daily  issues  were  sometimes  45,000. 
The  Journal  probably  printed  about  half  that  number,  and  the  Times  two-thirds. 
But  now  the  Tribune  prints  only  18,500,  \hzjournal  7,000,  and  the  Times  15,000. 
Of  the  Tribune's  issue  9,000  are  taken  by  one  newsdealer  and  distributed  over  the 
Northwest.  The  same  firm  take  some  7,000  of  the  Times  daily.  A  firm  here  have 
adopted  the  English  fashion  of  printing  country  papers.  It  prints  the  inside  forms 
of  about  fifty  weeklies  on  the  same  type.  They  are  then  sent  to.  their  centres  for 
circulation,  where  the  head  is  put  on  and  the  other  form  printed.  And  thus  pa- 
pers of  all  shades  of  politics — temperance  papers,  religious  and  literary  papers, 
are  alike,  so  far  as  two  pages  are  concerned. 

The  Chicago  Evening  Journal  claims  to  be  "  the  oldest  paper  in 
the  Northwest."  If  so,  it  must  be  seventy-five  years  of  age  !  It  is 
Republican  in  politics,  and  has  "  steadily  advocated  protection  to 
home  industry  from  unjust  competition  with  foreign  capital  and  la- 
bor, and  at  the  same  time  demanding  the  reduction  of  taxation." 
The  West  has  always  been  opposed  to  a  protective  tariff,  and  while 
many  papers  are  strongly  Republican,  they  are  as  strongly  in  favor 
of  free  trade.  Their  interests  are  largely  agricultural,  and  a  liberal 
exchange  of  products  is  their  idea  of  prosperity.  The  Free  Trade 
League,  in  their  address  to  the  public  in  1869,  said : 

The  press  of  the  West  is  on  the  side  of  liberty  of  trade  ;  but  three  small  news- 
papers in  the  great  centres  of  Western  life  and  thought,  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and 
Cincinatti  favor  "  Protection ;"  while  the  great  journals  like  the  Chicago  Tribune 
and  Times,  the  St.  Louis  Democrat  and  Republican,  the  Cincinnati  Commercial, 
Gazette  and  Enquirer,  daily  attack  the  monopolists.  The  Democrats  have  a  tra- 
ditional belief  in  Free  Trade,  and  nowhere  outside  of  Pennsylvania  have  the  agents 
of  the  League  found  a  single  newspaper  or  a  politician  of  the  Democratic  faith 
favoring  "  Protection." 

The  Chicago  Tribune  is  one  of  the  chief  Republican  papers  in  Il- 
linois. Indeed,  it  is  the  organ  of  that  party  in  that  state,  but  still 
independent.  It  was  brought  into  notice  and  success  by  Joseph 
Medill,  who  was  elected  Mayor  of  Chicago  in  1871,  and  Dr.  C.  H. 
Ray,  in  connection  with  Mr.  J.  A.  Cowles,  its  business  manager.  It 
is  owned  now  by  what  is  called  the  Tribune  Company,  and  is  in  a 
vigorous  condition,  with  a  great  prestige.  It  is  a  strong  advocate 
of  free  trade.  The  income  returns  of  1870  show  its  prosperity  :  that 
of  Joseph  Medill  was  $20,859  >  J-  A.  Cowles,  $30,923  ;  William 
Bross,  $17,978  ;  Horace  White,  $13,917.  The  paper  probably  yields 
an  income  of  $150,000  per  year.  Horace  White  is  now  the  govern- 
ing power  of  the  establishment. 

Ex-Governor  William  Bross,  who  has  been  connected  with  the  Chi- 
cago Press  for  over  twenty  years,  in  repelling  a  charge  made  against 
him  in  1869  by  the  Post  of  that  city,  thus  alluded  to  the  Tribune: 

But,  to  be  more  specific,  in  1852,  when  the  late  Mr.  Scripps  and  myself  estab- 
lished the  Democratic  Press,  he  took  charge  of  the  political  department — was  prac- 
tically what  is  now  understood  by  managing  editor — the  position  now  occupied 
by  Mr.  White  in  the  Tribune,  and  by  yourself,  as  I  suppose,  in  the  Post.  In  addi- 
tion to  having  charge  of  the  business,  I  wrote  generally  both  the  local  and  com- 
mercial items.  When  we  became  able  to  procure  assistants,  I  wrote  articles  on 


The  Newspapers  of  Chicago.  205 

the  topography,  resources  and  the  present  and  prospective  development  of  the 
city  and  the  Northwest,  and  often  political  articles  as  well.  In  the  intervals  of 
the  absence  or  the  sickness  of  Mr.  Scripps — often  for  weeks  and  even  months  to- 
gether— I  had  the  entire  charge  of  the  paper.  In  1858  the  Press  and  Tribune  were 
consolidated,  and  then  four  editors  were  recognized  as  equals  in  the  management 
of  the  paper,  Dr.  Ray,  Mr.  Medill,  Mr.  Scripps  and  myself.  You  will  not  deny  that 
you  often  read  your  articles  to  me  and  corrected  or  changed  them  at  my  sugges- 
tion. Of  course  this  thing  was  mutual  all  around.  For  nearly  eleven  years  I  think 
you  must  admit  I  have  had  good  reason  to  suppose  that  I  was  "one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Tribime."  No  man  can  truthfully  say  that  I  ever  claimed  anything  more 
than  that.  If  the  public  have  ever  given  me  credit  for  anything  more,  I  fancy  it 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  editors  of  other  papers  in  the  city  and  out  of  it  have  held 
me  responsible,  not  to  say  abused  me,  for  nearly  all  the  sins  they  ever  saw  fit  to 
charge  upon  the  entire  establishment  with  which  I  was  connected. 

The  managing  editor  of  the  Tribune  for  a  few  years  was  Sidney 
Howard  Gay,  who  occupied  the  same  position  on  the  New  York 
Tribune  during  the  Rebellion,  a  gentleman  of  integrity,  and  a  writer 
of  ability.  With  his  experience  and  accomplishments  as  a  journal- 
ist, he  succeeded  in  making  a  capital  paper  of  the  Western  Tribune. 
Mr.  Gay  is  now  connected  with  the  Evening  Post,  of  New  York. 

The  Times  is  also  a  prosperous  journal.  William  F.  Storey,  its 
chief,  paid  a  tax  on  an  income  of  $38,000  in  1870.  One  of  his  part- 
ners did  the  same  on  $12,000.  There  was  an  episode  in  the  career 
of  the  Times  which  might  be  made  into  an  epic.  Instead  of  one, 
however,  there  were  several  Helens  to  be  avenged  in  this  plot.  Sto- 
rey saw  fit  to  criticise  the  performance  of  the  Blonde  Burlesque 
Troupe  at  the  Opera-house  in  that  city,  which  grievously  offended 
Miss  Lydia  Thompson  and  her  companions.  In  return,  they  posted 
the  editor,  in  words  that  were  plain,  throughout  the  city.  Here  is  a 
copy  of  the  card  : 

•  An  appeal  to  the  public  of  Chicago.     The  Times  vs.  The  Blondes. 

A  gross  and  outrageous  public  insult  having  been  gratuitously  offered  to  the 
ladies  of  the  Lydia  Thompson  troupe  by  the  Sunday  and  daily  editions  of  the 
Times,  we,  the  undersigned,  hereby  stigmatize  W.  F.  Storey,  its  proprietor,  as  a  liar 
and  a  coward 'for  uttering  what  he  knows  to  be  false  in  attacking  defenceless  wom- 
en. LYDIA  THOMPSON, 

ELIZA  WEATHERSBY, 
PAULINE  MARKHAM, 
NETTIE  HOPE, 
LINA  EDWIN, 
FANNY  CLARMONT. 
Crosby  Opera  House,  Chicago,  Feb.  21, 1870. 

This  did  not  satisfy  the  wrath  of  these  indignant  blondes,  and 
they  resorted  to  more  severe  measures.  Miss  Thompson  and  Miss 
Markham,  assisted  by  two  male  members  of  their  company,  made 
an  assault  on  Mr.  Storey  in  the  public  street,  near  his  residence,  on 
the  24th  of  February,  1870.  The  reporter  of  the  Chicago  Tribune 
received  the  following  statement  of  the  affair  from  Mr.  Storey.  •  He 
was  calm,  and  laughingly  alluded  to  the  encounter : 

My  wife  called  at  the  Times  office  about  five  o'clock  this  afternoon,  and  we 
started  for  my  residence  on  \V abash  avenue.  When  near  Peck  court  I  saw  a 


206  Journalism  in  America. 

man  and  woman  come  around  the  corner  and  approach  a  carriage  which  was 
standing  in  front  of  a  house  two  or  three  doors  from  mine.  When  opposite  the 
carriage  a  man,  who  I  suppose  is  Mr.  Henderson,  stepped  up  in  front  of  me  and 
said,  "Is  this  Mr.  Storey  ?"  I  replied,  "  Yes,  sir."  He  then  stepped  back,  and  a 
woman  approached  with  a  small  whip  in  her  hand.  She  struck  me,  I  think,  on 
the  shoulders.  I  did  not  feel  the  blow,  as  I  had  my  overcoat  on.  I  concluded 
that  it  was  the  intention  to  have  me  whipped  by  a  woman,  and  to  avoid  it  I  caught 
this  woman  by  the  throat  and  took  the  whip  from  her.  Henderson  then  came  up 
and  struck  me  on  the  forehead  with  the  but  end  of  a  large  cowhide.  I  took  it 
away  from  him  and  he  drew  his  revolver.  He  retreated  some  distance  when  two 
other  men  grabbed  me  from  behind  and  pulled  my  hair.  Quite  a  crowd  had  col- 
lected by  this  time,  and  Mr.  Alexander  and  several  gentlemen  put  Henderson 
and  two  of  the  women,  Pauline  Markham  and  Lydia  Thompson,  I  believe,  into  a 
hack,  and  they  were  taken  to  the  Armory  by  a  policeman.  The  last  two  men  who 
assaulted  me  got  into  another  carriage  and  drove  off.  There  were  two  hacks 
standing  near  my  residence.  A  lady  who  lives  near  by  told  me  that  she  had  ob- 
served the  two  hacks  standing  there  about  half  an  hour,  and  that  she  saw  the  men 
take  out  and  examine  their  revolvers,  seemingly  conversing  as  to  what  they  in- 
tended to  do.  Some  one  called  at  my  house  during  the  afternoon  and  asked  what 
hour  I  usually  came  to  dinner. 

According  to  the  same  reporter,  Miss  Thompson,  on  being  con- 
veyed to  the  police  station,  was  pale  with  excitement.  She  related 
the  circumstances  of  the  case,  and  said  that  she  had  no  other  means 
of  redress  ;  that  the  law  was  powerless  to  protect  her,  as  she  could 
not  break  future  engagements  to  return  to  Chicago  and  sue  him  for 
slander ;  that  Mr.  Storey  had  most  cruelly  and  shamefully  abused 
her ;  also,  that  he  had  called  her  by  the  most  odious  epithet  that 
could  be  applied  to  a  woman,  and  she  could  stand  it  no  longer. 
She  was  glad  at  what  she  had  done.  The  result  of  this  affair  was 
a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars  imposed  on  each  party  engaged  in 
the  assault. 

There  was  an  effort  made  in  1865  to  establish  a  paper  on  an  ex- 
tensive scale  in  Chicago.  The  journal  was  issued,  and  named  the 
Republican.  Its  first  editor  was  Dr.  A.  W.  Mack.  After  having  been 
in  the  Legislature  for  fourteen  or  fifteen  years,  he  was  appointed  col- 
onel of  the  Seventy-sixth  Illinois  regiment,  and  accompanied  Gen- 
eral Banks  to  the  Red  River.  Subsequently  Charles  A.  Dana,  now 
of  the  New  York  Sun,  who  had  just  left  the  War  Department,  as- 
sumed the  management  of  the  Republican,  but  Chicago  was  no  place 
for  him.  The  paper  was  originally  printed  on  a  quarto  form,  but 
this  has  been  changed  to  a  folio — the  old  style  of  newspapers.  The 
Chicago  Post,  in  alluding  to  the  fact,  said  that  men  "  have  no  time 
to  fumble  and  search  for  the  news  from  sundry  obscure,  hidden, 
and  diminutive  pages.  They  want  it  placed  before  them  in  fair, 
large,  open  sheets,  that  they  may  see  and  comprehend  it  at  a  glance, 
and  then  attend  to  other  concerns." 

Notwithstanding  the  almost  total  destruction  of  nearly  every  news- 
paper establishment  in  Chicago  by  the  terrible  conflagration  of  Oc- 
tober, 1870,  \hzjournal,  Tribune,  Post,  Republican,  Mail,  and  Times 


The  Press  in  Wisconsin.  207 

were  all  published  on  reduced  sheets  within  forty-eight  hours,  and 
in  less  than  two  months  the  publication  of  these  journals  in  their 
old  size,  style,  typographical  beauty,  and  editorial  vigor,  was  fully 
resumed.  Apropos  of  this  fire,  the  New  York  Tribune,  on  receiving 
news  of  the  calamity,  thus  announced  its  mechanical  and  material 
capacity  as  a  well-arranged  newspaper  establishment : 

Ever  since  THE  TRIBUNE  office  was  burnt  out,  in  1845,  we  have  kept  always 
on  hand  duplicates  of  every  thing  needed  for  the  publication  of  the  paper,  form- 
ing in  fact  a  complete  duplicate  office.  Mr.  Thomas  N.  Rooker,  our  foreman, 
yesterday  telegraphed,  on  behalf  of  the  Association,  to  Mr.  Sidney  Howard  Gay, 
Managing  Editor  of  The  Chicago  Tribune,  placing  this  office  at  his  instant  dispo- 
sal for  the  use  of  The  Chicago  Tribune,  or  any  other  Chicago  newspaper.  At  the 
time  of  our  own  great  calamity,  twenty-six  years  ago,  the  prompt  aid  of  neighbors 
was  so  efficiently  rendered  that  we  did  not  miss  the  publication  of  a  single  regular 
issue ;  nor  have  we  ever  missed  one  since.  We  have  needed,  in  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  to  call,  just  once,  on  a  neighbor,  for  press-work  ;  but  we  have  always  re- 
membered the  aid  of  1845,  and  held  ourselves  ready  to  give  help  wherever  it  was 
needed. 

What  does  Robert  K.  Fleming,  the  oldest  living  editor  of  Illinois, 
who  published  the  Kaskaskia  Democrat  in  1822,  think  of  all  this? 

One  of  the  most  graphic  accounts  of  the  early  struggles  of  news- 
papers in  the  West  is  related  by  Mr.  A.  G.  Ellis,  the  originator  of 
the  press  in  Wisconsin.  The  first  newspaper  in  that  state  is  thus 
described  by  him  to  the  Wisconsin  Editorial  Association  in  1859  : 

My  first  acquaintance  with  the  Art  Divine  was  made  at  Old  Herkimer,  N.Y., 
in  the  year  1816,  in  the  office  of  the  Herkimer  American,  a  thorough-going  Fed- 
eral paper,  published  by  Edward  P.  Seymour.  It  had  been  originally  set  going 
by  one  of  the  Prentices  of  Cooperstown,  and  was  the  editorial  establishment  at 
which  had  been  apprenticed  Thurlow  Weed  and  William  L.  Stone.  The  latter 
had  just  left  the  case,  as  I  entered — was  loafing  a  little  in  the  streets,  previous  to 
his  departure  for  Hudson,  where  he  figured  a  while  publishing  a  fancy  paper  called 
The  Lounger,  previous  to  his  going  into  the  New  York  Commercial.  The  former, 
Weed,  had  already  reached  Albany,  leaving  in  the  office  of  the  American  an  old 
pair  of  slippers,  a  tobacco  box  minus  a  cover,  a  brass  rule,  and  an  equivocal  repu- 
tation with  the  devil. 

I  staid  five  years  with  Seymour,  became  expert  at  the  case,  could  work  the  old 
Ramage  so  well  at  the  commencement  of  the  second  year  that  I  obtained  the 
post  of  foreman,  as  well  as  devil,  and  continued  to  fill  the  places  of  apprentice, 
master,  and  editor,  to  the  end  of  my  time ;  Seymour  rarely  visiting  the  office,  ex- 
cept to  receive  the  moneys  once  or  twice  a  week  for  the  last  two  years.  He  was 
a  good  printer,  but  never  wrote  a  line — a  most  towering  Federalist,  and  carefully 
kept  the  American  on  the  Federal  tack,  except  about  election  time — when,  some- 
how or  other,  he  would  every  now  and  then  take  a  sheer  off  toward  the  Demo- 
cratic channel. 

I  left  my  old  master,  with  many  feelings  of  regret,  in  1820,  and  went  out  into 
the  broad  world,  with  but  few  acquaintances  out  of  the  village,  and  a  little  short 
of  $100  in  my  pocket.  Without  any  particular  aim  or  object  in  view,  I  invol- 
untarily directed  my  steps  to  the  place  of  my  nativity,  Verona,  Oneida  Co.,  New 
York.  Here  I  found  a  few  who  had  known  me  in  boyhood ;  there  was  a  small 
grammar  school  at  the  place ;  I  entered  it  for  half  a  year ;  at  the  end  of  the  term 
became  acquainted  with  the  notorious  Eleazer  Williams  (Dauphin  of  France!) 
He  was  then  in  charge  of  a  mission  under  the  patronage  of  Bishop  Hobart,  of 
New  York,  to  the  Oneida  Indians.  He  gave  me  a  pressing  invitation  to  join 
him  at  Oneida  Castle,  promising  me  all  sorts  of  fine  things  in  an  educational  point, 
(which,  by  the  way,  he  neyer  fulfilled.)  I  accepted  his  overtures,  and  repaired  to 
the  mission.  I  found  him  utterly  deficient  in  English,  and  soon  discovered  that 


208  Journalism  in  America. 


he  wanted  me  to  teach  him  the  language.  A  few  months  after  joining  him,  he 
made  me  acquainted  with  his  scheme  for  removing  the  New  York  Indians,  from 
their  reservations  in  New  York  to  the  neighborhood  of  Green  Bay. 

Among  the  various  pursuits  that  engaged  my  attention  at  Green  Bay,  that  of 
printing,  and  newspaper  publishing,  was  never  forgotten  ;  but  always  thought  of 
as  my  legitimate  business,  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  allow.  In  1826,  Dr. 
Philleo,  of  Galena,  volunteered  a  correspondence  with  me,  proposing  a  copartner- 
ship for  publishing  two  papers — one  at  Green  Bay,  and  the  other  at  Galena ;  a 
meeting  was  agreed  upon  between  us,  to  be  had  at  Fort  Winnebago  in  May  of 
that  year.  I  kept  my  appointment,  but  the  Doctor  failed  of  his,  which  ended  the 
affair  with  him.  I  did  nothing  further  in  my  profession  for  several  years,  except 
to  print  a  thousand  lottery  tickets,  on  a  scheme  for  the  benefit  of  sufferers  by  fire. 
John  P.  Arndt,  of  Green  Bay,  had  lost  a  store  and  its  contents  by  fire.  He  con- 
ceived the  plan  of  selling  lottery  tickets,  to  reimburse  ;  there  was  a  singular  ge- 
nius in  the  place  who,  among  a  thousand  other  notions,  had  a  handful  of  old  Bre- 
vier, and  an  ounce  or  two  of  printer's  ink.  On  examination,  I  found  sufficient  let- 
ter to  set  the  necessary  matter  for  a  ticket.  A  bit  of  pewter  furnished  the  means 
of  a  kind  of  border  for  the  bill ;  an  oak  log,  sawed  off  and  made  smooth  of  an 
end,  furnished  the  stone  ;  and  by  means  of  a  planer  instead  of  a  platten,  I  worked 
off  1,000  of  these  tickets,  which  was,  on  the  whole,  a  rather  fair  job,  and  the  first 
printing  ever  executed  in  the  State.  Latterly  I  have  offered  a  premium  of  $20 
for  one  of  them  ;  but  in  vain. 

But  this  was  not  starting  the  newspaper  :  In  i83O-'3i,  I  was  chosen  by  Colonel 
J.  C.  Stambaugh,  United  States  Indian  Agent,  to  accompany  him  as  Assistant, 
with  a  delegation  of  Menomonee  Chiefs  to  Washington ;  it  was  then  that  their 
first  treaty  was  made  with  the  Government.  I  took  the  opportunity  to  draw  and 
circulate,  pretty  extensively  in  the  East,  a  prospectus  for  the  Green  Bay  Intelli- 
gencer ;  Stambaugh  favoring  the  scheme,  and  promising  efficient  aid  in  procuring 
the  necessary  materials  to  start  it  forthwith.  So  confident  was  I  of  his  aid,  and 
of  complete  success,  that  I  contracted  in  April,  1831,  at  Detroit,  for  a  Ramage 
press,  and  sufficient  type,  paper,  etc.,  to  issue  a  demi-sheet.  But  Stambaugh  spent 
all  his  money,  besides  what  was  due  me  for  wages  in  the  expedition,  before  he  got 
round  to  the  Bay,  and  my  hopes  were  again  dashed. 

My  next  move  was  to  contract  for  surveying  the  public  lands,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  raising  means  to  purchase  these  same  printing  materials.  I  wrought 
in  the  woods  with  the  compass,  during  1832  and  part  of  1833  ;  the  newspaper  en- 
terprise had  began  to  be  talked  of  and  agitated  in  the  place.  Eberts,  ambitious 
of  political  distinction,  took  it  in  his  head  that  a  newspaper  would  be  just  the 
thing  to  bring  him  into  notice,  and  send  him  to  the  Legislature  at  Detroit.  He 
approached  me  with  his  proposition,  which  I  declined.  While  I  was  in  the  woods, 
in  the  summer  of  1833,  he  found  a  partner  to  his  mind,  in  John  V.  Suydam,  esq. ; 
between  them  they  engaged  the  identical  press  and  type  I  had  negotiated  for  a 
year  and  a  half  before,  and  undertook  to  start  the  Green  Bay  Intelligencer,  I  re- 
turned, from  a  small  surveying  job,  late  in  November  of  1833,  and  learned,  for  the 
first  time,  the  proceeedings  of  Messrs.  Suydam  and  Eberts,  in  the  publishing  line. 
I  was  shortly  after  waited  on  by  Mr.  Suydam,  who  soon  disclosed  the  fact,  that 
the  issue  of  the  first  number  was  postponed  for  want  of  a  practical  printer.  Aft- 
er a  few  preliminaries,  he  proposed  to  me  a  copartnership  with  himself,  Mr.  Eberts 
having  acted  only  as  factor  for  the  purchase  of  the  materials,  which  had  not  been 
paid  for.  I  accepted  the  proposition,  went  into  the  office,  and  got  out  the  first 
number  of  the  Green  Bay  Intelligencer,  for  which  I  had  issued  proposals  a  year 
and  a  half  before,  on  the  nth  day  of  December,  1833,  in  the  name  of  Suydam  & 
Ellis.  \Ve  published  THREE  NUMBERS  under  the  copartnership,  when  Mr.  S., 
not  finding  it  as  remunerative  as  he  expected,  proposed  leaving  the  concern.  I 
took  the  undivided  responsibility  on  myself,  and  went  on  with  it  as  well  as  my 
limited  means  would  allow.  The  patronage,  of  course,  was  very  light.  In  the 
course  of  the  next  summer,  Judge  Doty  and  Hon.  M.  L.  Martin  were  opposing 
candidates  for  the  Legislature  from  the  Upper  District  of  Michigan,  (Wisconsin 
and  Iowa,)  and  the  Intelligencer  favoring  the  pretensions  of  the  Judge,  Mr.  Martin 
and  his  friends  established  another  Press — a  young  man,  by  the  name  of  Steven- 
son, printer.  The  name  of  the  sheet  I  have  forgotten  (probably  the  Spectator, 
edited  by  Joseph  Dickinson.)  Some  dozen  numbers  were  published ;  Martin  beat 


The  Frontier  Index  always  ahead.  209 

Doty  before  the  people  in  Brown  County ;  the  object  of  the  paper  was  accom- 
plished, and  its  publication  suspended :  I  bought  the  materials  of  Martin,  and 
added  them  to  the  office  of  the  Intelligencer. 

My  paper  was  continued,  with  sundry  suspensions  and  intervals,  through  1834, 
and  till  June,  1835,  when  I  took  in  as  a  partner,  C.  C.  P.  Arndt,  esq.,  (who  after- 
wards came  to  his  tragic  end  in  the  Capitol,  at  the  hands  of  Vineyard.)  In  the 
mean  time  it  had  received  considerable  patronage  and  assistance  in  various  ways 
from  the  PEOPLE,  and  had  come  to  be  considered  an  institution  of  old  Brown 
County,  and  regarded  as  a  Democratic  Organ.  It  was  continued  by  Ellis  & 
Arndt  till  1837,  when  we  sold  the  concern  to  C.  C.  Sholes,  he  being  regarded  as 
an  unflinching  Democrat,  and  being  about  that  time  chosen  by  democratic  suf- 
frages a  member  of  the  Legislature.  This  gentleman  soon  associated  with  his 
brother,  C.  L.  Sholes,  and  between  them  it  was  not  long  after  (notwithstanding 
their  perfect  understanding  of  the  claims  of  the  people  of  the  county  upon  it)  sud- 
denly removed  to  Southport !  This  ended  the  publication  of  the  Intelligencer  at 
Green  Bay.  ****** 

Arkansas,  then  almost  beyond  the  confines  of  civilization,  and 
where  Bowie-knives  had  their  origin,  was  not  without  the  light  of 
the  Press.  Two  weekly  newspapers  were  published  there  in  1834, 
when  the  government  was  a  territorial  one.  They  were  called  the 
Arkansas  Gazette,  printed  in  Little  Rock,  and  the  Helena  Herald, 
issued  in  the  town  of  that  name. 

With  emigration  the  Press  always  forms  a  part  of  the  baggage 
train.  Wherever  there  is  a  settlement  a  newspaper  appears.  Il- 
lustrative of  this  interesting  fact,  the  Lawrence  (Kansas)  Tribune  of 
April  10, 1870,  in  calling  attention  to  a  meeting  of  the  Kansas,  Mis- 
souri, Iowa,  and  Nebraska  Press  Association,  said  : 

When  we  came  to  Kansas,  fourteen  years  ago,  there  was  not  a  daily  newspaper 
in  the  Missouri  valley ;  now  there  are  eighteen  dailies,  wielding  large  influence. 
There  was  not  a  telegraph,  nor  a  railroad,  except  a  few  miles  west  of  St.  Louis, 
and  not  a  railroad  connecting  the  East  with  St.  Louis,  except  the  Chicago  and 
Mississippi  (now  Chicago,  Alton  and  St.  Louis),  and  that  was  only  finished  to  Al- 
ton. Now  the  country  is  gridironed  with  railroads,  and  the  telegraph,  through 
these  presses,  tells  all  this  Western  country  the  news  of  the  East  and  of  Europe 
for  last  evening  before  breakfast  of  this  morning.  Next  summer  these  Western 
editors  propose  to  cross  the  Rocky  Mountains  as  excursionists  to  Salt  Lake  and 
California.  Great  is  the  progress  of  the  age,  and  the  press  has  done  a  mighty 
work  in  accomplishing  these  results. 

And  the  Frontier  Index,  true  to  its  name,  moved  westward  with 
the  progress  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  always  keeping  about  sixty 
miles  ahead  of  the  trains ! 

O 


2io  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TWO  REMARKABLE  NEWSPAPERS. 

THE  PHILADELPHIA  AURORA. — BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  BACHE  AND  WILLIAM 
DUANE. — CURIOUS  INCIDENT  IN  INDIA. — THE  ALIEN  AND  SEDITION  LAWS. — 
TRIALS  AND  CONVICTIONS  OF  EDITORS. — SERIOUS  RIOTS. — THE  NEW  YORK 
EVENING  POST.  —  WILLIAM  COLEMAN.  —  EXTRAORDINARY  DUEL.  —  JOHN 
RODMAN  DRAKE  AND  FITZ  GREENE  HALLECK. — WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRY- 
ANT AND  WILLIAM  LEGGETT. — NEWSPAPER  CIRCULATION. — CHARLES  HOLT, 
OF  THE  BEE  AND  COLUMBIAN. — THE  FATHER  OF  "  GALES  AND  SEATON." — 
CONGRESSIONAL  REPORTS. — JOSEPH  DENNIE,  THE  LAY  PREACHER. 

THE  newspaper  which  unquestionably  took  the  lead  of  all  Repub- 
lican or  Democratic  journals  in  the  formation  and  early  origin  of 
the  party  was  the  Aurora,  of  Philadelphia.  On  the  death  of  the 
National  Gazette  it  was  the  special  organ  of  Jefferson  and  his  fol- 
lowers. It  was  first  published  and  edited  by  Benjamin  Franklin 
Bache,  a  nephew  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  formerly  of  the  Adver- 
tiser. It  arrayed  itself  so  strongly  against  the  Federal  measures  of 
Washington's  administration  that  its  violence  was  frequently  turn- 
ed on  Washington  personally.  Inspired  by  Jefferson,  Madison,  and 
other  leaders  of  the  party,  it  was  a  political  power.  No  better  illus- 
tration of  the  violence  of  party  feeling  which  had  been  generated 
between  the  two  factions  towards  the  close  of  the  last  century  can 
be  given  than  in  the  following  extract  from  the  Aurora,  which  ap- 
peared in  that  paper  immediately  after  the  inauguration  of  John 
Adams  and  the  departure  of  George  Washington  for  Mount  Vernon 
on  the  5th  of  March,  1797.  It  was  alleged  at  the  time  to  have  been 
the  production  of  a  "public  functionary"  and  a  distinguished  mem- 
ber of  the  Democratic  Party.  Thus  spoke  the  Aurora: 

"  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen 
thy  salvation,".was  the  pious  ejaculation  of  a  man  who  beheld  a  flood  of  happi- 
ness rushing  in  upon  mankind.  If  ever  there  was  a  time  which  would  license  the 
reiteration  of  this  exclamation,  that  time  is  now  arrived  ;  for  the  man  who  is  the 
source  of  all  the  misfortunes  of  our  country  is  this  day  reduced  to  a  level  with  his 
fellow-citizens,  and  is  no  longer  possessed  of  power  to  multiply  evils  upon  the 
United  States.  If  ever  there  was  a  period  of  rejoicing,  this  is  the  moment.  Ev- 
ery heart  in  unison  with  the  freedom  and  happiness  of  the  people,  ought  to  beat 
high  with  exultation  that  the  name  of  Washington  from  this  day  ceased  to  give  a 
currency  to  political  iniquity  and  to  legalized  corruption.  A  new  era  is  now  open- 
ing upon  us — an  era  which  promises  much  to  the  people  ;  for  public  measures 
must  now  stand  upon  their  own  merits,  and  nefarious  projects  can  no  longer  be 
supported  by  a  name.  It  is  a  subject  of  the  greatest  astonishment  that  a  single 
individual  should  have  carried  his  designs  against  the  public  liberty  so  far  as  to 


Violence  of  the  Aurora.  211 

have  put  in  jeopardy  its  very  existence.     Such,  however,  are  the  facts  ;  and  with 
these  staring  us  in  the  face,  this  day  ought  to  be  a  jubilee  in  the  United  States. 

This  article  was  a  little  too  strong  for  those  days.  The  Spring 
Garden  Butchers,  who  had  been  in  the  army  with  Washington,  made 
an  attack  on  the  office  of  the  Aurora,  threw  its  type  into  the  street, 
and  almost  demolished  the  inside  of  that  newspaper  establishment. 

On  the  gth  of  May,  1798,  which  was  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting 
and  prayer,  there  came  near  being  a  very  serious  political  riot  in 
Philadelphia,  growing  out  of  the  violent  declamations  from  pulpits 
and  elsewhere  against  Jacobins,  philosophers,  freemasons,  and  the 
illuminati.  Several  Republican  quarters  were  marked  for  attack. 
Bache,  for  the  protection  of  the  Aurora  office,  collected  and  armed 
all  his  friends.  Others  did  the  same  for  the  protection  of  their  per- 
sons and  property.  These  decided  arrangements  deterred  the  ring- 
leaders, and  very  little  damage  was  done.  Several  windows  and 
lamp-posts  were  broken,  and  a  statue  of  Franklin  covered  with  mud. 
About  this  time  a  man  named  Humphries  was  convicted  of  an  as- 
sault on  Bache  for  political  articles  in  the  Aurora.  It  was  charged 
against  President  Adams  that  he  selected  Humphries  as  a  bearer 
of  dispatches  to  France  before  the  expiration  of  his  sentence  for  the 
assault.  So  run  the  political  excitement  in  the  days  of  our  political 
fathers. 

In  the  fury  of  that  dreadful  plague,  the  yellow  fever,  which  visited 
Philadelphia  in  1798  for  the  second  time,  Bache  was  a  victim  to  its 
ravages.  The  Aurora  then  became  the  -property  of  his  widow,  and 
William  Duane  assumed  its  editorial  management.  It  continued  to 
be  the  violent  partisan  sheet  it  had  been  under  Bache,  and,  indeed, 
a  little  more  so.  Let  us  see  why.  Duane  was  born  in  this  country. 
His  parents  were  both  Irish.  Early  in  life  he  went  to  Ireland,  and 
learned  the  art  of  printing.  Thence  he  went  to  India,  and  started 
one  or  two  newspapers,  one  of  which  he  published  in  Calcutta. 
There,  with  his  ideas  of  the  liberty  of  the  press,  he  came  in  collision 
with  the  authorities,  and  was  sent  out  of  the  country  in  a  manner 
so  .cowardly  and  outrageous  as  to  rankle  in  his  bosom  ever  after. 
The  incidents  connected  with  this  part  of  his  career  are  too  inter- 
esting to  omit. 

Duane,  at  the  time  of  our  story,  was  sole  proprietor  of  the  Indian 
World,  by  which  he  had  acquired  a  handsome  fortune.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1794,  he  advertised  his  property  for  sale,  with  the  intention  of 
returning  to  Philadelphia.  It  was  to  be  sold  on  the  ist  of  January, 
1795,  and  he  had  engaged  passage  on  board  the  Hercules,  Captain 
Delano,  of  Boston,  then  lying  at  Calcutta,  to  sail  in  the  following 
April.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  when  we  take  the  result  of  this 
incident  into  consideration,  Duane  was  at  that  time  on  terms  of  ap- 


212  Journalism  in  America. 

parent  friendship  and  good-will  with  most  of  the  public  characters 
in  that  part  of  India,  and  especially  with  the  officers  of  the  army, 
who  had  made  the  World  the  means  of  spreading  their  grievances 
before  the  public.  Our  editor  had  been  particularly  noticed  by  Sir 
William  Jones  and  Sir  John  Shore.  He  had  been  flattered  arid  hon- 
ored with  their  attentions.  On  the  evening  of  the  26th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1794,  a  note  was  left  at  Duane's  country  house,  written  by  Cap- 
tain John  Collins,  private  secretary  of  Sir  John  Shore,  inviting  Duane 
to  the  governor  general's  house  on  the  next  day  at  eight  o'clock. 
The  note  did  not  reach  Duane  till  the  next  morning.  He  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  the  governor  general's,  expecting  to  breakfast 
there.  Captain  Collins  met  him  in  the  saloon,  and,  after  the  usual 
salutations,  the  following  conversation  occurred  : 

Captain  Collins.  I  am  glad  you  are  so  punctual,  Mr.  Duane.  , 

Mr.  Duane.  I  generally  am,  sir  ;  I  hope  the  Governor-General  is  well. 

Captain  Collins.  He  is  not  to  be  seen,  and — 

Mr.  Duane.  I  understand  I  was  invited  by  him. 

Captain  Collins.  Yes,  sir  ;  but  I  am  directed  by  the  Governor-General  to  inform 
you,  that  you  are  to  consider  yourself  as  a  state  prisoner. 

He  stamped  on  the  floor,  and  thirty  Sepahis,  who  stood  concealed  behind  the 
folding  doors  of  an  anti-chamber,  rushed  out,  and  presented  their  bayonets  to  Du- 
ane's breast.  The  doors,  being  left  open  by  them,  discovered  Sir  John  Shore  and 
two  others  of  the  Supreme  Council  sitting  on  a  sofa. 

Mr.  Duane.  I  did  not  think  Sir  John  Shore,  or  you,  sir,  (turning  to  Capt.  Col- 
lins) could  be  so  base  and  treacherous  as  to  proceed,  or  even  to  think  as  you  do. 

Captain  Collins.  Silence,  sir.  (To  the  Sepahis)  Chillow  Sepahi:  Drag  him 
along,  Sepahis. 

Mr.  Duane.  (To  the  Sepahis)  Osti  babaa-hum  beejagga :  Softly,  my  friends,  I 
shall  go  along  with  you.  (To  Collins)  What  is  to  follow  next,  Collins  ;  the  bow- 
string or  scimetar  ? 

Captain  Collins.  You  are  insolent,  sir.  (To  the  Sepahis)  Chillow  joub,  soar  Ala- 
sani :  Drag  him  along,  you  pig-eating  scoundrels. 

Mr.  Duane.  You  are  performing  the  part  of  Grand  Vizier,  now,  my  little  gentle- 
man, and  these  are  your  mutes.  Calcutta  is  become  Constantinople,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor-General the  Grand  Turk. 

It  is  said  that  much  more  passed,  and  during  the  last  utterances 
Duane  was  conveyed  down  stairs,  put  into  his  palanquin,  and  his 
bearers  beaten  all  the  way  to  Fort  William.  With  a  great  parade 
he  was  there  given  in  charge,  with  two  sentinels  placed  at  the  outer 
•door  of  his  quarters,  and  one,  with  a  drawn  bayonet,  always  by  his 
side,  asleep  or  awake.  This  was  on  Saturday.  On  the  following 
Monday  morning  a  company  of  royal  grenadiers  were  paraded  on 
the  ramparts,  and  he  was  marched  to  the  water  side,  where  a  com- 
pany of  royal  light  infantry  was  ready  to  receive  him  in  a  barge, 
upon  which  he  was  conducted  to  an  armed  Indiaman,  commanded 
by  Sir  Charles  Mitchell,  and  carried  to  England.  No  charge  was 
ever  lodged  against  him.  When  at  St.  Helena  he  was  not  permit- 
ted to  go  ashore,  as  he  was  a  foreigner.  On  reaching  England  he 
was  landed  without  a  single  word  of  information  or  explanation. 

When  he  thus  left  India  his  property  amounted  to  about  fifty  thou- 


Treatment  of  Duane  in  India.  213 

sand  dollars.  On  application  to  one  of  the  first  lawyers  in  England 
to  commence  a  suit  for  its  recovery,  that  gentleman,  ascertaining 
that  he  had  only  one  thousand  dollars  remaining,  returned  him  his 
fee  of  one  hundred  dollars,  and  said  that  although  the  case  was  one 
of  the  most  oppressive  in  his  knowledge,  he  advised  Duane  not-to 
waste  what  he  had  left  in  competition  with  the  wealth  and  power  of 
the  East  India  Company.  Several  gentlemen  interested  themselves 
in  his  case,  and  had  written  from  India  in  his  behalf.  One  wrote 
to  Lord  Lucan.  That  nobleman  advised  Duane,  if  he  wished  to  re- 
cover his  property,  to  go  to  Mr.  Dundas,  and  disclose  to  him  all  he 
knew  of  persons  in  India  !  With  a  feeling  of  contempt,  he  picked 
up  his  hat  and  left.  Immediately  after,  he  took  his  departure  for 
Philadelphia.  On  his  arrival  in  that  city  he  assumed  the  editorial 
charge  of  the  Aurora,  already  a  strong  Democratic  and  anti-British 
organ,  with  bitter  feelings  towards  England  and  every  thing  English. 
It  is  therefore  easily  seen  why  this  well-known  journal  became,  above 
all  others  at  that  time,  the  oracle  of  that  vigorous  young  party.  It 
is  a  curious  fact  that  William  J.  Duane,  the  son  of  this  early  jour- 
nalist, was  the  rebellious  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  Jackson's  cab- 
inet in  1834,  when  the  government  deposits  were  to  be  removed  from 
1  the  United  States  Bank. 

Such  was  the  heated  state  of  politics  in  Philadelphia,  then  the 
Capitol  of  the  Union,  that  mob  or  a  personal  assault  was  not  a 
rare  occurence.  Duane,  like  his  predecessor  Bache,  came  in  for  his 
share.  The  extreme  violence  of  the  Aurora  brought  down  upon  it 
all  the  obloquy  of  the  Federalists.  It  was  evident  that  the  Demo- 
cratic Party  was  gaining  strength.  This  fact  did  not  tend  to  soften 
the  feeling  of  asperity  that  had  been  aroused  against  Duane.  It  had, 
indeed,  the  contrary  effect.  The  Alien  and  Sedition  laws  had  been 
in  force  about  a  year,  and  several  Democratic  editors,  as  well  as 
others,  had  come  under  their  penalties.  These  laws  were  not  in  ac- 
cord with  the  spirit  of  the  people.  Duane  and  the  Aurora,  and  es- 
pecially Duane,  as  these  laws,  in  their  operation,  reminded  him  of 
the  treatment  he  received  at  Calcutta,  were  strongly  opposed  to 
them.  It  was  proposed  in  Congress  to  repeal  them.  To  aid  this 
movement,  petitions  were  in  circulation. 

On  the  Qth  of  February,  1799,  Duane  and  several  other  gentlemen 
went  to  St.  Mary's  Church,  in  Philadelphia,  and  posted  upon  its 
doors  a  petition  for  their  repeal,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  the  signatures 
of  the  aliens  of  that  congregation.  Instead  of  accomplishing  this 
purpose  it  resulted  in  a  riot.  Many  of  the  audience  rushed  out  of 
the  church,  tore  down  the  petition,  attacked  those  who  placed  them 
on  the  doors,  knocked  them  down,  and  otherwise  maltreated  them. 
Dr.  Reynolds,  of  the  Duane  party,  was  brought  before  the  courts  on 


214  Journalism  in  America. 

the  charge  of  attempted  murder,  and  his  companions  on  a  charge 
of  riot  and  assault  on  St.  Mary's  Church.  They  were  acquitted. 
But  this  result  was  the  cause  of  another  more  serious  affair.  On 
the  i5th  of  May  a  band  of  thirty  men  entered  the  office  of  the  Au- 
rora. One  sectipn  of  this  party,  with  pistols  in  hand,  acted  as  sen- 
tinels over  printers  and  pressmen,  while  another  section  prevented 
any  interference  from  others  in  the  office.  The  remainder  then  made 
an  assault  upon  Duane,  who  appeared  to  be  the  special  object  of 
their  vengeance.  He  was  knocked  down  and  inhumanly  beaten. 
Then,  bleeding  and  senseless,  he  was  dragged  down  stairs  and  out 
into  the  street,  where  he  was  again  brutally  beaten.  His  young  son, 
who  had  thrown  himself  across  the  body  of  his  father  to  protect  him 
from  the  ruffians,  was  also  badly  maltreated.  The  office  of  the  Au- 
rora would  have  been  entirely  demolished  but  for  the  timely  arrival 
of  a  party  of  Democrats  who  came  to  the  relief  of  Duane. 

Alluding  to  this  conflict  between  the  journalists  and  the  govern- 
ment, ex-President  John  Tyler,  in  1858,  said  : 

The  President,  who  was  supposed  to  be  inimical  to  France,  was  assailed  by 
the  press,  and  in  all  public  assemblies,  as  well  as  in  private  circles,  with  a  bitter- 
ness of  invective  rarely  if  ever  surpassed.  In  a  moment  of  weakness  Congress 
gave  way  to  the  adoption  of  the  Sedition  law,  and  the  press,  so  far  from  being  re- 
strained, seemed  rather  to  increase  in  its  bitterness.  The  government  resolved 
upon  prosecutions  against  the  most  violent.  Judge  Cooper  was  put  on  trial  for 
libel,  in  Philadelphia ;  and  Mr.  Lyon  elsewhere.  Nor  did  Richmond  go  un- 
scathed :  Callender,  who  edited  The  Prospect  Before  (7s,  in  a  style  of  abuse  never 
surpassed,  and  with  whom,  personally,  no  one  really  sympathised,  was  thrown  into 
jail.  The  law  of  libel,  it  was  said,  was  made  to  be  more  potent  than  the  letter  of 
the  constitution  which  guaranteed  the  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press,  and 
the  fires  of  popular  indignation  blazed  brightly  and  fiercely.  I  cannot  here  forego 
relating  an  anecdote  which  I  received  from  the  lips  of  Governor  Mahlon  Dicker- 
son,  of  New  Jersey,  as  illustrative  of  the  violence  of  the  times.  Stephen  Thompson 
Mason,  then  a  Senator  from  the  State  of  Virginia,  repaired  to  Philadelphia,  at- 
tended by  the  enthusiastic  Dickerson,  then  a  young  man,  to  attend  the  trial  of 
Judge  Cooper.  They  took  their  seats  on  the  right  and  left  hand  of  Cooper  at 
the  bar,  and  when  the  jury  returned  their  verdict  of  twenty-four  hours  imprison- 
ment and  a  fine  of  $1,000,  they  each,  rising  in  the  court,  shook  hands  most  cor- 
dially with  the  prisoner.  The  next  morning  Fenno,  who  published  the  adminis- 
tration paper,  came  out  with  an  article  of  the  following  tenor  : — 

"  The  republican  party  is  always  committing  some  act  of  excess — but  what  occurred  in  court  on 
yesterday  surpassed  anything  that  has  yet  occurred.  Upon  the  conviction  of  Cooper,  Stephen 
Thompson  Mason,  a  Senator  from  Virginia,  shook  hands  with  the  culprit  in  the  very  face  of  jus- 
tice." 

Judge  Chase,  somewhat  remarkable  for  the  rotundity  of  his  person  and  a  florid 
complexion,  presided  at  the  trial.  The  following  morning  Dickerson  prepared 
and  published  in  Duane's  paper — the  Aurora — the  following  reply  to  Mr.  Fenno's 
article : — 

Mr.  Fenno  is  evermore  committing  great  mistakes — but  of  all  the  errors  into  which  he  has  yet 

that  Stephen  Thompson  Mason, 
ery  face  of  justice,  mistaking  the 
of  justice. 

There  were  a  number  of  alien  writers  on  the  Press  at  this  time 
who  had  become  odious  and  hateful  to  the  Federalists.  John  O'Ley 
Burke  was  one.  James  Thomson  Callender,  mentioned  above,  was 
another.  William  Cobbett,  who  came  over  in  1792,  was  employed 


The  Case  of  Matthew  Lyon,  of  Vermont.      215 

by  the  Federalists  to  oppose  them.  Callender  published  the  Rich- 
mond Examiner.  "The  Prospect  Before  Us"  was  not  a  newspaper, 
but  a  pamphlet.  For  this  publication,  which  was  a  libel  on  Presi- 
dent Adams,  Callender  was  sentenced  to  nine  months'  imprisonment, 
and  to  pay  a  fine  of  $200.  When  Jefferson  was  inaugurated  as  Pres- 
ident, he  pardoned  Callender  and  remitted  the  fine.  Shortly  after 
he  was  refused  the  office  of  Postmaster  of  Richmond  by  the  Presi- 
dent. He  then  turned  against  Jefferson,  and  stated  that  the  latter 
had  aided  him  with  money  in  his  previous  libelous  publications. 
Jefferson,  in  reply,  said  that  he  had  helped  him  with  $50  now  and 
then,  as  he  would  have  helped  any  other  man. 

The  "  Mr.  Lyon"  referred  to  by  ex-President  Tyler  was  Colonel 
Matthew  Lyon,  who  was  a  representative  in  Congress  from  Vermont 
from  1797  to  1801.  It  was  charged  that  he  had  written  a  letter,  in 
July,  1798,  to  a  printer  of  a  newspaper,  published  in  Windsor,  in 
that  state,  "containing  artful  and  indirect  accusations"  against  the 
President  of  the  United  States  "rejecting  men  of  age,  experience, 
wisdom,  and  independency  of  sentiment,"  and  intimating  that  the 
chief  magistrate  exhibited  a  fondness  for  "ridiculous  pomp,  idle 
parade,  and  selfish  avarice ;"  and  that  he,  Colonel  Lyon,  had  pub- 
lished parts  of  a  letter,  called  the  Barlow  Letter,  "abusing  in  a  most 
virulent  manner  the  President  and  Senate  of  the  United  States"  in 
regard  to  France.  All  this,  it  was  avowed,  was  with  the  intention 
"to  stir  up  sedition,  and  bring  the  President  and  government  of  the 
United  States  into  contempt."  Colonel  Lyon  was  indicted,  arrested, 
and  tried  in  October,  1798,  before  Judge  Paterson,  at  Vergennes. 
He  was  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  four  months'  imprisonment,  and 
to  pay  a  fine  of  $1000. 

Those  days  of  journalism  were  days  of  peril  to  those  who  fought 
for  a  principle,  but  a  revolution  was  looming  up  in  the  future  which 
was  to  change  all  this. 

Shortly  after  Duane  had  taken  the  management  of  the  Aurora  an 
interesting  journalistic  incident  occurred,  resulting  in  a  libel-suit,  in 
which  Alexander  Hamilton  was  the  plaintiff.  On  the  6th  of  No- 
vember, 1799,  the  Argus,  of  New  York,  copied  from  the  Constitution- 
al Telegraph  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  Philadelphia, 
dated  the  2oth  of  September : 

An  effort  has  recently  been  made  to  suppress  the  Aurora,  and  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton was  at  the  bottom  of  it.  Mrs.  Bache  was  offered  six  thousand  dollars  down, 
in  presence  of  several  persons,  in  part  payment,  the  valuation  to  be  left  to  two  im- 
partial persons,  and  the  remainder  paid  immediately  on  giving  up  the  paper ;  but 
she  pointedly  refused  it,  and  declared  she  would  never  dishonor  her  husband's 
memory,  nor  her  children's  future  fame,  by  such  baseness ;  when  she  parted  with 
the  paper  it  should  be  to  Republicans  only. 

On  the  2ist  of  November,  David  Frothingham,  of  the  Argus,  was 


216  Journalism  in  America. 

indicted  on  the  complaint  of  General  Hamilton.  The  case  was 
tried  before  Judge  Radcliff,  Richard  Harrison,  the  Recorder,  and  the 
Mayor  of  the  city.  There  was  no  sworn  evidence  on  either  side 
except  that  of  Mr.  C.  Golden,  assistant  attorney,  and  General  Ham- 
ilton. It  was  stated  by  Golden  that,  at  the  instance  of  a  letter 
from  Major  General  Hamilton,  he  had  called  at  the  office  of  the 
Argus,  and  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Frothingham  as  conductor  of  the 
business ;  that,  after  some  conversation,  Mr.  F.  said  he  expected 
that  he  was  liable  for  any  publication  which  appeared  in  the  Argus, 
but  repeatedly  observed  that  he  saw  no  criminality  in  the  present 
instance  as  it  respected  him,  as  the  matter  in  dispute  had  been 
copied  from  another  paper.  Mr.  Golden  added  that,  in  pursuance 
of  this  declaration,  Mr.  Frothingham  was  arrested. 

General  Hamilton  was  called  on  the  part  of  the  state  to  prove 
that  he  was  innocent  of  the  charge  alleged  against  him.  This  was 
objected  to  by  Brockholst  Livingston,  counsel  for  the  defendant, 
and  the  objection  admitted  by  the  court.  General  Hamilton  was 
then  asked  to  explain  certain  innuendoes'in  the  indictment  respect- 
ing speculation,  etc.  This  having  been  done,  he  was  interrogated 
as  to  what  was  generally  understood  by  secret  service  money.  He 
gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  it  meant  money  appropriated  by  a  govern- 
ment, generally  for  corrupt  purposes,  and  in  support  of  the  govern- 
ment which  gave  it.  On  being  asked  if  he  considered  the  Aurora 
as  hostile  to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  he  replied  in  the 
affirmative. 

Mr.  Livingston  then  attempted  to  prove  that  Frothingham  was 
not  responsible ;  that  his  declaration  to  Golden  should  not  be  ad- 
mitted as  evidence  against  him,  and  that  the  attorney  should  have 
arrested  the  editor. 

Mr.  Hoffman,  in  reply,  contended  that  every  journeyman  and  ap- 
prentice in  the  printing-office  was  liable  to  a  prosecution,  as  having 
been  accessory  to  the  publication  of  the  libel,  and  that  Frothing- 
ham, as  foreman  of  the  office,  was  especially  so. 

Mr.  Livingston  pertinently  replied,  and  showed  up  this  obnoxious, 
pernicious,  and  oppressive  doctrine  against  the  freedom  of  the  Press 
and  the  rights  of  labor. 

The  jury  rendered  a  verdict  of  guilty,  but  recommended  Frothing- 
ham to  the  mercy  of  the  court.  He  was  fined  $100,  and  sentenced 
to  four  months'  confinement  in  Bridewell. 

William  Duane  died  in  1835. 

There  was  an  Evening  Post  in  New  York  in  1746.  There  was 
another  in  1794.  The  latter  was  published  by  L.  Wayland  and 
Matthew  L.  Davis,  afterwards  known  as  "  the  Old  Boy  in  Specs," 
"the  Spy  in  Washington,"  and  the  "Genevese  Traveller."  It  was 


The  Evening  Posts  of  New  York.  2 1 7 

in  the  interest  of  Aaron  Burr,  and  lived  only  a  year  or  thereabouts. 
The  third  Evening  Post  was  published  in  1801.  These  three  Posts 
were  entirely  independent  of  each  other. 

The  Evening  Post  now  in  existence  first  appeared  on  the  i6th 
of  November,  1801.  It  was  a  Federal  paper  when  it  came  into  life. 
Such  men  as  Alexander  Hamilton  and  John  Jay  aided  in  its  estab- 
lishment. Indeed,  it  was  considered  the  organ  of  Hamilton.  It 
was  edited  by  William  Coleman.  He  was  from  Massachusetts, 
where  he  had  been  educated  as  a  lawyer.  He  resided  for  a  time  in 
Greenfield,  and  wrote  for  the  Gazette  of  that  place.  He  represent- 
ed the  town  two  years  in  the  Legislature.  Soon  after,  in  1797  or 
1798,  he  moved  to  New  York,  where  he  received  the  appointment 
of  clerk  to  the  Circuit  Court.  With  other  Federalists,  he  had  been 
removed  from  office  in  August,  1801.  In  November  he  established 
the  Post. 

Although  Coleman  commenced  with  the  determination  to  keep 
the  Post  clear  of  "  personal  virulence,  low  sarcasm,  and  verbal  con- 
tentions with  printers  and  editors,"  and  with  the  design  "  to  incul- 
cate just  principles  in  religion"  and  in  politics  as  well  as  in  morals, 
yet  he  found  it  impossible  to  do  so.  The  fever  of  political  excite- 
ment run  too  high  to  carry  out  any  such  purpose.  He  soon  be- 
came entangled  in  a  paper  war  with  two  leading  Republican  editors 
and  organs — Cheetharn,  of  the  American  Citizen,  and  Duane,  of  the 
Aurora.  Their  shafts  flew  so  rapidly  that  he  was  compelled  to  ward 
them  off  and  fight.  Coleman  was  evidently  equal  to  the  combat. 
Some  of  his  expressions  were  strong  and  emphatic.  He  called  Du- 
ane "  a  low-bred  foreigner ;"  and,  in  alluding  to  Cheetham,  he  speaks 
of  "the  insolent  vulgarity  of  that  base  wretch."  On  one  occasion 
Coleman  fired  a  double  shot  at  his  opponents  : 

"Lie  on,  Duane,  lie  on  for  pay, 

And,  Cheetham,  lie  thou  too  ; 
More  against  truth  you  can  not  say, 
Than  truth  can  say  'gainst  you." 

When  Philip  Hamilton,  the  eldest  son  of  Alexander  Hamilton, 
fell  in  a  duel  at  Hoboken  in  1801,  Coleman,  shocked  by  the  occur- 
rence, denounced  the  practice  of  dueling  as  a  "  horrid  custom,"  and, 
as  "  fashion  has  placed  it  on  a  footing  which  nothing  short"  of  leg- 
islative action  "can  control," demands  "strong  and  pointed  legisla- 
tive interference"  to  accomplish  this  desirable  end.  Shortly  after 
this  Coleman  received  a  challenge  from  Cheetham,  of  the  American 
Citizen,  but,  after  considerable  negotiation  between  the  friends  of 
the  parties,  Judge  Brockholst  Livingston,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
meeting,  ordered  out  a  posse  ,comitatusy  and  had  the  principals  ar- 
rested. No  hostile  meeting,  therefore,  between  these  two  editors 


218  Journalism  in  America. 

took  place.  This  arrest  threw  some  doubt  on  Coleman's  courage, 
and  Captain  Thompson,  a  harbor-master  of  New  York,  and  a  friend 
of  the  administration,  declared  publicly  that  Coleman  would  not 
fight.  Thompson  was  a  brother  of  Jeremiah  Thompson,  once  Col- 
lector of  the  Port,  and  of  Abraham  G.  Thompson,  both  well-known 
and  respected  citizens.  When  Captain  Thompson  made  this  charge 
there  was  great  excitement  among  the  political  leaders.  Washing- 
ton Morton,  Beekman,  and  others  met  at  David  Longworth's,  the 
bookseller,  in  Park  Row,  and,  after  a  brief  consultation,  it  was  de- 
cided that  Coleman  must  challenge  Thompson.  Washington  Mor- 
ton carried  the  missive.  Cheetham  acted  as  Thompson's  second. 
This  was  in  1803. 

One  morning  in  the  summer  of  that  year,  Dr.  M'Lean,  a  well- 
known  physician  and  surgeon,  received  an  anonymous  letter,  stating 
that  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  day  of  its  date,  the  day  he 
received  it,  he  would  find  on  the  south  side  of  the  Bowling  Green, 
at  the  foot  of  Broadway,  a  horse  and  gig.  He  was  requested  to 
take  charge  of  them,  and  drive  to  a  spot  designated  on  the  road 
running  alongside  of  Potters'  Field,  where  Washington  Square  is 
now,  and  there  he  would  find  some  friends  waiting  for  him.  He 
complied  with  the  request.  He  found  the  horse  and  gig  at  the  time 
and  place  designated.  It  was  a  moonlight  night.  He  drove  to  Pot- 
ters' Field.  On  approaching  one  of  the  gates  he  heard  pistol-shots. 
There  were  four  exchanged  between  the  parties.  On  reaching  the 
spot  and  looking  over  the  fence,  he  saw  one  man  holding  up  anoth- 
er, and  other  persons  at  a  little  distance.  The  man  who  was  sup- 
porting the  other  called  and  asked, "  Are  you  Dr.  M'Lean  ?"  "  Yes," 
answered  the  doctor.  "  Then,"  said  the  man,  "  this  gentleman  re- 
quires your  assistance  ;  be  good  enough  to  take  charge  of  him,  and 
place  him  with  his  friends."  Then  he  gently  laid  the  person  he 
had  held  on  the  ground,  and  disappeared  with  the  others.  When 
the  doctor  reached  the  person  thus  strangely  placed  in  his  care,  he 
found  it  to  be  Thompson,  the  harbor-master.  He  was  severely,  and, 
as  it  afterward  proved,  fatally  wounded.  The  doctor  stanched  his 
wound  as  well  as  circumstances  would  permit,  and  brought  him  to 
his  residence  in  the  city.  He  was  placed  at  the  door  of  his  house  ; 
the  door-bell  was  rung,  his  family  came,  and  found  him  bleeding 
and  near  his  death.  He  refused  to  disclose  the  name  of  his  antag- 
onist, or  give  any  account  of  the  affair.  He  simply  said  he  had 
been  honorably  treated,  and  desired  that  no  effort  should  be  made 
to  find  or  molest  his  adversary.  In  two  or  three  days  he  died,  with 
the  secret  unrevealed.  Coleman  attended  to  his  business  as  usual, 
and  thus  ended  this  extraordinary  affair. 

Michael  Burnham,  an  excellent  business  man,  had  been  the  pub- 


t  Newspaper  Tactics  in  Old  Times.  219 

lisher,  but  not  a  proprietor  of  the  Post.  About  1804  he  was  taken 
in  as  a  partner,  and  aided  materially  in  the  prosperity  of  the  con- 
cern. He  published  a  weekly  paper  in  connection  with  the  Post, 
which  was  called  the  New  York  Herald.  One  day,  fifty  years  after 
this  period,  an  old  bound  file  of  Burnham's  Herald  was  taken  to  the 
office  of  Bennett's  Herald,  in  1854,  for  sale.  When  the  owner  of 
the  old  volume  entered  the  editorial  room,  Colonel  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton was  sitting  there  in  conversation.  "  What  do  you  want  for  the 
file  ?"  asked  the  editor.  "  Two  dollars,"  said  the  owner.  "  I  will 
take  it,"  replied  Mr.  Bennett.  Turning  to  Colonel  Hamilton,  he 
said,  "  Don't  you  wish  to  go  back  to  old  times,  colonel  ?"  Colonel 
Hamilton  took  the  volume  and  opened  it  at  the  very  page  contain- 
ing an  account,  almost  a  column  in  length,  of  the  fatal  duel  between 
his  father  and  Aaron  Burr.  Singular  coincidence  ! 

There  seemed  to  have  been  no  lack  of  mental  activity  at  that  pe- 
riod of  our  history,  but  it  took  the  editors  some  time  to  make  up 
their  minds  what  to  say  on  the  important  topics  of  the  day.  This 
was  part  of  the  discipline  of  the  party  press.  The  annual  message 
of  Jefferson  of  1801  was  published  in  the  Post  on  the  i2th  of  De- 
cember. It  was  the  i7th  before  any  notice  was  taken  of  it,  and 
then  this  was  done  by  "  Lucius  Crassus"  in  a  communication.  No 
doubt  this  delay  arose  from  the  fact  that  Hamilton  and- the  leaders 
of  the  party  had  to  be  consulted  previous  to  breaking  ground  on  so 
important  a  matter  as  commenting  on  the  first  message  of  the  chief 
of  the  opposing  party.  Other  public  matters  were  treated  in  the 
same  way.  Time  was  taken  for  reflection  and  consideration.  But 
there  was,  nevertheless,  great  vigor  in  Coleman's  articles  in  the 
Post.  After  the  line  of  argument  was  decided  upon,  there  was  no 
lack  of  strength  in  the  use  of  the  English  language.  While  the. 
Post  was  a  Federal  paper,  its  editor  was  styled  Field-marshal  Cole- 
man  of  that  party.  It  was,  however,  opposed  to  the  famous  Hart- 
ford Convention  of  1814.  In  alluding  to  this  opposition,  the  Post 
at  a  later  day  said  : 

When  the  New  England  states  held  their  Convention  at  Hartford,  the  New 
York  Federalists  refused  to  send  delegates,  and  their  refusal  was  sustained  by  the 
Evening  Post.  Mr.  Coleman,  however,  went  to  Hartford  on  that  occasion,  as  an 
observer.  We  recollect  that,  some  years  afterwards,  in  his  journal,  he  taunted  The- 
odore Dwight,  then  editor  of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  in  this  city,  with  having  been 
the  Secretary  of  the  Hartford  Convention.  Mr.  Dwight  replied,  that  his  accuser 
was  also  a  participator  in  the  doings  of  that  body,  and  spoke  of  his  presence 
there  as  the  representative  of  the  New  York  federalists.  Against  this  imputa- 
tion, Mr.  Coleman  defended  himself  with  warmth,  and  in  his  usual  frank  and  sin- 
cere manner,  stated  with  great  minuteness  the  object  and  circumstances  of  his 
visit.  From  this  narrative,  his  ingenious  adversary,  who  would  otherwise  have 
had  little  to  say,  contrived,  by  a  skilful  selection  of  expressions  and  circumstances, 
to  make  it  a  plausible,  though  by  no  means  a  fair  case,  against  him. 

The  Post  supported  De  Witt  Clinton  for  President  in  1812,  al- 


22O  Journalism  in  America. 

though  for  a  while  it  was  opposed  to  that  gentleman  for  Governor 
of  New  York.  But  Coleman  finally  came  in  to  his  support,  and  was 
friendly  to  his  administration  of  the  state  government  in  the  latter 
part  of  Clinton's  career.  Coleman  was  bitterly  inimical  to  John 
Quincy  Adams,  and  favored  the  election  of  William  H.  Crawford,  of 
Georgia.  One  of  Coleman's  private  letters,  obtained  in  some  way, 
and  printed  in  the  National  Advocate,  indicated  the  turning-point  in 
the  politics  of  the  Post.  It  was  written  to  Charles  Miner,  one  of 
the  editors  of  the  True  American  : 

NEW  YORK,  Sept.  28,  .1816. 

Why  do  you  not  make  a  little  review  of  Mr.  Stiles's  pamphlet  against  Binns, 
such  a  one  that  we  may  all  republish  ?  Generally  speaking,  I  feel  disposed,  in 
common  with  the  leading  federalists  here,  to  stand  perfectly  still,  and  wait  for 
events  to  happen,  as  Jefferson  says,  we  know  not  when.  Something  may  come 
from  the  quarrels  of  opposite  sections  of  the  democratic  factions,  and  I  think  the 
most  we  can  do  is  occasionally  to  fan  the  embers.  W.  COLEMAN. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  political  revolution,  or  in  the  spring 
of  1819,  that  the  celebrated  humorous  odes  known  as  the  "  Croaker 
pieces"  appeared  in  the  Post.  They  were  written  by  John  Rodman 
Drake.  One  afternoon,  about  this  time,  there  was  a  group  of  young 
men  standing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Park  in  New  York,  just  after  a 
shower,  admiring  a  magnificent  rainbow.  "  If  I  could  have  my 
wish,"  said  one,  "  it  would  be  to  lie  in  the  lap  of  that  rainbow  and 
read  Tom  Campbell."  Immediately  another  of  the  group  stepped 
forward  and  exclaimed,  "  You  and  I  must  be  acquainted  :  my  name 
is  Drake."  "  My  name,"  said  the  other,  "is  Fitz  Greene  Halleck." 
Then  and  there  Croaker  took  in  a  partner  in  the  production  of 
those  popular  satirical  odes,  and  the  firm  became  publicly  known  as 
"  Croaker  and  Co."  They  created  a  great  deal  of  amusement,  and 
were  much  sought  after,  largely  increasing  the  circulation  of  the  pa- 
.per.  The  brilliant  Drake  was  in  miserable  health,  and  died  in  1821, 
when  only  twenty-six  years  of  age.  Halleck,  full  of  sadness  for  the 
loss  he  had  sustained,  wrote  those  touching  tributary  verses,  the 
first  one  of  which  has  become  "  household  words,"  and  is  familiar 
in  the  obituary  columns  of  all  the  newspapers  to  this  day,  and  ap- 
propriately appeared  with  the  announcement  of  the  death  of  the 
writer  when  he  took  his  departure  : 

"Green  be  the  turf  above  thee, 
Friend  of  my  better  days  ; 
None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee, 
None  named  thee  but  to  praise." 

Halleck  wrote  "The  Recorder,"  in  which,  in  the  columns  of  the 
Post,  he  immortalized  Richard  Riker,  so  long  known  as  Dicky  Riker, 
who  was  always  very  considerate  to  the  prisoners  brought  before 
him  for  sentence.  "  Well,  well,  here  you  are  !  You  have  been  a 
bad  man,  a  very  bad  man  ;  you  must  suffer  some,"  was  often  an  ex- 


Fitz  Greene  Halleck,  of  Croaker  &  Co.        221 

__» 

pression  of  the  good  and  genial  old  recorder  of  blessed  memory,  in 
sending  a  burglar  to  the  States  Prison.     Halleck's  Fanny,  a  play- 
ful satire  on  the  characters  of  the  day,  when  there  was 
"Music  from  Scudder's  balcony," 

now  no  longer,  but  where  stands,  in  its  place,  that  splendid  marble 
edifice,  the  Herald  building,  was  his  last  production.  Halleck  re- 
tired from  poetry,  and  became  absorbed  in  the  account-books  of 
Jacob  Barker  and  John  Jacob  Astor,  which  seem  to  have  been  the 
epic  of  his  existence.  After  Astor's  death  the  poet  went  to  Guil- 
ford,  Connecticut,  to  live  and  die.  Occasionally  he  would  visit  New 
York  to  meet  his  old  friends  and  talk  over  old  times.  Slightly  bent 
with  age,  with  an  umbrella  under  his  arm  rain  or  shine,  walking 
along  Broadway,  he  reminded  one  as  much  of  the  immortal  Finn, 
as  Paul  Pry,  at  the  old  Park  Theatre,  as  of  Halleck  the  poet. 

"  I  have  just  read  Fanny  again,"  said  Alderman  Storieall  to  Hal- 
leck one  day.  "We  see  nothing  from  you  now.  Why  don't  you 
write  ?  There  are  thousands  who  want  to  hear  from  you  again." 

"Ah !  my  good  friend,"  replied  the  poet,  with  that  quiet  smile  of 
his,  "  some  one  has  told  me  that  I  am  considered  quite  a  poet.  If 
the  public  think  so,  I  want  them  to  continue  in  that  pleasant  con- 
ceit. If  I  write  any  more  I  shall  spoil  that  reputation." 

In  1826,  William  Cullen  Bryant,  now  the  chief  editor  of  the  Post, 
began  to  write  for  its  columns.  In  1828  it  advocated  Jackson  for 
the  presidency,  and  fell  into  the  support  of  his  administration.  It 
became  the  favorite  of  the  aristocratic  portion,  now  called  the  "bloat- 
ed bondholders,"  of  the  Democratic  Party  in  New  York.  In  the 
summer  of  1829  Coleman  was  cut  off  by  an  apoplectic  stroke,  after 
a  successful  editorial  career  of  nearly  thirty  years. 

The  character  of  Coleman  was  thus  summed  up  by  Dr.  Francis  : 

Coleman  was  a  writer  of  grammatical  excellence,  though  occasionally  sadly  at 
fault  in  force  of  diction.  Under  the  influence  of  some  perverse  conceits,  he  would 
labor  for  months  to  establish  some  theoretical  doctrine,  or  elucidate  a  useless  prop- 
osition. He  would  underrate  the  best  services  to  the  Republic,  if  rendered  by  a 
political  opponent.  Chancellor  Livingston  found  no  quarters  with  him  for  his  in- 
strumentality in  the  Louisianian  purchase.  He  would  ride  a  hobby  to  death.  It 
was  hardly  in  the  power  of  mortals  ever  to  alter  his  opinion  when  once  formed. 
That  yellow  fever  was  as  contagious  as  small  pox ;  that  scull  cap  (the  scutellaria) 
was  a  specific  for  hydrophobia ;  that  Napoleon  wanted  the  requisites  of  a  mili- 
tary chieftain,  were  among  the  crotchets  of  his  brain.  The  everlasting  tractates 
which  he  put  forth  on  these  and  other  subjects,  would  in  the  present  day  of  edi- 
torial prowess  scarcely  be  tolerated  by  a  chronicle  depending  on  public  patronage. 

After  the  death  of  Coleman,  William  Leggett,  who  had  been  an 
officer  in  the  navy,  and  a  man  of  courage  and  brains,  became  a  writer 
on  the  Post,  and  remained  as  co-editor  till  1836,  when  he  retired,  and 
established  a  weekly  political  sheet  called  the  Plaindealer.  Mr.  Leg- 
gett died  in  1839,  shortly  after  his  appointment  as  minister  to  Cen- 


222  Journalism  in  America. 

tral  America.     What  his  opinions  were  in  regard  to  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  an  editor  may  be  gathered  from  the  annexed  : 

To  discharge  fully  the  duties  of  a  public  journalist  would  be  to  elevate  the  vo- 
cation to  the  loftiest  summit  of  human  dignity  and  usefulness.  A  public  journal- 
ist, animated  with  a  due  sense  of  the  obligations  of  his  responsible  trust,  and  gift- 
ed with  the  faculties,  intellectual  and  physical,  for  their  adequate  performance, 
would  well  deserve  to  be  a  public  leader  in  a  more  extended  signification  of  the 
phrase  than  that  in  which  it  is  understood.  He  should  have  a  mind  filled  with  a 
great  variety  of  human  learning,  and  a  ready  command  of  all  its  stores.  He  should 
have  a  head  cool,  clear,  and  sagacious ;  a  heart  warm  and  benevolent ;  a  nice  sense  of 
justice  ;  honesty  that  no  temptation  could  corrupt ;  intrepidity  that  no  danger  could 
intimidate  ;  and  independence  superior  to  every  consideration  of  mere  interest,  en- 
mity, or  friendship.  He  should  possess  the  power  of  diligent  application,  and  be 
capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue.  He  should  have  a  temperament  so  happily 
mingled,  that  while  he  easily  kindled  at  public  error  or  injustice,  his  indignation 
should  never  transgress  the  bounds  of  judgment,  but,  in  its  strongest  expression, 
show  that  smoothness  and  amenity  which  the  language  of  choler  always  lacks. 
He  should,  in  short,  be  such  a  man  as  a  contemporary  writer  described  that  sturdy 
Democrat,  old  Andrew  Fletcher  of  Saltoun — "a  gentleman,  steady  in  his  princi- 
ples ;  of  nice  honor ;  abundance  of  learning  ;  brave  as  the  sword  he  wears,  and 
bold  as  a  lion ;  a  sure  friend  and  irreconcilable  enemy  ;  who  would  lose  his  life 
readily  to  serve  his  country,  and  would  not  do  a  base  thing  to  save  it."  This  is 
the  beau  ideal  of  a  conductor  of  a  public  newspaper. 

Both  Bryant  and  Leggett  were  poets,  the  latter  having  written 
"  Leisure  Hours  at  Sea"  while  a  midshipman  in  the  navy.  In  a  vio- 
lent political  controversy  between  the  Post  and  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer,\ho.  latter  called  the  editors  of  the  former  the  "chanting  cher- 
ubs of  the  Post"  a  name  they  retained  for  years.  While  Leggett 
was  editor  of  a  paper  called  the  Critic,  he  brought  Edwin  Forrest  into 
notice.  The  Post  continued  as  a  Democratic  organ  through  the  ad- 
ministration of  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  sustained  all  its  financial 
measures,  co-operating,  to  the  election  of  Harrison  in  1840,  with  the 
Albany  Argus  and  Washington  Globe. 

There  was  a  paper  issued  in  New  York  about  that  time  called  the 
Times,  a  Democratic  morning  sheet,  in  the  interest  of  Nathaniel  P. 
Talmadge  and  his  handful  of  adherents,  who  were  called  Conserva- 
tive Democrats  before  they  joined  the  Whig  Party.  In  the  contro- 
versy between  the  Times  and  Post,  the  editor  of  the  former,  Dr.  Hol- 
land, sent  a  challenge  to  Bryant.  Affairs  of  honor  had  become  less 
frequent ;  dueling  had  almost  ceased  to  be  a  mode  of  settling  per- 
sonal disputes  and  insults  in  the  Empire  State.  But  it  appears  that 
previously  there  had  been  a  quarrel  between  Leggett  and  Holland, 
in  which  a  strong  epithet  had  been  applied  to  the  latter,  and  that  the 
affair  had  remained  in  abeyance.  In  reply  to  the  challenge,  Bryant 
informed  Holland's  friend  that  when  Holland  had  arranged  with 
Leggett  his  turn  would  come,  but  not  till  then.  Nothing  farther  was 
heard  of  the  matter. 

Indicative  of  the  status  of  the  Post  with  the  Democratic  Party  in 
1843,  the  opposition  elements  in  the  State  Legislature  nominated 


What  an  Editor  Eats,  Drinks,  and  Wears.    223 

Bryant  as  their  candidate  for  the  profitable  position  of  state  print- 
er, a  place  always  sought  for  with  avidity  by  political  editors  and 
publishers.  The  vote  stood  as  follows  : 

Edwin  Cresswell  (Albany  Argus) 65 

William  C.  Bryant  (Evening  Post) 40 

Scattering      -----------      3 

John  Bigelow,  a  young  lawyer  of  New  York,  purchased  an  inter- 
est in  the  Post  in  1848,  and  added  largely  to  its  prosperity  by  an  in- 
fusion of  youthful  vigor  and  legal  advertisements.  But  what  gave 
the  Post  an  important  start  was  the  course  taken  by  W.  O.  Bartlett, 
now  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  New  York,  in  increasing  its  circula- 
tion, getting  the  paper  into  the  hands  of  the  newsboys,  and  modern- 
izing its  business  and  news  arrangements  generally.  But  to  return 
to  Bigelow.  He  had  written  news  paragraphs  for  the  Plebeian,  thus 
showing  an  early  taste  for  journalism.  On  his  appointment  as  con- 
sul to  Paris  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Post,  and  William  Cul- 
len  Bryant,  with  his  son-in-law  Parke  Godwin,  carried  on  the  estab- 
lishment. On  the  death  of  William  Dayton,  our  minister  to  France, 
and  the  declination  of  that  office  by  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the 
Herald,  the  President  appointed  Mr.  Bigelow  to  the  place. 

The  Post  followed  the  fortunes  of  Van  Buren  through  the  contest 
of  1840,  and  into  Free  Soilism,  and  through  the  famous  contest 
against  Cass  in  1848  to  the  final  overthrow  of  the  old  Democratic 
Party.  It  was  favorable  to  Pierce  in  1852,  supported  Lincoln  in 
1860  and  '64,  and  was  in  favor  of  Grant  in  1868.  Bryant  has  al- 
ways plumed  himself  on  his  Free-trade  notions.  He  has  been  as 
strong  and  as  consistent  a  Free-trader  as  Horace  Greeley  has  been 
as  a  Protectionist.  The  friends  of  Free-trade — such  men  as  Charles 
O'Conor,  Wilson  G.  Hunt,  and  David  Dudley  Field — gave  Bryant  a 
public  banquet  in  1868,  in  honor  of  his  doctrines,  and  as  a  tribute 
to  his  persistency  in  sustaining  them  through  forty  years  of  high 
and  prohibitive  tariffs.  It  is  only  fair  that  the  New  England  manu- 
facturers should,  in  turn,  give  Greeley  a  grand  banquet  for  his  con- 
sistency and  earnestness  in  favor  of  protective  duties. 

The  Post  is  now  a  free  lance  in  politics,  following  out  its  own 
views  and  its  own  principles  in  its  own  way,  the  result  of  an  experi- 
ence of  nearly  three  fourths  of  a  century,  and  of  the  progress  made 
by  the  independent  Press  in  its  vigorous,  self-relying,  and  energetic 
journalism. 

It  is  perhaps  as  important  to  know  what  an  editor  eats  as  to  read 
what  he  writes.  If  Agassiz  be  correct,  that  those  who  live  on  the 
coast  and  eat  fish  are  healthier,  and  have  brighter  brains  from  the 
phosphorus  of  such  food,  our  journalists  had  better  live  on  salmon, 
Sandwich  trout,  cod,  and  shad,  and  occasionally  a  shark  chowder 


224  Journalism  in  America. 

would  not  be  out  of  place  on  the  eve  of  an  election.  Mr.  Bryant 
has  recently  written  a  curious  letter  on  this  subject  in  reference  to 
his  own  diet,  which  we  give  in  full.  Now  similar  letters  from  Hor- 
ace Greeley  and  James  Gordon  Bennett  would  be  of  value  to  young 
journalists.  Indeed,  Greeley  has  written  one.  Both  Mr.  Bryant 
and  Mr.  Bennett  have  safely  and  vigorously  passed  their  seventy- 
sixth  years,  and  hence  their  experience  is  worth  more  than  that  of 
any  advice  of  any  physician  in  the  land.  Indeed,  Mr.  Bennett  lived 
till  he  was  nearly  seventy-seven,  and  passed  away  while  these  sheets 
were  passing  through  the  press,  after  a  life  of  very  moderate  ap- 
petites and  remarkably  regular  habits.  Annexed  is  Mr.  Bryant's 
letter : 

WHAT  MR.  BRYANT  WEARS  AND  EATS. 

NEW  YORK,  March  30,  1871. 

I  promised  some  time  since  to  give  you  some  account  of  my  habits  of  life,  so 
far,  at  least,  as  regards  diet,  exercise,  and  occupation.  I  am  not  sure  that  it  will 
be  of  any  use  to  you,  although  the  system  which  I  have  for  many  years  observed 
seems  to  answer  my  purpose  very  well.  I  have  reached  a  pretty  advanced  pe- 
riod of  life,  without  the  usual  infirmities  of  old  age,  and  with  my  strength,  activi- 
ty, and  bodily  faculties  generally  in  pretty  good  preservation.  How  far  this  may 
be  the  effect  of  my  way  of  life,  adopted  long  ago,  and  steadily  adhered  to,  is  per- 
haps uncertain. 

I  rise  early — at  this  time  of  year,  about  5^  ;  in  summer,  half  an  hour,  or  even 
an  hour,  earlier.  Immediately,  with  very  little  incumbrance  of  clothing,  I  begin 
a  series  of  exercises,  for  the  most  part  designed  to  expand  the  chest,  and  at  the 
same  time  call  into  action  all  the  muscles  and  articulations  of  the  body.  These 
are  performed  with  dumb-bells — the  very  lightest — covered  with  flannel,  with  a 
pole,  a  horizontal  bar,  and  a  light  chair  swung  around  my  head.  After  a  full 
hour,  and  sometimes  more,  passed  in  this  manner,  I  bathe  from  head  to  foot. 
When  at  my  place  in  the  country,  I  sometimes  shorten  my  exercises  in  the  cham- 
ber, and,  going  out,  occupy  myself  for  half  an  hour  or  more  in  some  work  which 
requires  brisk  exercise.  After  my  bath,  if  breakfast  be  not  ready,  I  sit  down  to 
my  studies  until  I  am  called. 

My  breakfast  is  a  simple  one — hominy  and  milk,  or,  in  place  of  hominy,  brown 
bread,  or  oat-meal,  or  wheaten  grits,  and,  in  the  season,  baked  sweet  apples. 
Buckwheat  cakes  I  do  not  decline,  nor  any  other  article  of  vegetable  food,  but  an- 
imal food  I  never  take  at  breakfast.  Tea  and  coffee  I  never  touch  at  any  time. 
Sometimes  I  take  up  a  cup  of  chocolate,  which  has  no  narcotic  effect,  and  agrees 
with  me  very  well.  At  breakfast  I  often  eat  fruit,  either  in  its  natural  state  or 
freshly  stewed. 

After  breakfast  I  occupy  myself  with  my  studies  for  a  while,  and  then,  when  in 
town,  I  walk  down  to  the  office  of  the  Evening  Post,  nearly  three  miles  distant, 
and  after  about  three  hours,  return,  always  walking  whatever  be  the  weather  or  the 
state  of  the  streets.  In  the  country  I  am  engaged  in  my  literary  tasks,  till  a  feel- 
ing of  weariness  drives  me  out  in  the  open  air,  and  I  go  upon  my  farm  or  into  the 
garden  and  prune  the  trees,  or  perform  some  other  work  about  them  which  they 
need  and'then  go  back  to  my  books.  I  do  not  often  drive  out,  preferring  to  walk. 

In  the  country  I  dine  early,  and  it  is  only  at  that  meal  that  I  take  either  meat 
or  fish,  and  of  these  but  a  moderate  quantity,  making  my  dinner  mostly  of  vege- 
tables. At  the  meal  which  is  called  tea,  I  take  only  a  little  bread  and  butter,  with 
fruit,  if  it  be  on  the  table.  In  town,  where  I  dine  later,  I  make  but  two  meals  a 
day.  Fruit  makes  a  considerable  part  of  my  diet,  and  I  eat  it  at  almost  any  hour 
of  the  day  without  inconvenience.  My  drink  is  water,  yet  I  sometimes,  though 
rarely,  take  a  glass  of  wine.  I  am  a  natural  temperance  man,  finding  myself  rath- 
er confused  than  exhilarated  by  wine.  I  never  meddle  with  tobacco,  except  to 
quarrel  with  its  use. 


The  New  York  Columbian.  225 

That  I  may  rise  early,  I,  of  course,  go  to  bed  early ;  in  town,  as  early  as  10  ;  in 
the  country,  somewhat  earlier.  For  many  years  I  have  avoided  in  the  evening 
every  kind  of  literary  occupation  which  tasks  the  faculties,  such  as  composition, 
even  to  the  writing  of  letters,  for  the  reason  that  it  excites  the  nervous  system, 
and  prevents  sound  sleep. 

My  brother  told  me,  not  long  since,  that  he  had  seen  in  a  Chicago  newspaper, 
and  several  other  Western  journals,  a  paragraph  in  which  it  was  said  that  I  am 
in  the  habit  of  taking  quinine  as  a  stimulant ;  that  I  have  depended  upon  the  ex- 
citement it  produces  in  writing  my  verses,  and  that,  in  consequence  of  using  it  in 
that  way,  I  had  become  as  deaf  as  a  post.  As  to  my  deafness,  you  know  that  to 
be  false,  and  the  rest  of  the  story  is  equally  so.  I  abominate  all  drugs  and  nar- 
cotics, and  have  always  carefully  avoided  every  thing  which  spurs  nature  to  exer- 
tions which  it  would  not  otherwise  make.  Even  with  my  food  I  do  not  take  the 
usual  condiments,  such  as  pepper,  and  the  like.  I  am,  sir,  truly  yours, 

W.  C.  BRYANT. 

There  was  a  paper  called  the  Bee  issued  in  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, in  1797,  by  Charles  Holt,  known  as  Dr.  Holt  because  of 
his  history  of  the  yellow  fever  in  that  place.  The  Bee  was  a  Dem- 
ocratic organ,  and,  of  course,  opposed  the  administration  of  John 
Adams.  Holt  had  been  fined  and  imprisoned  under  the  Sedition 
Act  of  1798.  After  Mr.  Holt's  punishment  he  published  the  Bee  at 
Hudson,  N.  Y.,  and  removed  to  New  York  City  in  1808. 

There  were  six  daily  papers  published  there  previous  to  this  date. 
The  population  was  then  80,000.  The  names  of  these  papers  were 
the  New  York  Gazette,  edited  by  John  Lang. 

Mercantile  Advertiser,  "  Ramsey  Crooks. 

American  Citizen,  "  James  Cheetham. 

Evening  Post,  "  William  Coleman. 

Commercial  Advertiser,  Zachariah  Lewis. 

Public  Advertiser,  "  John  Holt. 

Two  weekly  papers,  the  Museum  and  the  Weekly  F/57#?r,  were  also 
published  there. 

In  1808,  Charles  Holt  established  the  Columbian  as  the  organ  of 
the  Clintonians,  and  to  supply  the  place  of  the  Citizen,  which  had  lost 
its  prestige  with  the  party.  The  Columbian  was  a  spirited  and  effect- 
ive Democratic  paper,  ardently  supporting  the  measures  of  Jefferson 
and  Madison.  The  editor,  however,  was  a  warm  friend  of  De  Witt 
Clinton,  and  in  1812  supported  him  for  President  against  Madison, 
in  consequence  of  which  the  Columbian  and  its  editor,  in  their  turn, 
were  ever  after  proscribed  at  Tammany  Hall,  and  the  National  Ad- 
vocate was  established  as  the  Tammany  organ.  After  the  war  the 
Columbian  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  and  supported 
him  for  governor  of  the  state,  sustaining,  also,  the  canal  policy  of 
Governor  Clinton  against  the  attacks  of  Tammany  Hall  and  its  new 
organ.  While  Clinton  was  governor,  Mr.  Holt  sold  out  the  Colum- 
bian to  Alden  Spooner,  of  Brooklyn,  who  for  many  years  published 
the  Long  Island  Star.  The  Columbian  finally  expired  about  the 
year  1821,  and  the  Statesman,  published  by  Carter  and  Prentiss  in 

P 


226  Journalism  in  America. 

Albany,  was  removed  to  New  York,  and  became  the  general  favor- 
ite of  the  Clintonians. 

The  Baltimore  Patriot,  in  1852,  in  speaking  of  the  Press  of  New 
York  in  the  days  of  the  Columbian,  said : 

From  a  reliable  source,  the  letter  of  an  observant  correspondent,  then  a  journey- 
man printer  in  Gotham,  we  learn  that  the  following  was  the  circulation  of  the 
seven  daily  papers  of  New  York  City  in  May,  1816 — thirty-six  years  ago  : 


Mercantile  Advertiser        -  2250 

Gazette 1750 

Evening  Post        ...  160© 

Commercial  Advertiser      -  1200 


Courier  (B.  Gardiner's)  -  920 

Columbian       -       -       -  -  825 

National  Advocate        -  -  875 

Total       -  -  9420 


Thus  it  appears  that  the  circulation  of  the  seven  daily  papers  of  New  York,  in 
1816,  amounted,  in  the  aggregate,  to  about  9500.  But  two  out  of  the  list  have 
survived  to  the  present  year.  These  have,  of  course,  strengthened  with  increas- 
ing years,  while  others  have  fallen  by  the  wayside,  and  live  only  in  memory.  But 
behold  the  change  which  a  lapse  of  years  has  produced  in  the  daily  press  of  the 
commercial  emporium  !  In  1816,  the  whole  daily  circulation  was  9420.  In  1852, 
the  aggregate  circulation  of  three  of  the  New  York  dailies  is  more  than  one  hun- 
dred thousand. 

Thurlow  Weed,  in  the  Albany  Evening  Journal,  made  one  or  two 
corrections  in  the  above  statement,  as  follows : 

These  figures,  low  as  they  are,  in  comparison  with  the  present  circulation  of 
New  York  journals,  are  too  high.  We  worked  at  press  on  The  Courier  at  that 
time,  and  have  a  pretty  accurate  recollection  of  the  number  of  "tokens  wet  down" 
at  each  office.  The  Courier's  circulation  is  truly  stated  ;  but  there  were  only  eight 
tokens  (2000)  worked  on  The  Mercantile.  That  was  considered  an  immense  cir- 
culation. The  sheet  was  about  half  as  large  as  The  Tribune,  and  generally  con- 
tained from  a  column  and  a  half  to  two  columns  of  news.  The  Gazette  frequently 
went  to  press  with  only  half  a  column  of  news  (other  than  commercial)  matter. 
There  were  no  cylinder  or  power-presses,  or  even  rollers,  in  those  days. 

The  Mercantile  Advertiser,  which  had  the  largest  circulation  at 
that  time,  was  a  paper  of  very  little  enterprise.  Its  publishers  for 
years  were  Butler  and  Hyer.  Elihu  Butler  was  editor  some  time 
after  Crooks,  and  did  the  "scizzoring."  Amos  Butler,  one  of  the 
publishers,  remained  till  the  paper  died.  Then,  as  before  and  since, 
newspaper  publishers  would  purchase  the  subscription-lists  of  other 
journals  in  order  to  increase  their  circulation  and  produce  an  effect 
on  the  advertising  public.  Butler,  for  instance,  in  1832,  offered 
James  Gordon  Bennett  two  dollars  each  for  his  subscribers  to  the 
New  York  Globe  when  the  latter  proposed  suspending  that  paper 
to  assume  the  management  of  the  Pennsylvanian  in  Philadelphia. 
Nearly  all  the  old  papers  of  New  York  disappeared  in  this  way. 

The  office  of  the  Advertiser,  in  the  closing  years  of  its  existence, 
was  in  Wall  Street,  adjoining  that  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  It 
was  a  long,  narrow,  dingy  place.  It  was  a  rendezvous  of  a  fe,w  old 
merchants  and  gossips,  who  daily  and  solemnly  wound  up  the  affairs 
of  the  nation  and  the  world.  Butler,  like  Lang,  kept  a  bulletin- 
board,  made  like  a  music-stand,  at  his  front  door.  On  this  the 
genial  Dustan,  the  marine  reporter,  would  daily  and  hourly  post 


The  Father  of  "Gales  and  Seaton?  227 

small  scraps  of  news  culled  from  the  exchanges  and  log-books. 
These  items  would  always  appear  in  the  penny  papers  of  the  next 
morning!  Sometimes  they  would  be  left  out  of  the  Advertiser. 
The  cheap  press  would  thus  derive  more  advantage  than  the  Adver- 
tiser from  Dustan's  labors. 

Amos  Butler  was  a  short,  thick-set  man — a  respectable  old  pub- 
lisher, who,  in  a  nice,  neat  suit  of  black,  lived  to  see  the  new  class 
of  papers  prosper.  Among  his  last  editorial  writers  were,  we  be- 
lieve, Redwood  Fisher,  and  WakemaH  H.  Dikeman,  a  gentleman  who 
has  been  for  many  years  at  the  head  of  an  important  bureau  in  the 
office  of  the  Comptroller  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

New  Hampshire  could  boast  of  other  papers  than,  those  already 
mentioned.  "T\\&  Exeter  federal  Miscellany  was  issued  in  Exeter  by 
Henry  Ranlet  in  1789.  It  was  a  strong  Federalist  organ  at  that 
time,  if  the  publication  of  a  song  early  in  1799,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing was  the  closing  verse,  is  any  sign  of  the  political  status  of  the 
paper : 

Midst  Faction  enkindled,  just  bursting  to  flame, 
See  ADAMS,  like  Atlas,  our  glory  supporting  ; 
While  the  foes  of  our  freedom,  encrimsoned  with  shame, 

Scarce  own  the  mad  rabble,  whose  smiles  they  've  been  courting : 
Then,  ADAMS  our  guide, 
In  him  we  '11  confide, 

And  safe  o'er  the  whirlpools  of  Faction  we  '11  ride  : 
And  ne'er  to  the  shrine  of  a  tyrant  will  fall 
While  Phcebtis  his  chariot  impels  round  the  ball. 

About  1799,  Joseph  Gales,  the  father  of  "Gales  and  Seaton,"  was 
induced  to  establish  the  Register  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.  Nathaniel  Ma- 
con,  that  fine  old  gentleman  of  the  old  North  State,  was  one  of  those 
who  enticed  him  away  from  the  seat  of  government.  Like  many 
other  journalists,  Gales  had  a  history.  He  was  born  near  Sheffield, 
England.  He  learned  the  art  of  printing  in  Manchester.  In  Shef- 
field he  published  a  paper  named  the  Register.  These  three  sen- 
tences are  three  cantos  of  his  early  life.  When  the  successful  editor 
of  the  Sheffield  Register,  he  became  a  reformer,  an  oracle,  and  a  book- 
seller. One  of  his  apprentices  or  assistants,  obtained  through  the 
medium  of  an  advertisement,  was  a  youth  named  James  Montgom- 
ery. This  young  man  was  quite  useful  to  him,  first  as  a  clerk,  then 
as  an  assistant  editor,  and  finally  as  his  successor,  and  always  his 
friend.  He  is  now  known  to  fame  as  Montgomery  the  Poet.  Amid 
the  political  excitement  of  England,  an  effort  was  made  to  arrest 
Gales, for  "words  spoken  in  debate,"  or  rather  for  an  article  pub- 
lished in  the  columns  of  his  newspaper.  This  was  in  1792,  when 
the  Revolution  in  France  had  thrown  all  the  political  reformers  of 
the  world  into  a  state  of  frightful  excitement  and  frenzy.  Fortu- 
nately for  Gales,  he  was  absent  from  home  when  the  king's  messenger 


228  Journalism  in  America. 

paid  his  domicile  a  visit.  He  was  advised  of  the  affair  by  friends. 
Although  innocent  and  honest,  he  well  knew  that  his  fate  was  sealed 
if  he  returned  to  Sheffield.  Sensible  of  this,  he  turned  his  face 
towards  Germany,  and  then  his  heart,  with  wife  and  children,  to- 
wards America,  and,  after  a  long  passage  from  Hamburg,  landed  in 
Philadelphia.  Montgomery  settled  his  home  affairs  and  purchased 
the  Register,  on  the  foundation  of  which  he  published  the  Sheffield 
Iris.  On  his  long  passage  across  the  Atlantic,  like  Morse  inventing 
his  telegraph  characters,  Gales  studied  stenographic  characters. 
On  going  out  in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia,  he  found  his  labors 
upon  the  ocean  were  "bread  upon  the  waters."  In  the  spring  of 
1793  he  obtained  employment  as  printer.  One  day,  Claypole,  his 
employer,  asked  him,  "  Can  you  report  ?  Our  Congressional  reports 
do  not  satisfy  me.  I  would  like  better  ones  if  I  could  get  them." 
Like  Croghan,  later  in  time,  when  asked  if  he  could  take  Fort  Erie, 
Gales  modestly  replied,  "I'll  try."  Greatly  to  the  astonishment  of 
the  public  and  the  delight  of  Claypole,  the  next  day's  proceedings  in 
Congress  appeared  in  the  next  morning's  paper  fuller  and  better 
than  ever  before.  There  was  no  delay.  There  was  the  debate. 
Miraculous  for  those  days.  Wonderful  art  has  stenography  proved 
to  be — the  camera  obscura  of  speech.  It  is  to  the  utterance  of  the 
human  tongue  what  the  photographic  art  is  to  expression  of  the  hu- 
man face — they  preserve  the  present  for  the  future.  So  Gales  pros- 
pered. He  became  the  proprietor  of  the  Independent  Gazetteer, 
which  he  conducted  till  1799,  when  it  was  turned  over  to  Samuel  Har- 
rison Smith,  who  followed  the  government  to  Washington,  where  he 
established  the  National  Intelligencer,  in  the  columns  of  which  Gales 
the  younger,  in  after  years,  practiced  the  stenographic  art  for  a  long 
period  in  our  nation's  history,  and  so  usefully  for  its  historians. 
Gales  the  elder  went  to  North  Carolina,  as  we  have  stated,  and  the 
Raleigh  Register  loomed  up  into  life,  bearing  the  old  name  he  left 
behind  in  England,  and  with  the  public  printing  of  the  new  state  of 
his  adoption  as  a  reward  for  his  industry.  After  years  of  success- 
ful toil  he  left  the  Register  to  his  son,  Weston  Gales,  and  retired  to 
Washington,  where  his  son  Joseph  had  become  part  proprietor  of 
the  Intelligencer. 

One  of  the  cleverest  writers  for  the  newspapers  at  the  close  of  the 
last  or  in  the  early  part  of  this  century  was  Joseph  Dennie,  the 
"  Lay  Preacher"  of  the  Farmers'  Weekly  Museum,  a  paper  established 
by  Isaiah  Thomas  in  Walpole,  N.  H.,  in  1793.  Griswold,  in'allud- 
ing  to  this  popular  journalist,  said  : 

Take,  for  example,  the  case  of  Joseph  Dennie,  the  celebrated  editor  of  The  Port- 
Folio.  Although  the  writings  of  Dennie  do  not  vindicate  his  traditional  fame,  he 
was  unquestionably  a  man  of  fine  and  peculiar  genius,  who  exercised  in  various 


Joseph  Dennie^  the  Lay  Preacher.  229 

ways  an  extraordinary  influence  upon  the  mental  habits  and  tastes  of  our  coun- 
trymen. A  brief  obituary  in  The  Port-Folio,  with  a  few  reminiscences  in  the  pleas- 
ant volumes  of  autobiography  by  J.  T.  Buckingham,  furnish  all  that  is  here  given 
us  of  this  remarkable  individual.  Not  one  word  is  said  of  his  political  troubles 
in  Philadelphia ;  his  intimacy  with  Thomas  Moore ;  his  memoir  of  Moore's  early 
life,  prefixed  to  the  first  collection  of  that  poet's  works  ever  printed  in  the  United 
States ;  his  wonderful  talents  as  a  raconteur ;  the  brilliancy  and  kindliness  of  his 
spoken  wit,  "which  sometimes,"  according  to  his  friend  Ingraham,  "kept  his 
friends  in  laughter  and  tears  till  they  were  startled  from  the  night's  enjoyment  by 
breakfast  bells  ;"  of  the  ruin  induced  by  his  amiable  infirmities  ;  the  epitaph  for 
his  monument,  in  which  his  young  friend,  John  Quincy  Adams,  described  his  char- 
acter ;  the  youthful  writers  whom  he  had  brought  forward ;  or  the  curious  fact 
that  one  of  them — the  subsequently  renowned  Nicholas  Biddle — was  his  imme- 
diate successor  in  the  editorship  of  his  magazine.  Indeed,  we  have  almost  noth- 
ing of  what  should  have  constituted  Dennie's  biography. 

The  reputation  of  Dennie  became  so  wide-spread  that  the  paper 
was  named  the  Farmers'  Museum,  or  Lay  Preacher's  Gazette.  The 
"  sermons"  of  Dennie  were  copied  regularly  in  nearly  all  the  news- 
papers of  the  country.  In  1799  Dennie  migrated  to  Philadelphia, 
where  in  1800  he  established  the  Port-Folio  in  partnership  with  As- 
bury  Dickens,  the  father,  if  we  are  not  mistaken,  of  the  respected 
Secretary  of  the  United  States  Senate  for  many  years. 


230  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  OFFICIAL  ORGANS  IN  WASHINGTON. 

THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER  IN  WASHINGTON. — THE  NATIONAL  INTELLIGENCER. 
— GALES  AND  SEATON. — ORGANS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. — CONGRESSIONAL 
REPORTING. — ADVENT  OF  JACKSON. — THE  TELEGRAPH  AND  DUFF  GREEN. 
— THE  QUARREL  OF  JACKSON  AND  CALHOUN. — THE  GLOBE. — FRANCIS  P. 
BLAIR  AND  AMOS  KENDALL. — THE  SPECTATOR  AND  CONSTITUTION.  —  IN- 
TRIGUES AND  INCIDENTS.— JAMES  WATSON  WEBB  AND  DUFF  GREEN. — THE 
UNION. — THOMAS  RITCHIE.  —  INTERESTING  REMINISCENCES.  —  THE  MADI- 
SONIAN. — THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  TO-DAY. 

ALL  governments  have  their  organs.  All  political  parties,  all 
cliques,  all  religious  denominations  have  their  newspapers,  through 
which  they  communicate  with  the  people.  Nearly  every  senator 
and  member  of  Congress  has  a  home  organ,  more  vulgarly  called  a 
"  mouth-piece." 

The  English  government  has  the  London  Gazette,  established  in 
1665.  It  still  lives,  and  is  the  second  oldest  organ  in  the  world  •, 
the  Pekin  Gazette,  the  official  paper  of  China,  being  the  father  of  or- 
gans. The  French  government  had  Le  Moniteur  Universal ;  Jour- 
nal Officiel  de  V  Empire  Fran  fais.  It  was  started  in  1789,  but  on  the 
ist  of  January,  1869,  Napoleon  abandoned  it,  as  it  was  private  prop- 
erty, and  established  a  new  organ,  which  he  called  the  Journal  Of- 
ficiel  de  I' Empire  Fran$ais.  The  empress,  it  is  said,  had  her  organ 
in  La  France.  Both  were  swept  away  by  Sedan  in  1870.  The 
Thiers  government  at  Versailles  and  the  Communist  government  in 
Paris  had  each  a  Journal  Officiel  in  1871.  Austria  and  Andrassy 
speak  through  the  Gazette  of  Vienna ;  Prussia  through  the  Staats 
Anzarger  in  decrees  and  judgments,  and  Bismarck  through  the  Nord 
Deutsche  Algemeine  Zeitung;  Italy  and  Victor  Emanuel  through  the 
Gazetti  Officielle  of  Florence ;  Spain  and  Amadeus  through  the  Ga- 
ceta  de  Madrid ;  the  Pope  and  Antonelli  through  the  Observatore 
Romano;  Mexico  and  Juarez  through  the  Diario  Oficial;  Greece 
and  George  through  the  Messenger  of  Athens  •,  Russia  and  Alexander 
through  the  Pranitelstoennii  Vyestaik  ;  and  Turkey  and  Abdel  Aziz 
through  the  Turkic. 

The  present  organ  of  Russia  is  a  new  one.  The  Czar  recently 
became  displeased  with  the  Invalide  Russe  of  St.  Petersburg,  and 
set  it  aside.  This  paper  was  first  issued  in  1813,  to  raise  a  fund  for 
the  relief  of  the  wounded  soldiers.  It  is  stated  that  in  that  and  the 


The  Organs  of  Europe.  231 

two  following  years  it  gave  relief  to  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  inva- 
lids, and  at  the  close  of  the  war  in  1815  it  handed  over  to  the  com- 
mittee of  relief  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Since  then 
it  raised  an  annual  income  of  ten  thousand  dollars  till  the  Crimean 
War,  when  it  paid  to  this  fund  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It  was  the 
organ,  especially  the  military  organ,  of  Nicolas  and  Nesselrode, 
and  Alexander  and  Gortschakoff,  from  1839  till  superseded  in  1868. 
M.  Thiers,  in  the  Corps  Legislatif  va  1868,  thus  spoke  of  the  influ- 
ence of  a  newspaper  organ  in  Russia : 

Voyez  la  presse  en  Autriche  :  elle  est  encore  bien  jeune,  cependant  elle  revele 
deja  1'opinion  du  pays.  Et  dans  un  autre  pays  que  vous  serez  peut-etre  etonnes 
d'entendre  citer,  en  Russia,  oil  la  presse  n'est  pas  libre,  elle  commence  cependant 
a  avoir  la  parole,  et  il  s'y  produit  un  phenomene  remarquable  ;  le  gouvernement 
est  sage,  discret,  mesure,  sincere  meme  dans  son  langage ;  et  pourtant,  si  Ton 
n'entendait  que  lui,  on  ne  saurait  pas  la  verite.  Mais  il  y  a  a  Moscou  un  homme 
politique  de  grande  intelligence,  M.  de  Katkof,  redacteur  de  la  Gazette  de  Mos- 
cou ;  et  pour  avoir  une  idee  exacte  de  ce  qui  se  passe  en  Russie,  des  mouvemens 
de  cette  grande  puissance  et  de  ses  tendances,  il  faut  combiner  les  dires  du  gou- 
vernement avec  le  langage  de  la  Gazette  de  Moscou. 

The  Ottoman  Moniteur  was  edited  by  M.  Blecque,  father  of  the 
Turkish  minister  to  the  United  States  in  1869.  Although  printing 
was- introduced  in  Turkey  in  1727,  the  first  newspaper  did  not  make 
its  appearance  in  that  country  till  1827,  when  this  same  M.  Blecque 
'  started  the  Spectator  of  the  East  at  Smyrna.  The  present  official 
organ  of  the  Sultan  has  already  been  mentioned. 

These  papers  are  entirely  under  the  control  of  the  governments 
de  facto.  Nothing  appears  except  by  authority.  There  is  an  amus- 
ing illustration  of  this  in  the  announcement,  said  to  be  taken  from 
the  Moniteur  of  France,  in  March,  1815,  on  the  escape  of  Napoleon 
from  Elba : 

First  announcement. — "  The  monster  has  escaped  from  the  place  of  his  ban- 
ishment ;  and  he  has  run  away  from  Elba." 

2nd.  "  The  Corsican  dragoon,  (1'ogre)  has  landed  at  Cape  Juan." 

3rd.  "  The  tiger  has  shown  himself  at  Gap.  The  troops  are  advancing  on  all 
sides  to  arrest  his  progress.  He  will  conclude  his  miserable  adventure  by  be- 
coming'a  wanderer  among  the  mountains  ;  he  cannot  possibly  escape." 

4th.  "  The  monster  has  really  advanced  as  far  as  Grenoble,  we  know  not  to 
what  treachery  to  ascribe  it." 

5th.  "  The  tyrant  is  actually  at  Lyons.  Fear  and  terror  seized  all  at  his  ap- 
pearance." 

'  The  usurper  has  ventured  to  approach  the  capital  to  within  sixty  hours' 

'  Bonaparte  is  advancing  by  forced  marches  ;  but  it  is  impossible  he  can 


6th. 
march. 

7th. 
reach  Paris. 


8th. 
9th. 


'  Napoleon  will  arrive  tinder  the  walls  of  Paris  to-morrow." 
'  The  Emperor  Napoleon  is  at  Fontainebleau." 


loth.  "  Yesterday  evening  his  Majesty  the  Emperor  made  his  public  entry,  and 
arrived  at  the  Tuilleries — nothing  can  exceed  the  universal  joy  !" 

Our  government,  at  first,  had  no  organ.  When  located  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  and  during  the  formation  of  parties,  the  pa- 
pers arranged  themselves  for  and  against  the  acts  of  Congress  as 


232  Journalism  in  America. 

best  suited  their  interests  and  inclinations.  After  the  adoption  of 
the  Constitution  the  government  was  independent.  Washington 
had  no  newspaper  to  speak  for  him.  The  Aurora  appeared  in 
Philadelphia  as  the  organ  of  the  opposition,  and  the  National  Ga- 
zette as  the  special  organ  of  Jefferson.  Before  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton became  the  national  capital,  newspapers  had  been  published 
there.  The  Washington  Gazette,  a  semi-weekly,  was  established  by 
Benjamin  Moore  in  1796.  It  made  its  appearance  on  the  nth  of 
June,  and  its  prospectus  announced  that  the  object  of  the  publisher 
was  first  "to  obtain  a  living,"  and,  second,  "to  amuse  and  inform" 
his  readers. 

When  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  to  Washington  in 
1800,  the  National  Intelligencer  and  Washington  Advertiser  was  estab- 
lished by  Samuel  Harrison  Smith,  and  it  became  the  organ  of  the 
administration  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  Its  first  issue  as  a  tri-weekly 
was  on  the  3ist  of  October.  About  the  same  time  the  Washington 
Federalist  was  issued.  The  National  Intelligencer  was  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Independent  Gazetteer  of  Philadelphia.  In  1807  Joseph 
Gales,  Jun.,  entered  the  office  of  the  Intelligencer  as  a  reporter.  He 
became  a  partner  of  Smith's  in  1810,  and  in  that  year  the  name  of 
Washington  Advertiser  was  dropped.  Shortly  after  Smith  retired 
from  business,  and  connected  himself  with  the  United  States  Bank, 
and  was  president  of  a  branch  of  that  institution  in  the  national 
capital  for  many  years.  He  died  in  Washington  in  1845.  In  Oc- 
tober, 1812,  William  Winston  Seaton  became  a  partner  with  Gales, 
and  thereafter  the  firm  was  known  as  Gales  and  Seaton.  Seaton 
had  previously  been  an  assistant  editor  in  Richmond,  sole  editor 
of  the  Petersburg  Republican,  and  sole  editor  of  the  North  Carolina 
Journal.  He  was  then  connected  with  the  Raleigh  Register.  The 
Intelligencer  became  the  first  recognized  government  organ  in  the 
United  States.  John  Randolph  was  in  the  habit  of  styling  it  the 
"  Court  Paper."  It  was  the  vigorous  champion  of  Madison's  ad- 
ministration throughout  the  war  of  1812  and '15.  In  the  capture 
of  Washington  by  the  British  the  establishment  was  partly  destroy- 
ed by  the  enemy.  This  event  helped  the  paper  wonderfully  with 
the  people.  It  thence  started  on  a  fresh  and  prosperous  career. 

The  National  Intelligencer  was  the  reporter  of  Congress.  For 
thirteen  years  after  Gales  became  attached  to  the  paper,  and  for 
seven  years  after  Seaton  joined  the  establishment,  they  were  its  only 
reporters.  Gales  had  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father,  and 
had  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  stenography.  Seaton  had 
also  learned  the  art.  One  reported  the  Senate,  the  other  the 
House.  They  gave  only  running  reports  of  the  debates  at  that 
time,  but  on  important  occasions  they  would  take  full  notes  of 


Reporting  the  Debates  in  Congress.  233 

speeches.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  presence  of  Gales,  the  great 
speeches  of  Hayne  and  Webster  in  1830  would  have  been  lost  to 
posterity.  The  original  notes  of  Webster's  speech,  corrected  by 
Webster  himself,  were  retained  by  Gales,  and  are  now  in  possession 
of  his  family.  Most  of  the  annals  of  the  early  Congresses  would 
never  have  been  preserved  but  for  the  efforts  of  the  editors  of  the 
Intelligencer.  The  stenographic  notes  of  the  important  debates, 
those  that  could  not  be  published  at  the  time  of  their  utterance, 
were  filed  for  future  reference  and  use.  There  was  no  public  rec- 
ord of  them.  They  would  have  been  lost,  like  the  early  proceedings 
of  the  British  Parliament,  if  there  had  not  been  later  action  of  Con- 
gress authorizing  Gales  and  Seaton  to  write  up  and  publish  the 
"  Debates  in  Congress."  In  speaking  of  this  action  of  that  body, 
the  Intelligencer  of  September  3,  1853,  said : 

It  may  not  be  very  generally  known  that  the  proprietors  of  the  National  Intel- 
ligencer are  engaged  in  a  work,  under  the  sanction  of  the  government,  which  is  to 
embody  and  preserve  the  already  perishing  history  of  the  earlier  Congresses.  In 
this  undertaking  they  have  thus  far  succeeded,  even  beyond  their  hopes.  In  pros- 
ecution of  the  work  it  has  been  brought  down  to  the  date  of  the  twelfth  Congress. 

What  has  been  the  result  of  this  work  ?  The  Annals  of  Congress. 
With  the  combined  labor,  skill,  and  ability  of  the  Gales,  father  and 
son,  Seaton,  Houston,  Sutton,  Hayes,  and  their  assistants  as  report- 
ers, and  the  files  of  the  Intelligencer  and  Globe,  we  have  the  debates 
of  the  national  Congress  from  its  earliest  days.  So  with  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  industry  and  ca- 
pacity of  James  Madison,  the  important  and  interesting  debates  on 
the  Federal  Constitution  would  have  been  lost  to  the  world.  The 
Convention  had  no  official  reporter.  The  Advertiser,  in  reviewing 
Rives's  Life  of  Madison,  said  : 

Mr.  Madison  imposed  upon  himself  the  arduous  labor  of  keeping  an  exact  rec- 
ord of  everything  said  and  done  in  that  body.  He  chose  a  seat  in  front  of  the 
presiding  officer,  and  noted  in  abbreviations  and  marks  intelligible  to  himself 
what  was  read  from  the  chair  or  spoken  by  the  delegates,  losing  not  a  moment 
between  the  adjournment  and  reassembling  of  the  convention  in  writing  out  his 
notes.  He  was  not  absent  a  single  day, "  nor,"  he  says,  "  more  than  the  casual 
fraction  of  an  hour  in  any  day ;  so  that  I  could  not  have  lost  a  single  speech  un- 
less a  very  short  one."  Mr.  Madison  regarded  these  reports  as  a  sacred  trust  for 
posterity.  He  firmly  withheld  them  from  publication  during  his  lifetime,  while 
any  object  of  contemporary  interest  or  ambition  could  be  served,  intending  that, 
at  his  death,  they  should  pass  into  the  hands  of  the  representatives  of  the  nation, 
which  was  done  ;  and  by  Congress  they  have  been  given  to  the  world.  No  other 
complete  record  of  the  debates  of  that  convention  has  been  preserved.  Judge 
Yates  of  New  York  took  some  crude  and  desultory  notes,  which  have  been  print- 
ed since  his  death ;  but  they  have  little  value.  The  judge  left  the  convention  be- 
fore the  sessions  were  half  completed,  or  its  action  had  begun  to  take  a  definite 
shape.  Besides,  he  had  little  tact  or  experience  in  such  labor.  The  abstract  of 
these  debates  which  Mr.  Rives  has  given  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  study 
of  our  Constitution. 

Of  the  value  of  the  stenographic  notes  of  Gales,  the  Budget  of 


234  Journalism  in  America. 

September,  1853,  relates  the  following  historical  and  interesting 
facts : 

Forty  years  ago,  the  I2th  day  of  January,  John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke,  made  a 
speech  in  Congress.  It  was  one  of  those  long,  powerful,  sarcastic  speeches  for 
which  he  was  so  distinguished.  It  was  on  the  war  question.  On  the  i8th  day 
of  the  preceding  June,  (1812,)  war  had  been  declared  against  Great  Britain.  Con- 
gress adjourned  on  the  6th  of  July,  and  was  called  together  again  on  the  2d  of 
November,  to  adopt  such  measures  as  the  first  brief  campaign  rendered  necessary. 
Among  other  measures  the  military  committee  reported  a  bill  for  raising  an  addi- 
tional army  of  twenty  thousand  men.  A  debate  followed  on  the  bill  in  the  House, 
extending  through  twenty  days,  in  which  many  distinguished  men  took  part,  in- 
cluding Calhoun,  and  Clay,  and  Kent,  and  Lowndes,  and  Macon.  On  the  I2th  of 
January,  John  Randolph  rose  and  blowed  his  bugle  blast  through  the  day,  review- 
ing the  whole  war  subject,  and  the  relations  between  this  country  and  the  powers 
of  Europe.  Like  all  his  speeches,  this  was  extempore.  It  fell  upon  the  ears  of 
his  hearers,  and  then  was  wafted  away  and  lost  in  thin  air.  Beyond  the  mere  an- 
nouncement that  Mr.  Randolph  spoke  upon  the  bill,  the  press  of  the  country  gave 
the  public  no  information,  and  no  one,  save  those  who  heard  the  speech,  knew 
what  he  had  said,  or  ever  expected  to  know.  And  now,  lo  and  behold  !  on  the 
3d  day  of  this  present  month  of  September,  1853,  that  unwritten  speech,  uttered 
forty  years  ago,  appeared  at  full  length,  verbatim,  as  it  was  spoken,  in  the  Nation- 
al Intelligencer,  filling  seven  large,  closely  printed  columns,  in  small  type.  Who, 
at  this  day,  when  the  actors  in  those  scenes  are  sleeping  with  their  fathers — when 
Calhoun,  and  Clay,  and  Kent,  and  Lowndes,  and  Macon,  and  Randolph,  are  all  in 
their  graves,  who  has  wrought  this  literary  miracle  ? 

The  Intelligencer  continued  to  be  the  recognized  organ  of  the  sev- 
eral administrations,  with  a  brief  suspension,  till  the  advent  of  An- 
drew Jackson  in  1828.  It  then  became  the  oracle  of  the  opposition, 
and  was  accepted  as  the  central  organ  of  the  Whig  Party  through 
the  exciting  political  contests  that  followed  the  elevation  of  the  Hero 
of  New  Orleans.  Some  of  its  articles  emanated  from  the  leading 
statesmen  of  that  party.  Webster  and  Clay,  and  even  Calhoun, 
wrote  for  the  Intelligencer.  One  of  the  incidents  in  connection  with 
this  statement  is,  that  Gales,  on  one  occasion,  in  preparing  an  edi- 
torial when  overwhelmed  with  other  duties,  hesitated,  and  could  not 
proceed  to  his  satisfaction.  Webster  came  to  his  mind.  He  sent 
his  unfinished  article  to  that  distinguished  statesman  with  a  short 
note  of  explanation.  It  came  back  grandly  rounded  off  and  com- 
plete. It  was  the  leading  article  of  the  Intelligencer  of  the  next  day. 
Webster  had  an  exalted  opinion  of  its  editors.  He  once  remarked 
to  a  friend,  in  speaking  of  Gales  and  Seaton :  "  Those,  sir,  are  two 
of  the  wisest  and  best  heads  in  this  country ;  as  to  Mr.  Gales,  he 
knows  more  about  the  history  of  this  government  than  all  the  polit- 
ical writers  of  the  day  put  together." 

The  brief  suspension  in  its  organic  position  occurred  while  John 
Quincy  Adams  was  Secretary  of  State  in  Monroe's  cabinet.  Ad- 
ams got  into  a  controversy  with  the  Intelligencer,  and  took  away  the 
public  patronage  from  Gales  and  Seaton,  transferring  it  to  the  Na- 
tional Journal.  This  paper  was  started  in  1822  by  Thomas  L. 
M'Kinney,  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  and  a  great  friend  of  the 


Duff  Green  and  the  United  States  Telegraph.   235 

Red  Men.  He  had  been  Superintendent  of  the  Indian  Trade,  and 
afterwards  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs.  He  was  author 
of  the  "  History  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  North  America."  In  after 
years  he  had  a  quarrel  with  Colonel  Benton,  growing  out  of  a  treaty 
made  by  M'Kinney  with  the  Indians.  In  1825  the  Journal  passed 
to  the  control  of  Peter  Force,  so  well  known  for  his  "  American 
Archives,"  "  National  Calendar,"  and  splendid  library. 

On  the  inauguration  of  General  Jackson  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1829,  the  United  States  Telegraph,  which  had  been  purchased  in  1826 
by  Duff  Green,  became  the  organ  of  the  administration,  but,  accord- 
ing to  Colonel  Benton,  it  was  more  the  organ  of  John  C.  Calhoun, 
the  Vice-President,  than  of  Andrevv  Jackson,  the  President.  Duff 
Green  was  a  warm  personal  and  political  friend  of  Calhoun ;  the 
two  families  were  connected  ;  hence  this  assertion.  Colonel  Benton 
states  that  in  the  winter  of  1830-31,  at  a  presidential  levee,  Green 
invited  Mr.  Duncanson,  the  owner  of  a  large  job  printing-office  in 
Washington,  to  a  private  interview.  There  the  intrigues  of  Van 
Baren  were  detailed,  and  a  rupture,  then  impending  between  Jack- 
son and  Calhoun,  predicted  by  Green,  who  proposed  to  Duncanson 
to  join  the  Calhoun  section,  and  take  charge  of  the  Frankfort  (Ky.) 
Argus  ;  that  the  Democratic  Press  throughout  the  country  would  be 
secured  ;  that  a  correspondence  between  the  President  and  Vice- 
President,  then  in  type  in  the  Telegraph  office,  would  be  published, 
and  Van  Buren  overthrown,  Jackson  set  aside,  and  Calhoun  be  the 
next  President.  This  announcement  startled  Duncanson,  who,  it  ap- 
peared, was  a  firm  political  friend  of  the  President.  He  threatened, 
to  divulge  the  whole  affair  if  Green  attempted  to  carry  it  out ;  but 
Green  was  not  to  be  deterred.  There  was  a  second  interview,  at 
which  Green  informed  Duncanson  that  the  rupture  was  determined 
upon.  Then  Duncanson  caused  the  whole  matter  to  be  laid  before 
Jackson ;  but  the  President  had  suspected  the  movement,  and  had 
made  arrangements  to  meet  the  emergency  whenever  it  came.  While 
this  scheme  was  on  foot  the  Telegraph  was  the  organ  and  advocate  of 
the  administration,  and  in  full  enjoyment  of  government  patronage. 
On  the  eve  of  the  threatened  rupture,  a  copy  of  the  Frankfort  Ar- 
gus, the  very  paper  Duncanson  was  urged  to  take,  containing  "  a 
powerful  and  spirited  review  of  a  certain  nullification  speech  in 
Congress,"  was  shown  to  the  President.  It  pleased  him.  "  Who 
wrote  it  ?"  asked  Jackson.  "  Francis  Preston  Blair."  Blair  was  not 
the  editor  of  the  Argus.  He  was  a  clerk  of  a  court,  a  bank  presi- 
dent, and  an  owner  of  a  small  plantation,  with  a  few  slaves.  He 
was  sent  for.  He  was  devoted  to  Jackson,  and  left  all  these  solid 
realities  and  went  to  Washington,  and  had  an  interview  with  the 
President.  The  Globe  was  the  result. 


236  Journalism  in  America. 

This  is  Colonel  Benton's  statement  in  brief.  But  Duff  Green  de- 
nies it  in  toto,  so  far  as  he  is  concerned.  This  interesting  episode 
in  official  journalism  induces  us  to  give  a  part  of  Green's  statement 
in  his  own  words  : 

STATEMENT   BY  DUFF   GREEN. 

I  had  sustained  Gen.  Jackson  in  1824.  I  was  then  engaged  in  St.  Louis  in  a 
lucrative  professional  career,  which  brought  me  to  Washington  in  the  winter  of 
1824-25.  It  so  happened  that  I  was  a  passenger  on  the  same  boat  with  Gen. 
Jackson  on  the  Ohio,  and  was  earnestly  entreated  by  him  to  remove  to  Washing- 
ton and  become  the  organ  of  his  party.  I  then  declined.  The  reader  must  see, 
however,  that,  thus  solicited,  I  had  stronger  claims  upon  his  friendship  when  I 
afterwards  purchased  the  Telegraph,  and  gave  to  him  a  support  which  contributed, 
as  all  admit,  more  than  any  other  press,  to  build  up  his  popularity  and  influence. 

In  the  canvas  of  1824,  Mr.  Crawford,  Mr.  Clay,  Mr.  Adams,  and  Gen.  Jackson, 
were  candidates.  Mr.  Van  Buren  sustained  Mr.  Crawford,  Mr.  Benton  sustained 
Mr.  Clay.  Mr.  Calhoun  was  the  candidate  for  Vice  President  on  both  the  Adams 
and  the  Jackson  tickets,  and  took  no  part  as  between  them,  but  it  was  well  under- 
stood that  all  his  influence  was  exerted  against  Mr.  Crawford.  In  the  canvas  of 
1828  Mr.  Calhoun  was  the  candidate  for  Vice  President  on  the  Jackson  ticket,  and, 
being  at  the  seat  of  government,  exerted  more  influence  than  any  other  person  in 
the  organization  and  success  of  the  party. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  wished  to  go  to  England,  and  it  was  not  until  that  mission  had 
been  given  to  another,  and  Gen.  Jackson's  election  was  rendered  certain,  that  he 
declared  for  Gen.  Jackson.  He  then  sent  Mr.  Hamilton  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
Hermitage,  who  went  with  Gen.  Jackson  to  New  Orleans,  and  during  that  visit 
was  told  that  Mr.  Crawford  had  written  to  Mr.  Balsh,  of  Nashville,  that  he  and 
his  friends  would  sustain  Jackson  if  he  could  be  assured  that  Jackson's  election 
would  not  benefit  Calhoun.  He  also  heard  that  Crawford  had  written  to  Balsh, 
that  Calhoun,  as  a  member  of  Monroe's  Cabinet,  had  advised  Mr.  Monroe  to  ar- 
rest Gen.  Jackson  for  the  invasion  of  Florida  during  the  Seminole  war.  Hamil- 
ton deemed  this  information  so  important  that  he  travelled  all  the  %vay  to  Geor- 
gia, (and  then  there  were  no  railroads,  and  such  a  journey  was  no  small  matter,) 
to  see  and  consult  Crawford.  Yea,  it  was  so  important  that  Van  Buren  and  Cam- 
breleng  made  the  same  journey. 

Mr.  Van  Buren  was  appointed  Secretary  of  State,  but,  being  Governor  of  New 
York,  he  sent  Mr.  Hamilton  to  Washington  as  Secretary /r0  tern.  The  Cabinet, 
with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Ingham,  were  known  to  be  in  Van  Buren's  interest, 
and  a  combination,  composed  of  influential  office  seekers  favorable  to  his  election 
as  the  successor  of  General  Jackson  at  the  end  of  his  first  term,  was  organized. 
In  one  of  their  consultations  Free  Tom  Moore,  who  was  afterwards  appointed 
Minister  to  Colombia,  told  them  that  he  had  known  me  at  school,  and  that  no  in- 
fluence of  money  or  patronage  could  purchase  my  support.  He  therefore  advised 
that  Kendall,  who  was  then  in  Washington  under  an  engagement  with  me  as  an 
assistant  editor,  should  be  appointed  an  auditor,  with  a  salary  of  $3,000,  with  an 
understanding  that  in  case  I  refused  to  support  Van  Buren,  Kendall  should  estab- 
lish a  paper  for  that  purpose.  This  was  disclosed  to  me  at  the  time,  before  Gen. 
Jackson's  inauguration.  I  immediately  went  to  General  Jackson,  told  him  of  the 
intrigue  to  make  Van  Buren  his  successor,  and  then  proposed  that  he  should  se- 
lect some  one  else  to  be  his  organ,  telling  him  that,  although  I  was  then  the  print- 
er to  both  houses  of  Congress,  I  would  give  place  to  any  person  whom  he  might 
select  who  would  pay  me  the  actual  cost  of  my  types  and  materials,  without  ref- 
erence to  my  own  personal  services,  and  would  return  to  Missouri  and  resume 
my  profession. 

General  Jackson  pledged  himself  to  me  that  the  patronage  of  the  government 
should  not  be  used  to  promote  Van  Buren's  election,  and  declared  that  he  should 
not  remain  in  his  Cabinet  if  he  became  a  candidate.  As  an  earnest  of  his  sin- 
cerity, he  declared  that  one  of  his  first  official  acts  would  be  to  order  that  the 
printing  of  the  State  Department  should  be  done  at  my  office,  and  Mr.  Hamilton, 
under  his  instructions,  did  send  me  the  printing. 

A  few  weeks  after  Mr.  Van  Buren  came  to  Washington  I  met  a  Mr.  Davis,  who 


The  Quarrel  with  General  Jackson.  237 

told  me  that  he  was  to  print  the  laws,  and  was  going  to  purchase  a  press  and  ma- 
terials to  publish  a  paper.  I  went  immediately  to  the  State  Department,  and  told 
Mr.  Van  Buren  what  had  passed  between  General  Jackson  and  myself,  and  that 
upon  the  issue  of  the  first  number  of  Davis's  paper  I  would  denounce  him  and 
his  purpose.  He  endeavored  to  persuade  me  that  the  paper  would  be  an  aux- 
iliary. Failing  to  convince  me  of  this  the  publication  was  abandoned ;  but  in  the 
fall  of  that  year,  and  before  the  first  meeting  of  Congress  after  General  Jackson's 
election,  Van  Buren  was  nominated  for  the  next  term  in  the  New  York  Courier 
and  Enquirer.  I  have  cause  to  believe  that  he  procured  that  nomination  to  be 
made.  He  endeavored  to  persuade  me  to  let  it  pass  without  comment.  I  op- 
posed it,  and  that  opposition  led  to  the  subsequent  rencontre  between  Webb  and 
myself. 

The  temper  manifested  during  the  first  session  of  that  Congress  satisfied  Van 
Buren  that  he  would  not  get  the  nomination  for  that  term.  It  was  not  until  this 
truth  was  forced  upon  him  that  he  and  his  partisans  resolved  to  place  General 
Jackson  again  in  nomination,  and  then  with  a  view  to  create  an  open  rupture  be- 
tween Jackson  and  Calhoun.  Forsyth,  the  known  partisan  of  Van  Buren,  who 
was  afterwards  rewarded  with  the  State  Department,  revived  the  accusation  that 
Calhoun,  as  a  member  of  Monroe's  Cabinet,  had  advised  General  Jackson's  ar- 
rest for  the  invasion  of  Florida,  previously  communicated  to  General  Jackson  by 
Crawford,  through  Balsh,  of  Nashville.  General  Jackson  had  then  refused  to  no- 
tice this  charge,  but  he  now  made  it  the  basis  of  the  hostile  correspondence,  be- 
cause, under  that  feeling,  he  was  persuaded  that  Calhoun  intended  to  become  a 
rival  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  This  brings  me  to  Benton's  declaration  that, 
in  the  winter  of  1830-31,  at  a  Presidential  levee,  I  invited  a  Mr.  Duncanson,  then 
a  job  printer  in  Washington,  to  call  and  see  me,  and  endeavored  to  engage  his  as- 
sistance in  a  scheme  to  prevent  General  Jackson  from  becoming  a  candidate  for 
re-election,  and  to  bring  forward  Mr.  Calhoun  in  his  place. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Benton  charges  that  I  had  a  conversation  with  Duncanson 
in  the  winter  of  1830-31,  and  refers  to  that  conversation  as  furnishing  the  reason 
why  Gen.  Jackson  brought  Blair  to  Washington ;  and  yet  he  admits  that  in  the 
summer  of  1830  "he  knew  what  was  to  happen,  and-qmetly  took  his  measures  to 
meet  an  inevitable  contingency ;"  thus  proving  that  General  Jackson,  having  in 
the  summer  of  1830  resolved  to  assail  Mr.  Calhoun,  found  it  necessary  to  estab- 
lish the  Globe,  and  "  quietly"  made  his  arrangements  with  Blair  before  the  date  of 
the  alleged  conversation  with  Duncanson. 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

So  far  from  coming  to  Washington  because  he  {Blair)  was  so  much  devoted  to 
General  Jackson  and  his  measures  that  he  might  as  editor  of  the  Globe  defend 
them  against  me,  he  came,  professing  friendship  for  Mr.  Calhoun  and  for  me,  avow- 
edly seeking  bread  for  himself  and  family,  not  then  knowing,  as  I  verily  believe, 
the  duty  to  which  he  was  called ;  lior  do  I  believe  that  General  Jackson  then  in- 
tended or  expected  that  he  would  assail  me  as  he  afterwards  did ;  for  it  was  not 
his  interest  to  provoke  the  hostility  of  my  press,  (and  no  one  was  wiser  in  his  way 
than  General  Jackson,)  and,  therefore,  long  after  he  had  established  the  Globe,  he 
sent  his  private  secretary  to  me,  and  through  him  renewed  his  professions  of  friend- 
ship and  confidence.  After  I  had  refused  to  visit  him,  although  thus  invited,  he 
tendered  me  his  hand,  which  I  refused  to  take  in  the  presence  of  his  Cabinet  and 
of  both  houses  of  Congress,  because,  being  convinced  that  he  was  exerting  his  in- 
fluence to  establish  and  sustain  the  Globe,  which  was  then  calumniously  assailing 
me,  I  was  resolved  that  he  and  the  world  should  know  that  there  was  one  press 
which  he  could  not  purchase,  and  one  editor  whom  he  could  not  intimidate,  and 
therefore  I  bade  him  defiance,  well  knowing  that  I  would,  in  consequence,  lose  the 
printing  of  Congress  and  of  the  Departments,  then  worth  $50,000  per  annum. 

After  the  establishment  of  the  Globe,  the  Telegraph  continued  un- 
der the  management  of  Duff  Green,  as  the  special  organ  of  the  Cal- 
houn party,  till  the  fall  of  1835.  The  Washington  Mirror,  which 
had  been  published  some  time  previous  to  1836,  was  merged  with 
the  Telegraph  in  November  of  that  yean  Had  Green  supported 


238  Journalism  in  America. 

General  Jackson  with  the  vigor  and  energy  he  did  Calhoun,  he 
would  have  been  the  organ  of  that  famous  administration,  and 
might  have  become  a  millionaire  in  influence  and  money.  His 
course  has  been  a  remarkable  one  not  only  in  Washington,  but 
wherever  he  appeared.  He  was  a  man  of  impulse,  of  keenness,  of 
ability.  His  ideas  were  large,  and  his  schemes  expansive. 

On  retiring  from  the  Telegraph  Duff  Green  wrote  for  a  paper  call- 
ed the  Reformation.  He  left  that  concern  in  January,  1838.  The 
Chronicle  took  its  place.  Subsequently  Green  made  several  visits 
to  Europe,  engaged  in  a  number  of  extensive  enterprises.  On  one 
of  these  visits  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Henry  WikofT,  since  be- 
come well  known  in  diplomatic  circles  as  the  Chevalier  Wikoff,  and 
one  of  the  remarkable  men  of  the  age ;  the  two  entered  into  ar- 
rangements to  start  a  Free-trade  paper  in  New  York.  It  was  issued 
in  1848,  and  called  the  Republic.  After  a  sky-rocket  existence  it 
failed.  Green  then  returned  to  his  favorite  schemes  of  internal  im- 
provement, and  his  last  public  appearance  was  in  connection  with 
the  Confederate  authorities  in  Richmond.  This  octogenarian  was 
living,  in  April,  1871,  in  Dalton,  Georgia. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  Globe  it  became  a  power  with  the 
government.  It  was  -not  a  member  of  the  regular  cabinet.  It  had 
a  cabinet  of  its  own,  known  as  the  Kitchen  Cabinet.  John  Van 
Buren  once  said  that  the  "old  gentleman,"  meaning  Jackson,  would 
frequently,  on  receiving'  his  daily  budget  of  letters,  many  of  them 
anonymous,  and  full  of  threats  against  his  life,  during  the  intense  ex- 
citement about  the  United  States  Bank,  hand  them  over  to  Blair 
with  the  remark,  "Here,  Blair,  you  take  this  lot.  You  know  what 
to  do  with  them."  Blair  evidently  did  know,  for  the  Globe,  the  next 
day  perhaps,  would  sparkle  and  bristle  with  them  in  one  form  and 
another,  much  to  the  "old  gentleman's."  satisfaction  and  delight. 

Shortly  after  the  establishment  of  the  Globe,  that  colossal  printer 
and  patriot,  John  C.  Rives,  weighing  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds, 
and  standing  nearly  seven  feet  in  his  stockings,  became  the  partner 
of  Blair.  Amos  Kendall,  who  had  left  the  Frankfort  Argus  of  West- 
ern America,  and  had  received  the  appointment  of  Fourth  Auditor 
of  the  Treasury,  was  installed  as  regular  contributor  to  the  paper. 
Henry  A.  Wise,  of  Virginia,  in  his  reminiscences  of  Washington,  thus 
speaks  of  the  services  of  Kendall  at  this  period  of  his  life,  and  after 
General  Jackson  had  taken  possession  of  the  White  House : 

Soon  after  he  was  a  lodger  there,  that  room  was  the  scene  of  his  (General  Jack- 
son's) private  conferences  at  night,  in  which  Amos  Kendall  was  his  chief  scribe, 
and  amanuensis,  to  write  the  broadside  editorials  of  the  Globe  under  his  dictation 
and  instruction,  but  not  with  his  diction.  He  was  a  better  thinker  than  his  scribe, 
his  scribe  a  better  writer  than  he.  He  would  lie  down  and  smoke  and  dictate 
his  ideas  as  well  as  he  could  express  them,  and  Amos  Kendall  would  write  a  par- 


The  Personal  Appearance  of  Blair  and  Rives.  239 

agraph  and  read  it.  That  was  not  the  thing ;  many  times  the  scribe  would  write 
and  rewrite  again  and  again,  and  fail  to  "  fetch  a  compass"  of  the  meaning.  At 
last,  by  alteration  and  correction,  getting  nearer  and  nearer  to  it,  he  would  see  it, 
and  be  himself  astonished  at  its  masterly  power.  General  Jackson  needed  such 
an  amanuensis — intelligent,  learned,  industrious — as  Mr.  Kendall  was.  He  could 
think,  but  could  not  write  ;  he  knew  what  nerve  to  touch,  but  he  was  no  surgeon 
skilled  in  the  instrument  of  dissection.  Kendall  was. 

Neither  Blair  nor  Rives  were  remarkable  for  their  personal  beauty. 
Rives,  a  frank,  blunt  man  in  speech,  used  laughingly  to  say  that  they 
were  "the  ugliest  looking  pair  in  the  country."  On  several  occa- 
sions he  has  related  the  story  of  the  jack-knife  as  originally  applied 
to  him  and  to  Blair.  Once  traveling  on  a  Western  steam-boat,  a 
stranger  came  forward  and  politely  presented  him  with  a  large,  hand- 
some jack-knife.  "What  is  this  for?"  asked  Mr.  Rives.  "I  was 
requested  to  present  it  to  you,"  modestly  replied  the  stranger.  "To 
me  ?  By  whom  and  what  for  ?"  curiously  pressed  Rives.  "  I  would 
prefer  not  to  tell  you,  sir,"  said  the  stranger,  "but  perhaps  my  per- 
sonal appearance  will  best  answer  your  question."  Rives  looked 
more  closely  at  his  new  friend,  and  saw  "the  ugliest  looking  chap  in 
the  country."  The  stranger  then,  with  much  dignity  and  modesty, 
said,  "Sir,  that  knife  was  given  to  me  because  I  was  the  ugliest 
looking  man  in  the  country.  I  Avas  to  keep  it  till  I  discovered  one 
less  handsome  than  I  am.  I  have  owned  it  several  years.  •  I  have 
traveled  much.  I  now  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  it  to  you." 
Rives  accepted  the  knife.  "I  retained  it,"  he  said,  "till  I  came  to 
Washington.  It  now  belongs  to  Blair."  These  two  journalists  were 
not  such  ugly  looking  men,  after  all.  They  were  excellent  public 
characters,  independent,  benevolent,  fearless,  and  energetic. 

One  of  Mr.  Bennett's  amusing  letters  from  Washington,  written 
in  January,  1839,  in  describing  Mr.  Blair,  of  the  Globe,  said  : 

Well  do  I  remember  Major  Noah's  description  of  the  first  appearance  of  Blair, 
and  Kendall,  and  Isaac  Hill  at  Washington.  It  was  called  the  irruption  of  the 
Goths.  "  We  counted,"  said  the  Major,  "  twenty-one  editors,  all  prepared  one 
morning  to  sally  out  and  visit  General  Jackson,  in  February,  1829."  Isaac  Hill 
proposed  that  Noah  should  lead  the  troop.  "No,"  said  Noah,  "I  am  too  fat  and 
in  too  good  condition.  If  Old  Hickory  sees  me,  he  will  think  that  editors  require 
no  office.  Our  deputation  must  be  headed  by  our  worst  looking — the  lean,  the 
halt,  the  blind."  Upon  this  the  Major  put  Blair,  Kendall  and  Hill  at  the  head  of 
the  deputation. 

With  the  simplicity  of  a  tyro  in  journalism,  Blair,  one  day  in  1856, 
during  the  Fremont  campaign,  asked, 

"  How  does  Bennett  manage  the  Herald?  It  is  really  a  wonderful 
paper.  I  don't  see  him  any  where.  He  don't  seem  to  mix  with  the 
politicians,  but  he  appears  to  know  every  thing  that  is  going  on 
around  him." 

"Very  easily,"  answered  the  gentleman  addressed.  "He  knows 
the  wantst  of  the  people.  He  understands  the  politicians  by  expe- 


240  Journalism  in  America.* 

rience  and  instinct.  He  don't  want  any  office.  He  attends  to  his 
business.  He  is  full  of  tact  and  enterprise,  and  knows  how  to  make 
a  good  newspaper." 

"  Ah !"  exclaimed  Blair.  Thus  the  Thunderer  of  the  Globe  learned 
that  it  was  not  as  an  organ  alone  that  a  newspaper  became  success- 
ful and  influential. 

When  the  Globe  came  into  existence  in  December,  1830,  most  of 
the  rich  patronage  of  the  government,  the  public  printing  and  adver- 
tisements, slipped  out  of  the  hands  of  Green,  and  the  Telegraph  was 
compelled  to  rely  upon  the  Calhoun  section  of  the  party  for  its  sup- 
port. All  this  government  patronage  was  enjoyed  by  the  Globe  for 
eleven  years.  It  ceased  to  be  the  organ  of  the  government  on  the 
3d  of  March,  1841.  It  remained  for  a  while  longer  the  chief  organ 
of  its  party. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1841,  the  National  Intelligencer  assumed  its 
old  position  with  the  inauguration  of  William  Henry  Harrison  as 
President.  But  it  was  only  for  a  brief  space  of  time.  The  early 
death  of  Harrison  threw  the  WThig  Party  into  confusion.  On  the  ac- 
cession of  John  Tyler,  with  Webster  in  the  State  Department,  the 
Intelligencer,  with  the  aid  of  the  pen  of  the  Secretary  of  State  and 
other  leaders  of  the  party,  maintained  its  position  as  their  organ  for 
a  short  period,  but  the  bank  vetoes  of  President  Tyler  soon  caused 
a  division.  The  Intelligencer  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  Henry  Clay 
and  the  Whig  Party,  and  a  new  paper,  the  Madisonian,  edited  first 
by  Thomas  Allen,  and  afterward  by  John  Jones,  became  the  organ 
of  the  President.  This  was  in  1842.  This  was  an  era  of  great  po- 
litical excitement  in  Washington.  Some  of  the  friends  of  Mr.  Clay, 
not  feeling  certain  of  the  Intelligencer  with  the  existing  friendship  of 
its  editor  for  Mr.  Webster,  established  a  newspaper  in  the  national 
capital  in  December,  1841.  It  made  an  effort  to  live  without  the 
support  of  Congress  or  any  patronage  from  any  of  the  departments. 
It  was  named  the  Independent,  and  edited  by  Edward  N.  Johnston, 
Joseph  Segar,  and  John  H.  Pleasants,  the  latter  of  whom  was  after- 
wards killed  in  Richmond  by  Thpmas  Ritchie,  Jr. 

The  Presidential  contest  of  1844  opened  with  the  Texas  Ques- 
tion. It  absorbed  all  others.  But  it  seemed  to  have  been  mutually 
agreed  upon  by  Clay  and  Van  Buren,  as  they  were  thought  to  be 
the  two  opposing  candidates,  to  ignore  the  "vital"  question — vital 
to  their  hopes.  Each  wrote  a  letter  in  opposition  to  annexation. 
Events,  however,  crowded  upon  them  too  rapidly.  Van  Buren's  let- 
ter killed  him  at  the  National  Convention,  and  Polk  was  nominated. 
Clay  was  killed  at  the  polls  by  a  defection  of  the  Abolition  Whigs 
and  the  loss  of  New  York  by  a  vote  of  15,000  thrown  for  James  G. 
Birney.  The  electoral  vote  of  that  state  would  have  made  him 


Overthrow  of  the  Globe.  241 

President    James  K.  Polk  thus  became  the  chief  magistrate  of  the 
United  States.     On  the  4th  of  March,  1845,  he  was  inaugurated. 

This  election  changed  the  personnel  ot  the  Democratic  Party.  The 
old  regime  went  out  of  office.  It  was  necessary  to  have  a  new  or- 
gan. There  are  rewards  and  punishments  in  politics,  as  in  schools 
or  elsewhere.  Now  Duff  Green  was  to  have  his  revenge  in  spite 
of  himself.  South  Carolina  was  to  be  pacified,  and  her  electoral 
vote  secured  only  on  condition  that  Blair  and  Rives,  and  all  the 
old  Jackson  and  Van  Buren  elements,  were  removed.  It  was  so  ar- 
ranged and  so  ordained.  The  Nashville  Union  had  been  the  effi- 
cient home  organ  of  the  Polk  wing  of  the  democracy.  The  Globe 
was  wholly  in  the  interest  of  the  Van  Buren  dynasty.  The  Rich- 
mond Enquirer  was  considered  a  safe  paper  by  the  party  just  in- 
dorsed at  the  polls.  It  had  been  instrumental  in  defeating  Van  Bu- 
ren in  the  Convention.  It  was  therefore  deemed  judicious  and  pol- 
itic to  bring  an  editor  from  the  Nashville  Union,  and  another  from 
the  Richmond  Enquirer,  to  Washington,  and  with  them  establish  a 
new  paper  in  the  national  capital.  This  was  done,  and  the  result 
of  this  combination  was  the  Washington  Union,  edited  by  Thomas 
Ritchie  and  John  P.  Heiss,  as  the  recognized  central  organ  of  the 
Polk  administration.  When  the  overthrow  of  the  Globe  was  in  con- 
templation the  reports  produced  an  evil  effect  on  the  party.  It 
aroused  an  opposition  within  the  ranks  of  the  democracy.  It 
aroused  the  Old  Hero  in  his  retreat  at  the  Hermitage,  and  he  wrote 
several  long  letters  to  Mr.  Blair  and  others  on  the  subject.  An- 
nexed are  extracts : 

HERMITAGE,  Dec.  14,  1844. 

*****  Our  mutual  friend,  Gen.  Robert  Armstrong,  spent  a  part  of 
yesterday  with  me,  from  whom  /  confidentially  learned  some  movements  of  some 
of  our  democratic  friends,  not  of  wisdom  but  of  folly,  that  would  at  once  separate 
the  democratic  party  and  destroy  Polk,  and  would  of  course  drive  you  from  the 
support  of  Folk's  administration  and  separate  the  democratic  party.  I  forthwith 
wrote  Col.  Polk  upon  the  subject,  and  am  sure  he  will  view  it  as  I  do,  a  wicked 
and  concerted  movement  for  Mr.  Calhoun's  and  Mr.  Tyler's  political  benefit.  It 
is  this,  to  amalgamate  the  Madisonian  and  what  was  the  Spectator,  and  make  that 
paper  the  organ  of  the  government  to  the  exclusion  of  the  Globe.  I  am  sure  Polk, 
when  he  hears  it,  will  feel  as  indignant  at  the  plot  as  I  do.  I  will  vouch  for  one 
thing,  and  that  is  that  Mr.  Calhoun  will  not  be  one  of  Folk's  cabinet,  nor  any  as- 
pirant to  the  Presidency.  This  is  believed  to  spring  from  Mr.  Rhett's  brain,  in- 
culcated into  the  brain  of  some  of  our  pretended  democratic  politicians  who  want 
to  be  great  men,  but  will  never  reach  that  height. 

********* 

I  am  not  at  liberty  to  name  names,  but  you  will  be  able  by  silent  watchfulness 
to  discover  those  concerned,  because  the  amalgamation  of  the  Madisonian  with 
Mr.  Rhett's  paper  will  be  at  once  attempted  to  be  put  in  operation  to  carry  out 
Mr.  Tyler's  administration,  and  attempt  to  become  the  administration  paper  un- 
der Polk,  and  the  copartnership  between  you  and  Mr.  Ritchie  broached  to  you 
by  some  of  your  friends  and  his.  I  therefore  give  you  this  information  that  you 
may  not  be  taken  by  surprise. 

*  *'*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

ANDREW  JACKSON. 

Q 


242  Journalism  in  America. 

Three  or  four  months  later  he  wrote  the  following  to  Major  Lewis: 

HERMITAGE,  April  8, 1845. 

I  find  that  Mr.  Blair  and  the  President  have  got  into  some  difficulty  about  the 
Globe  (with  Mr.  Blair  as  its  editor)  being  the  executive  organ.  This  is  a  difficulty 
the  President  has  got  into  where  I  can  see  no  result  but  injury  to  him  and  no  jus- 
tifiable cause  on  the  President's  part  for.it.  He  believes  Mr.  Blair  has  become 
unpopular  with  part  of  the  Democracy — he  has  opened  his  ears  to  bad  advisers. 
Mr.  Blair  has  more  popularity  with  the  democratic  members  of  Congress  and  the 
democracy  of  the  United  States  than  any  editor  in  them  —  and  by  the  course 
adopted  (he)  will  disunite  instead  of  uniting  the  democracy. 

Present  me  to  Mr.  Blair,  and  say  to  him  that  I  was  so  sick  yesterday  and  ex- 
hausted writing  to  the  President  that  I  could  not  say  half  what  I  wished,  but  if  I 
have  strength  I  will  soon  write  him  again.  Blair  has  taken  a  proper  stand,  and 
I  know  will  never  suffer  himself  to  lose  character  or  be  degraded.  The  Globe  is 
to  be  bought  by  what  political  clique  and  to  subserve  what  interest  ?  Is  the  ren- 
egade politician  *******  to  have  an  interest  ?  My  opinion  is,  that  when 

the  money  is  wanted  it  will  not  be  forthcoming.     Is  Major  *****  Of , 

to  be  the  purchaser  ?  If  so,  he  is  here  considered  broke,  and  say  to  Blair,  if  he 
sells,  to  have  the  cash,  or  good  security  that  is  known  and  vouched  to  be  good. 
This  difficulty  was  entirely  unexpected  to  me  and  has  vexed  me  sorely. 

Your  Sincere  Friend 

ANDREW  JACKSON. 

The  Globe  of  the  i4th  of  April,  1845,  settled  the  fact  of  organship 
in  the  following  historical  card  : 

The  Globe  office  and  its  appurtenances  passed,  on  Saturday  last,  into  the  hands 
of  Mess.  Ritchie  and  Heiss.  The  Globe  had  its  origin  in  the  will  of  General  Jack- 
son, and  owes  to  him  and  Mr.  Van  Buren,  and  their  political  friends,  the  success 
which  has  attended  it  through  fifteen  years  of  conflict,  closed  by  the  late  triumph 
of  the  democracy,  which  effaced  the  disaster  of  1840.  It  has  been  the  misfortune 
of  the  Globe,  in  sustaining  the  strong  administration  of  Gen.  Jackson,  the  uncom- 
promising administration  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  and  in  opposing  the  abuses  of  Mr. 
Tyler's  administration,  to  make  enemies  of  some  who  united  with  the  democracy 
in  its  last  struggle.  The  interest  of  the  cause  requires  that  all  who  contributed 
to  the  election  of  the  present  Chief  Magistrate  should  continue  to  give  their  sup- 
port. It  is  the  good  fortune  of  the  conductor  of  the  new  official  organ  not  to 
have  offended  any  portion  of  those  whose  adhesion  to  the  party  is  necessary  to 
its  safety  and  success.  We  have  unbounded  confidence  in  the  ability,  integrity, 
and  patriotism  of  the  man  who  is  now  to  preside  over  the  establishment,  and  shall 
consider  ourselves  amply  compensated  for  the  sacrifice  we  are  now  called  on  to 
make,  if  our  anticipations  of  the  continued  union  and  success  of  the  democracy 
shall  be  realized  by  the  official  journal  under  its  new  name  and  new  auspices.  We 
cannot  express  our  gratitude  to  the  democracy,  to  which  we  owe  every  thing. 

F.  P.  BLAIR. 

JOHN  C.  RIVES. 

The  first  number  of  the  Union  was  issued  May  i,  1845.  On  seat- 
ing himself  in  the  official  editorial  chair  Mr.  Ritchie  wrote  these 
lines  : 

And  though  the  editor  of  the  Union  has  not  been  24  hours  in  this  city,  and  is 
about  to  tread  the  boards  of  a  new  and  more  conspicuous  theatre,  without  any  re- 
hearsal of  the  character  he  is  about  to  fill,  yet  he  throws  himself  at  once  upon  the 
generosity  of  his  countrymen.  He  is  unaffectedly  conscious  of  his  own  deficien- 
cies ;  he  has  much  to  learn ;  he  has  a  new  and  more  extensive  alphabet  to  ac- 
quire ;  he  has  new  characters  to  study  and  new  duties  to  perform  ;  he  has  scarce- 
ly twenty  acquaintances  in  the  city :  but  he  will  strive  to  avail  himself  of  all  the 
lights  that  he  can  obtain,  that  he  may  guide  his  new  bark  over  the  wide  ocean 
that  is  spread  before  him.  He  has,  above  all,  to  study  those  great  foreign  rela- 
tions which  are  particularly  confided  by  the  theory  and  the  letter  of  the  constitu- 
tion to  the  guardianship  of  the  Federal  Government.  We  shall  at  least  do  the 


The  Organic  Revolutions.  243 

best  we  can.  Our  opponents  are  pleased  already  to  predict  "  a  splendid  failure"  in 
the  new  enterprise  in  which  we  have  embarked.  It  may  be  so.  "  Man  proposes 
but  Providence  disposes,"  but  if  an  unflagging  zeal  in  the  public  service  can  in 
any  degree  supply  the  place  of  experience  or  of  other  qualifications,  we  shall  not 
be  altogether  wanting  to  the  task  we  have  assumed. 

So  the  Globe,  as  an  organ,  ceased  to  exist ;  and  what  is  the  moral 
of  the  preceding  intrigues,  and  ups  and  downs  of  politicians  and 
newspapers  ?  All  have  their  sequence,  corollary,  and  compensation 
in  subsequent  events : 

i st.  Duff  Green  and  the  United  States  Telegraph,  as  the  organ  of 
the  Calhoun  section  of  the  Democratic  Party,  were  set  aside,  and 
Blair  and  Rives,  with  the  Globe,  were  substituted  as  the  organ  of  the 
Jackson  and  Van  Buren  democracy. 

2d.  Blair  and  Rives,  and  the  Globe,  as  the  organ  of  the  Anti- 
Texas  Van  Buren  democracy,  were  set  aside,  and  Ritchie  and  Heiss, 
with  the  Union,  were  made  the  organ  of  the  Annexation  Calhoun 
democracy  on  the  election  of  James  K.  Polk. 

3d.  The  democracy  of  1844,  with  General  Cass,  were  overthrown 
in  1849  by  the  defection  of  Van  Buren,  resulting  in  the  election  of 
Zachary  Taylor,  and  the  destruction,  in  its  turn,  of  Ritchie  and 
Heiss,  and  the  Union  as  the  organ  of  the  government. 

The  Globe  and  National  Intelligencer  were  organs  par  excellence. 
They  made  their  mark  on  their  age  and  on  politics  in  an  important 
and  exciting  period  of  our  history.  There  are  two  descriptions  of 
the  leading  men  of  these  two  organs  that  are  sufficiently  attractive 
to  insert  in  full.  The  first  was  written  by  Colonel  Claiborne,  and 
is  taken  from  the  New  Orleans  Delta;  the  other  by  John  C.  Rives, 
and  is  an  autobiography.  It  is  taken  from  the  Globe.  Since  the 
sketches  have  appeared,  Gales  and  Seaton,  and  Rives  and  Amos 
Kendall,  have  passed  to 

"  The  undiscover'd  country,  from  whose  bourne 
No  traveler  returns." 

LETTER  FROM  COL.  CLAIBORNE. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE   METROPOLITAN   PRESS. 

PEARLINGTON,  MISSISSIPPI,  May  28,  1856. 

The  following  paragraph  is  going  the  rounds  of  the  newspapers  : 
Just  look  at  the  luck  of  Washington  City  editors.  Gales  has  a  country  seat;  Seaton  has  a 
country  seat ;  Blair  has  Silver  Springs ;  Rives  the  dueling  ground ;  Kendall  has  a  place  near 
town  ;  Major  Heiss  owns  a  fine  place  ;  Mr.  Ritchie  purchased  the  princely  mansion  fronting  La- 
fayette Square  and  the  White  House,  built  by  Corcoran  of  the  firm  of  Corcoran  and  Riggs.  Gen- 
eral Duff  Green  has  a  number  of  places,  including  a  large  interest  in  the  Cumberland  Coal  Mines. 

There  is  some  truth  in  this,  mixed  up  with  a  good  deal  of  varnish ;  but  in  these 
few  lines  the  names  of  the  most  distinguished  men  connected  with  the  press  in 
our  country  are  grouped  together,  and  they  form  too  brilliant  a  galaxy  to  pass  un- 
noticed. 

Mr.  Joseph  Gales,  well  known  for  half  a  century,  as  senior  editor  oftheJVation- 
al  Intelligencer,  is  an  Englishman  by  birth,  nurtured  in  North  Carolina,  and  is  en- 
titled to  be  placed,  every  thing  considered,  at  the  head  of  the  first  class  of  Amer- 
ican editors.  His  career  is  an  instructive  illustration  of  the  vicissitudes  of  party. 
During  the  administrations  of  Madison  and  Monroe,  the  Intelligencer  was  consid- 


244  Journalism  in  America. 

ered,  very  justly,  the  bulwark  of  the  Republican  organization.  It  was  the  staj- 
.wart  advocate  for  war  with  Great  Britain,  and  ably  seconded  Mr.  Clay  in  his  bril- 
liant efforts  on  the  floor  of  Congress  to  maintain  the  honor,  rights,  and  arms  of. 
our  country.  When  the  British  Army  captured  the  seat  of  Government,  they  de- 
stroyed the  office  of  the  Intelligencer  in  revenge.  They  adopted,  it  may  be  pre- 
sumed, the  maxim  of  Napoleon  :  "  A  journalist !"  said  he,  "  that  means  a  grumbler, 
a  censurer,  a  giver  of  advice,  a  regent  of  sovereigns,  a  tutor  of  nations  !  Four 
hostile  newspapers  are  more  to  be  dreaded  than  a  hundred  thousand  bayonets  !" 

And  so  they  burned  the  printing  office  of  Mr.  Gales,  and  cast  his  type  into  the 
streets. 

When  the  great  contest  for  the  presidency  ensued,  during  the  closing  year  of 
Monroe's  administration,  and  Mr.  Adams,  Mr.  Crawford  and  Mr.  Calhoun,  mem- 
bers of  his  Cabinet,  were  candidates,  and  likewise  General  Jackson  and  Mr.  Clay, 
the  Intelligencer  took  its  stand  for  Mr.  Adams,  who,  ever  since  his  secession  from 
the  Federalists  in  1807,  had  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Republican 
party.  During  the  four  years  of  his  administration  the  Intelligencer  was  the  offi- 
cial organ,  and  it  entered  with  great  zeal  into  the  canvas  against  General  Jack- 
son. It  subsequently  signalised  itself  by  a  steady  and  able  support  of  Mr.  Clay, 
adhering,  it  must  be  conceded,  in  all  these  stages,  to  the  same  great  principles  it 
supported — and  the  Republicans  supported — during  the  presidency  of  Monroe. 
It  is  certainly  entitled  to  the  merit  of  consistency,  and  there  is  no  leading  press, 
in  either  hemisphere,  conducted  with  the  same  dignity,  forbearance,  and  decorum. 
In  this  respect  it  is  a  model  to  the  newspaper  world,  while  in  point  of  ability  it 
stands  in  the  highest  rank.  Mr.  Gales  is  now  long  past  the  meridian  of  life.  He 
is  a  living  political  autobiography,  having  known  intimately  the  statesmen,  the 
diplomatists,  the  belles,  and  the  intrigues  of  three  generations.  What  amusing 
memoirs  he  might  write  !  He  is  generous  and  hospitable  to  a  fault.  A  profess- 
ed epicure,  and  fond  of  a  rich  cellar,  the  pleasures  of  the  table,  and  the  facility 
with  which  his  purse  opens  to  every  application,  have  always  kept  him  compara- 
tively poor.  If  he  has  a  country  seat  I  never  discovered  it ;  but  his  table  is  one 
of  the  most  recherche  and  hospitable  in  the  city,  enlivened  by  his  anecdotes  and 
wit,  and  graced  by  one  of  the  most  accomplished  of  her  sex. 

Mr.  Seaton  is  the  junior  editor,  and  late  Mayor  of  Washington — an  agreeable 
gentleman,  of  great  public  spirit,  and  fine  colloquial  powers — a  man  of  business, 
and  thrifty  in  his  circumstances. 

Francis  P.  Blair,  better  known  as  "  Blair  of  the  Globe"  commenced  his  career 
as  an  editor  at  Frankfort,  Kentucky.  Amos  Kendall  was  at  one  time  his  asso- 
ciate. Originally  friendly  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  connected  with  him  by  marriage,  he 
subsequently,  with  the  great  body  of  what  was  then  called  the  New  Court  Party 
in  Kentucky,  attached  himself  to  General  Jackson,  and  followed  the  fortunes  of 
that  great  man  to  Washington,  where  he  established  the  Globe.  It  speedily  be- 
came the  national  organ  of  the  Democratic  party  and  a  prevailing  influence  at  the 
White  House.  It  maintained  its  ascendency  (notwithstanding  occasional  and  vi- 
olent opposition  in  the  Democratic  ranks)  to  the  close  of  the  next  Administration. 
Mr.  Blair  was  constantly  consulted  by  both  Jackson  and  Van  Buren.  It  is  certain 
he  never  betrayed  them,  though  he  had  been  charged  with  treachery  to  Mr.  Clay. 
His  paper  was  ultra  from  the  outset,  and  gradually  became  radical,  never  exhibit- 
ing, at  any  crisis,  the  slightest  hesitation  or  timidity.  It  never  went  for  half-way 
measures.  Its  tone  was  bold,  dogmatical,  and  defiant.  Its  denunciations  savage 
and  ferocious.  Its  sarcasms  bit  like  vipers,  and  friends  and  foes  alike  dreaded  its 
fangs.  As  a  partisan  journal  it  was  conducted  with  eminent  ability,  and  with  rare 
fidelity  and  courage.  It  never  betrayed  its  party,  or  was  ungrateful  to  its  friends. 
On  the  opposition  it  made  indiscriminate  war — it  charged  at  the  point  of  bayonet, 
and  neither  submission  nor  flight  arrested  its  merciless  tomahawk.  I  remember 
but  one  exception — it  was  always  tender  to  Mr.  Crittenden,  even  when  flaying 
alive  his  bosom  friends. 

Mr.  Blair  is  considered  a  remarkable  ugly  man.  I  think  otherwise.  His  feat- 
ures are  hard,  indeed,  but  his  countenance  evinces  benevolence  ;  nor  does  it  be- 
lie him.  His  manners  are  bland — his  temper  mild ;  and  one  would  never  sup- 
pose that  he  could  indite  the  terrible  invectives  that  daily  emanated  from  his  pro- 
lific and  vigorous  pen.  It  was  a  volcano  constantly  in  eruption,  blazing,  burning, 
overwhelming  with  its  lava  floods  all  that  ventured  to  withstand  it.  Mr.  Blair 


Recollections  of  Washington  Editors.         245 

wrote  with  singular  facility.  His  most  powerful  leaders  were  jotted  down  upon 
his  knee,  in  the  office,  on  scraps  of  paper,  and  passed  immediately  to  the  composi- 
tor— mental  daguerreotypes  leaping  from  a  brain  of  prodigious  energy. 

During  his  residence  in  Washington  he  accumulated  a  handsome  fortune.  He 
lived  in  elegant  style  ;  and  his  mansion,  consecrated  and  adorned  by  household 
divinities,  whom  to  see  was  to  worship,  was  constantly  crowded  with  distinguish- 
ed guests.  He  has,  for  several  years,  been  enjoying  the  otium  cum  dignitate  in  a 
beautiful  retreat  near  the  metropolis,  but  I  am  sorry  to  perceive  has  returned  to 
political  life,  and  is  wandering  after  false  gods,  forsaking  the  faith  of  the  fathers, 
and  trampling  into  the  dtist  its  holy  emblems. 

If  the  Globe  owed  its  reputation  to  Mr.  Blair,  he  is  mainly  indebted  for  his  for- 
tune to  the  indomitable  energy  and  financial  talent  of  his  partner,  Mr.  John  C. 
Rives,  who  was  charged  with  the  business  concerns  of  their  extensive  establish- 
ment. Mr.  Rives  is  a  huge,  burly  figure,  from  Franklin,  the  roughest  county  in 
Virginia.  He  has  a  strong  and  masculine  matter-of-fact  mind,  a  shaggy  exterior, 
and  very  brusque  manners.  Many  of  your  Mississippi  readers  remember  the  late 
Robert  Cook,  of  Lexington,  Holmes  County,  Adjutant  General  of  the  state — an 
ungainly,  rough-hewn,  awkward  man,  of  noble  heart.  He  and  Rives  were  cous- 
ins, and  much  alike,  except  that  Cook  was  an  Apollo  compared  with  Rives.  He 
is  one  of  the  shrewdest  of  men.  His  mind  was  originally  purely  arithmetical ; 
but  the  printing  office,  the  best  school  in  the  world,  poured  its  radiance  into  it, 
and  if  he  does  not  adorn  every  thing  that  he  touches,  he  has  the  gift  of  Midas,  and 
turns  things  into  gold.  He  made  a  large  fortune  out  of  the  old  Globe  establish- 
ment, and  still  coins  money  out  of  the  Congressional  Globe.  He  never  made  but 
one  failure  ;  that  was,  when  he  bought  the  Bladensburg  duelling  -  ground,  where 
Decatur  fell,  and  turned  gentleman  farmer.  In  his  office  he  is  a  colossus,  but  on 
his  farm  he  was  like  Mr.  Thomas  Affleck,  of"  our  diggins"  and  other  agricultural 
quacks,  a  mere  theorist,  with  the  shabbiest  stock,  the  meanest  fences,  and  the 
poorest  crops  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Rives  is  a  man  of  warm  and  humane  heart.  Merit  in  misfortune  finds  in 
him  a  steady  friend.  He  is  one  of  the  few  rich  men  I  know  who  recur  with  pride 
to  their  former  poverty ;  and  it  is  his  boast  that,  after  he  acquired  wealth,  and 
was  looking  around  for  a  wife,  he  chose  one  from  the  bindery  of  his  own  office, 
where  sixty  young  females  were  employed ;  and  well  may  he  boast,  for,  with  char- 
acteristic good  sense,  he  selected  one  whose  grace,  beauty,  and  virtue  would  orna- 
ment and  honor  the  most  elevated  sphere. 

The  career  of  Amos  Kendall  is  so  well  known  I  shall  merely  glance  at  it.  The 
son  of  a  plain  farmer — a  hard-working  student  at  a  New  England  College — tutor 
in  the  family  of  Mr.  Clay — a  party  editor  in  Kentucky — Postmaster-General  and 
biographer  of  Andrew  Jackson — chief-director  of  the  National  Telegraph — now 
quietly  composing  memoirs  of  his  times  for  posthumous  publication.  He  is  uni- 
versally known  for  his  talents  as  a  writer,  his  capacity  or  organization  and  details, 
his  unconquerable  industry  and  ability  to  labor.  When  I  first  saw  him,  he  had 
a  whooping  voice,  an  asthmatic  cough,  with  a  stooping  frame,  and  a  phthisicy  phys- 
iognomy, reminding  one  of  Madame  Roland's  description  of  the  great  war  Min- 
ister, Louvet,  "  ill-looking,  weakly,  near  sighted,  and  slovenly — a  mere  nobody  to 
.  the  crowd."  Yet  this  little  whiffet  of  a  man,  whom  the  Hoosiers  would  not  call 
even  an  "  individual,"  nothing  more  than  a  "  remote  circumstance,"  was  the  At- 
las that  bore  upon  his  shoulders  the  weight  of  Jackson's  Administration.  He 
originated,  or  was  consulted  in  advance  upon,  every  great  measure ;  and  what  the 
prompt  decision  and  indomitable  will  of  the  illustrious  Chief  resolved  upon,  the 
subtle  and  discriminating  intellect  of  Kendall  elaborated,  and  upheld.  His  style 
is  both  logical  and  eloquent.  He  is,  besides,  a  man  of  dates  and  figures — one  of 
those  persons  whose  provoking  exactitude  so  often  upsets  theories  with  a  plain 
statement.  Tristam  Burgess  of  Rhode  Island — one  of  the  few  men  that  ever  en- 
countered John  Randolph  successfully — being  once  thus  put  down  by  Kendall, 
said,  "  It  was  very  unbecoming  in  a.  fact  to  rise  up  in  opposition  to  his  theory.'1'' 

No  man,  morally,  has  been  more  variously  estimated  than  this  gentleman.  Mr. 
Clay  told  me  that  he  reminded  him  of  Marechal  Villars,  whom  St.  Simons,  in  his 
memoirs,  describes  as  having  but  one  virtue — he  was  faithful  to  his  friend.  To 
serve  him  there  was  no  depth  of  servility  or  baseness  to  which  he  would  not  de- 
scend— but  that  friend  was  himself! 


246  Joiirnalism  in  America. 

We  must  excuse  his  brutality,  said  S.  S.  Prentiss  to  me.  A  man  who  lives  on 
the  rack  of  his  own  horrible  temper,  eaten  up  with  remorse,  and  suffering  the  pangs 
of  a  perpetual  indigestion,  cannot  be  expected  to  be  much  more  than  a  beast. 

His  enemies  allege  that  he  was,  like  Swift,  the  greatest  libeller  of  the  day,  and 
possessed  all  the  qualifications  it  requires — a  vindictive  temper — no  admiration 
of  noble  qualities — no  sympathy  with  suffering — no  conscience  ;  but  a  clear  head 
— a  cold  heart — a  biting  wit — a  sarcastic  humor — a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
baser  parts  of  human  nature,  and  a  perfect  familiarity  with  everything  that  is  low 
in  language,  and  vulgar  in  society. 

These,  however,  are  extreme  opinions.  Many  who  know  Mr.  Kendall  intimate- 
ly attribute  to  him  the  most  exalted  public  and  private  virtue,  and  great  generosity 
of  heart.  That  he  has  an  appreciation  of  the  noble  and  illustrious  is  demonstrated 
by  his  ardent  attachment  and  unwavering  fidelity  to  General  Jackson.  That  he 
has  great  moral  courage  is  evident  from  the  fact  that,  in  no  emergency,  was  he 
ever  known  to  retreat ;  but  stood,  like  a  savage,  with  his  spear  in  his  hand,  and  his 
bow  and  quiver  at  his  back.  We  must  make  allowances  for  cotemporary  praise 
— and  censure.  Men  and  parties  are  not  so  formed  that  there  are  only  gods  on 
one  side,  and  only  devils  on  the  other. 

Mr.  Kendall  was  once  embarrassed  in  his  circumstances,  but  was  relieved  by 
fortunate  investments  in  Western  lands.     He  has  a  country  seat  near  Washing- 
ton, but  when  I  saw  it  many  years  since,  it  was  a  skeleton  farm,  and,  like  himself, 
meagre  and  emaciated.     Like  his  friend  and  co-laborer,  the  Hon.  Thomas  K. 
Benton,  he  is  now  devoting  himself  to  literary  labors  for  posterity ;  and  by  those 
labors  posterity  will  pass  judgment  upon  his  life  and  character.     At  present  the 
opinion  of  the  world  in  regard  to  him  is  conflicting,  and  may  be  summed  up  thus  : 
"  Too  bad  for  a  blessing — too  good  for  a  curse, 
I  wish,  from  my  soul,  thou  wert  better — or  worse  !" 

These  recollections  of  the  leading  journalists  of  Washington,  so 
interesting  in  details,  brought  out  more  facts  in  regard  to  the  edit- 
ors and  publishers  of  General  Jackson's  time  from  the  pen  of  John 
C.  Rives.  These  facts,  related  with  great  candor  and  simplicity,  we 
give  in  extenso. 

JOHN    C.   RIVES'S    AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

CONDUCTORS  OF  WASHINGTON   NEWSPAPERS. 
[From  the  Washington  Globe,  June  23,  1856.] 

The  "  Sunday  Delta,"  printed  in  New  Orleans,  publishes  an  article  under  the 
head  of  "  Recollections  of  the  Metropolitan  Press"  which  attempts,  and  we  think 
with  much  success,  to  portray  the  characters  of  five  persons  who  have  been  con- 
ductors of  the  Washington  Press,  namely :  Joseph  Gales,  William  W.  Seaton, 
Amos  Kendall,  Francis  P.  Blair,  and  the  public's  humble  servant,  John  C.  Rives. 
The  article,  it  is  said, — indeed  it  is  so  said  at  the  head  of  it, — was  written  by  Col- 
onel Claiborne,  formerly  a  member  of  Congress,  from  Mississippi,  and  who,  in  that 
day,  was  considered  a  man  very  capable  of  so  mixing  facts  and  factions  together . 
as  to  make  the  compound  very  palatable.  We  think  he  has  drawn  the  charac- 
ters of  these  gentlemen  remarkably  well,  so  well  that  we  would  readily  recognize 
who  sat  for  them  without  the  mention  of  their  names.  He  was  intimate  with  all 
of  them,  and  being  an  excellent  writer  withal,  is  well  fitted  to  draw  life-like  por- 
traits of  them  at  length. 

As  Congress  is  attending  to  conventions,  and  we  need  copy  to  fill  the  Globe, 
we  will  amuse  ourselves,  if  not  our  readers,  by  throwjng  some  lights  and  shades 
on  the  minor  points  of  Colonel  Claiborne's  pictures.  His  portraits  at  length  will 
be  hung  under,  or  on,  a  column  by  the  side  of  this  touching  off,  that  the  reader 
may  see  the  alterations  and  additions  made  by  us. 

Joseph  Gales,  William  W.  Seaton,  and  John  C.  Rives,  are  still  in  the  printing 
line,  and  are  likely  to  remain  there  as  long  as  they  live.  The  other  two,  Amos 
Kendall  and  Francis  P.  Blair,  have  gone  off  on  other  lines — the  former  on  the  tel- 
egraph line,  as  a  conductor,  or  non-conductor,  we  know  not  which  ;  and  the  latter 
into  the  Free-Soil  line,  whilom  called  the  "  underground  railroad"  line.  Well, 


The  Autobiography  of  John  C.  Rives.         247 

that  is  their  business,  and  no  person  has  a  right  to  object,  so  long  as  they  do  not 
invade  public  or  private  rights.  If  they  think  their  new  avocations,  or  vocations 
— we  are  in  doubt  which  is  the  more  appropriate  word,  and  therefore  have  writ- 
ten both  to  let  our  readers  choose — more  lucrative,  more  honorable,  or  more  easy, 
than  lying  for  the  instruction  and  amusement  of  non-paying  subscribers,  it  was 
due  to  themselves,  to  their  families,  and,  perhaps,  to  the  public,  that  they  should 
change  their  old,  and  engage  in  new  pursuits.  Every  man  to  his  liking — there  is 
no  disputing  on  points  of  taste.  We  know,  of  course,  how  to  render  these  apt 
sayings  into  Latin ;  or  rather,  how  others  have  done  it ;  but,  as  our  character  for 
learning  is  established,  we  will  not  inflict  a  dead  language  on  our  living,  sensible 
readers. 

So  much  by  way  of  preface ;  now  for  using  our  paint  of  all  colors,  but  no  var- 
nish to  gloss  it  over.  In  fact,  we  have  none  of  the  latter  on  hand,  and  never  had. 

Joseph  Gales  is  the  first  on  the  canvas — perhaps  it  would  have  been  more  ap- 
propriate to  have  written  in  this  canvass,  and  pass  sentence,  or  give  our  opinions 
on  both  the  outer  and  inner  man  we  are  about  to  examine.  There  is  a  small  mis- 
take in  the  second  line.  He  is  not  the  "senior  editor"  of  the  National  Intelligen- 
cer. His  name  stands  first  at  the  head  of  the  paper,  but  Seaton  is  his  senior  by 
a  year  or  two — not  more.  Gales  looks  older ;  owing,  probably,  to  his  having 
burnt  more  of  the  "midnight  oil,"  and  lived  less  in  the  field  than  Seaton.  We 
subscribe  to  every  word  said  of  Gales,  from  the  second  line,  which  we  have  cor- 
rected, down  to  the  last  sentence,  which  doubts  of  his  having  a  country  residence. 
He  has  had  one  during  the  last  fifteen  years,  to  our  certain  knowledge,  for  we 
were  there  and  fared  there,  that  long  ago.  He  usually  lives  there  in  the  summer, 
and  in  this  city  in  the  winter.  His  country  residence  is  about  two  miles  from  his 
office,  in  a  dense  forest — for  this  section — and  is  named  Eckington,  the  name  of 
his  birth-place  in  England,  we  believe.  We  have  never  seen  any  of  its  products 
in  market,  when  we  have  been  there  purchasing  produce  for  our  farm  ;  but  have 
heard,  and  believe  the  report,  that  all  his  poor  neighbors  about  it,  are  well  to  live 
off  it — in  plain  language,  he  pays  them  for  cultivating  it,  and  gives  them  about  all 
they  raise  on  it. 

The  next  person  in  the  group  is  William  W.  Seaton,  the  Senior-junior  editor 
of  the  Intelligencer,  who  stands  first  in  years  and  last  in  the  firm.  Only  four  lines 
of  the  sketch  are  devoted  to  him  ;  but  there  is  a  good  deal  of  him — much  more 
than  the  distant  public  know.  He  is  a  ready  and  a  very  clear  writer.  Most  of 
the  editorial  matter  that  now  appears  in  the  Intelligencer  is  either  written  or  re- 
vised by  him.  He  has  probably  written  more  for  the  paper  during  the  last  twen- 
ty years  than  Gales ;  and  yet  the  latter  has  been  credited  for  all  of  it,  for  no  other 
reason,  we  believe,  than  because  his  name  is  first  mentioned  in  the  firm.  If  he 
excels  Seaton,  it  is  mainly  in  this  :  Gales  writes  on  but  few  subjects,  and  makes 
his  articles  short, believing  in  the  maxim  "the  least  said  the  soonest  mended." 
Blair  used  to  complain  that  the  political  articles  in  the  Intelligencer  were  so  short 
that  he  could  not  get  a  hold  on  them. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  the  name  first  mentioned  in  a  newspaper  firm  is 
that  of  the  man  who  possesses  all  the  talent  for  writing,  and  the  second  one  is 
nothing  more  than  a  "scissors  editor,"  to  clip  stories  and  scraps  from  other  papers 
to  fill  it  up,  and  to  run  to  collect  money  to  pay  off.  That,  we  regret  to  say,  was 
the  almost  universal  belief  of  the  public  in  regard  to  the  Globe,  when  the  names 
of  Francis  P.  Blair  and  John  C.  Rives  floated  at  its  head  ;  and  as  a  true  chronicler, 
we  are  bound  to  admit  that  the  public  were  not  far  wrong  in  attributing  the  lead- 
ing articles  to  Blair.  We  wrote  on  minor  subjects,  when  Blair  was  too  lazy  to 
write  on  large  ones,  wnich  was  often  the  case.  When  he  was  absent  we  some- 
times essayed  to  grasp  and  lay  open  large  subjects ;  and  Blair  got  credit  for  writ- 
ing them,  though  the  style  of  the  articles  was  not  creditable.  But  the  discerning 
public,  said  to  be  far-seeing,  and  always  right  in  the  end,  did  not  then,  and  proba- 
bly never  will,  see  their  deformity.  We  always  took  care  not  to  write  about  the 
tariff,  because  we  entertained  notions  about  it  not  in  the  least  similar  to  those  of 
any  person  that  ever  wrote  on  that  subject.  Our  machinery  for  collecting  duties 
on  imports  would  be  very  simple,  and  the  working  of  it  very  economical.  It  would 
be  to  take,  in  kind,  one  sixth — sixteen  and  two  thirds  per  cent. — of  all  the  goods 
imported,  and  sell  them  on  the  wharf  at  auction,  for  cash,  taking  care  to  sample 
all  the  liquors,  to  be  sure  that  all  were  alike,  and  if  any  were  better  than  others, 


248  Journalism  in  America. 

invoiced  at  the  same  price,  to  take  the  best  for  the  Government !  By  this  mode 
of  collecting  the  revenue  arising  from  importations,  the  services  of  nineteen-twen- 
tieths  of  custom-house  officers  in  the  large  cities  could  be  dispensed  with,  and  the 
expenses  of  collection  would  not  exceed  five  hundred  dollars,  instead  of  about  six 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  a  day,  now  paid  under  the  present  system. 

We  have  digressed,  and  now  return  to  Mr.  Seaton,  and  will  finish  his  picture 
by  saying  of  him  that  he  is,  in  our  opinion,  a  good  writer,  a  good  speaker,  a  good 
companion  in  good  company,  and  what  would  be  termed  a  good  fellow  in  any 
crowd. 

Now  we  come  to  Amos  Kendall — lean  and  gaunt,  (though  there  is  a  great  deal 
in  him) — to  whom  his  Delta  biographer  has  ascribed  two  characters — one  very 
good,  the  other  extremely  bad.  No  person,  we  suppose,  who  knows  Mr.  Kendall, 
doubts  his  ability  and  capability  as  a  writer ;  but  nearly  all  who  knew  General 
Jackson  will  doubt  whether  Kendall  was,  as  the  biographer  says,  "  the  Atlas  that 
bore  upon  his  shoulders  the  weight  of  Jackson's  administration,"  and  "  elaborated 
and  upheld"  it.  We  do  not  doubt — we  know  that  he  was  not.  General  Jackson 
bore  all  his  measures  and  all  his  men  on  his  own  shoulders.  We  should  like  to 
know — no,  we  should  like  to  be  told  by  any  man  of  weight,  so  that  we  might  con- 
fute him — who  but  Jackson  took  upon  himself  the  veto  of  the  bill  rechartering  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States ;  the  removal  of  the  Government  deposits  from  it ; 
the  "specie  circular  ;"  the  coercion  of  the  payment  of  the  French  indemnity,  &c., 
&c. ;  or  who,  of  his  Cabinet,  or  outside  advisers,  assisted  him  to  shoulder  them, 
or  supported  him  when  he  walked  off  with  them  as  easily  as  would  an  elephant 
with  a  mouse  upon  his  back  ;  or  who  even  claimed  to  follow  in  his  footsteps,  until 
after  he  had  fought  and  conquered  ?  Again  :  who  "elaborated"  his  messages  on 
those  subjects  ?  We  have  had  as  favorable  opportunities  for  knowing  who  "  elabo- 
rated" his  messages  as  any  man,  and  saw  but  two  foot-prints  in  them  ;  one  was 
these  words  interlined  in  the  handwriting  of  Amos  Kendall :  "  The  blessings  of 
Government,  like  the  dews  of  heaven,  should  descend  on  all  alike ;"  and  the  other 
was  :  "We  will  ask  for  nothing  but  what  is  right,  and  submit  to  nothing  that  is 
wrong."  These  may  not  be  the  very  words,  but  we  are  sure  that  we  have  given 
the  sentiments.  Mr.  Blair  has  told  me  that  Mr.  Van  Buren  informed  him  that  he 
interlined  the  last  words  quoted  ;  but  that  they  belonged  to  General  Jackson,  as 
he  had  first  used  them  in  speaking  to  his  Cabinet. 

We  now  recollect  that  three  manuscript  pages  of  General  Jackson's  special 
message  to  Congress,  dated  the  I5th  January,  1836,  relating  to  our  difference  with 
France,  in  regard  to  the  indemnity  due  to  the  United  States,  were  in  the  hand- 
writing of  B.  F.  Butler,  then  Attorney  General  of  the  United  States.  The  three 
pages  were  written  on  letter  paper,  in  a  large  running  hand,  the  lines  wide  apart, 
and  did  not  make  more  than  about  four  hundred  words.  Mr.  Butler  told  us  last 
winter  that  they  were  written  at  the  request,  or  by  the  direction  of  General  Jack- 
son ;  and  we  think  he  added,  on  a  point  of  law — perhaps  the  maritime  law  in  re- 
gard to  reprisals. 

The  Cabinet  attempted  to  alter  General  Jackson's  annual  message,  delivered 
the  8th  of  December,  1835,  wherein  he  treated  of  this  subject  of  the  French  in- 
demnity ;  and  while  we  were  waiting  for  the  copy,  General  Jackson  heard  Major 
Donelson,  his  Private  Secretary,  read  the  alteration  and  ordered  him  to  strike  it 
out — every  word  of  it,  and  put  back  what  he  himself  had  written,  and  added  that 
we  must  wait  for  the  alteration  of  the  three  copies — one  for  each  branch  of  Con- 
gress, and  the  rough  draft  from  which  we  were  to  print — although  it  was  then  past 
ten  o'clock  Sunday  night,  and  Congress  was  to  meet  the  next  day,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
m.  We  have  filed  away,  so  carefully  that  we  cannot  find  it,  both  the  original  and 
the  alteration  ;  and  if  they  should  ever  be  found  by  posterity,  it  will  not  be  believed 
that  they  are  on  the  same  subject.  According  to  our  recollection,  the  Cabinet 
struck  out  only  seven  or  eight  lines  written  by  General  Jackson,  and  substituted 
about  forty  of  their  own  ;  and  the  difference  between  those  stricken  out  and  those 
inserted  was  greater  than,  say — chalk  and  cheese,  not  having  time  to  select  the 
names  of  articles  more  dissimilar.  The  following,  it  is  believed,  are  the  words 
which  the  Cabinet  struck  out ;  if  not,  they  are  certainly  in  the  same  short  para- 
graph in  which  nearly  all  the  words  are  "of  the  same  sort :" 

"  The  honor  of  my  country  shall  never  be  stained  by  an  apology  from  me,  for  the  statement  of 
truth  and  the  performance  of  duty ;  nor  can  I  give  any  explanation  of  my  official  acts,  except  such 


Recollections  of  General  Jackson.  249 

as  is  due  to  integrity  and  justice,  and  consistent  with  the  principle  on  which  our  institutions  have 
been  framed." 

These  are  what  we  would  term  "words  with  the  bark  on."  When  shall  we 
have  another  such  man  ?  Never  !  never!  !  And  we  will  add,  we  hope  our  country 
may  never  have  another  occasion  that  will  require  the  services  of  such  a  one. 
We  believe,  religiously  and  firmly,  that  no  man  ever  lived,  not  excepting  General 
Washington,  who  would  have  stemmed  the  current  and  buffeted  the  waves  of  cor- 
ruption as  General  Jackson  did  for  years,  without  a  canoe  putting  out  to  render 
him  assistance.  He  never  once  called  for  help,  but  said  to  Henry  A.  Wise  and 
Bailie  Peyton,  bold  men,  who  called  on  him  to  give  him  some  advice,  after  hear- 
ing them  patiently  :  "  If  you  can't  go  with  me,  go  away  and  let  me  alone  ;"  and 
they  straightway  went  away.  Mr.  Wise  told  us  last  summer  he  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  General  Jackson  was  the  greatest  man  that  ever  lived. 

When  writing  the  above  about  General  Jackson's  messages,  we  did  not  recollect 
his  famous  proclamation,  published  in  December,  1832,  at  the  time  of  the  troubles 
between  the  Federal  Government  and  South  Carolina.  It  may  be  well  to  state 
here,  as  the  public  seem  to  know  but  little  on  that  subject,  that  General  Jackson 
wrote  it — at  least  the  outlines — and  sent  it  to  Mr.  Livingston,  then  Secretary  of 
State,  to  read,  and  make  such  alterations  as  he  thought  proper,  and  then  return 
it  to  him.  Mr.  Livingston  added  a  good  deal  to  it.  By  the  time  it  got  back  to 
General  Jackson,  the  public  got  wind  of  it,  and  became  very  much  excited  ;  and 
while  he  was  reading  it,  many  leading  men  of  the  South  came  in  upon  him  rather 
abruptly,  and  wanted  to  hear  what  was  in  it.  He  then  handed  it  to  Mr.  Blair, 
who  was  present,  and  said  to  him  in  substance  :  "  Here,  Mr.  Blair,  take  it  and 
print  it ;  there  is  much  in  it  that  I  do  not  like,  but  print  it  as  it  is  ;  I  will  not  be 
annoyed  about  it."  Before  it  was  put  to  press,  a  crowd  besieged  the  Globe  office, 
and  the  doors  were  barred  to  keep  them  out.  About  fifteen  hundred  of  the  first 
copies  printed  were  thrown  out  of  the  windows  to  get  clear  of  the  crowd.  Mr. 
Blair  heard  General  Jackson  express  his  opinions  freely  and  fully  about  the  proc- 
lamation ;  and  two  or  three  weeks  after  it  was  printed,  he  wrote,  and  published 
in  the  Globe,  early  in  January,  1833,  an  article  explaining  it,  which  General  Jack- 
son approved.  Our  impression  is,  that  he  saw  the  article  before  it  appeared  in 
the  Globe.  We  were  so  well  convinced  that  the  article  reflected  General  Jack- 
son's sentiments,  and  met  his  approbation,  that  we  inclosed  it  hi  the  proclamation, 
which,  together  with  all  General  Jackson's  messages,  is  in  the  corner-stone  of 
Jackson  Hall. 

General  Jackson  consulted  with  his  friends  as  frequently  and  as  fully  as  any 
other  President  ever  did,  before  he  undertook  any  measure  of  great  moment,  and 
heard  their  opinions  patiently,  whether  they  coincided  with  his  own  or  not ;  but 
if,  after  hearing  them,  he  was  "  of  the  same  opinion  still,"  as  he  usually,  if  not  in- 
variably, was,  then  it  was  useless  to  talk  to  him — he  was  inflexible  and  immovable. 
We  believe  he  consulted  with  Mr.  Kendall  as  much  as  he  did  with  any  other  man, 
until  December,  1830,  when  Blair  came  first  here  to  reside.  After  that,  we  think 
he  consulted  chiefly  with  Blair.  He  advised  with  Benton,  more  than  with  any 
other,  about  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  ;  they  were  often  together  in  the  dead 
hours  of  the  night,  devising  ways  and  means  to  kill  the  monster  ;  and  they  brought 
him  down  at  last,  but  not  until  they  had  disemboweled  him  by  removing  the  depos- 
its. It  required  their  combined  nerve — and  they  were  almost  all  nerve — to  do  it. 
When  General  Jackson  determined  to  remove  the  Government's  money  from 
the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  he  selected  Amos  Kendall,  then  Fourth  Auditor 
of  the  Treasury  Department,  to  go  North,  and  inform  some  of  the  principal  State 
banks,  confidentially,  what  he  intended  to  do,  that  they  might  put  themselves  in 
a  healthy  condition  to  receive  it.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Kendall  started  North,  in  July 
or  August,  General  Jackson  left  the  heat  and  du.it  of  this  city,  and  the  cares  of 
office,  and  went  down  to  the  "RiP  RAPS,"  a  fortification  built  in  the  middle  of 
the  mouth  of  James  river,  to  prevent  the  incursions  of  any  enemy — not  to  him 
but  to  the  country — from  the  sea,  to  harass  the  people  living  near  that  river,  and 
made  his  abode  within  its  walls,  where  no  one  else  lived,  and  had  his  meals  cooked 
ashore  in  fortress  Monroe,  and  sent  to  him,  and,  we  cannot  forbear  saying,  there 
enjoyed  the  otium  cum  dignitate — the  ocean  breezes  with  dignity. 

Kendall  first  sounded  the  banks  in  Baltimore,  but  none  there  would  agree  to 
receive  the  deposits.     He  then  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  met  with  no  better 


250  Journalism  in  America. 


success — not  so  good,  we  think,  for  there  they  doggedly  refused  to  have  anything 
to  do  with  either  him  or  them.  Then  he  searched  the  city  of  New  York,  and 
could  find  but  one  bank  there  willing  to  receive  them — the  Bank  of  America — 
and  that  was  considered  a  Whig  bank,  which,  it  was  thought,  was  willing  to  re- 
ceive them,  and  keep  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  and 
thus  keep  them  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Democrats.  But  this  suspicion,  soon  aft- 
erwards, we  believe,  proved  to  be  groundless.  The  principal,  if  not  the  only  rea- 
son, why  the  State  banks  refused  to  receive  the  Government  money  was,  they 
feared  that  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  would  bear  down  upon  them,  and  crush 
them,  if  they  did.  Even  the  Bank  of  the  Metropolis,  at  that  time  the  strongest 
bank  in  this  city,  and  still  the  soundest  one  in  it  that  emits  its  own  notes,  was 
afraid  to  receive  specie  on  deposit  when  drawn  from  the  branch  of  the  Bank  of 
the  United  States  in  this  city,  located  in  sight.  We  used  to  draw  specie  heavily 
from  the  latter,  and  sweat  in  pushing  it  on  a  wheelbarrow  to  the  former,  and 
thought  all  the  time  that  we  were  doing  wonders  ;  and  we  never  knew  any  better, 
until  after  the  bank  broke,  as  General  Jackson  would  say,  when  John  Sioussa,  a 
watchman  in  the  Bank  of  the  Metropolis,  said  to  us,  "  You  used  to  trouble  me  a 
great  deal.  All  the  specie  you  wheelbarrowed  from  the  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
I  had  to  wheelbarrow  back  to  it  again  quicker!'1'' 

But  to  return  from  this  rolling  excursion  and  digression.  While  Kendall  was 
in  New  York,  or  Boston,  we  forget  which,  and  have  not  his  letter  to  refresh  our 
memory,  he  wrote  to  General  Jackson  that  the  deposits  could  not  be  removed 
from  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  or  words  to  that  effect.  That  letter  was 
sent  to  General  Jackson,  who  was  still  at  the  Rip  Raps.  Blair  was  there,  amus- 
ing himself  shooting  porpoises  with  his  rifle  at  the  instant  they  showed  their  backs 
when  curveting,  and  was  with  General  Jackson  when  he  opened  and  read  Ken- 
dall's letter.  He  did  not  read  it  to  Blair,  I  believe,  but  told  him  its  contents,  and 
then  said,  beginning  with  three  words  which  I  will  not  quote,  as  they  are  not  nec- 
essary to  make  what  he  said  clearer,  "  Mr.  Blair,  the  thing  can  be  done,  and  it 
shall  be  done  :  the  bank  is  broke  !"  To  which  Mr.  Blair  replied,  "  No,  General, 
the  bank  is  not  broke,  but  it  should  be."  General  Jackson  then  repeated,  "  I  tell 
you,  Mr.  Blair,. that  the  bank  is  broke!"  Mr.  Blair  answered,  "It  is  not  broke, 
General ;  it  is  yet  too  strong  for  the  Government,  and,  therefore,  should  be  broke." 
To  which  the  General  replied,  "  I  tell  you  again,  Mr.  Blair,  the  bank  is  broke,  and 
I  will  tell  you  now  how  I  know  it.  The  United  States  owe  interest  in  Europe  on 
a  loan,  and  I  wrote  to  Nick  Biddle,  who  has  more  than  ten  times  the  amount  of 
Government  money  in  his  hands,  or  ought  to  have,  to  pay  it,  and  thereupon  he 
came  on  to  Washington,  and  begged  me  to  postpone  the  payment  of  it  for  a  while. 
Mr.  Blair,  I  know  the  Biddies  well ;  they  are  high-minded,  brave  men,  and  served 
their  country,  and  fought  bravely  in  the  last  war.  If  the  bank  was  not  broke, 
Nick  Biddle  would  never,  never  have  bowed  and  knuckled  to  me.  I  tell  you 
again,  Mr.  Blair,  for  the  last  time,  the  bank  is  broke,  and  I  know  it." 

While  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  here,  and  all  the  bear  and  bull  brokers 
throughout  the  United  States,  were  reading  the  reports  of  the  bank  and  of  com- 
mittees of  Congress  appointed  to  examine  it,  and  figuring  to  ascertain  how  much 
its  stock  was  worth — and  their  calculations  ranged  from  twenty-five  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  per  cent. — General  Jackson  read  Nick  Biddle,  and  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  not  worth  a  cent ;  and  he  was  exactly  right.  After  the 
deposits  were  removed,  the  bank  published  a  statement  to  prove  that  its  stock 
was  worth  one  hundred  and  fifteen  per  cent,  and  proposed  to  take  all  the  United 
1  States  owned  at  one  hundred  and  eleven,  I  think ;  not  expecting  the  General  had 
the  power  to  sell,  or  would  sell,  the  seven  millions  of  stock  belonging  to  the  Uni- 
ted States ;  but  he  took  the  "  responsibility"  of  closing  with  them,  and  thus  saved 
for  the  Government  near  eight  millions  of  dollars.  The  people  made  that  much 
by  electing  a  man  who  could  read  men. 

It  is  due  to  Mr.  Kendall  that  we  should  state  that  we  told  the  anecdote  of  his 
embassy  to  the  North  to  a  company  of  six  or  seven  old  Jackson  men — Kendall 
among  them  —  elected  to  attend  to  the  erection  of  Mills's  equestrian  statue  of 
Jackson,  all  trying  to  plant  a  little  pedestal  for  themselves  to  commemorate  the 
fact  that  they  had  lived  when  Jackson  lived,  and  had  gone  for  him  and  all  his 
measures  from  the  start,  and  all  the  time ;  and  he  (Kendall)  denied  writing  such 
a  letter  as  I  had  described.  He  admitted  that  he  had  written  to  General  Jack- 


The  Character  of  Francis  P.Blair.          251 

son  and  informed  him  that  some  of  his  friends  North  (he  named  two)  had  said  the 
deposits  could  not,  or  should  not, be  removed;  but  utterly  denied  that  he  had  fal- 
tered at  any  time.  We  think  we  had  the  letter  which  he  wrote  to  General  Jack- 
son in  our  possession,  but  never  read  it.  We  do  not  know  where  it  is  now,  nor 
whether  it  is  anywhere.  No  matter. 

Next  comes  our  old  partner  and  friend,  Francis  P.  Blair.  We  had  a  clerkship 
in  the  Treasury  Department,  which  we  received  without  making  application  for 
it;  and,  after  keeping  it  nearly  three  years,  resigned  it  the  nth  April,  1832,  and 
went  into  the  Globe  office  as  clerk  and  manager,  at  the  same  salary.  About  two 
years  afterwards  we  became  a  partner ;  and,  in  the  year  1849,  finding  the  business 
of  the  office  would  not  support  both,  as  the  wages  of  workmen  had  been  raised 
twenty  per  cent,  since  we  agreed  to  print  the  debates  at  the  present  prices,  we 
purchased  his  interest,  and  became  sole  proprietor. 

Blair  and  we  have  now  dissolved  our  political  relations,  but  have  not  parted 
our  friendly  ties,  and  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  we  ever  shall,  as  we  have  never 
had  a  word  of  difference  during  the  quarter  of  a  century  we  have  known  each 
other.  Our  political  relations  were  dissolved  by  his  following  the  political  for- 
tunes—  perhaps  we  should  have  said,  misfortunes  —  of  Mr.  Van  Buren,  who,  he 
thought,  had  been  wronged  by  the  Democratic  party.  We  thought  with  him  on 
that  point,  but  never  once  thought  of  following  him  when  we  could  do  him  no 
good  by  so  doing,  and  would  probably  do  ourself  and  family  a  permanent  pecun- 
iary injury.  We  thought  as  highly  of  Mr.Van  Buren,  we  believe,  as  Mr.  Blair  did, 
until  he  accepted  the  Buffalo  nomination  for  the  Presidency  in  opposition  to  the 
regular  Democratic  nominee.  He  taught  us  the  necessity  of  making  and  sticking 
to  party  nominations,  and  he  could  not  undo  his  teaching.  The  idea  of  leaving 
the  Democratic  party  because  we  could  not  have  our  own  way,  never  entered  our 
head.  That  party  has  sometimes  entered  upon  measures  which  we  did  not  ap- 
prove, but,  in  the  main,  we  have  approved  its  course.  No  two  honest  men  think 
alike  on  every  subject.  The  old  homestead,  though  rough,  unsightly,  and  some- 
what dilapidated,  take  it  all  in  all,  is  the  safest  building,  we  believe,  that  we  have 
ever  seen.  No  man  that  has  ever  left  it  has  ever  been  permitted  to  take  his  seat 
at  the  first  table  anywhere  else. 

We  never  blamed  Mr.Van  Buren  for  being  a  Free-Soiler.  Having  been  raised 
in  the  North,  we  could  not  expect  that  he  could  be  anything  else  at  heart.  And 
we  cannot  believe  now,  that  he  would  keep  the  negro  question  constantly  before 
the  public,  as  it  has  been  lately,  if  he  thought  it  would  endanger  the  Union ;  nor 
do  we  believe  that  Blair  would  ;  and  we  know  that  we  would  not  run  the  risk  of 
dissolving  it  for  all  the  negroes  and  half  the  whites  in  the  United  States.  It  is 
likely  that  we  would  be  better  off  if  the  ten  we  own  would  leave  us  ;  but  we  will 
not  part  with  them  "  upon  compulsion,"  having  purchased  them  all  at  their  own 
request,  with  money  earned  by  the  sweat  of  our  own  brow.  If  any  white  man 
should  attempt  to  take  them  off,  he  would  run  the  risk  of  having  a  smart  scuffle 
with  us.  But  we  do  not  believe  that  there  is  one  white  man  in  a  hundred  who 
desires  to  meddle  with  slavery  in  the  States.  All  the  noise  about  negroes  is 
made,  in  our  opinion,  with  the  object,  and  for  the  purpose,  of  trying  to  make  great 
men  out  of  very  small  ones,  made  of  poor  stuff.  "T/iat  can't  be  did" 

The  character  of  Blair  drawn  by  Colonel  Claiborne  is,  we  think,  a  very  just 
one.  It  was  not  his  nature  to  be  "  savage  and  ferocious,"  but  he  thought  his  duty 
to  his  party  sometimes — yea,  oftentimes — required  that  he  should  use  the  toma- 
hawk and  the  scalping  knife — and  he  did.  It  gave  him  pain  to  do  so.  Often, 
when  he  was  about  attacking  a  man,  whom  he  respected  personally,  but  abhorred 
politically,  he  said  to  us,  "  It  gives  me  pain  to  attack  that  man  ;  but  he  is  restive 
and  kicking  in  the  traces,  and  complaining  that  the  collar  is  too  small  for  him, 
and  chafes  him.  We  must  whip  him  in,  or  whip  him  out  at  once,  before  he  gets 
a  little  drove  to  go  off  with  him." 

Those  whom  he  considered  "  not  worthy  of  his  steel,"  he  committed  to  our  ten- 
der mercies,  to  squeeze  to  death  by  damning  them  "  with  faint  praise,"  which  was 
our  way  of  killing  them.  We  have  defended  a  man  against  a  charge  of  weakness 
never  made  against  him,  though  he  was,  mentally,  much  stronger  than  we ;  an- 
other against  a  charge  of  stealing,  who  was  much  honester  than  we  were  supposed 
to  be,  and  when  no  such  charge  had  been  laid  at  his  door,  winding  up  his  charac- 
ter by  saying,  that  if  he  had  had  the  least  opportunity  to  steal,  our  conscience 


252  Journalism  in  America. 

would  not  have  permitted  us  to  say  a  single  word  in  his  favor  ;  and  so  on.  Our 
awkward  defense  to  a  man  was  almost  as  fatal  as  Blair's  Toledo  blade,  which  was 
rarely  in  the  scabbard  foi  seventeen  years,  and  was  so  frequently  thrust  into  some 
one,  that  the  blood  rarely  dried  on  it.  He  often  expected  to  be  called  to  account 
for  what  he  wrote,  and  made  up  his  mind  to  settle  it,  if  deemed  necessary,  in  a 
desperate  way.  In  one  case  with  a  desperate  man,  who  wrote  to  him  that  he 
would  challenge  him  if  he  did  not  take  back  a  charge  made,  he  asked  us  if  we 
would  stand  by  him,  and  we  replied — reluctantly  of  course — we  would.  He  then 
reiterated  the  charge,  and  the  man  acknowledged  that  he  had  been  guilty  as 
charged,  but  excused  himself  by  saying  that  he  was  very  young  when  he  commit- 
ted the  offense.  That  man  afterwards  fell  in  a  duel  fought  with  another.  We 
have  on  file  the  correspondence  which  passed  between  him  and  Blair. 

What  Colonel  Claiborne  has  said  of  him  as  to  his  "  singular  facility"  in  writing 
is  true;  "and  pity  'tis, 'tis  true."  Both  his  leaders  and  followers  were  written 
with  a  lead  pencil,  after  night,  in  a  great  hurry,  and  we  had  to  keep  two  boys  to 
run  to  him  for  copy.  We  have  known  him  to  send  one  of  the  boys  after  the  oth- 
er to  overtake  him,  and  get  the  last  word  on  the  last  sheet  sent  off.  He  rarely, 
it  ever,  wrote  an  article  by  daylight. 

He  does  not  care  for  money.  Several  times,  while  we  were  partners,  we  at- 
tempted to  tell  him  how  we  were  getting  along  in  money  matters,  and  he  as  often 
replied  that  he  did  not  desire  to  know,  and  changed  the  subject.  A  year  or  two 
after  we  dissolved  partnership,  he  asked  us  how  much  he  was  worth  ?  and  we  an- 
swered, about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  besides  his  property 
in  this  city,  and  where  he  lives.  He  replied,  "  That  is  more  than  any  man  should 
own — one  hundred  thousand  dollars  is  enough."  Four  or  five  years  ago  we  told 
him  that  the  way  he  was  going  on  spending  his  money,  he  would  run  through  it 
all  in  ten  years ;  to  which  he  replied,  "  I  don't  care  ;  that  is  as  long  as  I  expect 
to  live  ;  and  my  children  are  well  to  do,  and  doing  well." 

We  will  finish  Blair's  picture  by  portraying  his  personal  appearance,  and  stat- 
ing what  he  has  said  in  the  Globe  of  others  who  looked  like  him.  He  is  about 
five  feet  ten  inches  high,  and  would  be  full  six  feet,  if  his  brain  were  on  the  top  of 
his  head,  instead  of  being  in  a  poll  behind  it.  He  looks  like  a  skeleton,  lacks  but 
little  of  being  one,  and  weighed  last  spring,  when  dressed  in  thick  winter  cloth- 
ing, one  hundred  and  seven  pounds,  all  told  ;  about  eighty-five  of  which,  we  sup- 
pose, was  bone,  and  the  other  twenty-two  pounds,  made  up  of  gristle,  nerve,  and 
brain — flesh  he  has  none.  His  face  is  narrow,  and  of  the  hatchet  kind,  according 
with  his  meat-ax  disposition  when  writing  about  his  enemies.  His  complexion  is 
fair,  his  hair  sandy,  and  his  eyes  blue — his  countenance  remarkably  mild,  so  firm 
that  he  can  look  any  man  in  the  face  steadily,  without  winking.  We  thought  him 
very  homely  until  we  became  well  acquainted  with  him  and  got  used  to  his  looks. 
But  we  still  think  he  is  as  homely  as  one  man  in  ten  thousand,  not  excepting  our- 
self — as  far  as  he  goes.  Having  less  face  than  most  men,  he  is,  of  course,  not  so 
ugly  as  many.  Notwithstanding  his  emaciated  looks,  he  had  the  face  and  effront- 
ery to  call  the  late  Judge  White,  when  he  ran  for  the  Presidency  against  Mr. Van 
Buren,  Calvin  Edson — the  name  of  a  man  who  was  shown  in  theatres  and  mena- 
geries, years  ago,  to  prove  that  a  man  could  survive  after  losing  all  his  flesh.  He 
called  the  late  George  Poindexter,  then  President  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  who  was  very  thin  'and  crooked,  "  the  devil's  darning-needle  ;"  all  of  which 
he  published  in  the  Globe  several  times.  We  must  stop  writing  about  Blair,  (who, 
no  doubt,  will  think  we  have  now  written  enough  about  him,)  as  we  are  behind 
time,  and  must  devote  a  few  minutes  to  ourself,  the  last  picture  in  the  group. 

As  we  have  just  finished  Blair  by  describing  his  personal  appearance,  our  own 
first  obtrudes  itself;  and  we  wish  to  get  that  off  our  mind.  We  must  admit,  as 
charged, "  a  shaggy  exterior  and  very  brusque  manners."  Well !  we  are  able  to 
bear  all.  Who  cares  ?  We  don't.  Nature  has  compensated  us — we  believe  in 
compensation — for  our  lack  of  outside  polish,  by  putting  good  work  inside.  The 
time  has  been  when  we  would  have  been  glad  to  be  handsome ;  but  we  now  see 
that  beauty  would  have  materially  injured,  if  not  entirely  ruined  us.  If  we  had 
been  handsome,  we  would  have  married  while  young,  and  would  not  have  had  a 
dollar  wherewith  to  purchase  furniture  ;  but,  being  as  we  were,  we  lived  single 
until  we  had  made  money  enough  to  support  a  wife,  and  take  care  of  any  reason- 
able number  of  responsibilities  that  might  befall  us,  and  then  married  a  girl  of 


Photograph  of  John  C.  Rives.  253 

twenty-five,  who  suited  us  to  a  t,  as  she  brought  us  no  money  to  throw  up  to  us, 
if  we  should  happen  to  run  through  ours,  and  hers  too  ;  but  every  thing  else  nec- 
essary to  render  married  life  agreeable.  We  now  look  back  upon  our  cotempo- 
raries  who  were  handsome,  and  see  them  with  wigs  on  their  heads,  false  teeth  in 
their  mouths,  and  paint  and  paste  on  their  faces,  to  hide  the  marks  of  age,  while 
we  defy  the  tooth  of  time,  dreading  none  of  its  effects,  except  decrepitude  and 
death.  We  are  six  feet, 'five  inches  high  ;  weigh  two  hundred  and  forty  pounds, 
when  in  good  humor,  which  is  usually  the  case  with  us  ;  but  how  much  we  weigh 
when  mad,  we  do  not  know,  never  being  weighed  when  in  that  condition ;  are 
belligerent,  though  somewhat  bellicose  in  body ;  too  timid  to  attack  any  body,  but 
not  afraid  of  being  attacked  by  any  one. 

Our  biographer  gives  us  credit  for  "financial  talent."  All  our  art  in  that  line 
lies  in  sticking  to  a  good  business,  keeping  but  one  iron  in  the  fire,  and  living 
within  an  income.  We  plead  not  guilty  to  the  charge  that  we  now  "  coin  money 
out  of  the  Congressional  Globe.'1''  Since  we  made  the  contract  with  Congress,  in 
the  year  1846,  to  publish  its  proceedings  at  a  certain  rate  per  session,  they  have 
increased  about  one  third ;  trie  wages  of  printers  have  been  raised  thirty-six  and 
two  thirds  per  cent. ;  the  wages  of  reporters,  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent. ;  and  the 
price  of  paper  about  sixteen  per  cent. ;  and  it  is  now  very  hard  for  us  to  "  raise  the 
wind."  The  wages  of  printers  in  this  city  are  thirty  per  cent,  higher  than  they 
are  in  the  cities  north  and  west  of  here,  and  we  pay  six  dollars  a  page  for  the 
mere  reporting  the  debates  ;'yet  the  Congressional  Globe  is  sold  to  Congress  for 
less  than  the  first  edition  of  any  book  is  sold  for  by  any  bookseller  in  the  world ; 
estimating  according  to  the  number  of  words.  We  have  pointed  out  this  fact 
before,  and  no  person  has  denied  it ;  thought  if  it  were  not  true,  there  are  many 
who  have  seen  it  who  would  jump  to  expose  the  fallacy.  We  hardly  know  how 
we  get  along  now.  Perhaps  we  do  so  in  the  way  the  Irishman  said  he  did,  "  by 
doing  a  large  losing  business."  There  should  be  no  joking  on  so  serious  a  sub- 
ject— we  know  that  we  have  gotten  along  thus  far  by  selling  the  back  numbers 
of  the  Congressional  Globe  and  Appendix.  But  some  of  our  back  numbers  are  ex- 
hausted, and  the  usual  sales  will  not  reimburse  us  the  cost  of  a  reprint  in  less  than 
twenty  years,  at  the  prices  at  which  they  are  now  sold ;  and,  therefore,  we  do  not 
expect  any  return  of  profit  to  us  in  our  lifetime ;  but  go  on  buoyed  up  with  the 
hope  that  our  children  may  reap  some  profit  from  the  talents  which  we  are  now 
burying  on  old  musty  volumes. 

It  is  not  true,  as  asserted,  that  we  have  on  our  farm, "  the  shabbiest  stock,  the 
meanest  fences,  and  the  poorest  crops  in  the  country."  On  the  contrary,  all  our 
stock  are  fat,  and  our  fences  and  crops  are  good ;  but  we  spend  about  two  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year  more  than  we  get  off  the  farm,  to  keep  them  so  ;  which  is  only 
five  hundred  dollars  a  year  more  than  we  calculated  to  lose  on  it  when  we  pur- 
chased it.  Our  principal  object  for  purchasing  a  farm  in  the  country  was  to  get 
our  children  out  of  the  city. 

Other  journals,  organs  of  course,  were  printed  in  Washington. 
The  Spectator  was  one.  It  was  mixed  up  in  the  intrigues  to  shuffle 
off  the  Globe,  and  was  under  the  influence  of  Senator  Rhett.  It  had 
taken  the  place  of  the  Telegraph  as  the  organ  of  the  South  Carolina 
section  only.  Martin  and  Heart  were  the  publishers.  Dr.  Martin 
was  a  smart  writer,  and  his  articles  always  attracted  attention.  Vir- 
gil Maxcy  was  one  of  the  editors.  Martin  afterwards  went  to  Paris. 
William  A.  Harris  then  contributed  his  brains  to  those  of  Heart  in 
the  management  of  the  paper,  changing  its  name  to  the  Constitution. 

There  were  published  in  Washington,  in  1845,  ^ve  newspapers  : 

The  Union,  official  Democratic  organ — Ritchie  and  Heiss. 

The  Globe,  ex-Democratic  organ — Blair  and  Rives. 

The  Constitution,  Calhoun  organ — Harris  and  Heart. 

United  States  Journal,  Independent  Democracy — Fisk  and  Dow. 


254  Journalism  in  America. 

National  Intelligencer,  Whig  organ — Gales  and  Seaton. 

Subsequently  Heart,  of  the  Constitution,  joined  the  Charleston  (S. 
C.)  Mercury,  and  Harris  was  sent  as  charge  d'affaires  to  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  the  Constitution  closed  its  career.  On  Harris's  return 
from  South  America  he  became  connected  with  the  Union. 

In  1846,  a  paper  called  the  Daily  Times  was  issued  by  H.  H.Rob- 
inson as  an  independent  Democratic  organ.  It  occupied  the  place 
vacated  by  the  United  States  Journals  the  winter  of  that  year. 

While  the  Mexican  War  was  the  order  of  the  day,  Thomas  Ritchie, 
the  editor  of  the  Union,  was  brought  before  the  Senate  for  the  publi- 
cation of  a  communication  signed  Vindicator,  which  was  very  severe 
on  the  conduct  of  that  body  for  neglecting  to  carry  out  some  of  the 
military  plans  of  the  government  in  connection  with  the  war.  One 
of  the  paragraphs  of  the  communication  was  as  follows  : 

In  the  Senate,  on  yesterday,  the  Mexicans  achieved  another  victory.  The  bill 
for  organizing  ten  regiments  of  regular  troops  having  been  submitted,  with  its 
amendments,  to  a  committee  of  conference  of  the  two  houses,  that  committee  unan- 
imously agreed  on  a  report  which  was  submitted  to  them  for  their  approval.  The 
House  of  Representatives  at  once  adopted  the  report  by  a  very  large  majority. 
In  the  Senate  it  was,  in  its  most  important  feature,  rejected  by  a  majority  of  six. 
When  the  result  was  ascertained,  a  distinguished  Senator  from  Georgia  exhibited 
the  most  marked  tokens  of  exultation.  It  is  the  same  Senator  who  urges  a  with- 
drawal of  our  army  from  the  Mexican  territory. 

This  appeared  on  the  Qth  of  February,  1^47.  On  the  i3th  Sen- 
ator Yulee  introduced  two  resolutions  : 

i st.  For  the  expulsion  of  the  editor  of  the  Union  from  the  priv- 
ilege of  the  floor,  for  a  libel  upon  the  Senate. 

2d.  For  the  expulsion  of  the  Union  reporters  from  the  reporter's 
gallery  of  the  Senate,  for  an  alleged  partial  report  of  the  debate  in 
the  Senate  on  the  previous  Monday. 

These  resolutions  gave  rise  to  an  important  debate,  in  which 
Mesrs.  Calhoun,  Webster,  Butler,  Westcott,  Yulee,  Mangum,  Mason, 
Clayton,  Cass,  Bright,  and  Archer  took  part,  arid  in  which  the  next 
presidential  election,  the  rights  of  the  Press  and  of  the  Senate,  were 
fully  discussed.  It  was  in  this  debate,  which  lasted  two  days,  that 
Senator  Westcott,  of  Florida,  the  only  man  of  the  passing  generation 
who  continues  to  wear  a  queue,  said : 

If  the  people  of  this  country  knew  one  twentieth  part  of  the  corruptions,  the 
peculent,  the  reeking  corruptions  of  the  government,  they  would  descend  in  a' 
body  upon  this  city,  create  a  revolution  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  and  fall 
upon  the  President,  heads  of  Departments,  Congress,  whigs  and  democrats,  and 
turn  them  head  over  heels  into  the  Potomac  River. 

It  seemed  from  :his  discussion  that  the  troubles  of  the  Democratic 
Party  entered  into  the  feelings  of  the  senators  as  much  as  the  rights 
of  the  Senate  or  the  liberty  of  the  Press  did,  the  friends  of  Calhoun, 
who  were  opposed  to  the  war,  uniting  with  the  Whigs  against  Pres- 
ident Polk  and  the  Union  as  his  organ  on  this  point,  although  the 


The  Congressional  Debates.  255 

i 

Union  was  placed  in  power  by  the  States-Rights  wing  of  the  de- 
mocracy. On  the  second  day  the  vote  was  taken  on  the  first  reso- 
lution, the  second  having  been  withdrawn,  resulting  in  twenty-seven 
yeas  and  twenty-one  nays. 

Thus,  without  the  vigor,  and  violence,  and  thunder,  and  threats 
of  the  Globe,  during  the  fearless  and  fiery  administration  of  Jackson, 
the  editor  of  the  Union  quietly  submitted  to  this  mild  and  harmless 
tyranny  of  the  Senate,  and,  as  an  organ,  it  was  powerless  and  use- 
less. 

The  Globe  was  not  dead.  It  had  merely  given  up  its  official  po- 
sition with  the  executive.  It  now  sought  other  pastures.  It  be- 
came the  publisher  of  the  Congressional  Debates.  Blair  and  Rives, 
in  1846,  were  awarded  the  contract  for  the  publication  of  these  de- 
bates. In  1849  Blair  sold  his  interest  to  Rives,  who  continued  the 
publication  of  the  Globe  till  his  death.  It  is  now  published  by  his 
sons.  In  the  contest  in  the  Fortieth  Congress  for  a  renewal  of  this 
contract,  the  following  facts  appeared  in  the  report  of  the  Senate 
committee  on  the  subject : 

ACTUAL  COST  FOR  THIRTY-NINTH  CONGRESS. 

Daily  Globe $82,521 

Congressional  Globe  -  209,178 

Total $291,699 

ESTIMATED  COsf  OF  SAME  WORK  BY  RIVES  AND  BAILEY. 

Daily  Globe $116,351 

Congressional  Globe "       -        -        273,104 

Total #389,455 

ESTIMATED  COST  BY  JOSEPH  T.  CROWELL. 

Daily $101,590 

Congressional 159,559 

Total      -. $261,149 

ESTIMATED  COST  BY  CONGRESSIONAL  PRINTER. 
Daily     •         ------....  $120,610 

Congressional 155,885 

Total $276,495 

It  was  decided  to  make  a  contract  with  Rives  and  Bailey  for  two 
years  from  March  4,  1869,  because  they  had  performed  their  work 
"  well  and  satisfactorily."  Yet  the  Globe  is  not  a  faithful  reporter 
of  Congressional  debates.  We  will  give  an  instance.  On  the  loth 
of  February,  1869,  there  was  a  "scene"  in  joint  convention  of  the 
two  houses  for  the  counting  of  the  Electoral  Vote.  The  correspond- 
ent of  the  Boston  Advertiser  of  February  n,  1869,  thus  describes  the 
affair : 

The  scenes  of  yesterday  in  the  joint  convention  for  counting  the  electoral  vote 
have  been  the  subject  of  universal  comment  today.  .  .  .  The  Globe  report  of  to- 
day reveals  enough  to  make  every  good  citizen  blush,  but  some  of  the  worst  lan- 
guage used  by  Mr.  Butler  is  omitted,  and  scores  of  bitter  and  excited  remarks 
made  by  other  members  are  left  out.  perhaps  because  the  official  reporters  in  the 
wild  confusion  failed  to  distinguish  the  speakers 


256  Journalism  in  America. 

Mr.  BUTLER — Will  the  gentleman  allow  me 

Mr.  BINGHAM — No,  sir. 

Mr.  BUTLER — I  only  want  to  say  that  you  are  not  using  my  words  in  the  con- 
nection in  which  I  said  them. 

Mr.  BINGHAM — The  gentleman's  remarks  do  not  appear  in  the  Globe  this  morn- 
ing, but  I  find  the  gentleman's  speech  reported  by  the  official  representatives  of 
the  press  of  the  country.  I  am  glad  that  the  gentleman  takes  back  his  words. 

Mr.  BUTLER — I  take  back  nothing. 

Mr.  BINGHAM — Then  I  ask  the  House  to  compel  you  to  take  back  your  revo- 
lutionary resolution. 

The  omissions  in  the  reports,  as  indicated  in  the  above  extract, 
are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  scenes  of  this  character.  While  the 
credit  of  the  nation  may  be  saved  some  damage  by  these  omissions, 
the  accuracy  of  the  reports  in  the  Globe  is  seriously  affected.  One 
of  the  chiefs  of  the  Globe  staff  of  stenographers  for  some  time  was 
Robert  Sutton,  a  very  accomplished  and  experienced  reporter,  who 
made  his  debut  in  Washington  under  the  auspices  of  James  Gordon 
Bennett,  of  the  New  York  Herald,  when  he  introduced  fuller  reports 
of  the  debates  in  Congress  in  his  paper.  The  entire  staff  are  faith- 
ful and  skillful.  All  these  omissions  are  caused  by  members  them- 
selves, who  require  them  of  the  publishers  of  the  Globe.  Many  of 
the  speeches  which  appear  in  that  sheet  are  never  delivered  in  Con- 
gress. Hence  such  a  publication  can  not  be  a  faithful  reporter  if 
what  is  spoken  in  debate  is  afterwards  forbidden  publication. 

The  editor  of  the  Globe  in  its  glory,  Francis  P.  Blair,  was  a  bril- 
liant graduate  of  the  Transylvania  University,  Kentucky,  and  the 
publisher,  John  C.  Rives,  a  graduate,  with  all  the  honors,  of  a  first- 
class  printing-office.  After  Blair  had  sold  out  to  his  partner  he  re- 
tired to  Silver  Springs  to  prepare  his  two  boys,  Montgomery  and 
Francis  Preston,  Jr.,  one  for  the  bench  and  a  seat  in  Lincoln's  cab- 
inet, which  he  occupied  in  1861,  and  the  other  for  the  bar,  for  the 
House  of  Representatives,  the  army,  and  for  the  Senate,  where  he 
is  now. 

There  was  another  change  in  the  organship  in  1848.  Charles 
W.  Fenton  had  started  a  paper  in  Washington  in  April,  1847,  m 
which  the  nomination  of  General  Taylor  for  the  presidency  was  sug- 
gested shortly  after  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  but  the  paper  did  not 
amount  to  much.  On  the  inauguration  of  that  gallant  old  soldier 
another  paper  was  established  as  his  organ.  It  was  named  the  Re- 
public. General  Taylor  did  not  recognize  the  National  Intelligencer. 
It  was  a  Webster  organ,  and  Webster  had  said  that  Taylor's  nomi- 
nation was  one  "  not  fit  to  be  made."  John  M.  Clayton  was  Secre- 
tary of  State,  and  he  was  in  favor  of  a  new  paper  for  the  new  dy- 
nasty. Colonel  Alexander  Bullitt,  of  the  New  Orleans  Picayune, 
and  John  O.  Sargent,  of  the  New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer,  were 
installed  as  its  editors.  These  selections  were  considered  excellent, 


The  Organs  of  Taylor  and  Pierce.  257 

but,  whatever  these  writers  may  have  been  in  the  editorial  rooms  of 
the  Picayune  and  Courier  and  Enquirer,  they  were  neither  vigorous 
nor  strong  enough  for  the  leading  paper  of  their  party  in  the  nation- 
al capital.  Besides  "the  cohesive  power  of  public  plunder,"  it  re- 
quired boldness  and  brains  to  keep  the  lesser  lights  of  a  party  in 
order,  and  under  a  good  state  of  discipline.  These  editors  did  not 
possess  the  requisite  qualities  for  this  work.  They  needed  audacity. 
They  lacked  the  journalistic  confidence  of  the  nation.  The  result 
of  this  failure  was  a  change.  On  the  death  of  President  Taylor 
and  the  elevation  of  Vice-President  Fillmore,  with  Daniel  Webster 
in  the  State  Department,  the  old  Bourbon  organ,  the  National  Intel- 
ligencer, was  restored  to  favor.  But  it  was  the  last  of  the  dynasty. 
It  finally  went  out  of  power  and  influence.  New  blood,  new  jour- 
nals, fresh  brains,  and  more  energy,  were  rapidly  coming  up  all  over 
the  country. 

On  the  other  side  the  same  signs  of  organic  decay  were  seen. 
The  organs  of  the  Democratic  Party  lived  longer,  but  they  daily  be- 
came weaker.  When  Franklin  Pierce  entered  Washington  as  Pres- 
ident in  1853,  the  Union  was  restored  as  the  chief  organ  of  the  par- 
ty, with  the  Star  as  a  tender.  The  Union  was  now  owned  by  Gen- 
eral Robert  Armstrong,  of  the  Nashville  Union.  Judge  A.  O.  P. 
Nicholson,  and  Caleb- Gushing,  Attorney  General,  were  constant  con- 
tributors to  its  columns.  General  Armstrong  was  an  old  personal 
friend  of  General  Jackson's,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans 
with  him.  He  was  a  genial  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  While 
American  consul  at  Liverpool  in  1846-7,  he  rendered  great  service 
to  the  nation  on  the  Oregon  Question — the  Fifty-four  Forty  or  Fight 
era  of  our  history.  One  day  at  the  Astor  House,  surrounded  with 
hungry  office-seekers,  although  just  landed  from  England,  he  was 
rriet  by  a  young  friend  and  congratulated  on  his  return  to  lead  an 
army  through  Mexico,  and  that  so  many  recruits  were  already  with 
him.  "  No,  no,  my  young  friend,"  replied  the  hale  old  soldier,  "  we 
have  troops  enough  in  Mexico  to  accomplish  our  purpose  there.  If 
not,  I  will  again  wheel  into  line  with  musket  to  shoulder,  if  neces- 
sary. These  gentlemen,"  added  he,  smiling,  and  looking  around 
him,  "  are  not  desirous  of  going  to  Mexico,  but  are,  they  tell  me,  par- 
ticular friends  of  the  President." 

The  little  Star,  the  junior  organ,  was  originally  edited  by  Charles 
W.  Denison,  but  it  soon  after  changed  hands,  and  was  owned  and  ed- 
ited for  many  years  by  that  original  and  energetic  journalist,  W.  D. 
Wallach.  He  was  an  active  man,  always  around,  elbowing  through 
crowds  at  the  hotels  and  elsewhere,  and  making  his  appearance  at 
his  office  at  the  right  time  full  of  gossip  for  his  columns.  Not  to 
be  outdone  by  the  larger  and  more  pretentious  sheets,  he  claimed 

R 


258  Journalism  in  America. 

and  got  his  share  of  the  government  patronage.  Not  to  be  eclipsed 
by  them  in  social  comforts,  he  too  purchased  a  farm  and  much  stock 
near  Washington,  to  "which  he  retired,  a  star  among  the  Jerseys,  the 
Chesters,  and  the  Bhramas,  till  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Culpep- 
per,Va.,  December  i,  1871. 

The  Union  continued  through  another  administration.  James 
Buchanan  entered  the  executive  mansion  in  1857.  He  made  the 
Union  his  organ,  but  he  insisted  on  a  new  editor.  John  Appleton, 
who  had  edited  the  Portland  Argus,  and  who  had  been  in  the  State 
Department  and  in  London  with  the  President,  was  the  one  selected. 
The  Union  newspaper,  like  the  Union  under  Buchanan,  became  en- 
tangled in  its  political  affinities  and  associations.  Cornelius  Wen- 
dell, a  printer  of  Albany,  who  was  connected  with  the  Union,  felt  con- 
strained, in  consequence  of  his  old  connections  with  Thurlow  Weed, 
to  abandon  the  concern,  and  the  paper  grew  weaker  as  the  term  of 
Buchanan's  administration  approached  its  end.  With  the  first  hos- 
tile gun  at  Fort  Sumter,  the  old  Democratic  Party,  which  started  into 
life  with  Jefferson  in  1789,  tumbled  to  pieces,  and  ceased  to  be  a 
power.  New  organs  of  public  opinion  sprung  into  existence.  New 
papers  in  the  form  of  the  Independent  Press,  new  men  for  political 
leaders,  new  sets  of  carpet-baggers,  and  new  parties,  made  their  en- 
tree, on  the  reconstruction  of  the  nation,  with  fresh  ideas  and  fresh 
vigor,  and  have  taken  their  place  in  the  world  of  action.  These 
new  elements  are  to  control  the  destinies  of  the  United  States  for 
the  next  fifty  years.  Old  party  hacks  of  all  sorts,  men  as  well  as 
newspapers,  have  passed  away.  The  Telegraphs,  the  Globes,  the  Un- 
ions, the  Intelligencers,  the  Spectators,  the  Constitutions,  the  Republics, 
the  Madisonians,  as  official  organs,  are  gone. 

The  Intelligencer  clung  to  life  with  tenacity.  Joseph  Gales  died 
in  1860.  William  Winston  Seaton,  the  surviving  editor,  continued 
the  publication  of  the  paper  three  or  four  years  longer,  and  into  the 
heart  of  the  rebellion.  In  a  funeral  note,  written  by  him  in  January, 
1865,  he  tnus  closed  his  editorial  career : 

The  parting  with  my  old  paper  is  painful  in  the  extreme.  But  the  untoward 
circumstances  of  the  times  had  reduced  it  to  the  point  of  extinction,  and  no  alter- 
native was  left  me  but  to  see  it  expire  or  to  transfer  it  to  some  younger  men,  who 
thought  that,  by  withdrawing  it  from  the  arena  of  politics  and  converting  it  into 
a  news  and  business  sheet,  they  could  make  it  pay.  I  would,  I  confess,  have  pre- 
ferred for  it  the  dignity  of  death ;  but  justice  to  a  few  friends  around  me,  who  have 
enabled  me  to  sustain  it  during  three  years  of  vainly  hoping  for  peace  and  better 
times,  compelled  me  to  part  with  it.  Pride  and  hope  induced  me  to  srruggle  on 
against  the  difficulties  which  beset  me,  at  the  sacrifice  of  every  thing  I  possessed  ; 
but  I  was  at  last  obliged  to  succumb.  The  loss  of  two-thirds  of  my  entire  circu- 
lation by  the  secession  of  the  South  I  could  have  borne ;  the  proscription  of  the 
government  I  could  have  borne  singly ;  but  the  weight  of  the  two  united  was  too 
much  for  me,  and,  receiving  no  compensating  support  in  the  North,  I  was  forced 
to  yield.  In  the  high  character  of  the  friends  like  yourself,  who  have  stood  by  the 
old  journal  in  its  adversity  and  cheered  its  editors  by  their  approval  and  support, 


The  National  Intelligencer.  259 

I  find  a  consolation  which  I  would  not  exchange  for  better  fortune,  although  I  end 
fifty-two  years  of  labor  with  nothing. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Seaton  in  1866,  the  paper  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Snow,  Coyle  &  Co.  Coyle  had  been  a  clerk  in  the  estab- 
lishment. He  made  an  effort  to  keep  it  in  existence.  With  half  a 
million  of  bad  debts  on  its  books,  and  its  prestige  gone,  how  was  it 
to  survive  ?  Millions  of  the  public  money  had  passed  into  the  es- 
tablishment, but  open  house  and  generous  hospitality  had  swallowed 
all.  There  was  another  change.  Alexander  Delmar,  the  statistician, 
revived  it  in  1869,  and  united  a  paper  called  the  Express  with  the  old 
concern.  The  Express  was  an  evening  paper,  started  as  a  neutral 
sheet  in  1866,  but  became  a  self-styled  organ  of  Andrew  Johnson. 
The  Intelligencer,  thus  revived,  lived  a  short  time  longer,  and  finally 
disappeared  as  a  Washington  paper.  Its  remains  were  carried  to 
New  York.  The  subjoined  card  appeared  in  theTY^o/  York  Sun  on 
the  i4th  of  April,  1871  : 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Sim. 

In  this  morning's  SUN  appears  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  the  National  In- 
telligencer ceased  to  be  published  three  years  ago.  The  Daily  Intelligencer  was 
published  in  Washington  until  January  10,  1870;  then  merged  into  the  weekly, 
and  the  latter  removed  to  this  city,  where  it  is  now  published  as  a  journal  of  na- 
tional and  commercial  intelligence  and  revenue  reform.  One  of  the  present  pro- 
prietors purchased  the  property  for  cash  on  the  3<Dth  November,  1869,  and  has 
owned  it  wholly  or  in  part  ever  since.  The  absence  of  a  legitimate  commercial 
basis  for  the  support  of  newspapers  in  Washington  was  the  reason  for  the  removal. 
It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  change  has  resulted  beneficially.  With 
the  exception  of  two  brief  intervals  of  time — first  in  August,  1814,  when  the  British 
troops  under  Gen.  Ross  entered  and  occupied  the  publishing  office ;  the  other  in 
June,  1869 — the  paper  has  a  continuous  file  from  November,  1800,  to  date,  a  period 
of  over  70  years. 

THE  NATIONAL  INTELLIGENCER  PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  176  Broadway. 

Where  is  it  now  ? 

The  National  Era  became  known  as  an  important  organ  of  the 
Abolition  Party  in  Washington  City  in  1847.  Its  editor,  Dr.  Gama- 
liel Bailey,  had  been  editor  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  in  Baltimore 
in  1836,  and  afterwards,  with  James  G.  Birney,  started  the  Philan- 
thropist, an  anti-slavery  paper,  in  Cincinnati.  The  printing-office 
and  press  of  the  latter  were  several  times  destroyed  by  mobs,  but 
the  publication  of  the  paper  was  continued  till  1847,  when  it  was 
merged  with  the  National  Era.  That  office  also  passed  the  ordeal 
of  mob  violence.  It  was  managed  with  considerable  enterprise  till 
the  death  of  its  editor  and  proprietor.  It  was  the  recognized  organ 
of  the  Anti-slavery  Party  at  the  national  capital  when  it  was  consid- 
ered almost  an  act  of  temerity  to  have  such  an  organ  in  that  centre 
of  Southern  fire-eaters  during  the  sessions  of  Congress.  It  was 
in  the  Era  that  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  published  her  cele- 
brated romance,  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  It  was  commenced  in 
1851,  and  published  as  a  serial  tale.  It  was  finished  in  1852,  and 


260  Journalism  in  America. 

was  then  republished  in  book  form  by  Jewett,  of  Boston.  It  was 
estimated  that  up  to  the  period  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion 
in  the  spring  of  i86i,that  half  a  million  copies  of  this  tale  were 
sold  in  the  United  States,  half  a  million  in  Great  Britain,  and  half  a 
million  on  the  Continent  of  Europe.  It  was  translated  into  all  lan- 
guages, and  dramatized  every  where.  It  had  a  run  of  hundreds  of 
nights  in  the  theatres  on  the  Bowery  and  Chatham  Street,  New 
York  City,  where  the  "  huge  fisted"  Democracy,  with  their  families, 
"  most  do  congregate ;"  and  while  Little  Topsey  nightly  produced  a 
most  profound  effect  in  tears  and  applause  upon  the  masses  in  the 
theatres,  the  polls  at  the  elections  in  the  metropolis  invariably  show- 
ed the  curious  anomaly  of  annually  increased  majorities  against  the 
Abolition  Party ! 

The  colored  people  of  Washington  have  produced  a  new  paper 
called  the  New  Era,  which  fully  represents  their  interests.  It  is 
edited  by  Frederick  Douglass  and  the  Rev.  Stella  Martin,  both  col- 
ored men. 

There  are  now  published  in  the  national  capital  seven  news- 
papers : 

Names.  Politics.  Editors. 

Daily  Patriot,  Democratic,     Noah  L.  Jeffrees. 

~v    ~,       -  7  T>       ii-          (  John  M.  Morris. 

The  Chronicle,  Republican,  •<  ;  _ 

(  Myron  Fox. 

The  National  Republican,  Republican,     Wm.  J.  Murtagh. 
The  Star,  Independent,  Crosby  S.  Noyes. 

The  Morning  News. 

The  New  National  Era,    Republican,  \  *re*eiic,k  DouSlass' 

'  (  Stella  Martin. 

The  Capital,  Independent,  Donn  Piatt. 

The  Herald. 

The  National  Standard. 

The  Gazette,  T.  B.  Florence. 

Congressional  Globe,  Rives  and  Bailey. 

The  Chronicle,  a  paper  owned  for  some  time  by  John  W.  Forney, 
occupied  some  attention.  Its  editor  had  been  an  editor  in  Phila- 
delphia, a  working  Democratic  politician  in  Pennsylvania,  an  ardent 
political  friend  of  James  Buchanan,  and  Secretary  to  the  Senate. 
After  he  joined  the  Republican  Party  he  was  equally  prominent  as 
a  working  politician  on  that  side.  He  sold  the  Chronicle  in  1870, 
and  fell  back  on  the  Philadelphia  Press,  which  he  owns.  In  187 1  he 
was  appointed  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Philadephia  by  President 
Grant,  a  place  he  has  since  resigned. 

When  the  Chronicle  passed  from  the  hands  of  Mr.  Forney,  its  new 
proprietor  defined  its  position  after  this  manner : 


The  End  of  the  Government  Organs.          261 

No  person  in  any  way  connected  with  the  Executive  Department  of  the  Gov- 
ernment ;  no  advocate  of  San  Domingo ;  no  aspirant  for  the  Presidency,  or  for 
any  office  in  the  gift  of  the  President ;  no  person  connected  with  any  railroad 
project,  or  with  any  other  special  project,  has  furnished  one  dollar  to  purchase 
the  Chronicle,  or  now  owns  an  interest  of  one  dollar  in  it.  The  present  owner  of 
this  journal  is  absolutely  untrammelled. 

The  Patriot  was  established  early  in  1870  as  a  Democratic  organ. 
James  E.  Harvey  was  its  first  editor.  He  had  been,  before  the  re- 
bellion, the  leading  Washington  correspondent  of  the  Philadelphia 
North  American  and  New  York  Tribune,  and  minister  to  Portugal 
after  the  inauguration  of  President  Lincoln. 

There  are  none  of  the  old  names  represented  in  the  above  list ; 
none  of  the  old  fire  of  the  Globe;  none  of  the  old  dignity  of  the /;/- 
telligencer.  None  of  the  papers  in  Washington  now  speak  as  "  I  am, 
sir,  an  oracle."  Now  the  Independent  Press  of  the  nation,  the  As- 
sociated Presses  north,  east,  west,  and  south,  are  the  recognized  or- 
gans. May  they  always  be  the  Voice  of  the  People. 


262  Journalism-  in  America. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 
THE  DEMOCRATIC  TRIUMVIRATE. 

THE  CHARLESTON  COURIER. — JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT'S  ADVENT  AS  A  JOUR- 
NALIST.—  THE  MORNING  CHRONICLE  OF  NEW  YORK,  —  WASHINGTON  IR- 
VING.— SINGULAR  DUEL. — HARRY  CROSWELL  AND  THE  HUDSON  BALANCE. 
— LIBEL  ON  JEFFERSON. — OPINIONS  OF  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. — THE  RICH- 
MOND ENQUIRER  AND  THOMAS  RITCHIE. — ANDREW  JACKSON  ON  RITCHIE. 
— THE  NEWSPAPER  TRIUMVIRATE. — THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  PATRIOT  AND 
ISAAC  HILL.  —  "ORIGIN"  OF  THE  WAR  ON  THE  UNITED  STATES  BANK. — 
THE  ALBANY  REGISTER  AND  SOLOMON  SOUTHWICK. — MOBBING  THE  OF- 
FICE OF  THE  BALTIMORE  REPUBLICAN.  —  THE  ALBANY  ARGUS  AND  THE 
REGENCY. — EDWIN  CROSWELL. — JUDGE  KENT  ON  NEWSPAPERS. 

WE  leave  the  newspapers  of  Washington  to  look  after  the  jour- 
nals in  other  sections  of  the  country.  New  organs  of  political  par- 
ties, and  of  the  governing  commercial  and  material  interests  of  the 
nation,  were  making  their  call  upon  public  attention. 

Quite  an  important  newspaper  was  issued  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  the  first  year  of  this  century.  Loring  Andrews,  of 
Hingham,  Massachusetts,  who  had  previously  published  the  Herald 
of  Freedom  in  Boston,  the  Western  Star  in  Stockbridge,  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  Centinel  in  Albany,  New  York,  established  the  Charles- 
ton Courier  in  1800.  In  1807  he  died,  but  the  Courier  continued  in 
existence,  and  became  an  influential  commercial  newspaper  in  that 
section  of  the  country.  It  was  never  a  violent  political  journal,  but 
it  was  the  most  enterprising  paper  in  Charleston.  A.  Wellington  & 
Co.  were  for  many  years  its  proprietors  and  publishers,  and  it  was 
edited,  prior  to  the  Rebellion,  by  Richard  Yeadon,  who  made  himself 
singularly  notorious  by  addressing  Edward  Everett  as  the  "  Great 
Laudator,"  in  speaking  of  the  famous  lecturer  on  Washington  for 
the  preservation  of  Mount  Vernon. 

James  Gordon  Bennett  commenced  his  career  as  a  journalist  in 
the  office  of  the  Courier.  Willington  and  Bennett  met  in  New  York, 
where  arrangements  were  made  for  the  latter's  removal  to  Charles- 
ton. This  was  in  1823,  forty-nine  years  ago.  It  was  the  custom 
of  Willington,  at  that  time,  to  board  the  vessels  on  their  arrival  at 
Charleston  from  Havana  with  a  small  row-boat,  a  la  Topliff  of  the 
Boston  News-rooms,  and  get  the  latest  Havana  papers.  On  taking 
them  to  the  Courier  office,  they  would  pass  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Bennett,  who  would  translate  the  news  from  them.  Through  the 


James  Gordon  Bennett's  Newspaper  Cradle,   263 

Cadiz  packets,  which  ran  regularly  to  Havana,  news  from  Europe 
would  thus  sometimes  reach  America  before  it  arrived  at  New  York 
by  the  old  London,  Havre,  and  Liverpool  ships.  In  this  way  the 
Courier  would  frequently  obtain  important  advantages  over  its  less 
enterprising  contemporaries.  This  was  during  the  famous  Due  d'An- 
gouleme  excitement.  In  Yeadon's  summer  trips  to  New  York  in 
1850-1,  or  thereabouts,  he  would,  with  the  usual  weakness  of  edit- 
ors, boast  of  the  Courier,  and  claimed,  with  great  unction,  that  it 
was  in  that  office  where  Bennett  took  his  first  lessons  in  journalism 
— that  it  was,  indeed,  Bennett's  newspaper  cradle. 

Willington's  news-boat  arrangement,  we  believe,  embraced  nearly 
the  whole  scope  and  extent  of  the  enterprise  of  the  Courier,  but  it 
was  useful  and  instrumental  in  building  up  that  establishment.  Its 
power  and  influence,  however,  like  the  power  and  influence  of  hun- 
dreds of  other  leading  journals  at  the  South,  disappeared  in  .the  cloud 
of  the  Rebellion,  and  other  journals,  with  other  editors,  with  excep- 
tions here  and  there,  are  taking  their  place.  There  has  been,  as 
the  natural  consequence  of  the  war,  a  new  infusion  of  newspaper 
talent  in  the  Southern  States,  which  will  ultimately  leaven  the  entire 
press  of  that  section,  and  make  it  more  comprehensive  in  its  char- 
acter, and  homogeneous  with  the  journals  of  the  North,  East,  and 
West. 

Mr.  Willington's  daughter,  we  think,  married  William  Young,  for 
many  years  editor  of  the  Albion,  the  acknowledged  English  organ  in 
New  York,  edited,  till  lately,  by  Kinahan  Cornwallis,  a  well-known 
writer  and  political  economist. 

When  the  American  Citizen  denounced  Aaron  Burr  for  his  deser- 
tion of  the  Democratic  Party,  the  friends  of  Burr  established  a  pa- 
per in  New  York  to  neutralize  the  attacks  of  Cheatham.  The  new 
paper  was  called  the  Morning  Chronicle,  and  was  first  published  in 
1802.  It  was  edited  by  Dr.  Peter  Irving,  a  man  of  much  literary 
ability  and  erudition,  but  not  equal,  as  a  political  journalist,  to  his 
opponent.  Washington  Irving  first  made  his  appearance  in  the 
Morning  Chronicle  of  New  York  as  a  writer  over  the  signature  of 
Jonathan  Oldstyle,  as  Charles  Dickens  did  in  the  Morning  Chronicle 
of  London  over  the  signature  of  Boz. 

The  publisher  of  the  Chronicle  was  William  A.  Davis,  brother  of 
Matthew  L.  Davis.  The  Van  Nesses,  the  Swartwouts,  Matthew  L. 
Davis,  and  other  leading  friends  of  Burr,  were  contributors  to  its 
columns.  There  was  a  semi-weekly,  entitled,  the  Chronicle  Express, 
connected  with  the  daily  issue. 

The  Citizen  charged  Burr  with  intriguing  with  the  Federalists  for 
the  defeat  of  Jefferson  for  the  presidency.  The  Chronicle,  not  so 
keen,  was  still  sharp  enough  to  draw  blood.  In  its  efforts  to  bol- 


264  Journalism  in  America. 

ster  up  the  character  of  Burr,  it  bitterly  attacked  the  Clintons  and 
Livingstons,  accusing  them  of  a  desire  to  absorb  all  the  offices  and 
all  -the  spoils  of  party.  With  the  Chronicle  Burr  was  a  saint.  The 
old  Manhattan  Bank  entered  the  arena  against  Burr,  and,  in  the 
heat  of  this  remarkable  political  contest,  the  bank  managers  refused 
to  re-elect  as  director  Colonel  John  Swartwout,  one  of  Burr's  per- 
sonal and  political  friends.  Brockholst  Livingston  was  chosen  in 
his  stead.  The  contest  was  a  warm  one,  and,  in  a  political  conver- 
sation growing  out  of  the  campaign,  De  Witt  Clinton  called  Swart- 
wout "  a  liar,  a  scoundrel,  and  a  villain."  Colonel  S.  immediately 
demanded  an  apology,  or  a  recantation  of  this  offensive  language. 
Mr.  Clinton  stated  that  Swartwout  had  charged  him  with  selfish  and 
unworthy  motives  in  his  opposition  to  Burr,  and  the  epithets  were 
simply  a  strong  denial  of  that  charge  ;  if  Colonel  S.  would  withdraw 
his  charge,  Mr.  Clinton  would  take  back  what  he  had  said,  and  not 
otherwise.  This  led  to  a  duel.  It  was  believed  by  many  at  that 
time'  that  there  was  a  plan  on  foot  to  draw  Colonel  Hamilton  into 
a  personal  conflict  for  the  purpose  of  getting  him  out  of  the  way, 
and  that  this  affair  was  a  part  of  the  conspiracy.  Five  shots  were 
exchanged  by  Clinton  and  Swartwout,  during  which  the  latter  was 
tw;ce  wounded.  There  were  three  shots  without  injury  to  either 
party.  "  Is  your  principal  satisfied  ?"  asked  Richard  Riker,  acting 
as  Clinton's  second,  after  each  fire.  "  He  is  not,"  replied  Swart- 
wout's  second.  The  fourth  shot  was  then  exchanged,  and  Swart- 
wout received  Clinton's  ball  in  the  calf  of  his  leg. 

"  Is  your  principal  satisfied  now  ?"  again  demanded  Riker. 

"  He  is  not,"  reiterated  Swartwout's  second. 

The  fifth  shot  was  then  exchanged,  and  Clinton's  ball  again  lodged 
in  Swartwout's  leg. 

"  Is  your  principal  now  satisfied  ?"  once  more  demanded  the  ami- 
able and  accommodating  Riker. 

There  was  a  moment's  consultation  with  Swartwout  while  the  sur- 
geons were  probing  the  wounds,  and,  in  spite  of  their  protests,  he 
declared  he  was  not  satisfied.  Clinton,  who  was  shooting  at  a  man 
against  whom  he  entertained  no  personal  enmity,  then  said, "  Well, 
well,  he  may  go  to  the  devil,  for  I  will  fight  no  more,"  and,  with  his 
friends,  immediately  left  the  field. 

It  is  thought  that  a  letter  from  Albany,  which  was  published  in 
the  Chronicle  in  February,  1804,  describing  the  deliberations  of  a  se- 
cret meeting  of  a  number  of  Federalists,  where  Colonel  Hamilton 
spoke  strongly  in  opposition  to  Burr,  and  which  led  to  his  defeat  for 
governor,  was  the  beginning  of  the  scheme  to  draw  Hamilton  into 
the  duel  which  ended  in  his  death. 

The  Chronicle  continued  to  be  published,  notwithstanding  the  po- 


The  Course  of  Solomon  Southwick.  265 

litical  death  of  Burr  in  the  physical  death  of  Hamilton,  till  the  sum- 
mer of  1805,  when  it  was  merged  in  fatPoughkeepsie  Journal,  edited 
by  Isaac  Mitchell.  The  Journal,  under  the  inspiration  of  Secretary 
Tillotson,  assailed  Clinton  and  Spencer.  The  Plebeian,  edited  by 
Jesse  Buel,  was  also  severe  on  Clinton.  On  the  other  hand,  Cheat- 
ham's  Citizen  and  the  Albany  Register  came  out  equally  strong  for 
Governor  Lewis  in  the  political  fight  of  the  state. 

The  Albany  Register  was  edited  by  John  Barber,  assisted  by  his 
brother-in-law,  Solomon  Southwick.  The  latter  was  represented  as 
a  young  man  of  elegant  and  prepossessing  manners  and  appearance. 
He  was  the  son  of  the  old  editor  of  the  Newport  Mercury.  He  be- 
came a  prominent,  indeed,  a  leading  politician  in  New  York.  It 
seems  that,  after  the  affair  between  Clinton  and  Swartwout,  the  po- 
litical feeling  against  Burr  increased  in  intensity.  The  Register,  the 
organ  of  the  party,  after  some  hesitation,  denounced  him  as  a  traitor 
to  the  Democratic  Party.  This  was  followed  up  by  nearly  all  of 
the  Democratic  journals.  Southwick  was  chosen  clerk  of  the  As- 
sembly in  opposition  to  the  Federalist  candidate. 

The  Register,  in  the  time  of  the  Clintons,  Burr,  Lewis,  and  Spen- 
cer, occupied  the  same  position  in  Albany  that  the  Argus  afterwards 
did  in  the  time  of  Van  Buren,  Marcy,  and  Wright.  In  the  quarrel 
between  Governor  Lewis  and  De  Witt  Clinton,  it  was  said  that  Chan- 
cellor Lansing,  who  had  received  the  nomination  of  the  Republican 
Party  in  1804,  declined  it  because  of  the  threatened  opposition  of 
Clinton  and  Spencer  on  his  refusing  to  pledge  himself  "to  a  partic- 
ular course  of  conduct  in  the  administration  of  the  government  of 
the  state."  According  to  the  chancellor,  De  Witt  Clinton,  Judge 
Taylor,  Solomon  Southwick,  and  one  other,  had  been  seen  coming 
from  the  office  of  the  editor  of  the  Register  on  the  eve  of  the  an- 
nouncement of  his  nomination,  which  announcement  was  not  only 
very  singular,  but  very  exceptionable  in  its  character.  The  article 
in  question,  indicating  to  him  the  coming  pressure,  if  elected,  induced 
him  to  decline  the  nomination,  and  thus  free  himself  of  the  trammels 
of  these  distinguished  politicians. 

This  was  in  1807.  Southwick  became  the  chief  editor  of  the  Reg- 
ister in  1808.  It  continued  to  be  the  organ  of  the  Clintonians,  and 
endeavored  to  bring  about  the  nomination  of  Vice-President  George 
Clinton,  instead  of  Madison,  for  the  presidency  in  1809.  It  was  the 
opening  of  the  quarrel  with  the  Richmond  Junta  or  Virginia  Dynas- 
ty, which  helped  defeat  De  Witt  Clinton  in  1813. 

Southwick,  who  was  now  a  journalist  of  commanding  influence  in 
New  York  politics  as  the  accredited  organ  of  the  Democratic  Party, 
like  many  editors  of  that  and  every  other  period,  was  an  office-seeker. 
In  1809  he  was  appointed  Sheriff  of  the  City  and  County  of  Albany. 


26.6  Journalism  in  America. 

In  1811  he  was  President  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank  of  Albany.  He 
was  also  printer  to  the  state.  Then  he  was  made  Regent  of  the 
University.  After  these  honors  there  was  a  change  politically  and 
journalistically.  In  opposing  the  election  of  Governor  Tompkins, 
he  created  an  opposition  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  new 
paper.  He  was  then  charged  with  corruption  in  connection  with 
the  organization  of  a  monster  bank  in  New  York,  called  the  Bank 
of  America.  He  was  acquitted,  but  his  influence  was  shattered. 
The  new  journal  was  the  Argus.  This  was  Southwick's  great  mis- 
take as  a  party  editor.  Success  had  spoiled  him  for  such  a  position. 
He  was  on  the  wane  from  that  time.  No  mere  party  editor  could  dic- 
tate to  party.  The  first  prop  knocked  from  under  him  was  the  with- 
drawal of  the  state  printing ;  and  although  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Postmaster  of  Albany  in  1815,  he  felt  constrained  to  retire 
from  the  editorial  chair  of  the  Register  in  1818,  after  having  become 
inimical  to  De  Witt  Clinton,  his  oldest  and  warmest  political  friend. 
He  established  the  Plough-Boy  in  1821,  and  then  the  National  Dem- 
ocrat, both  of  which  were  short  lived.  In  1822  he  was  removed 
from  the  Post-office  for  cause,  and  became  a  candidate  for  governor. 
He  was  signally  defeated  at  the  election,  and  thus  closed  the  career 
of  this  brilliant  and  blundering  party  journalist.  In  this  election 
Judge  Yates  received  128,493  votes,  and  Editor  Southwick  2910. 
On  the  next  election  Yates  was  not  even  nominated.  In  alluding 
to  this  fact,  he  laughingly  said  that  he  was  the  most  popular  man  in 
the  state :  at  one  election  he  was  chosen  governor  almost  unani- 
mously, and  at  the  next  election  he  was  unanimously  elected  to  stay 
at  home ! 

In  1828  Southwick  was  again  a  candidate  for  governor,  represent- 
ing the  Anti-masonic  party,  becoming  editor,  at  the  same  time,  of  the 
National  Observer,  the  organ  of  that  new  party.  He  died  in  1839, 
aged  sixty-six  years. 

Israel  W.  Clark,  the  new  editor  of  the  Register,  had  formerly  pub- 
lished the  Watch-Tower,  a  Democratic  paper,  at  Cooperstown.  The 
Register  was  the  organ  of  Governor  Clinton,  and  now  made  strong 
efforts  to  recover  the  state  printing.  The  Argus,  the  new  paper, 
was  the  organ  of  Judge  Spencer,  who  had  separated  from  the  Clinton 
section  of  the  party.  New  editorial  talent  was  introduced  in  the 
Register  in  1819.  Nathaniel  H.  Carter,  of  New  Hampshire,  now  as- 
sumed, in  part,  the  editorial  management  of  that  paper.  He  took 
the  entire  charge  in  1820,  and  changed  the  name  to  that  of  \h&New 
York  Statesman.  One  of  his  admirers  thus  described  Carter  : 

Nathaniel  Carter  is  vividly  impressed  on  my  recollection :  he  had  very  con- 
siderable literary  taste  ;  was  many  years  editor  of  the  New  York  Statesman  ;  and 
after  his  visit  in  Europe,  published  his  letters  on  his  tour  in  two  large  volumes. 


Important  Libel  Sitit.  267 

His  merit  was  only  equalled  by  his  modesty.  He  was  strongly  devoted  to  Dewitt 
Clinton  and  the  Erie  Canal ;  with  becoming  feeling  he  cherished  much  regard 
for  his  eastern  brethren,  and  was  the  first  I  think  who  introduced  his  personal 
friend,  our  constitutional  expositor,  Daniel  Webster,  to  the  Bread  and  Cheese 
Lunch,  founded  by  J.  Fenimore  Cooper  ;  where  sometimes  met,  in  familiar  dis- 
quisitions, such  minds  as  those  of  Chief  Justice  Jones,  P.  A.  Jay,  Henry  Storrs, 
Prof.  Renwick,  John  Anthon,  Charles  King,  John  Duer,  and  others  of  a  like  in- 
tellectual calibre.  Carter  was  of  a  feeble  frame,  struggling  with  pulmonary  annoy- 
ance, from  which  he  died  early.  He  was  little  initiated  in  the  trickery  of  political 
discussion.  His  heart  was  filled  with  the  kindliest  feelings  of  which  nature  is  sus- 
ceptible. 

The  current  events  connected  with  journalism  and  politics  were 
so  peculiarly  interwoven  that  it  is  difficult  to  state  them  seriatim. 
Sometimes  we  are  compelled  to  run  ahead  chronologically,  and 
then  return  to  prior  incidents  and  occurrences.  Thus  an  important 
event,  in  a  newspaper  point  of  view,  happened  early  in  1804.  The 
Hudson  Balance,  a  leading  Federal  paper,  edited  by  Harry  Cros- 
well,  assailed  Mr.  Jefferson  with  great  vigor  and  violence.  The  at- 
tack was  considered  so  strong  and  severe  that  Croswell  was  indict- 
ed by  the  grand  jury  of  Columbia  County  for  libel.  The  case  came 
before  Chief  Justice  Lewis  in  the  February  term  of  the  Superior 
Court.  Alexander  Hamilton,  Richard  Harrison,  and  Wm.  N.Van 
Ness,  who  was  afterwards  Burr's  second  when  Hamilton  was  shot, 
appeared  for  the  journalist ;  Attorney  General  Spencer  and  Lawyer 
Caines  for  the  prosecution.  On  the  trial  Croswell  offered  to  prove 
the  truth  of  the  charges  of  the  alleged  libel.  The  court,  as  in  the 
case  of  Zenger  in  1735,  and  in  accordance  with  the  English  com- 
mon law  doctrine,  rejected  the  evidence,  and  declared  that  the  only 
question  for  the  jury  to  decide  was  the  fact  whether  or  not  the  al- 
leged libel  had  been  published  by  the  defendant  Croswell,  and  that 
the  question  of  libel  or  no  libel  was  to  be  determined  by  the  court 
alone.  The  distinguished  counsel  then  endeavored  to  obtain  a  new 
trial,  but  the  court  decided  that  it  could  not  depart  from  the  fixed 
rule  of  common  law.  To  the  Press  this  was  an  important  case.  It 
is  related  that  the  effort  of  Alexander  Hamilton  in  this  trial  eclipsed 
that  of  Andrew  Hamilton  of  1735.  In  one  case,  Andrew  Hamilton 
obtained  a  great  triumph  for  the  freedom  of  the  Press  in  the  early 
part  of  last  century.  In  the  other  case,  Alexander  Hamilton,  by 
showing,  with  wonderful  eloquence  and  power,  that  the  maxim 
"greater  the  truth,  greater  the  libel, "was  of  modern  date  in  En- 
gland ;  that  it  was  at  war  with  the  genius  of  the  civil  institutions  of 
this  country  ;  that  it  was  an  outrage  on  human  rights,  common  jus- 
tice, and  common  sense,  produced  a  profound  impression  on  the 
public  mind.  It  affected  the  Legislature.  The  subject  was  taken 
up  at  the  next  session,  a  bill  introduced,  and  the  matter  thoroughly 
ventilated  in  the  sessions  of  1804-5.  In  the. session  of  1805,  the 
bill  authorizing  the  truth  to  be  given  in  evidence  when  the  matter, 


268  Journalism  in  America. 

written  or  printed,  was  published  "with  good  motives  and  for  justi- 
fiable ends,"  became  a  law.  It  constituted  the  jury  in  this,  as  in 
all  other  criminal  cases,  judges  of  the  law  and  of  the  fact.  The 
law  of  libel  was  then  placed  on  a  surer  and  fairer  foundation,  and 
the  principle  thus  enunciated  was  afterwards  incorporated  in  the 
constitutions  of  1821,  1845,  and  1865,  and  became  a  fundamental 
law  of  the  state. 

But  what  of  the  Democratic  Triumvirate  ? 

The  Richmond  Enquirer  is  one  of  the  ancient  and  honorable  jour- 
nals now  published.  Its  history  is  almost  the  history  of  the  old 
Democratic  Party.  On  the  gth  of  May,  1804,  it  was  first  issued  on 
a  small  semi-weekly  sheet  by  Ritchie  and  Worsley.  Its  editor  was 
Thomas  Ritchie,  the  senior  proprietor,  who  became  well  known  in 
the  course  of  time  as  Father  Ritchie,  and  the  Enquirer  was  deemed 
a  power  in  the  political  circles  of  the  country.  The  Examiner  had, 
for  several  years  previously,  been  the  leading  Republican  paper  of 
Richmond.  It  had  been  edited  by  Merewether  Jones,  a  warm  op- 
ponent of  the  Alien  and  Sedition  laws,  who  maintained  the  tri-color 
against  the  black  cockade  in  that  eventful  period.  Skelton  Jones 
succeeded  him,  and  he  published  the  paper  with  W.  W.  Worsley  as 
business  partner.  James  Thompson  Callender  wrote  for  this  paper. 
Then  the  concern  grew  weak  and  died.  Its  material  was  purchased 
by  Thomas  Ritchie  and  Worsley,  and  the  Enquirer,  with  five  hun- 
dred subscribers,  was  issued  in  its  place. 

When  the  Enquirer  was  started  Jefferson  was  President,  and  the 
paper,  like  the  old  Virginia  Gazette  at  Williamsburg,  was  establish- 
ed under  his  auspices.  Its  origin  was  part  of  the  plan  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Democratic  Party.  Its  platform  was  made  up  of 
the  resolutions  of '98  and  '99.  In  his  first  article  the  editor  said  : 

He  fondly  hopes  that  whenever  necessity  or  inclination  shall  induce  him  to 
abandon  his  present  pursuit,  he  may  be  able  to  lay  his  hand  upon  his  heart  and 
indulge  the  consolatory  reflection  that  he  has  not  dishonored  the  high  preroga- 
tives of  the  press  or  his  own  personal  character. 

The  Enquirer  came  under  the  influence  of  party  and  public  pat- 
ronage^from  its  first  number.  Its  initial  number  published  the  laws 
of  the  United  States.  This  was  the  President's  indorsement.  Its 
circulation  was  considered  large.  It  was  the  organ  of  the  Virginia 
Democracy,  and  looked  upon  Virginia  as  the  only  nursery  in  the 
country  for  statesmen  and  presidents.  In  this  view  of  the  mission 
of  Virginia,  and  after  that  state  had  furnished  Washington,  Jeffer- 
son, Madison,  and  Monroe,  the  Enquirer  pooh-poohed  at  the  name 
of  Andrew  Jackson,  when  it  was  suggested  by  Aaron  Burr  in  1817, 
and  Ritchie  came  out  strongly  and  violently  against  the  Old  Hero 
in  the  contest  of  1824, asserting  that  his  election  "would  be  a  curse 
upon  our  country."  It  seems  that  Ritchie  filled  the  same  niche  in 


Thomas  Ritchie  and  the  Richmond  Enquirer.  269 

the  mind  of  Jackson  that  Freneau,  of  the  National  Gazette,  did  in 
the  mind  of  Washington.  The  two  editors  were  denounced  in  sim- 
ilar terms.  Jackson  once  said,  "I  see  that  I  am  attacked  in  Con- 
gress by  Cocke,  Whitman,  and  Williams,  aided  by  that  infamous 
press,  the  Richmond  Enquirer.  If  such  a  corrupt  press  as  the  Rich- 
mond Enquirer  were  to  approbate  my  conduct,  I  should  think,  in 
some  unguarded  moment,  I  had  committed  some  great  moral  impro- 
priety." The  Globe,  to  smooth  over  the  matter,  and  keep  the  par- 
ty lines  in  order,  afterwards  explained  Jackson's  reasons  for  these 
strong  expressions  :  they  were  merely  intended  in  the  Pickwickian 
sense.  The  explanation  was  satisfactory  to  Ritchie  at  the  time. 
But  General  Jackson  never  had  the  highest  confidence  in  Ritchie. 
In  a  letter  to  Francis  P.  Blair,  written  on  the  i4th  of  December, 
1844,  he  thus  spoke  of  the  Virginia  journalist : 

It  is  true  Mr.  Ritchie  is  an  experienced  editor,  but  sometimes  goes  off  at  half- 
cock  before  he  sees  the  whole  ground,  and  does  the  party  great  injury  before  he 
sees  his  error,  and  then  has  great  difficulty  to  get  back  into  the  right  track  again. 
Witness  his  course  on  my  removal  of  the  deposits,  and  how  much  injury  he  did 
us  before  he  got  into  the  right  track  again.  Another  faux  pas  he  made  when  he 
went  off  with  Rives  and  the  conservatives,  and  advocated  for  the  safe  keeping  of 
the  public  revenue  special  deposits  in  the  state  banks,  as  if  where  the  directory 
were  corrupt  there  could  be  any  more  security  in  special  deposits  in  corrupt  banks 
than  in  general  deposits,  and  it  was  some  time  before  the  great  absurdity  could 
be  beat  out  of  his  mind. 

Most  of  Ritchie's  editorials  were,  in  his  early  career,  written  in 
the  first  person,  and  in  this  way  the  paper  and  editor  became  sy- 
nonymous terms.  Not  satisfied  with  the  Enquirer  alone,  its  editor 
dabbled  in  another  Richmond  paper  called  the  Compiler,  which  he 
edited  for  several  years. 

The  Enquirer,  like  the  Albany  Argus,  made  and  unmade  politi- 
cians and  statesmen  in  its  own  state,  and,  during  Jackson's  and  Van 
Buren's  administrations,  the  rank  and  file  of  the  party  were  regular- 
ly, despotically,  and  systematically  controlled  and  guided  by  Ritchie 
of  the  Enquirer,  Blair  of  the  Globe,  and  Croswell  of  the  Argus — the 
American  Triumvirate  of  party  journalists,  who  in  turn  were  moved 
as  puppets  by  the  master  spirits  of  the  Democratic  Party  in  the 
Kitchen  Cabinet,  the  Richmond  Junta,  and  the  Albany  Regency. 

Among  the  contributors  to  the  Enquirer  was  William  Wirt.  This 
distinguished  man  wrote  under  the  signature  of  "  The  British  Spy" 
for  the  Richmond  Argus  in  1802,  and  under  the  nomme  de  plume  of 
"The  Old  Bachelor"  in  the  Richmond  Enquirer  in  1812.  It  was 
some  time  after  this  period  that  Wirt  became  the  Anti-masonic  can- 
didate for  the  presidency. 

It  was  Ritchie's  habit  to  place  at  the  end  of  many  of  his  articles 
and  short  paragraphs  the  wise  saying,  nous  verrons.  Whenever  he 
wished  to  impress  his  readers  with  the  fact  that  something  was  to 


270  Journalism  in  America. 

happen  in  politics  which  he  could  not  fully  divulge,  this  mysterious 
phrase  would  surely  be  brought  into  service.  They  were,  in  the  En- 
quirer, the  wink  of  the  politician,  or  the  shrug  of  the  Frenchman's 
shoulder.  He  believed  in  repetition.  Other  expressions  would  be 
often  used.  In  the  tariff  excitement,  which  led  to  nullification  in 
South  Carolina  in  1832,  he  was  dubbed  with  various  titles  :  Thomas 
Nous  Verrons,  Momentous  Crisis  Ritchie,  Old  Nous  Verrons,  Obeta 
Principiis  Ritchie.  "  With  an  attenuated  frame,  thin  and  wan,  and 
apparently  wasted  to  a  shadow,  Ritchie  could  undergo,"  said  a  friend 
of  his,  "  immense  mental  exertion  and  bodily  fatigue ;  and  though 
his  dress  was  such  as  to  have  thrown  ordinary  mortals  into  con- 
sumption, he  rarely  was  troubled  with  cold.  He  almost  invariably 
wore  a  white  Marseilles  vest,  and  thin  pumps  and  silk  stockings, 
and  we  have  often  seen  him  thus  clad,  in  snow  and  mire,  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  wending  his  way  homewards  with  a  handful  of  papers,  ex- 
cerpts, and  copy,  with  his  white  cambric  handkerchief  twisted  around 
them,  and  without  an  overcoat,  while  all  others  were  wrapped  in 
furs  and  flannels  as  heavy  as  could  be  worn." 

The  Enquirer  of  July  24, 1854,  in  speaking  of  its  old  editor,  gave 
the  following  modest,  curious,  and  interesting  account  of  Mr.  Ritch- 
ie's status  in  Richmond  and  in  Virginia  : 

Mr.  Ritchie  was  secretary  to  almost  all  the  public  meetings  held  in  Richmond 
during  his  residence  there,  was  present  at  all  the  Legislative  caucuses  where  Pres- 
idents and  Governors  and  Senators  were  made  and  unmade,  acted  and  consult- 
ed with  the  managers,  was  advised  and  counseled  with  by  them,  and  without  his 
knowledge  and  concurrence,  few  moves  were  made  on  the  political  board.  In 
times  of  high  political  excitement  in  the  Legislature,  while  he  would  be  sitting  at 
the  clerks'  table  taking  notes  of  the  debates,  we  have  seen  the  leaders  of  the  par- 
ty, fearing  their  own  judgment  and  totally  at  fault,  vacillating  and  uncertain,  come 
to  him  for  the  cue,  and  obtaining  it  in  a  few  hurried  words,  we  have  seen  them 
return  to  their  positions,  and  then,  with  a  boldness  and  intrepidity  not  before  felt, 
proclaim  their  course,  and  sound  the  bugle,  giving  the  rallying  notes  which  were 
certain  to  be  taken  up  and  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  till  the  whole  party 
would  stand  in  solid  phalanx  not  to  be  broken  or  shaken.  If  any  man  wavered 
then,  woe  to  his  future  prospects  for  advancement  in  Virginia.  If  he  resisted,  his 
political  death  was  sealed  forever. 

Mr.  Ritchie  was  manager  at  all  the  public  balls,  and  was  the  perfect  gentle- 
man in  his  attentions  to  the  ladies — was  one  of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements 
for  all  public  dinners — had  something  to  do  in  the  preparation  of  the  toasts — pre- 
sided on  these  occasions  with  dignity  and  propriety — and  would  proclaim,  when 
the  company  became  a  little  uproarious,  that  "  order  was  Heaven's  first  law." 
He  welcomed  public  guests  at  public  entertainments,  and  gave  them  a  cheerful 
and  a  cordial  greeting.  He  was  a  member  of  pleasant  clubs,  and  none  so  jovial 
and  gay  as  he.  When  with  old  cronies  at  a  round  table,  he  would  pass  a  few 
hours  the  liveliest,  merriest,  noisiest,  youngest,  though  perhaps  the  oldest,  of  the 
set.  He  was  ever  attentive  to  strangers  who  visited  the  city — would  call  upon 
and  receive  their  calls  with  punctilious  respect ;  and  it  was  remarkable  to  notice 
the  curiosity  with  which  he  was  looked  at  and  enquired  for  by  them. 

These  civilities  and  duties  and  amusements  Mr.  Ritchie  performed  and  enjoyed 
in  his  hours  of  relaxation ;  never,  however,  in  all  his  pleasures,  in  his  gayest 
moods,  stepping  beyond  the  bounds  of  temperance  and  moderation.  But  in  his 
hours  of  study,  or  business  or  composition,  he  rarely  permitted  himself  to  be  in- 
terrupted. At  such  times,  it  was  his  habit  to  retire  to  an  upper  apartment  of  his 


Influence  of  the  Enquirer.  271 

residence,  where,  in  a  dressing  gown  and  slippers,  free  from  all  restraint  and  cer- 
emony, he  could  think,  and  cull  and  pour  forth  those  lucubrations  which  were  the 
mental  food  for  thousands.  How  truly  did  Mr.  Jefferson  describe  him  in  his  letter 
to  John  Adams,  of  the  Qth  of  July,  1819,  when  speaking  doubtingly  of  the  authen- 
thicity  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence,  he  said, 

"  If  this  paper  be  really  taken  from  the  Raleigh  Register  as  quoted,  I  wonder  it  should  have 
escaped  Ritchie,  who  culls  what  is  good  from  every  paper  as  the  bee  from  every  flower." 

The  Enquirer  did  its  share  toward  the  defeat  of  Van  Buren's  re- 
nomination  for  the  presidency  in  1844.  The  Texas  Question  was 
then  the  fighting  question  of  the  politicians,  especially  of  the  South- 
ern Democracy,  and,  in  consequence  of  Van  Buren's  letter  in  oppo- 
sition to  annexation,  the  Democratic  leaders  of  the  South  were  de- 
termined to  throw  him  overboard.  Ritchie  canvassed  Virginia  on 
the  subject.  To  satisfy  Van  Buren  that  "  indications  of  public  sen- 
timent precluded  the  possibility  of  his  receiving  the  vote  of  that 
state,"  Ritchie  sent  to  Van  Buren  all  the  letters  he  had  received 
from  all  the  influential  men  in  the  state,  written  by  most  of  those 
who  were  known  to  Van  Buren  to  have  previously  been  his  warm- 
est friends.  The  whole  package  was  returned  without  a  line,  and 
without  being  franked  by  the  ex-President,  although  he  had  that 
privilege.  This  settled  the  case.  Polk  was  nominated  and  elected. 

In  May,  1845,  Ritchie  left  the  Enquirer,  after  forty-one  years  of 
service,  and  went  to  Washington  to  take  the  chief  editorial  manage- 
ment of  the  Union  as  the  official  organ  of  President  Polk.  It  was 
evident  that  the  capital  was  no  place  for  him.  Out  of  Virginia,  and 
out  of  the  Enquirer,  at  his  age,  and  coming  after  Blair  and  the  Globe, 
he  was  without  power,  without  vigor,  and  without  influence. 

Anterior  to  his  retirement  from  the  Enquirer  in  1843,  two  sons, 
William  F.  and  Thomas  Ritchie,  Jr.,  were  associated  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  paper.  William  F.  Ritchie  became  its  editor- on  the  de- 
parture of  his  father  for  the  national  capital. 

There  was  an  influential  Whig  paper  printed  in  Richmond  called 
the  Whig.  It  was  founded  by  John  H.  Pleasants  in  1826,  and  he 
was  one  of  its  chief  writers  and  managers.  He  had  also  been  an 
editor  in  Washington,  and  was  a  warm  partisan  of  Henry  Clay. 
While  the  Enquirer  was  the  organ  of  the  democracy,  the  Whig  was 
the  oracle  of  the  opposition.  They  frequently  had  verbal  fights  to- 
gether. On  one  occasion,  however,  words  ended  in  blows.  This 
was  while  Pleasants  was  editor  of  the  News.  No  affair  in  the  an- 
nals of  journalism  exceeded  the  desperate  personal  conflict  which 
took  place  in  Richmond  in  February,  1846,  between  Thomas  Ritchie, 
Jr.,  and  Pleasants.  They  met  on  the  23d  of  that  month  in  a  field, 
armed  with  swords  and  pistols.  Each  advanced  on  the  other,  firing 
as  they  advanced.  On  coming  together  they  drew  their  swords. 
Tijen  a  savage  conflict  took  place.  Pleasants  received  four  pistol- 


272  Joitrnalism  in  America. 

shot  wounds  and  one  gash  from  Ritchie's  sword,  and  died  two  days 
after  the  frightful  combat.  Ritchie  was  slightly  wounded.  He  was 
arrested,  tried,  and  acquitted.  He  died  in  May,  1854. 

The  Enquirer  lived  through  the  Rebellion,  and  is  living  now. 
But  few  papers  have  succeeded  in  retaining,  for  so  long  a  period  as 
nearly  sixty  years,  their  power  and  influence  with  their  party  as  the 
Enquirer  had  done  prior  to  the  Rebellion.  Said  the  editor  on  the 
morning  of  its  fiftieth  anniversary,  "  Men  in  the  highest  positions 
and  of  the  greatest  ability  have  contributed  to  its  columns  and 
courted  its  power."  True  of  the  Enquirer,  and  true,  too,  of  most  of 
the  leading  journals  of  all  faiths  and  all  parties  since  the  formation 
of  the  government.  But  these  party  papers  have  not  been  so  much 
the  vox  populi  as  the  voice  of  the  politicians. 

William  W.  Worsley,  the  junior  member  of  the  Enquirer  firm  when 
that  paper  was  started,  retired  from  the  concern  in  1805,  and  after- 
wards, joining  the  fortunes  of  Henry  Clay,  went  to  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. There,  in  company  with  Thomas  S.  Smith,  he  established 
^s\^  Reporter  as  the  home  organ  of  the  statesman  of  Ashland. 

The  New  Hampshire  Patriot,  which  has  been  a  noted  political  pa- 
per, as  much  so  in  New  England  as  the  Richmond  Enquirer  was  in 
the  South,  was  established  in  October,  1808,  under  the  title  of  the 
American  Patriot,  by  William  Hoit.  In  April,  1809,  the  concern 
was  purchased  by  Isaac  Hill,  who  had  learned  the  art  of  printing  in 
the  office  of  the  Amherst  Cabinet. 

The  Patriot,  under  its  new  name  and  its  new  manager,  advocated 
the  Democratic  side  with  unsurpassed  zeal,  attacking  his  opponents 
with  unsparing  severity.  New  Hampshire  was  an  old  Federal  state. 
It  veered  round  in  i8o4-'5,  when  Langdon  was  elected  Governor, 
and  the  electoral  vote  given  to  Jefferson  for  President.  With  polit- 
ical fluctuations  from  that  time  to  1815,  the  Federal  Party  finally 
succumbed.  The  Patriot  then  became  powerful  and  influential,  ex- 
cept in  1823,  when  Levi  Woodbury  was  elected  Governor  by  a  com- 
bination of  Democrats  and  Federalists  against  the  regular  Demo- 
cratic candidate  and  the  opposition  of  the  Patriot.  In  the  following 
year,  too,  New  Hampshire  gave  her  electoral  vote  to  John  Quincy 
Adams  against  the  wishes  of  the  Patriot,  which  supported  William 
H.  Crawford  for  the  presidency,  although  the  Adams  electoral  ticket 
was  published  at  the  head  of  that  paper  as  the  regular  nomination. 

The  Patriot  attained,  under  the  management  of  Isaac  Hill,  a  very 
large  circulation  throughout  New  England.  The  old  Federal  fami- 
lies and  their  heirs  opposed  the  paper  in  every  way,  but  with  the 
democracy  its  progress  and  popularity  were  great.  His  political 
friends  showed  their  confidence  in  him  by  taking  his  paper  and  elect- 
ing him  to  the  State  Senate,  in  spite  of  a  tremendous  opposition. 


Isaac  Hill  and  the  New  Hampshire  Patriot.    273 

The  Patriot  having  been  a  zealous  supporter  of  General  Jackson 
for  the  presidency  in  1828,  the  President  nominated  the  editor  to  the 
office  of  Second  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury.  While  in  this  office 
in  1829,  Mr.  Hill  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Patriot  to  Mr.  Bar- 
ton and  Horatio  Hill,  his  brother.  Owing  to  the  hostility  of  Tyler, 
Iredell,  and  a  few  other  Jackson  senators  to  the  appointment  of  ed- 
itors to  office,  Hill  was  rejected  by  the  Senate.  The  democracy  of 
New  Hampshire  resolved  to  punish  the  senators  for  this  insult,  and 
they  therefore,  through  the  Legislature,  elected  the  rejected  comp- 
troller to  the  United  States  Senate  for  six  years  from  March  4, 
1831.  Taking  his  seat  in  the  Senate,  he  sat  side  by  side  with  Web- 
ster, Clay,  Benton,  Tyler,  and  those  Democratic  senators  who  had 
combined  to  reject  him  to  a  minor  office.  But  he  was  out  of  place 
in  the  Senate.  He  was  compelled  to  prepare  his  speeches  and 
read  them  from  manuscript.  This,  in  presence  of  such  brilliant 
men  as  occupied  seats  in  that  body  at  that  time,  did  not  give  much 
influence  to  Senator  Hill. 

There  is  a  curious  story  connected  with  the  political  life  of  Mr. 
Hill  that  was  firmly  believed  by  his  friends  to  be  historically  cor- 
rect. It  is  that  he  set  the  ball  in  motion  for  the  war  with  the 
United  States  Bank.  The  President  of  the  United  States  Branch 
Bank  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  was  Jeremiah  Mason,  an  old  Federal- 
ist, and  a  man  of  fearless  independence.  Mason  regarded  Hill  and 
his  friends  as  little  better  than  so  many  hungry  wild  beasts,  and 
treated  them  on  all  occasions  with  the  most  contemptuous  indiffer- 
ence. In  revenge,  Hill  requested  from  Mr.  Biddle  the  removal  of 
Mason  from  the  Portsmouth  Branch.  This  Mr.  Biddle  refused  to 
do.  The  result  is  well  known.  The  war  upon  the  bank  com- 
menced ;  General  Jackson  engaged  in  it  with  all  the  violence  and 
animosity  which  characterized  his  conflicts  with  his  personal  ene- 
mies on  the  frontiers  of  civilization  ;  his  party  imitated  his  example, 
and  were  met  by  the  Whigs  as  Greek  joins  Greek  at  "  the  tug  of 
war."  A  bill  rechartering  the  bank  passed  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress in  the  summer  of  1832,  and  was  vetoed  by  General  Jackson. 
The  excitement  was  intense.  Many  leading  supporters  of  Jackson 
abandoned  him — among  them  James  Watson  Webb,  of  the  New  York 
Courier  andEnqtiirer — and  became  his  bitterest  opponents ;  but  the 
President  was  sustained  by  the  people,  and  the  bank  was  destroyed. 

After  a  service  of  five  years  in  the  Senate,  Mr.  Hill  resigned  in 
1836,  having  been  elected  Governor  of  New  Hampshire  in  March 
of  that  year.  He  was  twice  re-elected,  and  then  retired  to  private 
life  for  a  time. 

In  1840  he  returned  to  public  service  by  accepting  the  office  of 
sub-treasurer  at  Boston  from  President  Van  Buren.  The  Sub-treas- 

S 


274  Journalism  in  America. 

ury  Act  having  been  repealed  in  1841  by  the  Whigs,  the  office  fell 
from  under  Mr.  Hill,  and  he  returned  to  New  Hampshire.  In  that 
year  he  issued  Hill's  New  Hampshire  Patriot,  in  opposition  to  the 
old  establishment,  and  published  it,  in  connection  with  his  two  eld- 
est sons,  until  1848.  He  opposed,  during  this  period,  a  majority 
of  his  political  friends  in  their  hostility  to  railroad  and  other  corpo- 
rations, holding  that  the  prosperity  of  New  Hampshire  depended  on 
the  encouragement  of  such  enterprises.  About  1846-7  the  democ- 
racy of  that  state  began  to  appreciate  and  encourage  internal  im- 
provement. Hill's  Patriot  was  then  united  with  the  old  concern. 

Mr.  Hill  died  in  Washington  in  1851,  in  his  sixty-third  year. 

The  war  of  1812-15,  between  England  and  the  United  States,  ar- 
rayed the  newspapers  of  that  period  in  strong  antagonism  to  each 
other  and  the  parties  they  represented.  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailor's 
Rights"  became  the  motto  of  all  those  in  favor  of  the  war.  Those 
who  opposed  it  were  more  or  less  allied  to  the  feelings  and  senti- 
ment influencing  and  controlling  the  proceedings  of  the  Hartford 
Convention.  The  popular  sentiment  of  New  England  was  against 
the  war.  That  in  other  places  was  divided.  In  Baltimore,  for  in- 
stance, the  feeling  became  so  intense  as  to  lead  to  serious  riots. 
Lossing,  in  his  Field-Book,  thus  describes  one  of  these  popular  out- 
breaks : 

There  was  a  violent  opposition  newspaper  in  Baltimore  called  the  Federal  Re- 
publican, edited  by  a  young  man  only  twenty-six  years  of  age.  Baltimore  was 
then  a  flourishing  commercial  city,  and  this  paper  was  the  organ  of  the  mercan- 
tile interest,  which  had  suffered  from  the  restricted  commercial  measures,  and  was 
now  prostrated  by  the  impending  war.  The  Republican  denounced  the  declara- 
tion of  war,  and,  in  defiance  of  intimations  that  had  been  made  in  Congress  that 
when  the  declaration  was  once  made  all  opposition  to  the  war  must  cease,  the  ed- 
itor announced  his  determination  to  speak  as  freely  against  the  administration 
and  its  measures  as  before,  thereby  reversing  the  policy  of  his  party  in  1798  in 
the  matter  of  the  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws.  "  We  mean,"  he  said,  "  to  represent, 
in  as  strong  colors  as  we  are  capable,  that  the  war  is  unnecessary,  inexpedient, 
and  entered  into  from  partial,  personal,  and,  as  we  believe,  motives  bearing  upon 
their  front  marks  of  undisguised  foreign  influence  which  cannot  be  mistaken." 
This  announcement  was  made  on  Saturday,  June  20,  and  on  Monday  evening  the 
22d  a  mob,  headed  by  a  French  apothecary,  proceeded  to  the  office  of  that  paper 
and  demolished  it.  Having  thus  commenced  violence,  they  proceeded  to  the 
wharves  and  dismantled  some  vessels  and  committed  some  other  heinous  acts. 
The  publisher  of  the  Federal  Republican  determined  to  je-establish  the  office. 
The  lower  portion  of  the  house  of  one  of  the  proprietors  was  used  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  paper  was  printed  in  Georgetown,  but  published  then  in  Baltimore 
after  a  silence  of  five  weeks.  According  to  expectation,  the  publishing  office 
was  attacked.  The  magistrates  of  the  city  seemed  to  have  used  no  means  to 
quell  the  riot  in  June,  and  were  not  expected  to  do  so  now.  General  Henry  Lee, 
then  a  resident  of  Baltimore,  furnished  the  proprietors  with  a  regular  plan  of  de- 
fense, and  offered  to  superintend  the  execution  of  it.  General  Lingan,  another 
soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and  also  a  Federalist,  joined  him,  and  about  twenty  oth- 
ers made  up  the  defensive  party.  They  were  well  armed  and  provisioned  for  a 
siege.  On  the  evening  of  the  26th  of  July,  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the 
revived  newspaper  appeared,  the  mob  assembled.  After  assailing  the  building 
with  stones  for  some  time,  they  forced  open  the  door,  and  when  ascending  the 


The  Albany  Argus.  275 

stairs  they  were  fired  upon.  One  of  the  ringleaders  was  killed  and  several  were 
wounded.  After  much  solicitude,  two  magistrates,  by  virtue  of  their  authority, 
ordered  out  two  companies  of  militia,  under  General  Strieker,  to  quell  the  mob. 
A  single  troop  of  horse  soon  appeared,  and  at  about  daylight  the  Mayor  and  Gen- 
eral Strieker  appeared.  A  truce  was  obtained,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  defend- 
ers, some  of  whom  were  hurt,  and  who  were  all  charged  with  murder,  should  be 
conducted  to  prison  to  answer  that  charge.  They  were  promised  not  only  per- 
sonal safety,  but  protection  of  the  premises  by  a  military  guard.  On  their  way  to 
prison  the  band  played  the  rogue's  march.  The  mob  immediately  sacked  the 
house.  Only  a  few  more  of  the  military  could  be  persuaded  to  come  out,  and  the 
mob  had  its  own  way  to  a  great  extent.  At  night  they  gathered  around  the  pris- 
on, and  the  turnkey  was  so  terrified  that  he  allowed  them  to  enter.  The  prison- 
ers extinguished  their  lights  and  rushed  out.  They  mingled  with  the  mob,  and 
thus  several  escaped.  Some  were  dreadfully  beaten,  and  three  were  tortured  by 
the  furious  men.  General  Lee  was  made  a  cripple  for  life,  and  General  Lingan, 
then  seventy  years  of  age,  distinguished  for  his  services  in  the  field  during  the  old 
war  for  independence,  expired  in  the  hands  of  the  mob.  *  *  *  *  The  riot  was  at 
length  quelled,  and  the  city  magistrates,  on  investigation,  placed  the  entire  blame 
on  the  publishers  of  the  obnoxious  newspaper. 

On  the  ist  of  September  funeral  honors  were  paid  to  General 
Lingan  at  Georgetown.  George  Washington  Parke  Custis  deliver- 
ed the  oration.  There  was  a  great  procession,  and  every  respect 
was  paid  to  the  memory  of  the  unfortunate  soldier.  Alexander  Han- 
son, the  editor  of  the  Federal  Republican,  was  subsequently  elected 
to  Congress. 

The  Democratic  organs  in  Albany  became  powerful  instruments 
in  the  hands  of  the  politicians  in  carrying  out  their  schemes.  The 
Federalists  saw  this,  and  the  necessity  of  more  vigor  on  their  part 
was  apparent.  With  this  object  in  view  they  induced  Henry  Cros- 
well,  of  the  Hudson  Balance,  to  remove  to  Albany.  Croswell  was  a 
man  of  energy,  and  a  political  writer  of  ability  and  power.  He  had 
managed  the  Balance  with  skill  and  courage  for  many  years,  and 
had  acquired  notoriety  and  fame  in  the  celebrated  libel  suit  for  an 
attack  on  Jefferson  in  1804.  Tt  was  therefore  deemed  a  judicious 
act  to  bring  him  forward  as  the  organ  of  the  Federalists  in  the  state 
capital.  For  this  purpose  he  started  the  Balance  and  New  York 
Journal. 

Another  partisan  sheet  was  issued  in  Albany  in  1812  by  Judge 
Spencer  and  his  friends.  It  was  published  by  a  printer  named 
Brown,  and  was  named  the  Albany  Republican,  but  was  known  as 
"the  Brown  Republican."  Jt  was  established  in  opposition  to  the 
Register,  and  to  counteract  the  impressions  made  by  the  articles  of 
Southwick.  The  later  political  name  of  "  Black  Republican"  was 
given  to  the  present  Republican  Party  as  one  of  reproach,  just  before 
the  Rebellion,  by  Major  Heiss,  of  the  Washington  Union,  and  the 
well-known  George  N.  Sanders.  They  took  the  idea  from  the 
French.  "  If  the  Republicans  of  France  are  red,"  said  Sanders, 
"ours  must  be  black." 

The  Albany  Argus,  which  for  nearly  half  a  century  was  one  of 


276  Joiirnalism  in  America. 

the  newspaper  triumvirate  of  the  Democratic  Party,  first  appeared 
on  the  26th  of  January,  1813.  It  was  the  state  organ  of  that  party, 
and  was  issued  only  a  few  months  earlier  than  the  National  Advo- 
cate, which  was  established  in  New  York  City  as  the  organ  of  the 
Tammany  Hall  section  of  the  democracy.  The  leaders  in  Albany, 
dissatisfied  with  the  course  of  the  Register,  especially  in  regard  to 
the  election  of  Governor  Tompkins,  issued  the  Argus  in  opposition 
to  Southwick,  and  made  Jesse  Buel,  previously  of  the  Ulster  Plebeian, 
its  ostensible  editor.  Buel  was  a  careful  and  discreet  man ;  not 
brilliant,  but  judicious  and  safe,  and,  therefore,  well  adapted  for  the 
position  of  a  party  editor.  When  strong  and  powerful  articles  were 
wanted,  thundering  editorial  leaders  to  arouse  the  rank  and  file,  one 
of  the  distinguished  chiefs  of  the  party  would  furnish  the  electricity. 

The  prospectus  issued  for  the  new  paper  was  signed  by  John 
Taylor  and  over  ninety  other  Democrats.  It  said  that  "  of  the  un- 
fortunate divisions  in  the  Republican  Party  it  is  not  our  intention 
to  speak ;  these  divisions  are  seriously  felt  and  deeply  deplored." 
There  was  no  other  allusion  to  the  defection  of  Southwick,  but  the 
chief  reason  assigned  for  the  establishment  of  the  new  organ  was 
the  necessity  of  having  a  paper  that  would  support  the  war.  The 
Argus  at  once  received  the  patronage  of  the  national  government, 
and  in  two  years  its  editor  was  chosen  state  printer ;  and  since  then, 
this  state  printing  has  been  the  favorite  bone  of  the  politicians  to 
throw  to  the  Cerberus  of  the  Press  to  snap  at  and  pick  while  they 
are  engaged  in  their  operations.  Some  journalistic  Hercules  will 
ere  long  make  his  appearance  in  those  places  where  party  papers 
are  thus  influenced  and  controlled. 

The  Argus,  now  the  official  organ  of  the  state  as  well  as  of  the 
Democratic  Party,  assumed  an  importance  among  the  journals  of 
the  nation.  In  1821,  Buel,  having  acquired  a  competency  from  the 
profits  of  the  state  printing,  disposed  of  the  establishment  to  Mo- 
ses J.  Cantine,  a  brother-in-law  of  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  Isaac  Q. 
Leake.  The  new  firm  were  made  state  printers.  In  March,  1823, 
Cantine  died.  Martin  Van  Buren,  then  senator,  wrote  the  following 
characteristic  letter  to  Jesse  Hoyt  on  this  occurrence  : 

Jan'y  31, 1823. 

My  Dear  Sir — I  am  overwhelmed  with  the  account  of  poor  Cantine's  death. 
I  knew  that  nothing  from  me  can  be  necessary  to  secure  your  zealous  attention  to 
Mrs.  Cantine's  interest,  if  any  thing  can  be  done  for  her.  I  have  written  to  Mr. 
Hoes  to  be  at  Albany  ;  you  will  find  him  a  most  useful  man.  I  have  also  writ- 
ten to  Mr.  Buel,  which  letter  I  want  you  to  see.  Among  you  all  you  must  do  the 
best  you  can.  If  any  thing  can  be  done  for  Mrs.  C.  I  hope  and  believe  no  repub- 
lican will  oppose  it.  Mr.  Hoes  and  myself  are  responsible  to  Mr.  Buel  for  $1500 
of  the  last  payment.  If  nothing  better  can  be  done,  no  person  ought  at  least  to  be 
appointed  who  had  not  previously  purchased  the  establishment — and  under  no  cir- 
cumstances ought  any  one  to  be  appointed  who  is  not  a  sound,  practicable,  and,  above 
all,  discreet  republican.  Without  a  paper  thus  edited  at  Albany  we  may  hang  our 


Edwin  Croswell  and  the  Albany  Argus.     277 

harps  on  the  -willows.  With  if,  the  party  can  survive  a  thousand  suck  convulsions 
as  those  which  agitate  and  probably  alarm  most  of  those  around  you.  Make  my 
sincere  thanks  to  Mr.  Duer  and  Mr.  Sutherland  for  their  kind  letters,  and  tell  them 
I  will  write  them  soon.  In  haste,  yours  truly, 

M.  VAN  BUREN. 

On  the  death  of  Cantine  the  surviving  partner  associated  himself 
with  Edwin  Croswell,  a  young  man,  son  of  Mackay  Croswell,  of  the 
Catskill  Reviewer.  The  Croswells  had  published  the  Catskill  Re- 
corder, which  is  still  living,  as  early  as  1802.  Edwin  Croswell  went 
to  Albany  to  attend  the  funeral  of  his  friend,  Judge  Cantine,  and 
while  there  he  was  urged  by  Benjamin  F.  Butler,  Judge  Duer,  and 
others,  to  remain,  and  aid  Leake  on  the  Argus.  He  did  so,  and 
during  the  Legislative  session  of  1823  he  furnished  the  Argus  semi- 
,weekly  condensed  reports  of  the  transactions  of  the  two  houses.  He 
also  contributed  political" articles  for  the  editorial  columns  that  were 
considered  smart  and  able.  In  the  latter  part  of  1823  Leake  re- 
tired, and  Obadiah  Van  Benthuysen,  a  printer,  purchased  his  inter- 
est, leaving  Edwin  Croswell  sole  editor  on  the  first  day  of  1824. 

The  Argus  was  not  issued  daily  till  October  8, 1824.  It  had  been 
a  semi-weekly  only.  With  the  daily  there  was  a  weekly  and  a  semi- 
weekly.  The  paper  had  now  reached  a  marked  position  in  politics. 
Such  men  as  Martin  Van  Buren,  William  L.  Marcy,  Silas  W'right,  John 
A.  Dix,  Azariah  Flagg,  and  Roger  Skinner  contributed  to  its  columns. 
These,  with  other  prominent  men  of  the  party,  formed  the  famous 
Albany  Regency.  They  regulated  the  politics  of  the  state.  These 
men  had  reduced  politics  to  a  science.  They,  with  the  Kitchen  Cab- 
inet in  Washington  and  the  Junta  in  Richmond,  were  the  wire-pull- 
ers of  that  great  party,  Imperium  in  imperio.  They  had  able  sup- 
porters in  the  Nashville  (Tenn.)  Union,  Charleston  (S.  C.)  Mercury, 
Boston  Post,  Concord r(N.  H.)  Patriot,  Columbus  (Ohio)  Statesman,  and 
the  Hartford  (Conn.)  Times.  When  the  Globe,  Argus,  and  Enquirer 
spoke,  there  was  an  echo  from  every  corner  of  the  nation.  They 
made  cabinet  officers  and  custom-house  weighers,  presidents  and 
tide-waiters,  editors  and  envoys.  They  regulated  state  Legislatures 
and  dictated  state  policies.  They  were  the  father  confessors  to  the 
democracy  of  the  country.  Where  and  what  are  these  papers  and 
politicians  now  ? 

The  first  shock  to  their  power  came  in  the  terrible  financial  re- 
vulsion of  1837.  Martin  Van  Buren,  one  of  the  Regency,  was  elect- 
ed President  in  1836.  The  financial  crash  came  in  the  following 
spring.  Van  Buren  was  too  weak  a  man  to  control  events,  and  the 
tide  turned  against  the  triumvirate.  William  H.  Seward  was  elect- 
ed Governor  in  1838.  Then  the  Hard  Cider  campaign  came  on, 
and  William  Henry  Harrison  was  elected  President  in  1840.  With 
this  political  revolution  the  Argus  lost  the  state  printing,  when,  in 


278  Journalism  in  America. 

January,  1840,  that  profitable  patronage  fell  into  the  hands  of  Thur- 
low  Weed,  of  the  Albany  Evening  Journal,  another  remarkable  po- 
litical newspaper  of  that  day.  Weed  was  thereupon  dubbed  with 
the  title  of  State  Barber  by  the  New  York  Herald.  He  kept  "  the 
slate"  for  Governor  Seward,  and  all  office-seekers  looked  upon  him 
as  the  power  behind  the  throne.  The  real  bone  of  contention  with 
these  party  editors  was  the  state  printing.  The  Democrats  held  the 
Legislature  in  1842.  A  bill  was  passed  depriving  the  use  of  the 
office  of  state  printer.  Seward  vetoed  it,  but  the  bill  passed  never- 
theless ;  but  no  effort  was  then  made,  neither  at  the  extra  session 
the  same  year,  to  appoint  a  successor.  In  the  early  part  of  the  ses- 
sion of  1843  another  bill  was  passed.  In  the  mean  time  Croswell 
had  admitted  a  partner  into  the  Argus  establishment  named  Van 
Dyck,  of  Orange  County.  When  the  question  came  up  whose  name 
should  be  used  by  the  Democratic  members,  Van  Dyck  demanded 
that  his  name  should  be  inserted  alone,  declaring,  "  I  will  be  sole 
state  printer,  with  the  entire  control  of  the  press,  or  nothing."  Ed- 
win and  Sherman  Croswell  owned  three  fourths,  and  Van  Dyck  only 
one  fourth  of  the  Argus.  This  course  of  the  latter  was  strange,  if 
not  extraordinary.  The  Croswells  endeavored  to  arrange  matters, 
but,  as  the  junior  would  have  the  whole  or  none,  he  retired  from  the 
Argus.  Edwin  Croswell  was  then  elected  state  printer,  receiving  a 
majority  of  26  votes  in  legislative  caucus  over  William  C.  Bryant, 
of  the  New  York  Evening  Post,  and  a  majority  of  56  in  joint  ballot 
over  Horace  Greeley,  of  the  New  York  Tribune. 

The  success  of  Croswell  divided  the  democracy  into  Hard  and 
Soft  Shells.  Van  Dyck's  course  and  the  vote  for  Bryant  indicated 
the  same  sort  of  trouble  that  in  1812-13  l£d  to  the  establishment 
of  the  Argus.  With  exceptions  here  and  there,  the  old  leaders  had 
become  inimical  to  the  old  organ,  and  threw  their  influence  in  favor 
of  a  new  paper,  which  had  been  started  in  Albany,  called  the  Atlas. 
The  conflict  between  the  two  factions  increased  in  intensity  and  in- 
terest till- 1 846,  when  another  struggle  for  the  patronage  of  the  state 
took  place.  Silas  Wright  was  Governor.  The  Soft  Shells,  or  Rad- 
icals, had  a  majority  in  the  Legislature ;  but  the  Whigs  joined  the 
Hard  Shells.  The  Democratic  legislative  caucus  selected  William 
Cassidy,  of  the  Atlas,  for  state  printer.  This  movement  was  defeat- 
ed by  the  passage  of  a  law  giving  the  publication  of  the  legal  notices 
to  the  paper  that  would  publish  them  at  the  lowest  rate.  Croswell 
offered  to  publish  them  without  cost  to  the  state.  Thus  the  Atlas 
was  defeated,  and  the  Argus  obtained  the  honor  without  the  profit, 
and  it  held  on  to  this  position  till  1854,  when  the  printing,  with  full 
pay,  was  restored  to  Thurlow  Weed  and  the  Eveningjournal.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  bitter  feeling  exhibited  during  these  troubles, 


The  Division  of  the  Democracy.  2  79 

resulting,  on  one  occasion  in  1847,  m  a  regular  street-fight  between 
Edwin  Croswell  and  Peter  Cagger,  who  was  afterwards  accidentally 
killed  in  Central  Park. 

But  the  democracy  split  into  two  factions.  The  Soft  Shells,  known 
also  as  Barn-Burners,  Free-Soilers,  and  Radicals,  had  become,  by  the 
defection  of  Van  Buren,  a  formidable  party.  In  the  election  of 
1848  they  polled  120,497  votes  for  Van  Buren  to  114,319  Hard  Shell 
or  Hunker  votes  for  Cass,thus  defeating  the  regular  Democratic  can- 
didate for  the  presidency,  and  electing  Taylor  to  that  office.  Ed- 
win Croswell  shortly  after  this  abandoned  the  editorial  chair  of  the 
Argus,  and  went  to  New  York,  and  connected  himself  with  ocean 
steam  navigation  in  association  with  George  Law  and  others.  He 
lived  a  number  of  years  in  the  metropolis,  somewhat  of  an  invalid 
physically,  but  mentally  as  bright  as  ever.  One  night,  several  years 
ago,  in  riding  home  from  the  theatre  in  a  crowded  Broadway  omni- 
bus, he  politely  offered  his  lap  for  a  seat  to  a  standing  passenger. 
In  a  cramped  position,  with  the  weight  of  the  passenger  impeding 
the  free  circulation  of  blood,  it  was  found,  on  arriving  at  the  end  of 
his  ride,  that  his  lower  limbs  were  paralyzed.  He  never  fully  recov- 
ered. He  died  in  1870. 

Sherman  Croswell  remained  on  the  Argus.  It  continued  to  be 
the  organ  of  the  Hard  Shells  till  the  close  of  1854.  It  expected 
some  assistance  from  the. Pierce  administration,  but  Marcy  refused 
to  fully  recognize  either  the  Atlas  or  Argus.  His  friends  endeav- 
ored to  purchase  the  latter  in  that  year.  The  Know  Nothings  also 
talked  of  buying  it,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  Croswells  would  have 
sold  it  to  that  party.  On  the  2d  of  January,  1855,  the  establishment 
was  finally  disposed  of  to  the  Soft  Shells.  Its  power  and  strength, 
however,  departed  with  the  Croswells.  It  lingered  along  till  another 
fight  for  the  state  printing,  which  look  place  in  1858,  when,  to  settle 
the  matter,  and  prevent  this  patronage  from  remaining  in  the  hands 
of  Thurlow  Weed,  of  the  Journal,  the  two  Democratic  organs,  till 
now  kept  separately  for  a  political  purpose,  were  united  under  the 
title  of  the  Albany  Atlas  and  Argus  for  a  time,  and  then  under  that 
of  the  Argus  alone.  This  final  act  of  consolidation  was  brought 
about  by  the  sale  of  Mr.  Johnson's  interest  in  the  Argus  to  his  part- 
ner, Mr.  Comstock,  and  the  sale  by  Mr. Van  Dyck  of  his  share  of  the 
Atlas  to  Mr.  Cassidy.  By  this  arrangement  the  united  concern  ap- 
peared on  the  i8th  of  February,  1856. 

The  Argus  is  again  the  state  printer.  It  received  the  appoint- 
ment in  1869,  when  the  contract  with  the  Evening  Journal  ceased. 
Happy  Argus  !  Unhappy  Journal! 

How  can  we  better  close  this  chapter  than  by  giving  a  lecture  of 
Judge  Kent,  of  New  York,  before  the  Young  Men's  Association  at 


280  Journalism  in  America. 

Albany,  in  February,  1854,  on  the  Press  of  that  city  thirty  years  pre- 
viously ? 

I  said  NEWSPAPERS,  but,  I  believe,  we  had  but  one — the  old  Albany  Gazette, 
which  was  quiet  as  the  times,  and  gentle  as  the  manners  were  of  yore.  You 
would  look,  in  vain,  in  it  for  the  skill  and  power  of  the  existing  Gladiators  of 
Literature  ;  for  the  eloquent  invective,  the  tart  reply,  the  stinging  personality,  the 
dexterous  argument,  and  the  brilliant  repartee  of  modern  Journals.  These  things 
would  have  startled  the  gentle  newsmongers  of  forty  years  ago.  Nor  was  it 
crowded  with  intelligence  from  all  Christendom,  watching  by  the  hour  the  nego- 
tiations of  the  Russian  and  the  Turk,  kindling  and  extinguishing  insurrections, 
changing  or  enlarging  the  boundaries  of  the  republic,  examining  everything,  dis- 
turbing everything,  and  controlling  everything. 

Not  such  was  our  good  Gazette.  But  it  gave  us  all  we  wanted  to  know  in  rea- 
sonable times,  and  homeopathic  quantities  ; — the  deaths  and  the  marriages  ;  the 
accidents  of  storm,  and  flood  and  fire  ;  advices  from  Europe  two  or  three  months 
old,  and  all  the  simple  annals  of  a  primitive  and  quiet  neighborhood.  Occasion- 
ally a. political  essay  from  Junius,  Publius,  Cato,  or  some  other  Roman  Patriot, 
would  disclose  to  us  something  rotten  in  the  state  of  the  Republic ;  arid,  before 
the  Spring  election,  the  address  of  some  Federal  meeting  would  declare  to  us 
that  if  Liberty  was  not  absolutely  gone,  she  was  packing  up  her  effects  for  her 
final  departure.  We  took  all  this  very  calmly ;  and  the  annual  crisis  of  Consti- 
tutional danger,  which  has  become  chronic  in  our  politics,  passed  off  very  lightly 
in  good  old  times.  But  the  Gazette  was  a  sensible  and  useful  paper,  and  is  re- 
membered with  respect  by  the  fast  diminishing  number  of  its  former  readers. 
Nor  do  they  forget  the  place  of  its  publication,  the  book  store,  under  the  old  elm 
tree  at  the  corner  of  Pearl  street,  where  the  visitor  was  sure  of  courteous  and  af- 
fable reception,  and  where  the  gentle  Quidnuncs  and  elderly  Politicians  of  former 
days  used  to  love  to  congregate.  I  have  heard  discussions  and  suggestions  there, 
which,  if  they  reached  the  ears  of  the  Arch-Duke  Charles  and  the  Emperor  Na- 
poleon, might  have  had  an  important  influence  on  the  conduct  of  their  campaigns. 
But  I  believe  they  never  reached  so  far. 

The  Gazette  disappeared  with  the  times,  of  which  it  was  the  product  and  reflec- 
tion. It  gave  way  to  hardier  and  more  skilful  journals,  as  untutored  labor  yields 
to  scientific  skill.  It  left  an  unblemished  name.  It  had  hurt  no  man's  feelings ; 
it  had  injured  no  man's  reputation :  it  might,  like  the  good  Athenian,  claim  for 
its  epitaph,  that  no  citizen  had  worn  morning  on  its  account.  Light  lie  the  earth 
on  its  ashes  ! 

I  remember  the  rise,  and  somewhat  of  the  progress  of  the  modern  school  of 
Journalists  in  Albany ;  and  did  time  permit,  might  attempt  some  sketches  of 
such  of  the  writers  as  are  departed, — of  the  bold  character,  glowing  pen,  and  ar- 
dent temperament  of  SOLOMON  SOUTHWICK,  the  editor  of  the  Register  ;  of  HAR- 
RY CROSWELL,  the  witty  and  fearless  manager  of  the  Balance,  then  a  Federal  pa- 
per ;  of  JESSE  BUEL,  the  discreet  and  skillful  conductor  of  the  dominant  Dem- 
ocratic Journal ;  and,  if  personal  feeling  were  permitted,  would  place  a  humble 
chaplet  on  the  tomb  of  CARTER,  of  the  Statesman,  accomplished  in  various  learn- 
ing and  warmed  with  gentle  sensibility,  which  shrank  from  the  fierceness  of  polit- 
ical strife. 

It  were  indiscreet  to  go  further,  though  the  temptation  is  irresistible  to  allude 
to  a  surviving  writer,  whose  pen  lent  occasional  and  powerful  assistance  to  the 
Statesman — one  who  supports  with  unabated  strength  the  inherited  right  of  a 
splendid  name — who  stands  foremost  in  our  forensic  ranks — who  sports  with  la- 
bor, professional,  political  and  legislative,  under  which  other  men  sink,  and  whose 
writing  was  recognized,  like  an  electric  gleam,  among  the  political  productions  of 
the  day.  The  contests  of  1817  and  '20  were  of  no  ordinary  character.  The  po- 
litical Divinities,  as  in  the  wars  of  Troy,  were  seen  mingling  in  the  combat,  and 
Jupiter  himself,  from  his  Olympian  throne,  dispersed  his  thunders. 

The  Albany  Advertiser,  Colonel  W.  L.  Stone's  old  journal,  was  ed- 
ited in  1838  by  James  Gordon  Brooks,  when  he  got  into  some  trouble 
with  the  Van  Rensselaers,  the  owners  of  the  paper,  and  resigned  his 


James  Gordon  Brooks,  the  Poet.  281 

position  in  consequence.  He  was  belligerent,  and  posted  John  S. 
Van  Rensselaer  on  this  occasion.  He  edited  the  New  Era,  in  New 
York,  in  1839.  He  had  previously  been  an  editor  in  the  metrop- 
olis on  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  This  was  in  1828-29,  although 
Griswold  states  that  Brooks  removed  to  New  York  in  1823,  "where 
he  was  for  several  years  an  editor  of  the  Morning  Courier,  one  of 
the  most  able  and  influential  journals  in  this  country."  There  was 
a  difference  of  opinion  in  the  establishment  of  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer in  1829  in  regard  to  the  control  of  that  journal  at  that  time. 
The  following  extract  of  a  letter  seems  to  settle  this  point  in  his- 
tory : 

ALBANY,  aoth  July,  1829. 
Messrs.  Tylee  &>  Webb : 

Your  note  of  the  i6th  inst.  did  not  reach  me  till  late  on  Friday  night  last. 
*  *  *  *'*  *  *  #  *     • 

Your  statement  that  Mr.  James  G.  Brooks  and  Mr.  James  Lawson  possess  no 
control  over  the  course  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  shall  be  duly  attended  to 
when  I  consult  my  political  friends  here  and  elsewhere.  Your  assurance  settles 
finally  the  question  of  proprietorship.  I  have  written  to  Messrs.  Brooks  &  Law- 
son  on  the  subject.  By  the  same  mail  which  conveys  this  to  you,  I  have  informed 
them  of  the  course  I  mean  to  pursue  in  relation  to  this  matter. 

I  am,  &c.,  &c., 

JAMES  G.  BENNETT. 

Rufus  King  succeeded  Brooks  on  the  Advertiser,  and  was  editor 
in  1839,  and  until  he  went  to  Rome  on  a  diplomatic  mission. 


282  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  NATIONAL  ADVOCATE  AND  ENQUIRER. 

TROUBLES  OF  POLITICIANS. — HENRY  WHEATON. — MAJOR  NOAH. — WASHING- 
TON CORRESPONDENCE  AND  JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT. — THE  DUEL  BE- 
TWEEN BARTON  AND  GRAHAM. — INGATHERING  OF  THE  JEWS  ON  GRAND 
ISLAND. — THE  CITY  OF  ARARAT. — NOAH'S  PROCESSION  AND  ORATION. — 
NEWSPAPER  EDITOR  IN  GENERAL. 

ORGANS  of  political  parties  had  to  be  changed.  There  would  be 
differences  of  opinion  among  leaders  difficult  to  reconcile,  and  new 
organs  were  necessary  to  meet  the  emergency  and  satisfy  contend- 
ing factions.  Sometimes  an  editor  would  feel  less  like  submitting 
to  party  dictation,  and  would  rebel.  Often  there  would  be  more  of- 
fice-seekers than  offices.  This  would  lead  to  heart-burnings,  and 
jealousies,  and  troubles  of  all  kinds.  Newspapers  were  an  outlet 
to  these  personal  grievances. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  necessity  for  a  new  organ  in  the 
Democratic  Party  in  New  York  City  after  the  death  of  Cheetham 
and  the  Citizen.  Tammany  Hall  was  dissatisfied  with  the  Colum- 
bian and  Irving,  and  repudiated  both.  It  set  up  another  paper,  the 
National  Advocate.  It  was  established  in  1813,  and  was  first  edited 
by  Henry  Wheaton,  who  became,  in  after  years,  a  distinguished  dip- 
lomat and  publicist  as  our  minister  to  Denmark  and  Prussia,  and 
as  the  author  of  Elements  of  International  Law. 

Wheaton  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  educated  a  lawyer. 
After  he  graduated  he  visited  Europe,  where  he  remained  from  1802 
to  1806,  in  the  midst  and  height  of  Napoleon's  career,  a  close  stu- 
dent of  the  important  events  of  that  eventful  period.  On  his  return 
he  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  Providence,  which  he  aban- 
doned in  1812,  to  remove  to  New  York.  In  1813  he  established 
himself  in  that  city  as  the  editor  of  the  National  Advocate.  "In  this 
capacity,"  said  Edward  Everett,  "he  proved  himself  an  able  and  en- 
lightened champion  of  Mr.  Madison's  administration.  The  great 
questions  of  our  violated  neutral  rights  were  discussed  with  the  pen, 
not  only  of  a  jurist,  but  of  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar.  Mr.  Whea- 
ton's  long  residence  abroad  had  given  him  peculiar  opportunities 
for  understanding  the  controversies  of  the  day.  The  new  liabilities 
and  duties  created  by  the  war,  then  recently  declared,  were  eluci- 
dated by  him  with  the  learning  of  an  accomplished  publicist  and 


Henry  Wheaton,  the  Publicist.  283 

the  zeal  of  a  sincere  patriot.  Several  topics  of  international  law 
were  discussed  in  the  columns  of  the  Advocate  with  an  ability  which 
foreshadowed  his  future  eminence  in  this  department.  Among 
these  was  a  vindication,  on  the  authority  of  Vattel  and  Bynkers- 
hoeck,  of  the  right  of  expatriation,  in  answer  to  Mr.  Gouverneur 
Morris,  an  eminent  statesman  and  diplomatist  of  the  Federal  Party. 
Questions  of  maritime  law  were  of  course  among  those  which  most 
frequently  presented  themselves.  In  the  Advocate  first  appeared 
the  opinion  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Justice  Story,  then  recently  elevated 
to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  affirming 
the  illegality  of  the  trade  under  enemy's  licenses,  which  had  been 
extensively  resorted  to  for  the  supply  of  the  British  armies  in  Spain. 
Mr.  Wheaton,  as  a  journalist,  enjoyed  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
administration,  and  his  columns  were  sometimes  the  vehicle  of 
semi-official  expositions  of  its  policy.  In  the  autumn  of  1814  he 
received  the  appointment  of  Division  Judge  Advocate  of  the  Army, 
his  nomination  to  that  office  being  unanimously  confirmed  by  the 
Senate.  The  year  following  he  retired  from  the  editorship  of  the 
Advocate  on  being  appointed  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Marine 
Court  of  New  York,  a  tribunal  of  limited  jurisdiction,  and  now  shorn 
of  much  of  its  former  consideration,  but  which  has  been  presided 
over  by  some  of  the  most  eminent  men  at  the  New  York  bar."  In 
this  position,  in  that  of  the  editor  of  the  Advocate  at  that  peculiar 
juncture  in  our  history,  and  as  a  reporter  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court  for  a  number  of  years,  Wheaton  laid  the  foundation 
of  that  knowledge  and  experience  which  have  given  the  world  his 
great  and  valuable  work  on  International  Law. 

Wheaton  was  succeeded  in  the  editorial  management  of  the  Ad- 
vocatety  Mordecai  Manasseh  Noah,  who  had  been  editor  in  1810  of 
the  City  Gazette,  in  Charleston,  S.  C.  Noah  had  also  been,  in  1811, 
American  Consul  at  Riga,  and  afterwards  at  Tunis,  with  some  sort 
of  mission  to  Algiers.  On  his  way  to  Tunis  he  was  captured  by  the 
English.  On  his  recall  in  1816  he  became  one  of  the  editors  and 
proprietors  of  this  Democratic  organ.  Wheaton,  Gulian  C.  Ver- 
planck,  and  others  aided  him  with  contributions.  When  De  Witt 
Clinton  was  nominated  for  Governor  in  1817,  a  number  of  the  Tam- 
manyites,  or  Bucktails,  as  they  were  then  called,  refused  to  support 
him  on  the  ground  that  he  had  been  the  Peace  Party  candidate  for 
the  presidency  in  1812.  Wheaton,  the  Advocate,  and  a  few  mem- 
bers of  Tammany  Hall,  threw  away  their  votes  and  their  influence 
on  General  Peter  B.  Porter.  Their  vote  was  only  1419,  against 
43,310  for  Clinton.  In  1823  Noah  claimed  to  be  the  only  Demo- 
cratic editor  in  New  York,  entirely  ignoring  the  American,  edited  by 
Charles  King,  and,  as  such,  demanded  a  part  of  the  state  printing. 


284  Journalism  in  America. 

He  had  already  received  the  appointment  of  sheriff  of  the  city  and 
county  of  New  York,  but,  in  a  quarrel  with  the  leaders  of  the  party, 
he  subsequently  lost  that  office.  _  When  it  was  proposed  to  make 
him  sheriff,  objections  were  raised  against  him  because  he  was  a 
Jew,  and  that  it  would  not  be  right  for  a  Jew  to  hang  a  Christian. 
"  Pretty  Christians,"  replied  Noah, "  to  require  hanging  at  all." 

Noah  continued  to  act  as  editor  of  the  Advocate  till  1825,  when 
Henry  Eckford,  the  celebrated  ship-builder,  and  afterwards-  chief 
naval  architect  to  the  Sultan  of  Turkey ;  Jacob  Barker,  till  lately 
an  active  banker  in  New  Orleans  at  the  age  of  ninety;  John  Targee, 
and  others,  became  the  secret  proprietors  of  the  paper.  Noah  and 
Eckford  could  not.  agree.  So  Noah  left.  Thomas  Snowden,  after- 
wards publisher  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  was  then  placed  in 
charge  of  the  mechanical  and  business  part  of  the  Advocate  as  nom- 
inal owner,  and  James  Gordon  Bennett  installed  as  editor.  Mr. 
Bennett  managed  the  paper  for  two  years,  but,  on  the  approach  of 
the  next  presidential  campaign,  Eckford,  having  made  up  his  mind 
to  support  the  re-election  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  to  which  Mr. 
Bennett  was  not  inclined,  he  retired  in  1827,  and  Samuel  S.  Conant, 
of  Vermont,  purchased  an  interest  in  the  concern  with  Snowden, 
and  assumed  the  editorial  management  of  the  paper,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  for  some  time  after  the  Advocate  and  States- 
man were  united  as  one  paper,  and  called  the  Morning  Herald,  an 
arrangement  effected  by  the  diplomacy  and  skill  of  Thomas  B.  Wake- 
man,  so  well  known  in  connection  with  the  American  Institute.  He 
was  the  mutual  friend  of  all  parties,  and  great  in  bringing  individu- 
als of  different  interests  and  opinions  together  in  harmony. 

Noah  was  a  true  Israelite.  About  this  time,  or  in  1825,  he  orig- 
inated .a  magnificent  scheme  of  bringing  together  the  scattered 
tribes  of  Israel,  and  forming  a  settlement  of  them  on  Grand  Island, 
in  Niagara  River,  on  our  northern  frontier,  since  made  more  famous 
by  the  rebels  of  Canada.  He  believed  that  the  Indians  were  the 
descendants  of  the  lost  tribes,  and  he  proposed  founding  a  city  on 
that  island  as  a  nucleus  for  the  ingathering  of  the  Hebrew  people, 
including  the  wild  children  of  America.  It  appears  that  the  pecul- 
iar characteristics  of  the  Red  Men,  their  features,  hair,  customs,  laws, 
religious  ceremonies,  and  tribal  organizations,  impressed  him  with 
the  belief  that  they  came  from  the  Jewish  race.  Noah  may  have 
been  right.  That  they  came  from  the  East  there  is  scarcely  a 
doubt.  Catlin,  the  famous  traveler  among  the  Indians,  said,  over 
thirty  years  ago,  that  he  believed  that  they  came  originally  from  the 
East,  perhaps  driven  by  storms  in  canoes  across  the  Pacific  and 
Behring's  Straits ;  and  that  those  who  had  never  come  in  contact 
with  the  whites  till  he  saw  them  had  the  tradition  of  the  dove  and 


Major  Noah  and  the  City  of  Ararat.         285 

the  olive  leaf.  Noah  carried  out  his  scheme  so  far  as  to  have  a 
grand  procession  in  full  regalia,  with  a  band  of  music,  in  Buffalo,  in 
September,  1825.  In  a  splendid  costume  of  a  judge  of  Israel,  in 
crimson  and  ermine,  he  delivered  an  able  oration,  in  which  he  gave 
an  interesting  sketch  of  the  Jews.  The  corner  stone  of  the  new  city 
was  then  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  the  site,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  event,  and  of  the  elder  Noah  as  the  head  of  his 
people  after  the  flood,  was  called  Ararat.  This  extraordinary  and 
droll  affair  created  quite  a  sensation  at  the  time,  especially  in  relig- 
ious circles.  Noah  said  that  America  was  the  asylum  of  the  Jews. 
It  is  manifest  that  the  Hebrew  people  are  increasing  rapidly  in  the 
large  cities  of  the  United  States,  particularly  in  New  York,  where 
there  are  nearly  forty  synagogues,  some  of  them  the  handsomest 
edifices  in  the  metropolis,  but  there  are  no  signs  of  the  ingathering 
of  the  lost  tribes  at  the  modern  city  of  Ararat.  If  Major  Noah  were 
alive  now,  he  would  think  that  the  Indians,  instead  of  making  pil- 
grimages to  Grand  Island  as  the  New  Jerusalem,  were  in  a  fair  way, 
as  the  sons  of  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  of  again  being  led 
into  captivity,  not  by  Psalmanezer,  king  of  Assyria,  but  by  Sheridan, 
the  dashing  cavalry  officer  of  America. 

When  Noah  quarreled  with  Eckford,  he  started  a  paper  of  his  own 
in  1826,  which  he  called  the  National  Advocate.  Enjoined  in  this  at 
the  instance  of  Eckford  and  Snowden,  he  changed  its  name  to  Noah's 
New  York  National  Advocate.  Again  enjoined,  he  named  his  journal 
the  New  York  Enquirer.  This  paper  was  merged  with  the  Morning 
Courier  in  the  spring  of  1829.  Noah  went  with  the  Enquirer  into 
the  editorial  rooms  of  the  new  Morning  Courier  and  New  York  En- 
quirer, where  he  remained  till  1832  as  an  associate  editor  with  James 
Watson  Webb,  James  Lawson,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Prosper  M. 
Wetmore,  and  James  Gordon  Brooks ;  and  for  services  to  the  party, 
Major  Noah,  with  Amos  Kendall,  who  had  been  editor  of  the  Frank- 
fort (A>.)  Argus,  were  rewarded  each  with  an  office.  Noah  was 
appointed  Surveyor  of  the  Port  of  New  York,  and  Kendall  Fourth 
Auditor  of  the  Treasury.  Noah  was  rejected  by  the  Senate  by  25 
to  23,  but  subsequently,  in  the  whirligig  of  politics,  he  was  confirm- 
ed. Kendall  was  confirmed  by  the  casting  vote  of  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent.  Noah,  fearing  a  removal,  soon  after  this  resigned  his  office. 

The  Enquirer  introduced  a  new  feature  in  1827.  In  that  year 
James  Gordon  Bennett  was  its  Washington  correspondent,  in  which 
he  inaugurated  a  new  system  of  newspaper  correspondence,  and  in 
which,  in  March,  1827,  he  brought  forward  Martin  Van  Buren  for 
the  first  time  as  the  candidate  for  the  presidency  to  succeed  Gen- 
eral Jackson.  Aftenvard  this  political  movement  was  urged  in  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer*  Van  Buren  himself  inspired  this  movement 


286  Journalism  in  America. 

in  his  favor.  Washington  letter-writing  had  been,  to  this  time,  in  its 
infancy.  Members  of  Congress,  in  writing  occasional  letters  to  their 
home  organs,  were  the  principal  correspondents.  There  were  a  few 
regular  letter-writers.  The  change  which  took  place  in  that  impor- 
tant department  of  journalism  is  thus  amusingly  related  by  Mr. 
Bennett : 

We  happen  to  know  a  good  deal  of  this  business  of  letter- writing  from  Wash- 
ington, for  we  were  the  first  to  give  it  its  present  light  and  amusing  character  in 
a  series  of  letters  published  in  the  New  York  Enquirer  in  the  years  1827  and  '8. 
Before  that  period  a  Washington  letter-writer  simply  gave  the  dull  details  of  both 
houses,  the  abstracts  of  reports,  or  a  few  sketches  of  the  speakers.  In  the  letters 
I  furnished  the  New  York  Enquirer  in  those  years,  then  conducted  by  Mr.  Noah, 
I  changed  the  whole  tone,  temper,  and  style  of  Washington  correspondence.  Be- 
fore my  day,  the  late  Mr.  Carter  had  spent  a  winter  or  two  at  Washington,  and 
gave  a  dull  recital  of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  in  the  Statesman  newspaper. 
In  Philadelphia,  Walsh,  sitting  in  his  easy-chair,  wrote  long,  labored  letters  to 
himself,  heavy,  flat,  stupid,  and  disagreeable. 

It  was  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1828  that  I  wrote  the  series  which  appeared 
in  the  Enquirer.  No  one  knew  by  whom  they  were  written,  either  here  or  in 
Washington,  but  they  were  generally  attributed  to  G.  C.  Verplanck.  I  remember 
very  well  how  the  idea  of  writing  them  originated  in  my  own  mind.  In  the  li- 
brary of  Congress  I  spent  much  of  my  time,  poring  over  Jefferson's  collection 
of  old  pamphlets,  which  no  one,  before  or  since,  has  perhaps  looked  into.  Some- 
times I  would  take  a  peep  at  the  new  publications  of  the  day,  and  among  them  I 
found  the  recent  publication  of  Horace  Walpole's  famous  letters  and  correspond- 
ence, written  duryig  the  reign  of  George  II.,  and  describing,  in  witty  and  agreea- 
ble badinage,  the  intrigues,  politics,  incidents,  and  explosions  of  that  singular 
court.  These  letters  were  highly  amusing,  graphic,  and  interesting.  I  said  to 
myself  one  day,  "  Why  not  try  a  few  letters  on  a  similar  plan  from  this  city,  to  be 
published  in  New  York,  describing,  eulogizing,  or  satirizing  the  court  of  John  Q. 
Adams  ?"  I  did  so.  All  the  political,  gay,  fashionable,  witty,  beautiful  charac- 
ters that  appeared  in  Washington  during  that  winter,  were  sketched  off  at  ran- 
dom, without  being  personal  or  offensive  to  any  of  the  parties — indeed,  they  were 
mostly  all  complimentary  and  pleasing  to  the  parties. 

These  letters  were  published  and  became  quite  popular.  They  were  copied 
throughout  the  whole  country. 

The  Enquirer  had  supported  De  Witt  Clinton  against  Judge  Ro- 
chester for  Governor  of  New  York  in  1826,  although  Judge  Roches- 
ter was  the  regular  Democratic  candidate,  on  the  plea  that  Roches- 
ter was  an  Adams  man,  while  Clinton  was  for  Jackson.  It  was  sus- 
pected at  the  time  that  this  was  done  under  the  influence  of  Martin 
Van  Buren.  In  1827  \htEnquirer  came  out  for  Jackson.  It  was 
in  that  year  that  Mr.  Bennett  left  the  National  Advocate  and  joined 
the  Enquirer,  and  wrote  for  that  paper  till  1829,  after  the  election 
of  Jackson. 

One  of  the  incidents  peculiar  to  the  editorial  profession  of  that 
period  occurred  in  1828.  William  Graham  was  one  of  the  writers 
for  the  Enquirer.  He  was  a  fine-looking  man,  and  of  attractive 
manners.  He  was  born  in  Catskill,  the  son  of  a  New  York  mer- 
chant. He  was  educated  at  Cambridge,  England.  It  is  stated 
that  he  was  "the  intimate  friend  and  forensic  rival  of  Thomas  Noon 
Talfourd."  -Also,  that  he  once  acted  as  amanuensis  to  Ugo  Fosco- 


The  Graham  and  Barton  Duel.  287 

lo,  with  whom  he  afterwards  engaged  in  a  bloodless  duel.  Subse- 
quently he  edited  the  Literary  Museum,  and  then,  recrossing  the 
Atlantic,  he  became  editorially  connected  with  the  New  York  En- 
quirer. He  wrote  sketches  of  society  in  New  York  for  that  paper 
under  the  signature  of  Howard.  In  one  of  these  essays  he  made 
what  was  supposed  to  be  a  personal  allusion  to  the  family  of  Ed- 
ward Livingston.  The  matter  was  taken  up  by  Dr.  Barton,  who  was 
afterwards  Secretary  of  Legation  at  Paris.  In  some  personal  ob- 
servations with  Dr.  Barton  on  the  subject  at  Niblo's  Coffee-house, 
then  on  the  corner  of  Pine  and  William  Streets,  Mr.  Graham  struck 
that  gentleman.  He  was  immediately  challenged.  It  was  accept- 
ed. In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Evening  Post,  written  the  even- 
ing before  the  duel,  Graham  said  : 

I  admit  that  I  am  in  the  wrong ;  that  by  giving  him  (Barton)  a  blow,  I  have 
forced  him  into  the  position  of  challenger.  I  will  not  hear  of  any  settlement 
short  of  some  abject  and  craven  submission  from  him.  After  he  is  perfectly  sat- 
isfied I  may  perhaps  apologize — that  is,  in  case  I  am  fatally  wounded. 

William  Newman,  a  compositor  on  the  Enquirer,  engaged  a 
Whitehall  boat  which  conveyed  the  parties  to  Hoboken.  On  that 
classic  ground  of  the  duello  they  met,  and  Graham  was  instantly 
killed.  This  affair  created  a  good  deal  of  excitement,  as  all  such 
affairs  did,  and  led  to  the  enactment,  by  the  Legislature  of  New 
York,  of  a  strong  anti-dueling  law,  the  chief  points  of  which  were 
ten  years'  imprisonment  in  the  States  Prison  for  fighting,  and  seven 
years  for  sending  a  challenge. 

Noah,  in  1834,  in  company  with  a  printer  named  Gill,  established 
the  New  York  Evening  Star.  It  became  a  Whig  organ,  and  sup- 
ported William  Henry  Harrison  for  the  presidency  in  1840.  In 
1841  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Sessions 
by  Governor  Seward,  and  while  on  the  bench  he  prosecuted  his  old 
associate,  Mr.  Bennett,  of  the  Herald,  for  libel,  one  of  the  reporters 
of  that  paper  having  been  too  free  in  his  sketches  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  that  court,  especially  in  his  personal  descriptions. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Gill  in  1841,  the  Star  was  sold,  and  united 
with  the  Commercial  Advertiser.  For  some  time  Major  Noah  was 
editor  of  the  New  York  Sun  and  of  the  Morning  Star.  In  1842, 
President  Tyler,  through  Paul  R.  George,  selected  Major  Noah  to 
edit  an  official  organ  in  New  York,  called  the  Union.  It  was  a  fail- 
ure. In  1843  Noah  commenced  the  publication  of  a  paper  which 
he  named  Noah's  Weekly  Messenger.  In  a  short  time  it  was  united 
with  the  Sunday  Times.  Noah  seemed  to  have  a  desire  to  edit  all 
the  papers.  He  was  mentally  active.  He  wrote  for  several  at  the 
same  time.  One  day,  in  1846  we  believe,  although  he  had  abused 
Mr.  Bennett  without  stint,  even  originating  the  ridiculous  hue  and 


288  Journalism  in  America. 

cry  of  black-mail,  he  proposed  to  that  editor,  on  the  eve  of  his  de- 
parture for  Europe,  to  take  editorial  charge  of  the  Herald  in  his  ab- 
sence. He  thought  he  could  keep  up  its  character  better  than  any 
other  man.  " The  Herald"  he  said,  "had  become  a  great  and  in- 
fluential paper.  Such  it  should  remain."  The  interview  between 
Noah's  friend  and  Mr.  Bennett  did  not  last  long,  and  Noah  did  not 
edit  the  Herald. 

Noah  was  the  author  of  "Travels  in  Europe  and  Northern  Africa," 
the  "  Howard  Papers  on  Domestic  Economy,"  several  treatises  'on 
the  "  Prophecies  of  the  Bible,"  and  the  "  History  and  Destiny  of  the 
Hebrews."  He  translated  the  "  Book  of  Jasher."  Of  his  plays  we 
may  mention  "Paul  and  Alexis,  or  the  Wandering  Boys;"  "She 
would  be  a  Soldier,  or  the  Plains  of  Chippewa ;"  "  The  Castle  of 
Sorento ;"  " Ali  Pacha,  or  the  Signet  Ring ;"  "Marion,  or  the  Hero 
of  Lake  George;"  "Yusef  Caramali,  or  the  Siege  of  Tripoli ;" 
"Nathalie,  or  the  Frontier  Maid  ;"  "The  Grecian  Captive  ;"  "The 
Siege  of  Daramatta ;"  and  "Ambition  ;"  rather  a  formidable  list  for 
an  active  journalist  to  produce.  All  these  plays  were  performed  at 
the  several  theatres  in  New  York. 

Noah  was  not  a  journalist  in  the  modern  acceptation  of  the  term. 
He  was  a  sharp  newspaper  paragraphist.  His  political  squibs  were 
good  and  pointed.  In  these  short  articles  he  shone  more  conspic- 
uously than  in  longer  or  more  pretentious  editorial  leaders.  He 
was  not  a  journalist  to  compete  with  others  who  had  more  compre- 
hensive ideas  of  a  newspaper.  When,  with  a  capacity  for  thinking 
and  writing,  it  was  necessary  .to  have  tact  and  energy  to  obtain  the 
earliest  news,  Noah  could  not  compete  with  the  enterprising  and 
vigorous  journals  of  even  his  own  period.  Hence  he  was  never  suc- 
cessful. 

Major  Noah  died  March  22d,  1851,  while  editing  the  Times  and 
Messenger,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 


The  First  Religious  Newspapers.  289 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  RELIGIOUS  PRESS. 

THE  FIRST  RELIGIOUS  NEWSPAPERS.— THE  CHILLICOTHE  RECORDER  OF  JOHN 
ANDREWS,  AND  THE  BOSTON  RECORDER  OF  NATHANIEL  WILLIS.  —  AUTO- 
BIOGRAPHY OF  A  JOURNALIST. — THE  NEW  YORK  OBSERVER. — THE  WATCH- 
MAN AND  REFLECTOR. — ZION'S  HERALD. — THE  CHRISTIAN  ADVOCATE. — 
THE  EVANGELIST.  —  THE  INDEPENDENT.  —  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER  AND 
WENDELL  PHILLIPS  AS  THE  LEADING  JOURNALISTS.— ORGANS  OF  CHURCH- 
ES.—CHARACTER  OF  THE  RELIGIOUS  PRESS. — ITS  UPS  AND  DOWNS.— ARCH- 
BISHOP HUGHES. — NEWSPAPERS  FOR  CHILDREN. 

WHEN  and  where  was  the  first  religious  newspaper  published  in 
the  United  States  ?  When  and  where  in  any  part  of  the  world  ? 

After  the  success  of  an  important  enterprise ;  after  an  invention 
in  mechanics  or  a  discovery  in  science  have  become  a  public  bene- 
fit ;  after  finding  an  available  candidate  for  the  presidency,  numer- 
ous claimants  spring  up  seeking  the  reward  of  the  sewing  machine, 
or  the  glory  of  the  telegraph,  or  the  honor  of  ether,  or  the  office  for 
first  naming  Taylor  or  Grant  for  the  White  House.  So  with  lesser 
matters. 

Several  years  ago  there  was  a  controversy  on  the  origin  of  relig- 
ious newspapers.  Who  first  conceived  the  idea  of  one  ?  Who  pub- 
lished the  first  one  ?  Morse,  of  the  'New  York  Observer,  put  in  his 
claim  for  the  idea.  Willis,  of  the  Boston  Recorder,  filed  his  caveat  as 
the  inventor.  In  1858,  when  Mr.  Willis  was  in  his  seventy-ninth 
year,  he  published  his  reminiscences.  It  is  not  often  that  such  an 
autobiography  is  given  to  the  public.  Its  value  just  now  is  that  it 
enables  us  to  solve  one  of  the  questions  of  the  age : 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  A  JOURNALIST. 

BOSTON,  Oct.  to,  1858. 

It  has  been  suggested  to  me  that  my  long  and  successful  experience  in  estab- 
lishing newspapers,  without  the  advantages  of  talents,  or  education,  or  money, 
would,  if  committed  to  paper,  be  useful  to  others  who  may  hereafter  control  the 
mighty  power  of  the  press.  I  will  therefore  attempt  to  give  a  narrative. 

My  father  was  a  practical  printer.  He  printed  and  published  the  Independent 
Chronicle,  a  Whig  paper,  in  Boston,  from  June,  1776,  to  January,  1784.  Iwasborn 
in  Boston,  June  6,  1 780.  My  father  removed  to  Virginia,  leaving  me  in  Boston 
till  I  was  seven  years  of  age,  when  he,  being  engaged  in  printing  a  newspaper  in 
Winchester,  sent  for  me,  and  I  was  immediately  set  to  work  in  folding  news- 
papers and  setting  types.  He  removed  to  Martinsburg  in  1 790,  and  commenced 
the  Potomak  Guardian,  upon  which  paper  I  was  kept  at  work  until  April,  1796. 
He  then  removed  to  Chillicothe,  and  set  up  the  Sciota  Gazette,  the  first  paper  in 
Ohio,  and  I  returned  to  Boston,  and  commenced  an  apprenticeship  in  the  office 
of  the  Chronicle,  in  the  same  room  in  Court  street  in  which  my  father  had 
worked,  and  where  Benjamin  Franklin  had  worked  before  him. 

T 


290  Journalism  in  America. 

Soon  after  I  went  to  Virginia,  my  father  married  for  his  second  wife  a  daughter 
of  a  slaveholder,  and  she  had  one  of  her  father's  slaves  for  a  servant.  Though 
I  was  then  but  eight  years  of  age,  I  well  recollect  the  cruel  operation  of  the  system 
of  slavery.  It  is  not  only  debasing  and  brutalizing  as  regards  the  slaves,  but 
genders  habits  of  oppression  in  the  masters  and  mistresses  towards  all  over 
whom  they  have  power.  I  felt  its  effects  from  my  step-mother.  It  was  the  cause 
of  my  leaving  Virginia  for  Boston. 

This  was  a  time  of  great  political  excitement ;  I  was  in  my  sixteenth  year,  and 
partook  of  the  feelings  of  the  time.  Benjamin  Austin  was  a  popular  political 
writer  in  the  Chronicle,  and  his  articles  were  put  in  type  by  me.  I  was  depend- 
ent on  my  industry,  and  had  no  expectation  of  pecuniary  means  of  establishment 
in  business.  After  I  had  served  out  my  apprenticeship  and  worked  two  years  as 
a  journeyman,  application  was  made  to  me  to  go  to  Portland,  and  set  up  a  Re- 
publican paper  in  opposition  to  the  Federal  party,  which  then  ruled  the  District 
(now  state)  of  Maine. 

Mr.  Austin  recommended  me  as  reliable  for  my  politics  and  industry,  and  I 
commenced  the  Eastern  Argus  in  September,  1803.  A  lawyer  named  Joseph 
Bartlett  was  to  have  been  the  editor,  but  the  party  doubted  his  faithfulness,  and  I 
went  on  with  the  paper  with  the  assurance  of  pecuniary  and  literary  help  from 
leading  political  characters.  Bartlett  forsook  the  party,  and  was  nominated  for 
Congress  in  opposition  to  Richard  Cutts,  the  Republican  candidate.  T.  G.  T., 
Esq.,  wrote  some  severe  articles  in  the  Argus  against  Bartlett.  I  objected  to 
publishing  them  because  they  were  libellous ;  but  Mr.  T.  assured  me  I  "  should 
not  be  hurt  a  hair  of  my  head." 

Cutts  was  elected  to  Congress,  and  Bartlett  sued  me  for  damages  in  the  libels. 
The  lawyers  were  all  under  Federal  influence  ;  the  case  went  through  the  courts 
against  me,  and  I  was  arrested  on  an  execution  for  $2000  damages.  Being  un- 
able to  pay  I  was  conducted  to  prison.  I  endeavored  to  get  released  under  the 
Poor  Debtor's  law  after  thirty  days ;  but  was  twice  defeated  by  lawyers'  quibbles 
about  citations,  and  kept  a  prisoner  for  ninety  days.  Having  given  bonds  for  the 
liberty  of  the  yard,  which  was  the  whole  town  in  daytime,  a  false  charge  of  "  mak- 
ing an  escape"  was  set  up  and  sustained  by  the  court — my  bondsmen  were  made 
liable,  and  had  to  pay  $4000,  the  amount  of  the  bond,  instead  of  $2000,  the  amount 
of  the  execution.  The  author  of  the  libels,  who  promised  I  "  should  not  be  hurt 
a  hair  of  my  head,"  was  dishonorable  enough  to  tell  me  I  must  pay  these  dam- 
ages ;  but  a  reference  decided  that  he  should  pay,  while  I  was  left  to  pay  my  own 
expenses  in  attending  the  courts,  and,  several  years  after,  the  lawyer  he  engaged 
in  the  trials. 

I  was  in  debt  $1300  for  money  loaned  me  by  politicians  to  sustain  the  Argus, 
and  I  made  an  appeal  in  the  paper  to  delinquent  subscribers  to  pay  arrearages 
and  enable  me  to  rise  above  my  embarrassments.  This  was  successful,  and  I 
was  able  to  extinguish  those  debts  and  release  my  office  and  household  furniture 
from  attachment.  A  kind  Providence  sustained  me  under  my  afflictions,  and  I 
learned  that  politicians  are  not  only  ungrateful,  but  supremely  selfish.  They 
used  me  as  the  cat's-paw,  but  took  good  care  to  keep  all  the  chestnuts  for  their 
own  eating.  The  political  character  of  the  district  was  changed,  and  they  gained 
their  object  in  turning  the  Federalists  out  of  office. 

In  November,  1807,  Mr.  Benjamin  Radford,  a  near  neighbor,  invited  me  to  go 
with  him  and  hear  the  Rev.  Edward  Payson  preach  a  Thanksgiving  sermon.  I 
had  not  attended  church  for  many  months,  but  spent  my  Sabbaths  in  roving  about 
the  fields  and  in  reading  newspapers.  I  expected  Mr.  Payson  would  preach  a 
political  sermon,  as  he  had  some  time  previous  delivered  a  Federal  address. 
The  sermon  agreeably  disappointed  me  ;  it  was  truly  patriotic  and  eloquent. 
Mr.  Radford  then  invited  me  to  go  with  him  to  church  on  the  next  Sabbath.  I 
went  and  was  much  interested,  and  became  a  constant  hearer.  There  was  a  re- 
vival there  in  the  ensuing  winter.  I  trust  that  the  Holy  Spirit  led  me  to  see  that 
there  is  an  eternity ;  that  it  was  my  duty  to  attend  to  the  concerns  of  my  soul — 
that  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God — that  Christ  is  the  only  Saviour,  and  that  it  is 
"  by  grace  we  are  saved,  through  faith,  and  not  of  ourselves — it  is  the  gift  of  God, 
not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should  boast." 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  Republicans  to  have  a  ball  on  the  evening  of  the  4th 
of  March,  to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  election.  I  had  always 


Autobiography  of  Nathaniel  Willis.          291 

attended,  and  I  was  expected  to  attend  this  time.  There  was  to  be  a  lecture  in 
the  church  on  that  evening.  It  was  a  trying  question  for  me  to  decide  which  I 
should  go  to.  I  feared  if  I  went  to  the  ball  I  should  dance  off  all  my  religious 
impressions.  I  decided  that  /  would  not  go  to  the  ball,  but  would  go  to  the  lec- 
ture. I  think  that  was  the  turning  point  in  my  salvation ;  if  I  had  grieved  the 
Holy  Spirit  at  that  time,  he  might  have  forsaken  me  for  ever. 

One  very  busy  day  in  the  Argus  office,  I  felt  so  much  distressed  in  mind  that  I 
could  not  work.  I  went  to  my  desk  and  wrote  a  prayer.  Immediately  I  felt  re- 
lief, and  resumed  my  work.  I  have  kept  that  prayer  till  now.  I  now  began  to 
moderate  the  severity  of  party  spirit  in  the  Argus,  and  extracted  from  other  pa- 
pers short  articles  on  religious  subjects,  mostly  on  Methodist  revivals.  I  was 
asked  why  I  published  such  things.  I  replied  that  the  Federalists  claimed  all 
the  religion  and  morality  in  the  country  as  being  on  their  side,  and  I  wished  to 
prove  that  it  is  riot  so.  I  became  interested  in  Doddridge's  "  Rise  and  Progress 
of  Religion  in  the  Soul,"  especially  the  chapter  on  family  prayer.  I  printed  an 
edition  of  that  chapter,  and  circulated  them  as  tracts.  Christians  would  ask  me 
how  I  could  print  the  Argus  now.  I  was  trying  to  serve  two  masters  ;  that  would 
not  do.  I  was  in  perplexity. 

I  went  to  see  Mr.  Payson  about  it.  He  said,  "  I  cannot  advise  you  on  that 
subject.  Make  it  a  subject  of  prayer — God  will  direct  you."  On  parting  with 
him,  he  repeated  the  text :  "  There  is  no  man  that  hath  left  house,  or  brethren, 
or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  sake,  and  the 
Gospel's,  but  he  shall  receive  a  hundred  fold  now  in  this  time,  houses,  and  breth- 
ren, and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  lands,  with  persecutions ;  and  in  the  world  to 
come  eternal  life." — Mark  x.,  29,  30.  This  is  the  best  advice  I  coiild  have  had. 

The  leading  politicians  now  found  fault  with  the  Argus,  saying,  "  Your  paper 
is  milk  and  water  ;  you  are  priest-ridden,  or  turning  Federalist."  I  replied,  "No, 
I  am  willing  to  support  the  Republican  cause  so  long  as  I  can  with  truth  and 
fairness,  but  I  have  done  with  personalities  and  misrepresentations."  They  said, 
"  You  must  be  as  spirited  as  the  Federalists  are,  or  we  must  set  up  another  pa- 
per." I  replied,  "  I  will  save  you  all  that  trouble.  I  will  sell  the  Argus  to  a  man 
that  will  suit  you." 

Mr.  Francis  Douglas  was  then  employed  in  my  office,  first  as  clerk  and  then  as 
partner.  I  sold  the  Argus  to  him  for  $4000.  It  was  the  hard  times  of  the  em- 
bargo and  war  with  England,  and  I  ultimately  relinquished  one-half  that  sum  to 
secure  the  rest. 

While  waiting  for  better  times,  I  first  collected  what  debts  I  could,  and  then 
opened  a  grocery  store.  I  would  not  sell  rum ;  then  my  neighbors  predicted  that 
I  should  fail.  A  year  after  I  found  that  I  was  losing  money  (about  $1000  short), 
and  concluded  to  sell  out  and  give  up  the  business.  In  1808,  when  the  politicians 
were  disposed  to  abandon  the  Argus,  on  account  of  the  little  religion  there  was 
in  it,  I  should  have  made  it  a  religious  paper  if  I  had  received  the  encouragement 
and  aid  of  Christians.  Verily,  "  the  children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  own 
generation  than  the  children  of  light." 

In  May,  1808, 1  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  2d  Church,  of  which  Rev.  Mr. 
Payson  was  the  junior  pastor.  I  had  been  sometime  thinking  of  the  practica- 
bility of  setting  up  a  religious  newspaper  in  Portland.  I  conversed  with  Mr.  Pay- 
son,  Dea.  Coe,  Dea.  Lincoln,  Dr.  Mitchell,  of  North  Yarmouth,  an  influential 
Christian,  and  many  others.  They  all  thought  it  a  good  thing,  but  the  times  were 
so  hard  that  it  could  not  succeed  now. 

Rev.  Dr.  Jenks  has  written  to  me,  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  Maine  Missionary 
Society  in  Bath,  in  1810,  where  he  then  resided,  "I  well  recollect  then  and  there 
you  mentioned  the  subject  of  a  religious  newspaper  to  the  ministers  and  others 
assembled,  and  asked  their  advice  and  approbation." 

In  1812  I  removed  to  Boston,  bought  a  new  press  and  types,  and  opened  an 
office  at  76  State  street.  I  printed  a  variety  of  religious  books  and  tracts,  and 
sold  them  as  best  I  could.  Dr.  Morse  employed  me  to  print  several  editions  of 
a  pamphlet  entitled  "American  Unitarianism,"  which  made  a  considerable  stir 
among  the  clergy,  and  led  to  the  Unitarian  controversy.  I  printed  also  the  first 
edition  of  "  Park  street  Lectures,"  by  Dr.  Griffin. 

The  subject  of  a  religiozts  newspaper  still  rested  heavily  on  my  mind.  I  talked 
with  Christians  in  Boston  often  about  it.  Many,  though  they  liked  the  plan,  ob- 


292  Journalism  in  America. 

jected  to  it  as  impracticable,  especially  in  the  hard  times  occasioned  by  the  war. 
Deacon  Jeremiah  Evarts  at  one  time  agreed  to  aid  in  it,  but  finally  withdrew. 
Dr.  Griffin  said  he  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  religion  in  a  newspaper ;  it 
would  do  in  a  magazine.  I  said  I  had  some  experience  in  newspaper  publishing, 
and  believed  such  a  thing  could  be  done,  if  Christians  would  encourage  it. 

In  1814  I  had  an  interview  with  Dr.  Morse  on  the  subject  of  a  religious  news- 
paper. He  encouraged  it,  and  said  he  had  a  son  pursuing  his  studies  in  Con- 
necticut, who  would  make  a  good  editor.  He  was  very  sanguine  that  a  large  sub- 
scription could  be  obtained.  He  declined  any  pecuniary  responsibility,  but  said 
that  the  subscribers  would  pay  in  advance,  if  his  son  was  editor.  I  suppose,  like 
any  other  kind  father,  he  was  desirous  of  securing  a  competent  support  for  his 
son,  without  risk  of  loss. 

In  1815  the  Prospectus  of  the  Recorder  was  written.  I  printed  it,  and  we  cir- 
culated them  and  got  what  subscribers  we  could.  Mr.  Sidney  Morse  refused  any 
pecuniary  responsibility,  and  no  contract  was  entered  into  which  could  bind  him. 
The  first  number  of  the  Recorder  was  dated  January  3,  1816.  Mr.  Morse's  name 
was  not  in  it,  but  mine  stands  as  publisher  at  my  office  in  State  street,  Boston. 

A  large  edition  was  printed  at  his  request,  in  expectation  that  they  would  be 
wanted.  After  I  had  printed  four  numbers,  in  order  to  bring  him  to  terms,  I  said 
to  Mr.  Morse  that  it  was  a  waste  of  paper  to  print  so  many — the  income  did  not 
half  pay  the  expenses,  and  that  I  was  unwilling  to  bear  the  whole  pecuniary  re- 
sponsibility of  the  paper,  and  that  I  should  give  it  up  unless  there  was  some  con- 
tract or  agreement  made  in  respect  to  the  expenses  of  the  paper  and  the  editor- 
ship. Then,  without  consulting  me  on  the  subject,  he  engaged  Mr.  Ezra  Lincoln 
to  print  the  paper,  and  Mr.  D.  J.  Burr  to  keep  the  books  and  receive  the  money. 
About  three  months  after,  Mr.  Burr  told  me  that  Mr.  Morse  was  desirous  of  re- 
linquishing the  paper  to  me,  and  if  I  would  assume  the  expenses  already  incurred, 
and  engage  to  pay  him  one  dollar  for  every  new  subscriber  until  the  close  of  the 
year,  he  would  continue  to  edit  it,  and  then  if  either  of  us  withdrew,  he  should 
relinquish  all  claim  to  the  other.  I  agreed  to  this,  and  resumed  the  printing  and 
publishing.  In  the  Recorder  of  April  i,  1817,  Mr.  Morse  announced  that  he 
should  withdraw  from  the  editorship,  and  gave  as  his  reason  for  doing  so  that 
"the  profits  of  the  publication  are  wholly  inadequate  to  his  support,"  and  I  paid 
him,  I  think,  about  $100  for  his  services. 

This  history  shows  Mr.  Morse's  entire  exemption  from  all  expenses  in  the  en- 
terprise, and  its  being  borne  by  me  in  all  the  changes  which  took  place,  owing  to 
the  unwillingness  of  others  to  run  any  risk  in  the  doubtful  experiment — and  its 
ultimate  success  by  my  industry  and  perseverance  of  twenty-eight  years'  continu- 
ance, aided  by  the  editorial  services  of  Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs  and  others  in  succeeding 
years.  With  Mr.  Storrs's  help  the  Recorder  rose  from  the  lowest  depression,  and 
was  prosperous. 

During  the  various  changes  above  alluded  to,  I  was  favored  with  much  "  ad- 
vice from  outsiders,"  well-meant  and  from  the  best  of  motives,  no  doubt,  but  not 
always  judicious.  I  was  advised  to  admit  the  Unitarian  controversy  into  the  Re- 
corder, but  I  declined,  because  the  paper  was  intended  as  a  vehicle  of  intelligence, 
which  would  be  excluded  so  far  as  long  discussions  were  admitted.  Then  the 
Telegraph  was  set  up  for  that  purpose.  After  an  unsuccessful  trial  of  about  one 
year,  I  was  advised  to  annex  the  Telegraph  and  its  editor  [Gerard  Hallock]  to  the 
Recorder,  This  being  done,  he  became  half  proprietor.  In  a  few  months  after, 
an  experienced  editor  from  Portland  was  recommended  as  the  best  in  the  coun- 
try. He  bought  out  his  predecessor  at  a  cost  of  $7500 ;  but  he  had  too  much  a 
mind  of  his  own  to  suit  his  advisers,  and  "he  must  be  removed  at  any  rate."  This 
could  only  be  done  by  my  buying  him  out  at  a  cost  of  $6000,  which  I  had  to  bor- 
row to  get  the  whole  establishment  into  my  hands  again.  Then  I  was  strongly 
advised  to  take  a  very  talented  editor  upon  a  salary  of  $1500  a  year,  which  change 
"  would  at  once  double  the  number  of  subscribers ;"  but  it  resulted  in  reducing 
the  number  in  a  few  months,  until  I  could  bear  it  no  longer,  and  took  the  busi- 
ness into  my  own  hands,  and  paid  for  communications.  This  was  the  most  prof- 
itable method — it  yielded  the  largest  dividend. 

There  was  a  class  of  men  in  olden  time  who  laid  heazy  burdens  on  men's  shoul- 
ders, grievous  to  be  borne  ;  but  they  would  not  touch  them  with  one  of  their  fingers. 

I  had  a  large  and  growing  family  to  support  and  educate,  and  had  to  act  as 


The  Father  of  Religious  Journalism.          293 

compositor,  pressman,  and  clerk,  and  use  all  possible  economy  and  diligence,  for 
it  was  a  struggle  for  life,  against  the  competition  of  the  New  York  Observer  and 
a  number  of  other  religious  papers,  which  started  up  soon  after — until  my  health 
failed  in  1843,  and  I  was  obliged  to  relieve  myself  by  committing  the  Recorder  to 
younger  and  stronger  hands. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  the  history  of  the  Recorder,  because  Mr.  Morse 
has  often  asserted  that  he  is  the  founder  of  the  first  religious  newspaper  in  the 
world.  The  simple  question  is  :  Where  was  it  founded?  who  did  the  work  and 
paid  the  expenses  ?  who  would  have  been  responsible  in  case  of  a  lawsttitfor  libel 
or  debt?  The  first  number  of  the  paper  answers  these  questions  :  "The  Record- 
er, published  by  Nathaniel  Willis,  at  No.  76  State  street,  Boston." 

Mr.  Morse  and  myself  had  no  personal  difficulty.  We  set  out  together  on  a 
difficult  and  doubtful  enterprise.  Though  I  had  the  heaviest  burden  to  carry,  he 
soon  got  discouraged  and  stopped,  while  I  kept  on  till  the  object  was  accom- 
plished. 

The  city  of  New  York  was  then  a  better  location  than  Boston  for  a  religious 
newspaper  to  begin,  because  of  the  extensive  back  country,  and  the  New  York 
Observer  has  been  able  to  call  to  its  aid  a  large  body  of  able  assistants,  which  has 
made  it  one  of  the  best  religious  papers  in  the  country. 

Two  or  three  other  publications  have  been  named  as  predecessors  of  the  Re- 
corder ;  but  they  could  with  no  propriety  be  called  newspapers. 

Prince's  Christian  History  was  an  octavo  pamphlet  or  book,  printed  in  Boston 
at  the  time  of  the  revivals  under  Mr.Whitefield's  preaching,  and  consisted  mostly 
of  letters  from  the  towns  where  he  had  been  laboring. 

The  Herald  of  Gospel  Liberty  was  printed  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  the  quarto 
form,  for  Rev.  Elias  Smith,  as  I  suppose,  and  contained  letters  from  those  places 
where  he  had  been  preaching  in  his  efforts  to  g'et  up  the  Freewill  Baptist  or  Chris- 
tian denomination.  It  was  a  circular  rather  than  a  newspaper. 

The  Christian  Remembrancer,  of  Philadelphia,  was  in  the  quarto  form,  mostly 
religious  selections,  like  a  scrap-book — while  a  proper  newspaper  is  in  the  folio 
form,  and  contains  secular  news,  foreign  and  domestic,  and  advertisements. 

The  Youth's  Companion  commenced  in  1826.  Mr.  Asa  Rand  was  my  partner 
at  that  time.  We  had  a  regular  children's  department  in  the  Recorder.  We  found 
all  the  children  and  youth  were  interested  in  it.  This  suggested  the  idea  of  a 
child's  paper.  We  issued  proposals  for  the  Youth's  Companion,  and  the  number 
of  subscribers  which  came  in  induced  us  to  commence  it  in  June,  1827.  I  had 
the  care  of  the  Companion,  while  Mr.  Rand  had  the  care  of  the  Recorder,  until 
Mr.  Rand  withdrew  in  1830,  when  I  had  the  care  of  both  papers  until  1844  ;  then 
the  Recorder  was  sold  to  Rev.  Martin  Moore.  I  retained  the  Companion  until  1857, 
when  it  was  sold  to  Olmstead  &  Co.,  by  whom  it  is  now  published,  my  name  be- 
ing retained  as  senior  editor. 

All  three  of  my  papers  are  now  living,  and  are  doing  well  for  their  proprietors. 
I  think  that  I  ought  in  justice  to  say,  that  in  all  my  trials  I  had  one  very  effi- 
cient helper.  Before  I  commenced  the  Argus  in  Portland  I  married  a  lady,  who, 
by  her  industry,  economy,  self-denial,  and  sympathy,  made  a  home,  where  I  found 
rest  and  encouragement  to  battle  with  the  cares,  frowns,  and  selfishness  of  men. 
In  eighteen  years  she  presented  me  with  nine  children,  who  all  lived  to  adult  age, 
and  who  owe  much  to  her  memory  for  her  love  and  care.  We  set  out  in  our 
Christian  course  together  ;  but  she  was  taken  to  her  rest  and  reward  in  1844. 

I  have  had  severe  domestic  trials,  but  I  have  had  a  conscience  void  of  offence 
to  support  me  under  them. 

Young  men  who  aspire  to  the  press  as  a  profession,  let  an  old  man  advise  you 
to  depend  on  industry,  integrity,  perseverance,  self-reliance,  and  the  blessing  of 
God,  rather  than  the  promises  of  men.  By  these  I  have  succeeded  with  the  ad- 
vantage of  an  education  which  only  a  printing-office  affords. 

I  have  paid  my  debts,  and  by  prudence,  and  by  gathering  up  the  fragments,  I 
have  a  competence  which  will  carry  me  to  the  edge  of  the  Jordan. 

NATHANIEL  WILLIS,  in  my  79th  year. 

Mr.  Willis  died  in  May,  1870,  at  the  age  of  ninety,  and  religiously 
adhered  to  this  statement. 

Au  contraire,  a  son  of  Mr.  Morse  produced  in  1872,  shortly  after 


294  Journalism  in  America. 

the  death  of  his  father,  the  evidence  in  favor  of  the  Morse  claim  to 
the  paternity  of  the  Recorder.     It  is  our  duty  to  give  that  too  : 

To  the  Editors  of  the  Evening  Post: 

In  your  issue  of  the  i6th  of  January,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Parentage  of  the 
Religious  Press,"  you  publish  a  letter  from  Richard  Storrs  Willis,  in  which  he 
claims  for  his  father,  the  late  Nathaniel  Willis,  the  honor  of  being  the  originator 
and  founder  of  the  Boston  Recorder.  Mr.  Willis  is  mistaken.  He  undoubtedly 
believes  that  the  claims  of  his  father  to  that  distinction  are  just.  I  am  also  the 
son  of  a  recently-deceased  father,  however,  and  claim  that  he  was  the  first  in- 
ventor, editor,  and  proprietor  of  the  plan  of  connecting  religion  and  journalism  as 
embodied  in  the  Boston  Recorder.  The  facts  are  plainly  set  forth  by  legal  docu- 
ments and  printed  papers,  and  the  slightest  examination  leaves  no  doubt  on  the 
subject.  The  first  volume  of  the  Recorder  lies  before  me  as  I  write.  The  name 
of  Nathaniel  Willis  appears  as  publisher  of  the  numbers  for  January  3,  io,and  17. 
In  the  number  for  January  24  no  name  appears  as  printer,  but  my  father  says  that 
Mr.  Willis  printed  four  numbers,  and  this  must,  therefore,  be  one  of  them.  From 
January  31  to  April  10  we  find  that  Ezra  Lincoln  published  the  Recorder.  From 
April  10  to  May  I  David  J.  Burr  published  and  Ezra  Lincoln  printed  the  paper. 
From  this  last  date  David  J.  Burr  published  and  Nathaniel  Willis  printed  the  Re- 
corder until  June  19,  when  Mr.  Willis  became  both  printer  and  publisher.  What 
do  these  facts  show  ?  Let  my  father,  Sidney  Edwards  Morse,  in  his  own  words, 
tell  the  story : 

The  Boston  Recorder,  the  prototype  of  that  numerous  class  of  periodicals  called  "  religious  news- 
papers," now  established  in  every  part  of  Protestant  Christendom,  was  commenced  in  January,  1816. 
Application  was  made  to  me — then  a  student  in  the  law-school  at  Litchfield,  in  Connecticut — to  be- 
come the  editor  of  the  proposed  paper.  I  declined,  on  the  ground  that  I  was  incompetent,  without 
a  proper  training,  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  place.  When  this  application  was  made  to. me  I 
was  only  twenty-one  years  old.  I  had,  however,  been  for  several  years  a  writer  for  the  Boston  Cen- 
tinel  of  articles  which  had  been  extensively  copied  into  other  papers  throughout  the  country.  A 
series  of  twelve  anonymous  articles,  which  I  wrote  in  1812-13,  was  copied  from  the  Centinel  into 
every  other  Federal  newspaper  in  Boston.  This  was  known  to  the  gentlemen  who  proposed  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  new  paper,  and  hence,  probably,  the  application  to  me.  The  reply  was,  that  Mr. 
Evarts,  editor  of  the  Panoplist,  would  be  the  senior  editor  of  the  new  paper,  and  would  train  me. 
I  then  consented,  with  the  understanding,  however,  that  my  father  should  not  incur  pecuniary  re- 
sponsibility. This  point,  it  was  supposed,  was  effectually  secured  by  the  agreement  of  Mr.  Na- 
thaniel Willis  to  pnnt  and  publish  the  new  paper  for  me,  at  fixed  prices  for  paper,  printing,  and 
clerk-hire,  all  the  receipts  from  subscribers  and  advertisers  to  be  retained  by  him  until  his  bill 
should  be  fully  paid,  but  neither  I  nor  my  father  to  be  responsible  in  case  of  a  deficiency.  Mr. 
Willis  was  induced  to  make  this  agreement  by  the  expectation  of  securing  to  himself  steady  occu- 
pation as  a  printer. 

In  October,  1815,  after  consulting  with  my  father  and  Mr.  Evarts,  and  availing  myself  of  their  sug- 
gestions, I  wrote  and  issued  the  prospectus  of  the  Recorder,  a  weekly  newspaper,  on  an  original 
plan,  to  be  commenced  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  January,  1816.  Mr.  Willis  estimated  that  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  subscribers  would  pay  his  bill,  if  the  edition  should  consist  of  only  one  thousand 
copies.  When  the  day  for  commencing  the  publication  arrived  there  were  only  five  hundred  sub- 
scribers, and  Mr.  Evarts  gave  me  notice  that  he  could  not  occupy  the  post  of  senior  editor.  I  also 
wished  to  retire,  but  my  father  said  that  I  must  go  on  as  sole  editor.  At  the  end  of  three  weeks 
there  had  been  few  additions  to  the  list,  and  Mr.  Willis  gave  me  notice  that  the  fourth  number  was 
the  last  that  he  would  print  under  the  existing  arrangement. 

When  I  reported  to  my  father  that  Mr.  Willis  declined  printing  the  paper  anv  longer,  and  that  I 
too  wished  to  abandon  it,  he  said  that  the  paper  should  not  be  abandoned ;  that  he  would  now,  him- 
self, become  personally  responsible  for  all  expenses,  and  would  employ  another  printer  and  publish- 
er. Accordingly,  he  engaged  Mr.  Ezra  Lincoln  to  print  the  Recorder  for  three  months,  and  then 
went  to  work  in  his  energetic  way  to  get  subscribers.  In  about  two  months  the  list  advanced,  under 
my  fathers  efforts,  from  five  hundred  to  eight  hundred.  Mr.  David  J.  Burr  desired  to  enter  into 
partnership  with  me  in  the  Recorder.  I  consented,  throwing  upon  him  half  the  pecuniary  respon- 
sibility, and  all  the  mercantile  cares;  and  when  the  contract  with  Mr.  Lincoln  expired,  as  Mr.  Willis 
and  his  friend  desired  that  he  should  be  taken  back  as  printer,  Mr.  Burr  and  I  consented,  and  en- 
tered into  a  written  contract  with  him.  My  partnership  with  Mr.  Burr,  after  continuing  less  than 
three  months,  was  dissolved,  in  consequence  of  his  return  from  Boston  to  Richmond.  My  father 
continued  his  exertions,  and  before  the  end  of  June  the  list  of  subscribers  had  advanced  to  eleven 
hundred,  which  was  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  all  the  expenses  of  paper,  printing,  rent,  and  clerk- 
hire. 

This  statement  rests  solely  upon  the  word  of  my  father,  and  I  therefore  submit 
the  three  following  documents,  the  originals  of  which  can  be  seen  on  application 
to  me  : 

First,  An  indenture  between  Sidney  Edwards  Morse  and  David  J.  Burr,  dated  March  22, 1816,  thi 
preamble  to  which  reads  thus:  "That  whereas  said  Morse  is  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  a  certain 
paper  published  weekly  in  said  Boston,  entitled  the  Recorder,  which  was  commenced  on  the  first 


Which  was  the  First? 


295 


week  in  January  last,  and  it  is  agreed  that  said  Burr  shall  become  a 
joint  and  equal  proprietor  of  said  paper,"  etc. 

Second,  An  indenture  between  Nathaniel  Willis,  Sidney  Edwards 
Morse,  and  David  J.  Burr,  bearing  date  3oth  April,  1816,  "  Witness- 
eth  that  the  said  Willis  does  hereby  engage  and  undertake  on  his 
part  to  print  for  the  said  Morse  &  Burr  a  certain  weekly  newspaper 
called  the  Recorder,  of  which  the  said  Morse  &  Burr  are  proprietors, 
on  the  following  terms,"  etc. 

Third,  The  original  note  of  which  the  accompanying  engraving  is 
from  a  photographic  copy. 

This  alone  seems  to  settle  at  once  and  forever  the 
question  as  to  original  proprietorship  of  the  Recorder,  a 
question  which  has  agitated  the  religious  press  of  our 
country  for  more  than  twenty  years.  In  the  heat  of  the 
controversy,  and  during  the  life  of  Nathaniel  Willis,  he 
claimed  that  the  paper  was  founded  by  himself  in  Janu- 
ary, 1816,  and  that  he  was  its  original  proprietor,  and 
that  he  employed  my  father  to  edit  it ;  while  my  father 
asserted  that  he  founded  the  paper,  and  employed  Mr. 
Willis  to  print  it.  In  1849  Mr.Willis  asserted  that  Mr. 
Morse  never  paid  him  any  money  for  printing  the  paper, 
and  challenged  my  father  to  produce  a  receipt.  Strange 
to  say,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  fifty  years,  recently, 
in  emptying  some  loose  papers  from  an  old  barrel,  the 
accompanying  receipt  was  found,  written  wholly  by  Mr. 
Willis  himself,  and  signed  by  him,  acknowledging  the 
payment  by  my  father  and  the  receipt  by  Mr.  Willis  of 
money  "for  printing  the  Recorder." 

The  discovery  of  this  little  paper,  after  the  lapse  of 
more  than  half  a  century,  seems  very  much  like  a  direct 
interposition  of  Providence  for  the  vindication  of  an  in- 
nocent and  upright  man  from  the  false  charge  of  at- 
tempting to  rob  another  of  his  just  fame. 

Respectfully,  G.  LIVINGSTON  MORSE. 

These  archseologic  developments  are  enter- 
taining. It  appears  that  Willis  was  the  orig- 
inal publisher,  and  Morse  the  original  editor 
of  this  paper.  They  both  insist  on  being  the 
Father  of  the  Boston  Recorder  and  the  Father 
of  Religious  Journalism.  If  the  dispute  could 
be  carried  before  Solomon,  how  would  he  determine  the  case?  The 
Boston  Post,  in  deciding  the  controversy*in  regard  to  the  two  claim- 
ants to  the  discovery  of  Ether,  that  the  monument  in  the  public 
garden  in  that  city  was  erected  to  Either,  became  our  Solomon  in 
the  case  of  the  Recorder. 

But  there  is  another  Father  of  Religious  Journalism  in  Ohio.  To 
give  full  credit  to  Willis  and  Morse,  how  shall  we  dispose  of  this  in- 
teresting fact  which  we  copy  from  the  Historical 'Magazine  ? 

THE  FIRST  RELIGIOUS  NEWSPAPER   IN   THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  Gymnasium  and  Library  Association  of  this  city  (in  Chillicothe,  Ohio),  in 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  a  donation  of  the  bound  volumes  entire  of  the  "Re- 
corder," a  newspaper  "  devoted  to  Theology,  Literature,  and  all  matters  of  Local 
or  National  interest,"  which  was  published  in  this  city,  by  John  Andrews,  from  1814 
to  1817  inclusive,  states  that  this  is  the  first  religious  newspaper  ever  published 
in  this  country  or  in  the  world.  Is  this  so  ?  and  if  not,  when,  where,  and  by  whom 
was  the  first  paper  of  that  character  published  ?  E.  P.  S. 

Chillicothe,  Ohio,  July  18,  1857. 


296  Journalism  in  America. 

No  answer  appeared  in  the  Magazine  publishing  this  note.  But 
the  Presbyterian  Banner,  now  published  at  Pittsburg,  claims  to  be 
the  successor  and  continuation  of  the  Recorder  of  the  Rev.  John  An- 
drews. Of  all  these  statements  there  are  three  clear  points : 

ist.  Nathaniel  Willis  first  conceived  the  idea  of  a  religious  news- 
paper. 

2d.  John  Andrews  first  published  a  religious  newspaper. 

3d.  Sidney  Edwards  Morse  first  edited  the  Boston  Recorder. 

The  Recorder  now  forms  a  part  of  the  Congregationalist.  They 
were  published  for  some  time  on  one  sheet,  the  passing  years  of  one 
being  noted  from  its  origin  on  one  page,  and  those  of  the  other  on 
another  page.  Thus  the  Congregationalist  is  thirty-three  years,  and 
the  Recorder  fifty-six  years  old.  In  1871  they  were  issued  separate- 
ly from  the  same  office. 

"  That  great  eight-page  paper,  The  Watchman  and  Reflector"  as 
its  advertisement  for  1869  announced,  was  established  in  Boston  in 
1819,  and  is,  therefore,  half  a  century  old.  It  is  the  organ  of  the 
Baptists.  It  claims  a  circulation  of  21,000  copies,  which  gives  it  a 
large  reading  congregation — an  audience  thirty  times  larger  than 
ever  crowded  into  the  most  capacious  Baptist  church  to  listen  to 
the  eloquence  of  the  most  learned  Baptist  clergyman  in  the  coun- 
try— an  indication,  assuredly,  of  the  advantage  of  a  religious  news- 
paper in  its  weekly  service.  In  addition  to  its  religious  matter  it 
presents  the  features  of  a  very  respectable  weekly  newspaper. 

The  New  York  Observer  was  the  third  or  fourth  religious  newspa- 
per issued  in  the  United  States.  After  Mr.  Sidney  E.  Morse  left  the 
Recorder  he  went  to  New  York,  and,  in  connection  with  his  elder 
brother,  Richard  C.  Morse,  started  the  Observer 'in  1820.  They  were 
sons  of  the  Rev.  Jedediah  Morse,  D.D.,  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  au- 
thor of  the  Atlas  that  carried  the  children  of  the  first  part  of  this 
century  through  the  geography  of  the  world.  They  were  brothers 
of  Professor  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  of  artistic  and  telegraphic  fame. 
The  Observer  was  managed  by  them  with  great  success,  its  circula- 
tion running  up  as  high  as  sixty  thousand,  till  1858,  when  the  chief 
management  devolved  on  a  son  of  Sidney  E.  Morse:  In  May,  1868, 
Richard  sailed  for  Europe  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  In  a  few 
months  after,  while  at  Kissingen,  Germany,  he  died,  in  the  73d  year 
of  his  age.  Sidney  E.Morse,  aged  77  years,  died  in  New  York  in 
December,  1871. 

The  Methodists  felt  the  necessity  of  having  an  organ.  They 
established  Zion's  Herald.  It  is  published  in  Boston,  and  was  com- 
menced by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Adam  Wilson,  who  died  in  Waterville, 
Maine,  in  1871.  It  has  lived  a  long  and  prosperous  life,  and  is  the 
leading  organ  of  its  Church. 


The  Present  Religious  Organs.  297 

The  Christian  Register,  one  of  the  oracles  of  the  Unitarians,  was 
brought  out  in  1821.  It  celebrated  its  semi-centennial  in  Boston 
on  the  2Oth  of  April,  1871.  William  H.  Reed,  son  of  its  first  edi- 
tor, read  a  sketch  of  its  history  on  that  occasion.  He  said : 

The  history  was  to  a  great  degree  the  history  of  its  founder.  During  the  few 
years  which  succeeded  his  graduation  at  Cambridge,  he  had  a  wide  opportunity 
for  the  observation  of  the  condition  of  religious  opinion  in  various  parts  of  the 
country.  The  Unitarian  controversy  began  about  15  years  before  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Register.  As  the  reflection  from  Calvinistic  theology  grew  wider, 
Mr.  Reed  became  convinced  that  a  weekly  journal  would  be  of  great  service  as  an 
organ  for  the  exposition  of  Unitarian  doctrine  and  the  candid  discussion  of  dis- 
puted points  in  theology.  He  received  immediate  encouragement,  and  the  first 
number  was  issued  and  sent  to  300  subscribers  on  the  2oth  of  April,  1821.  It 
was  printed  by  John  Cotton,  and  the  second  number  was  issued  on  the  3ist  of 
August,  after  an  interval  of  four  months,  during  which  many  subscribers  were  ob- 
tained. His  chief  advisers  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  Christian  Register  were  Dr. 
Channing,  Dr.  Ware,  Professor  Norton,  and  other  gentlemen  of  equal  position 
outside  of  the  ministerial  profession.  Among  those  who  contributed  to  its  col- 
umns were  President  Kirkland,  Dr.  Noah  Worcester,  Judge  Story,  Dr.  Green- 
wood, Dr.  Bancroft,  President  Sparks,  and  Mr.  Edward  Everett.  In  1826  Mr. 
Reed  relinquished  the  editorial  care  of  the  journal,  placing  it  under  the  charge  of 
a  committee  of  the  government  of  the  Unitarian  Association,  and  the  editors  the 
following  year  were  the  Rev.  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  the  Rev.  Jas.  Walker,  the  Rev.  Saml. 
Barrett,  the  Rev.  E.  S.  Gannett,  and  Lewis  Tappan.  In  1827  it  reverted  again  to 
the  charge  of  Mr.  Reed.  In  1833  the  size  of  the  paper  was  increased  about  one- 
third,  there  having  been  two  previous  enlargements  in  1824  and  1825.  It  was  en- 
larged again  in  1836.  Subsequent  to  that  time  it  was  edited  successfully  by  the 
Hon.  Sidney  Willard,  the  Rev.  Chandler  Robbins,  Rufus  A.  Johnson,  Dr.  Barrett, 
Dr.  Lothrop,  Dr.  George  E.  Ellis,  Hon.  Charles  W.  Upham,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morison, 
the  Rev.  N.  S.  Folsom,  Dr.  E.  Peabody,  Dr.  A.  P.  Peabody,  the  Rev.  F.  D.  Hunt- 
ington,  the  Rev.  T.  B.  Fox,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mothe,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  W.  Bush,  the 
present  editor.  In  1836  the  name  of  the  paper  was  changed  to  "The  Christian 
Register  and  Boston  Observer,"  but  in  1846  it  was  changed  back  again  to  the 
present  and  first  title.  At  the  close  of  1865  a  corporation  was  formed,  to  .whose 
care  the  paper  was  transferred  soon  after. 

There  were  present  at  this  dinner,  among  others,  Mr.  Olmsted,  of 
the  Baptist  Watchman,  Mr.  Donahoe,  of  the  Catholic  Pilot,  and  Mr. 
Atwood,  of  the  Universalist.  The  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale  pre- 
sided, and,  in  the  course  of  some  remarks,  said  that  the  Register  was 
the  first  weekly  religious  journal  in  Boston  whose  editor  was  not 
cooped  up  by  any  written  creed,  by  any  covenant  of  men,  by  any 
traditions  of  the  Middle  Ages,  nor  by  any  theology  of  Geneva. 

The  Register  is  now  published  by  an  association,  and,  as  a  curios- 
ity, in  connection  of  religion  with  mammon,  one  share  of  the  estab- 
lishment was  sold  at  auction,  with  other  stocks  and  bonds,  in  Bos- 
ton, on  the  i2th  of  November,  1870,  and  brought  $13.  The.  Regis- 
ter is  now  edited  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Mumford. 

The  other  leading  organ  of  the  followers  of  Servetus  is  the  Lib- 
eral Christian,  of  which  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  W.  Bellows,  of  New  York, 
is  the  editor. 

The  Christian  Intelligencer,  the  organ  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  in  New  York,  was  first  issued  in  1830.  The  Collegiate 


298  Journalism  in  America. 

Church,  as  it  is  called,  is  a  large,  influential,  and  wealthy  body,  and 
its  organ  an  interesting  weekly  publication  for  the  plain  and  unpre- 
tending members  of  that  religious  denomination. 

The  Evangelist,  published  in  New  York  by  Henry  T.  Field,  is  forty 
years  old.  The  original  idea  of  its  publication  was  in  the  purpose 
of  a  number  of  young  men  to  establish  an  educational,  temperance, 
and  anti-slavery  organ  in  the  metropolis,  or,  in  its  own  words, "  ex- 
pressly to  promote  revivals  and  missions,  temperance  and  other  re- 
forms." Joshua  Leavitt  was  then  its  chief  editor.  He  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  Independent.  Now  that  Mr.  S.  W.  Benedict  is  dead, 
only  one  of  the  young  men,  William  E.  Dodge,  remains.  Its  princi- 
pal editor  is  one  of  "  the  Field  family,"  so  well  known  in  law,  re- 
ligion, politics,  and  telegraphs,  and  he  has  occupied  that  position 
for  seventeen  or  eighteen  years. 

The  Evangelist  is  a  well-managed  religious  paper,  of  a  conserva- 
tive character,  and  may  be  considered  an  independent  organ  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church.  It  has  been  in  favor  of  the  union  of 
the  old  and  new  schools,  and  of  sponging  out  the  disagreeable  lines 
of  demarcation  between  them.  In  February,  1870,  it  absorbed  the 
American  Presbyterian  of  Philadelphia. 

In  recently  speaking  of  the  course  of  the  Independent,  and  the  ver- 
dict of  the  seven  clergymen  of  the  West  who  held  an  inquest  on  the 
soul  of  that  concern,  it  brought  out  an  article  from  its  contemporary, 
spiced  with  capsicum,  not  obtained  at  any  corner  grocery,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  grain  : 

*  *  *  Take  a  man  who  can  neither  write,  nor  preach,  nor  keep  his  temper, 
nor  mind  his  own  business  ;  thrill  his  bosom  day  by  day  with  a  twenty  years'  dys- 
pepsia ;  flush  his  brain  with  the  hallucination  that  his  bookkeeping  mind  is  com- 
petent to  religious  journalism  ;  put  a  pen  in  his  hand  wherewith  to  write  himself 
down  a  Pecksniff;  set  him  like  a  dog  in  his  kennel  to  make  a  pastime  of  snap- 
ping at  the  respectable  people  of  the  neighborhood,  and  then,  gentle  reader,  you 
have  a  specimen  copy  of  the  Evangelist. 

The  Evangelist  received  this  Independent  description  of  its  char- 
acter with  becoming  grace,  in  the  full  belief  of  the  justice  of  the  ver- 
dict of  the  seven  Western  clergymen. 

The  Independent,  thus  brought  before  us,  was  started  twenty-one 
years  ago  as  an  organ  of  the  Congregationalists.  Several  dry-goods 
merchants,  S.  B.  Chittenden,  S.  B.  &  J.  Hunt,  and  Bowen  and  M'Na- 
mee,  furnished  the  means  for  its  organization.  Originally  it  was  ed- 
ited by  the  Rev.  Drs.  Storrs,  Bacon,  and  Thompson.  On  their  re- 
tirement Henry  Ward  Beecher  became  its  editor.  Then  he  retired. 
Joshua  Leavitt,  Oliver  Johnson,  and  Theodore  Tilton,  in  their  turn, 
assumed  the  editorial  duties.  Its  business  manager  is  Henry  C. 
Bowen,  the  other  originators  having  retired.  It  will  be  recollected 
that,  when  he  was  told  that  his  radical  notions  would  affect  the  busi- 


Three  Young  Journalists.  299 

ness  of  Bowen  and  M'Namee,  he  replied  that  he  "  sold  silk  goods, 
and  not  his  principles."  After  disposing  of  all  he  had  of  the  former, 
he  left  his  old  business,  and  carried  his  stock  of  principles  into  the 
new  concern — the  Independent.  The  paper  was  inspired  for  some 
time  by  Tilton,  young,  fresh,  and  as  ardent  as  a  Northern  sun  could 
make  him. 

One  or  two  years  before  Tilton  became  a  writer  for  the  Indepen- 
dent, there  were  three  young  gentlemen  of  "  natural  parts"  in  the 
metropolis  who  were  intimate  friends,  and  who  were  then  in  a  state 
of  mental  chrysalis.  Two  were  accomplished  reporters  on  the  New 
York  Herald,  and  the  other  came  near  being  an  equally  accom- 
plished member  of  the  efficient  staff  of  that  paper.  One  shortly  aft- 
er became  the  editor  of  the  Metropolitan  Record,  established  as  the 
organ  of  Archbishop  Hughes;  the  second  became  Assistant  District 
Attorney  of  the  United  States  in  New  York  during  the  Rebellion, 
where  he  was  constrained  to  keep  his  official  eye  on  his  quondam 
associate  of  the  Record,  which  had  slipped  from  the  fatherly  care  of 
the  astute  prelate  into  an  extreme  Democratic  advocate ;  and  the 
third,  after  mentally  balancing  on  the  high  fence  that  separates  the 
Herald  and  Independent,  followed  the  instincts  of  his  nature,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  leaders  of  the  radical  political  and  Woman's  Rights 
Party,  and  its  chief  organ  and  adviser  till  he  reached  the  Golden 
Age  of  his  existence. 

The  Independent  is  conducted  with  energy.  Its  writers  have  been 
of  such  a  character  as  to  command  attention.  Henry  Ward  Beech- 
er  gave  it  a  strong  push  forward.  Bowen,  having  been  an  active 
dry-goods  merchant,  obtained  considerable  support  and  character 
for  the  paper  by  his  dry-goods  and  other  commercial  reports.  Its 
independent  tone  attracted  attention.  Thus  it  started,  and  thus  it 
has  thrived ;  and  although  Beecher  left  the  editorial  management 
in  not  a  tranquil  state  of  mind,  we  see  by  the  recent  annual  auction 
sale  of  pews  at  Plymouth  Church  that  Bowen  has  paid  the  highest 
premium  and  secured  one  of  the  best  pews  in  that  sanctuary. 

The  most  interesting  chapter,  in  a  religious  point  of  view,  in  the 
history  of  the  Independent,  is  unquestionably  the  solemn  inquest  we 
have  mentioned,  which  was  held  in  Chicago  on  the  soul  of  the  es- 
tablishment. Seven  learned  doctors  —  the  Rev.  Edward  Beecher, 
T.  M.  Post,  A.  L.  Chapin,  J.  M.  Sturtevant,  John  P.  Gulliver,  G.  F. 
Magoun,  and  S.  C.  Bartlett,  having  found  Henry  C.  Bowen  in  the 
Western  metropolis — for  this  country,  like  Rhode  Island,  Siam,  and 
Japan,  has  two  great  cities,  each  of  which  is  called  a  metropolis — 
proceeded  to  sit  in  consultation  on  his  body  as  the  embodiment  of 
Jthe  soul  of  the  Independent.  The  conference  lasted  nearly  two  days, 
and  resulted,  according  to  these  learned  divines,  in  a  pledge  from 


300  Journalism  in  America. 

Bowen  that  thereafter  the  Independent  "should  be  both  the  organ 
and  the  champion  of  those  truths  commonly  known  as  evangelical." 
As  we  have  quoted  the  Independent  in  regard  to  the  Evangelist,  it  is 
only  fair  to  quote  the  Evangelist  in  speaking  of  this  inquest  and 
pledge. 

This  understanding  and  pledge,  they  now  affirm,  has  been  violated  by  keeping 
at  the  head  of  the  paper  one  who,  "  in  his  religious  opinions,  whatever  his  private 
views  may  be,  has  never  given  the  public  occasion  to  suspect  the  existence  in  his 
mind  of  any  defined  system,  or  of  any  well  considered  convictions ;"  who,  "  in  his 
denials  of  the  foundation  principles  of  the  Christian  system,  that  have  sometimes 
been  very  positive  and  energetic,  exhibits  an  unconsciousness  that  he  was  even 
on  debatable  ground,  which  in  the  editor  of  a  great  religious  newspaper  is  at  once 
painful  and  ludicrous."  This  negative  influence  of  the  "editor-in-chief"  opens 
the  door  to  all  loose  opinions,  when  associated  with  the  very  positive  and  decided 
convictions  of  the  "  managing  editor,"  Mr.  Oliver  Johnson,  of  whom  they  say  that 
"outside  of  the  Independent  office  he  makes  no  secret  of  opinions  which,  whether 
justly  or  unjustly,  would  be  pronounced  by  evangelical  Christians  generally  not 
only  unevangelical,  but  infidel."  With  these  associate  editors  a  corps  of  contrib- 
utors was  announced,  in  which  orthodox  divines  were  brought  in  on  a  platform 
of  the  broadest  liberality,  and  "  in  loving  partnership  with  a  platoon  of  that  school 
of  the  Boston  abolitionists,  whose  denunciations  had  for  years  been  about  equally 
divided  between  Southern  slavery  and  evangelical  Christianity  !" 

Such  is  the  case  as  drawn  out  at  great  length  by  these  Western  brethren.  As 
to  the  facts,  we  take  it  for  granted  that  they  are  stated  correctly.  They  require 
but  a  brief  comment,  and  this  we  make  with  a  desire  to  do  justice  to  both  parties. 

In  the  first  place,  we  concede  to  Mr.  Bowen  entire  good  faith.  We  do  not  doubt 
that  in  his  conferences  with  the  ministers  at  Chicago  he  spoke  as  he  felt,  and  that 
he  did  then  frankly  and  sincerely  desire  to  conform  his  paper  to  their  wishes. 

Why,  then,  was  it  not  done  ?  Simply  because  it  was  impossible — that  is,  without 
making  a  total  revolution  in  the  paper.  The  editor  had  no  sympathy  with  the 
attempt.  All  who  know  him  know  that  he  does  not  disguise  his  sentiments  or 
his  sympathies,  and  that  he  does  not  pretend  to  be  orthodox  or  "  evangelical"  in 
the  ordinary  sense.  He  may  indeed  claim  to  be  in  some  vague,  general  sense, 
which  means  any  thing  or  nothing,  but  as  the  word  was  understood  by  these  Chi- 
cago divines,  and  as  understood  by  the  churches  of  New  England,  he  would  be  the 
first  to  repel  it  with  scorn.  His  manliness  revolted  at  the  idea  of  standing  in 
such  a  position,  of  advocating  opinions  which  he  did  not  believe.  Hence  that 
memorable  "  editorial  soliloquy"  in  which  he  made  a  bold  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence, and  hurled  defiance  at  those  who  would  restrain  him  of  his  liberty. 

These  paragraphs  show  the  animus  of  the  religious  press  toward 
each  other.  We  give  these  as  the  freshest  specimens.  Is  it  not 
manifest  to  the  millions  of  readers  of  newspapers  in  the  country  that 
in  vigor  of  expression  the  religious  press  is  fully  equal  to  the  lay 
and  pagan  press  of  the  nation  ?  Is  this  owing  to  the  bracing  air  of 
the  country  ?  It  must  be  so.  It  is  robust  Christianity  ;  and  it  has 
always  been  so.  In  the  early  years  of  the  Christian  Register,  its  his- 
torian says,  religious  discussions  were  marked  with  "  much  bitter- 
ness and  asperity." 

The  few  papers  we  have  thus  prominently  brought  forward  are 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  religious  press  of  the  country.  Since 
1814-16,  when  the  two  Recorders  made  their  appearance  as  wonder- 
ful innovators  on  the  religious  customs  of  the  people,  this  class  of- 
journals  have  sprung  into  existence  in  endless  numbers  in  every  di- 


Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  Wendell  Phillips.   301 

rection,  and  pinned  to  every  faith.  Some  have  reached  long  lives, 
as  those  we  have  mentioned.  Others,  like  hundreds  and  hundreds 
of  secular  papers,  have  been  strangled  in  infancy  by  the  public.  The 
Rev.  Clement  C.  Babb,  in  closing  the  sixteenth  year  of  his  editorial 
labor  on  the  Christian  Herald,  of  Cincinnati,  makes  what  would  seem 
a  remarkakle  statement — that  nearly  one  half  of  the  religious  pa- 
pers on  the  exchange  list  of  that  paper  in  1852  have  since  died  for 
want  of  support,  and  that  only  two  or  three  of  the  survivors  are 
either  owned  or  edited  by  those  who  had  the  management  of  them 
in  that  year.  The  Rev.  De  Witt  C.  Talmage,  in  a  lecture  delivered 
in  the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle  in  1871,  the  subject  of  which  he  an- 
nounced as  the  "Lying  Newspapers,"  stated  that  "when  a  paper 
becomes  positively  religious,  it  is  almost — not  quite — certain  to  be- 
come bankrupt,  so  that  there  are  to-day,  I  suppose,  not  more  than 
five  self-supporting  religious  newspapers  in  this  country."  But  the 
failure  of  one  does  not  prevent  the  starting  of  others,  for  almost 
every  week  we  see  a  new  one  announced. 

When  Henry  Ward  Beecher  left  the  Independent,  he  became  an 
editor  of  the  Christian  Union,  a  paper  which  had  been  edited  by  the 
Rev.  Crammond  Kennedy.  It  is  published  by  J.  B.  Ford  &  Co., 
who  have  issued  Mr.  Beecher's  sermons  in  weekly  pamphlets,  and 
who  have  since  published  his  "  Life  of  Christ."  It  is  probable  that 
there  is  not  another  man  in  the  United  States  who  is  so  much  heard 
and  read  as  Henry  W.  Beecher,  unless  the  other  man  be  Wendell 
Phillips.  These  two  preachers,  publicists,  and  journalists  are  em- 
phatically the  greatest  of  their  kind  in  the  country.  They  use  the 
pulpit,  the  lecture -room,  the  stump,  the  newspaper,  in  the  fullest 
sense.  No  question  comes  before  the  public  that  is  not  immediate- 
ly seized  upon  by  one  or  both  of  these  men.  Every  journal  at  the 
North  throws  open  its  columns  to  them.  Even  the  leading  papers 
of  New  York,  full  of  their  own  vigorous  mental  resources,  will  not 
only  do  this,  but  they  will  send  their  best  stenographers  to  report 
what  these  orators  utter.  In  addition  to  this,  these  leading  editors 
will  review  the  speeches,  or  sermons,  or  communications  of  these 
two  master-spirits  of  the  forum  in  article  after  article,  thus  increas- 
ing their  notoriety,  power,  and  influence  with  every  article.  Wendell 
Phillips,  full  of  tact,  in  writing  his  communications  for  the  Anti-Slav- 
ery Standard  or  any  other  publication,  whether  it  be  to  abuse  Sam- 
uel Bowles,  of  the  Springfield  Republican,  or  flay  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  of 
the  Executive  Mansion,  makes  them  short,  sententious,  and  severe, 
so  that  every  paper  can  easily  find  room  for  them  and  copy  them, 
.and  every  one  who  runs  reads  them.  These  appeals,  embracing 
popular  subjects,  are  spread  broadcast  in  all  the  papers.  "We  have 
two  special  dangers  to  fear,"  Mr.  Phillips  would  fulminate,  "a  drunk- 


302  Journalism  in  America. 

en  mob  and  a  moneyed  aristocracy.  The  laws  of  some  of  the  states 
were  made  in  the  gambling  hells  of  gold  speculators  rather  than  in 
State  Houses."  Mr.  P.  would  draw  a  picture  of  a  manufacturing 
town  where  the  daily  paper  and  the  preacher  in  the  pulpit  were 
owned  and  controlled  by  a  single  great  corporation.  "  Put  your 
ear  down  close  to  the  columns  of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  and  you  will 
hear  the  rustle  of  cotton,  or  the  chink  of  bank  dollars.  If  you  doubt 
this,  go  read  its  editorials  in  the  light  of  State  Street,  and  you  will 
read  them  with  anointed  eyes."  So  sharp  and  vigorous  are  his  re- 
marks that  they  are  published,  praised,  criticised,  abused,  and  read 
from  Maine  to  Texas.  Editorially  he  is  as  much  read  as  the  New 
York  Herald,  for  not  only  that  paper,  but  all  others,  spreads  what 
he  says  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  He  is  a  contrib- 
utor, nolens  nolens,  of  nearly  every  paper.  All  he  ha.s  to  do  is  to 
write  to  be  read.  Where  James  Gordon  Bennett  has  half  a  million 
readers  for  one  of  his  articles,  Wendell  Phillips  has  one  or  two  mil- 
lions !  While  Phillips  indulges  in  politics,  Beecher  is  equally  suc- 
cessful with  his  religious  notions.  They  appear  in  newspapers  and 
pamphlets,  every  where  to  the  right  of  us  and  to  the  left  of  us.  Are 
not  these  two  men,  therefore,  the  two  great  editors  of  the  United 
States — the  two  journalists,  par  excellence,  of  America  ? 

The  organs  of  the  Catholics,  of  the  Episcopalians,  of  the  Jews,  of 
the  Mormons,  of  the  Spiritualists,  of  the  Swedenborgians,  are  nu- 
merous, and  able  and  influential,  with  thousands  of  readers  and  be- 
lievers. Of  the  Catholics  the  Shamrock  was  the  first.  Then  the 
Truth  Teller  was  commenced  in  New  York  in  1829  or  '30  by  Wil- 
liam Denman.  But  Archbishop  Hughes  has  stated  that  the  first 
really  Catholic  paper  was  the  Catholic  Miscellany,  founded  in  Charles- 
ton by  Bishop  England.  Now  there  are  the  Metropolitan  Record,  the 
Tablet,  the  Freeman's  Journal,  and  the  Pilot,  as  strong  in  politics  as 
in  religion.  Of  the  Episcopalians  there  are  the  Church  Journal, 
always  a  little  belligerent  in  Church  matters,  and  the  Protestant 
Churchman. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  many.  With  the  Jews  the  Jewish 
Messenger  and. the  Hebrew  News.  Within  thirty  years  no  less  than 
ten  periodicals  have  been  started  in  different  parts  of  the  world  in 
defense  of  Judaism  alone.  They  have  faith  in  their  religion,  and 
are  never  known  as  Jews  in  politics.  The  million  and  a  half  of 
Spiritualists  in  the  United  States  have  their  organs,  of  which  the 
Spiritualist  is  the  chief.  Every  faith  and  belief  in  the  country  finds 
utterance  and  relief  in  an  organ  of  some  sort. 

When  the  Metropolitan  jRccordvta.s  established  as  the  organ  of  the  . 
Catholic  Church  in  New  York,  it  was  the  custom  of  Archbishop 
Hughes  to  dictate  an  article  or  a  sermon  to  be  stenographically 


Daily  Religious  Newspapers.  303 

taken  down  by  its  editor  or  reporter  for  the  benefit  of  his  Church 
and  people.  Sitting  at  ease  in  his  study,  the  late  archbishop,  twirl- 
ing a  valuable  ring  on  his  finger,  the  gift  of  the  pope  or  a  cardinal, 
as  if  unwinding  his  thoughts,  would  talk  off  his  discourse  as  glibly 
as  if  engaged  in  common  conversation.  On  one  occasion  he  sud- 
denly stopped  and  said, "  Please  turn  to — "  naming  a  word  six  or 
seven  lines  back.  "  Mark  out  after  that  word.  Now  we  will  go 
on."  Then  he  would  proceed  as  smoothly  and  as  accurately  with 
the  fresh  expression  as  if  there  had  been  no  break  or  interruption 
in  his  line  of  argument.  Organs  are  thus  frequently  supplied  from 
the  best  brains  of  the  nation.  Nearly  all  the  leading  clergymen 
of  the  country  write  for  the  papers  ;  Tyng,  Bee'cher,  and  many  oth- 
ers, have  stepped  outside  of  the  religious  press  to  write  for  the 
Ledger. 

Several  efforts  have  been  made  to  establish  daily  religious  news- 
papers. The  World 'was  originally  begun  as  such.  When  the  Trib- 
une and  Times  appeared,  nothing  offensive  to  the  religious  and  mor- 
al sentiment  of  the  community  was  published.  The  Sun  was  pur- 
chased, at  one  time,  for  this  purpose.  All  these  efforts  failed.  It 
is  stated  that  the  Marquis  of  Bute  lately  bought  the  London  Sun  in 
order  to  have  a  daily  religious  paper  in  the  metropolis  of  England. 
The  religious  people  of  New  York  do  not  appear  deterred  by  the 
non-success  of  previous  efforts,  for  they  have  established  another 
cheap  paper  with  a  Christian  code  for  its  management.  This  is  its 
announcement : 

THE  NEW-YORK  DAILY  WITNESS. 

A  CHRISTIAN,  ONE  CENT,  AFTERNQON  NEWSPAPER,  WILL  BE  ISSUED  FROM  NO. 
l62  NASSAU-ST.,  NEXT  BUILDING  TO  THE  TRIBUNE,  UP  ONE  STAIR,  ON  SATUR- 
DAY, 1ST  JULY,  1871. 

It  will  insert  no  advertisements  of  liquors,  theatres,  lotteries,  or  any  thing  in- 
consistent with  its  character,  but  it  will  present  a  good  medium  for  all  unobjec- 
tionable advertisements,  which  will  be  inserted  at  the  low  rate  of  two  cents  per 
word,  or  ten  cents  per  line,  agate  measure.  Advertisements  of  "  Wants,"  such  as 
situations,  boarders,  &c.,  will  be  inserted  at  one  cent  per  word,  none  being  reck- 
oned less  than  fifteen  words.  The  paper  will  give  the  news  of  the  day  and  much 
excellent  family  reading  beside.  All  who  wish  to  see  such  a  paper  established 
are  requested  to  support  it  at  its  commencement  by  purchasing  it  from  newsboys, 
and  sending  their  advertisements  to  the  office,  162  Nassau-st. 

The  power  and  influence  of  the  press  in  religion  has,  since  the 
establishment  of  the  two  Recorders,  and  the  commencement  of  the 
annual  reports  of  the  religious  gatherings  in  New  York,  inaugurated 
amid  violent  and  bitter  opposition  by  the  Herald,  become  an  ac- 
knowledged fact.  The  reports  of  the  Herald,  the  repeated  remarks 
of  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  the  large  increase  of  religious  papers  every 
where,  testify  to  this  in  the  strongest  manner ;  and  in  October,  1869, 
at  the  Episcopal  Diocesan  Convention  held  in  New  York,  the  Right 


304  Journalism  in  America. 

Rev.  Bishop  Potter,  in  his  annual  address,  referred  to  the  great  pow- 
ers to  reach  the  world  as  the  pulpit  and  the  press. 

Impressed  still  more  forcibly  with  the  value  of  newspapers  in 
spreading  the  Gospel,  the  Evangelical  Press  Association  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  of  New  York  City,  in  May,  1870,  took  into 
consideration  the  propriety  of  using  the  press  for  religious  pur- 
poses. Such  an  association  also  exists  in  Massachusetts.  Its  ob- 
ject is  asserted  to  be  the  publication  in  secular  papers,  as  advertise- 
ments, of  religious  tracts,  in  which  various  seasonable  topics  could 
be  discussed.  The  New  York  Herald  has  devoted,  for  the  last  three 
years,  one  and  two  pages  of  its  paper  every  Monday  to  reports  of 
sermons  preached  the  day  before  in  the  principal  pulpits  of  New 
York,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Washington,  and  has  even  had  im- 
portant religious  services  in  Rome,  Paris,  and  London  telegraphed 
by  ocean  cable  for  its  readers. 

What  is  called  the  religious  press  of  the  country,  after  it  became 
an  institution,  and  was  confirmed  as  such  by  the  people,  entered  the 
political  arena,  and  aided  the  cause  of  the  Republican  Party  and  the 
abolition  of  slavery  with  all  its  gigantic  moral  power.  Starting  with 
only  five  hundred  subscribers,  as  the  Boston  Recorder  did,  the  relig- 
ious press  now  numbers  millions  of  readers.  The  circulation  of 
the  several  organs  of  the  religious  sects  in  the  United  States  ranges 
from  one  thousand  to  seventy-five  thousand  copies,  and  perhaps  as 
high  as  one  hundred  thousand.  The  Christian  Advocate,  established 
many  years  as  the  chief  organ  of  the  Methodists,  nets  an  annual 
profit  of  $30,000.  These  publications  are  in  every  city  in  the  Union. 
Mingling  with  politicians  of  all  shades,  the  conductors  of  these  pa- 
pers could  not  avoid  acquiring  some  of  the  habits  of  their  peculiar 
associates.  It  is  not  fair  to  suppose  that  intercourse  of  this  sort 
could  elevate  a  press  otherwise  devoted  to  religion  and  purity  in 
public  and  private  morals.  It  is  apparent  that  a  portion  of  the  re- 
ligious press  became  somewhat  vitiated  in  its  contact  with  scheming 
politicians,  and  that  the  rough  and  dirty  Pool  of  Politics  was  not 
the  soft  and  sight-giving  Pool  of  Siloam  to  the  editors  of  these  pub- 
lications. One  illustration  we  have  given  in  the  tilt  between  the 
Independent  and  Evangelist.  We  have  another  in  the  acrimonious 
contest  between  the  New  York  Observer  and  Evangelist,  growing  out 
of  that  singularly  solemn  scene  at  the  death-bed  of  Albert  D.  Rich- 
ardson, of  the  Tribune,  at  the  Astor  House.  The  Evangelist  claims 
to  be  the  organ  of  the  "  United  Presbyterian  Church"  of  the  United 
States,  while  the  Observer,  which  denounced  "  the  Astor  House  scan- 
dal," asserts  that  it  reaches  "  more  Presbyterian  ministers  and  peo- 
ple than  any  other  religious  newspaper."  Yet  these  two  papers,  with 
these  great  claims  to  circulation  and  influence,  abuse  each  other  in 


Religious  Newspapers  for  Children.          305 

the  strongest  terms,  entirely  losing  sight  of  that  meekness  of  spirit 
and  Christian  love  which  their  simple  and  single-minded  readers 
expect  to  find  inculcated  in  their  columns.  It  is  true  that  the  Ob- 
server has  an  advantage  over  its  more  liberal  contemporary  in  the 
dual  form  of  its  paper,  one  half  belonging  to  the  "  Religious  Depart- 
ment," and  the  other  to  the  "  Secular  Department ;"  and  if  the  pious 
press  will  abuse  each  other,  it  would  not  be  a  bad  plan  for  the  Evan- 
gelist and  all  other  religious  papers,  wishing  to  indulge  in  this  sort 
of  luxury,  to  have  a  "  Secular  Department"  also.  Those  of  the  sub- 
scribers of  the  Observer  who  keep  the  Sabbath  retain  one  part  of 
that  paper  for  Sunday  reading,  and  the  other  part  for  the  remainder 
of  the  week. 

There  is  another  class  of  religious  papers,  of  which  the  first  was 
the  Youth's  Companion,  established  in  1826  by  Nathaniel  Willis. 
They  are  devoted  to  the  entertainment  and  religious  instruction  of 
children.  They  also  give  items  of  interesting  news.  The  Compan- 
ion is  now  published  by  Perry  Mason  &  Co.,  and  is  an  eight  page 
paper,  handsomely  printed  and  well  filled.  There  is  another,  called 
the  Well  Spring.  Another,  the  Child's  Paper,  of  beautiful  typogra- 
phy, and  with  a  circulation  of  100,000  copies.  The  Methodists 
print  a  Sunday-school  paper  named  the  Advocate,  which  had  a  cir- 
culation of  105,000  in  1858,  and  of  370,000  in  1871.  These  are 
religious  newspapers  for  the  young.  They  are  cheap,  and  are  within 
the  reach  of  every  child.  But  in  some  instances  the  subscription 
price  is  very  unfairly  arranged  in  consequence  of  the  premium  ma- 
nia among  newspaper  proprietors.  One  paper  is  $i  50  per  annum 
to  a  single  subscriber.  If  two  names  are  sent,  forty  cents  are  de- 
ducted. If  three  subscribers  are  obtained,  one  dollar  is  taken  off. 
Now  if  the  publisher  can  afford  three  copies  for  three  dollars  and 
fifty  cents,  why  don't  he  reduce  his  single  subscription  to  one  third 
of  this  amount  ?  The  reason  is  patent  enough,  but  the  single  sub- 
scribers are  the  victims  and  sufferers.  The  premium  system  will, 
however,  cure  itself  in  time  in  the  efforts  of  newspaper  publishers 
to  outbid  each  other  in  offering  pianos,  houses,  horses,  carriages, 
watches,  farms,  diamonds,  steam-boats,  and  railroads  to  subscribers. 

There  were  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  religious  periodicals 
published  in  the  United  States  in  1860.  Three  hundred  and  thirty 
or  forty  are  issued  now.  There  are  probably  100,000,000  copies 
printed  annually. 

U 


306  Jozirnalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SOME  OF  THE  REPRESENTATIVE  NEWSPAPERS. 

INKLING  OF  AN  INDEPENDENT  PRESS.  —  JUDGE  BOUVIER  AND  THE  AMERI- 
CAN TELEGRAPH. — NILES'S  REGISTER. — THE  HARTFORD  TIMES. — JOHN  M. 
NILES  AND  GIDEON  WELLES.  —  CURIOUS  FIGHT  FOR  A  POST-OFFICE. — 
THOMAS  H.  BENTON  AND  DUFF  GREEN  IN  MISSOURI. — WILLIAM  COBBETT. 
— THE  PORCUPINE. — THE  NEW  YORK  AMERICAN  AND  CHARLES  KING. — 
THE  PROVIDENCE  JOURNAL. — WONDERFUL  CHANGE  OF  BASE  ON  THE  TAR- 
IFF QUESTION. — THE  NEW  YORK  ALBION. — ORGANS  IN  OTHER  COUNTRIES. 
— THE  POETS  AS  JOURNALISTS. — FASHIONABLE  JOURNALISM. — THE  LOUIS- 
VILLE JOURNAL. — GEORGE  D.  PRENTICE  AND  JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER. 
— THE  WITS  OF  NEWSPAPERS.  —  THE  FIRST  PAPER  WEST  OF  ALBANY.  — 
JOHN  I.  MUMFORD. — FANNY  WRIGHT. — RICHARD  COBDEN'S  OPINION. 

AMONG  the  ornaments  of  the  profession  of  journalism  may  be 
ranked  Judge  John  Bouvier.  He  was  born  in  the  south  of  France, 
but  became  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  in  1812.  On  arriving  at 
this  distinction  he  opened  a  printing-office,  and  in  1814  began  the 
publication  of  a  weekly  newspaper  called  the  American  Telegraph. 
The  first  number  appeared  in  Brownsville,  Pennsylvania,  where 
Bouvier  was  town  clerk  and  secretary  of  a  fire-engine  company,  on 
the  Qth  of  November  of  that  year,  with  the  motto  "Justice,  Laws, 
and  Liberty."  At  that  early  period  Judge  Bouvier  had  an  inkling 
of  the  Independent  Press.  He  promised,  in  his  prospectus,  to  "dis- 
countenance all  factions  and  factious  men,  under  what  plausible 
name  soever  they  may  be  shielded,"  and  would  not  "  crouch  to  any 
man  or  set  of  men,  and  neglect  the  duty  which  every  editor  in  the 
union  owes  to  the  public." 

After  publishing  the  Telegraph  four  years,  Judge  B.  removed  to 
Uniontown,  where  he  united  his  paper  with  the  Genius  of  Liberty, 
and  continued  the  publication  of  both  papers  in  one  with  the  two 
names  united,  under  the  firm  of  Bouvier  and  Austin.  It  was  too 
early  for  an  Independent  Press ;  the  new  paper  was  "conducted  on 
the  principles  of  pure  democracy."  Thus  Judge  B.  continued  till 
1820,  when,  like  Henry  Wheaton,  he  abandoned  journalism  for  the 
legal  profession,  and  removed  to  Philadelphia,  where,  in  1836,  he 
became  Recorder,  and  in  1838  an  Associate  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Criminal  Sessions.  While  thus  engaged,  and  finding,  from  early  ex- 
perience, the  need  of  a  well-"  arranged  digest  of  that  legal  informa- 
tion which  every  student,"  and,  indeed,  every  lawyer  should  have,  he 


Niles  s  Weekly  Register.  307 

undertook  the  great  labor  of  preparing  a  Law  Dictionary,  which  was 
published  in  two  volumes,  and  afterwards  the  Institutes  of  Ameri- 
can Law,  which  appeared  in  four  volumes.  These  six  volumes  were 
indorsed  by  such  jurists  as  Judge  Story  and  Chancellor  Kent.  They 
were  published  by  Childs  and  Peterson.  Mr.  Childs,  of  this  firm,  is 
now  the  proprietor  of  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger,  and  husband 
of  a  granddaughter  of  Judge  Bouvier,  the  author  of  these  valuable 
law-books  and  the  early  journalist. 

The  Judge  was  a  man  of  great  industry  and  activity  of  intellect. 
It  is  claimed  that  Nathan  Hale  introduced  the  regular  editorial 
articles,  the  daily  comments  on  public  matters  in  1814.  Not  to  be 
far  in  the  rear,  we  find  that  Judge  Bouvier,  early  in  1815,  began  his 
comments  on  public  affairs  in  the  American  Telegraph,  especially  on 
matters  in  Europe  in  connection  with  the  return  of  Napoleon  from 
Elba. 

The  independence  of  the  Press  was  talked  about  in  1816.  Judge 
Bouvier,  in  the  Telegraph,  on  the  2Qth  of  May  of  that  year,  publish- 
ed the  following  article : 

INDEPENDENCE  OF  THE  PRESS. 

It  has  been  usual,  of  late,  for  a  few  disappointed  men  in  this  state,  who  are  sub- 
ject to,  arid  under  the  protection  of  a  certain  great  man  in  Philadelphia,  to  pub- 
lish long  essays  under  this  head,  in  which  the  printers  of  the  state  generally  are 
charged  with  corruption,  and  Mr.  Duane,  their  patron,  is  lauded  as  the  very  pink 
of  purity.  They  declare  that  they  themselves  are  not  only  independent  of  the 
state  government,  which  they  charge  with  having  corrupted  the  press,  but  also  of 
Duane  himself.  Let  us  see  how  their  declarations  agree  with  facts. 

We  received  a  letter  a  few  weeks  since  from  Mr.  Duane,  stating  that,  as  we  dis- 
agreed with  him  upon  some  particulars,  he  would  no  longer  exchange  papers  with 
us ;  Mr.  Duane  having  a  right  to  dispose  of  his  paper  as  he  pleases,  we  should 
have  said  nothing  on  this  subject  had  the  matter  ended  here,  but  since  that  period 
several  of  his  satellites  have  also  discontinued  to  exchange  papers  with  us,  in  con- 
sequence, no  doubt,  of  orders  received  by  them  from  head-quarters.  This  is  the 
way  these  gentlemen  show  their  independence. 

Like  most  papers  of  that  time,  elaborate  communications  were 
the  editorials  of  the  day. 

The  most  valuable  newspaper  in  its  day,  as  we  all  find  it  to  be  in 
our  researches  for  historical  facts,  was  Niks' s  Weekly  Register.  It 
was  established  in  Baltimore  on  the  7th  of  September,  1811,  by 
Hezekiah  Niles,  an  editor  of  the  Baltimore  Evening  Post.  William 
Ogden  Niles  became  associated  with  his  father  in  1827.  The  elder 
Niles  retired  in  1836.  The  Register  was  then  conducted  by  the  son 
till  1848,  when  its  publication  was  stopped.  It  was  a  complete  and 
accurate  record  of  events  from  181 1  till  1848.  Its  motto  was  "  The 
past — the  Present — for  the  Future."  No  library  is  perfect  without 
a  set.  Its  size  was  convenient  to  handle  for  reference.  Odd  vol- 
umes can  occasionally  be  picked  up  at  old  book-stores,  but  all  the 
numbers  complete  would  now  be  impossible  to  buy.  We  have 
known  of  a  set  selling  as  high  as  $300. 


308  Journalism  in  America. 

The  Hariford  Times,  which  has  been  a  leading  party  paper  in  that 
state  for  years,  and  which  is  still  considered  an  organ  of  the  Democ- 
racy in  New  England,  is  a  journal  that  deserves  a  niche.  It  was 
established  as  a  weekly  paper  in  1817,  and  its  first  daily  issue  was 
in  1839.  Its  editorial  corps  has  given  to  two  administrations  each 
a  cabinet  minister — John  M.  Niles  and  Gideon  Welles.  Its  founder 
and  principal  proprietor  was  Alfred  E.  Burr. 

Mr.  Niles,  who  had  been  a  printer  in  the  office  of  the  Courant, 
and  a  writer  of  books  for  boys,  became  editor  and  foreman  of  the 
Times  in  1817.  He  continued  in  this  capacity  for  three  or  four 
years.  In  1820  he  was  made  judge  of  the  Hartford  County  Court. 
In  1826  he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Hartford  in  1829.  The  Times,  during  this  period,  had 
been  in  favor  of  the  administration  of  James  Monroe,  John  Quincy 
Adams,  and  Andrew  Jackson.  In  connection  with  the  appoint- 
ment of  Niles  as  postmaster,  there  is  an  incident  which  is  profes- 
sional and  interesting.  In  the  excitement  growing  out  of  the  polit- 
ical campaign  ending  in  the  election  of  Jackson  in  1828,  the  Times 
was  ostensibly  edited  by  Major  Benjamin  Hammett  Norton.  Niles 
continued  one  of  the  publishers,  and  was  probably  the  master  spirit 
of  the  concern,  but  Norton  bore  the  public  honors.  On  the  elec- 
tion of  Jackson,  Norton,  who  felt  that  he  should  have  some  of  the 
loaves  and  fishes,  immediately  proceeded  to  Washington,  and  de- 
manded the  office  of  postmaster  at  Hartford  for  his  services.  It 
was  given  to  him.  On  his  return  home  with  the  commission  in  his 
hat,  Niles  was  astonished.  Office  was  his  weak  point.  Norton  had 
circumvented  him.  Thereupon  he  joined  in  the  rush  to  Washing- 
ton, and  presented  himself  at  the  executive  mansion  as  the  real 
Simon  Pure  editor  of  the  Times.  He  informed  General  Jackson  that 
Norton  was  only  an  attache  of  the  office.  He  was,  like  Simon  Pure, 
fortified  with  affidavits.  The  result  was  the  announcement  in  the 
official  gazette  of  the  appointment  of  Niles,  vice  Norton  removed. 
Poor  Norton  !  What  was  to  be  done  with  him  ?  It  was  arranged 
that  he  should  go  into  the  Boston  Custom-house  with  the  same  pay 
that  Niles  would  receive  in  Hartford.  He  was  appeased.  John 
Randolph,  of  Roanoke,  gave  him  fame  by  applying  the  epithet 
"Jacksonia — Nortonizatia"  in  one  of  his  famous  speeches. 

After  this  Norton  got  deeply  interested  in  Texas,  and  in  1837  and 
'38  he  was  a  banker  in  Wall  Street,  New  York  City,  having  an  office 
in  or  near  the  Tontine  Building.  In  1847  and  '48  he  edited  a  paper 
in  Boston  called  the  Sentinel,  in  which  he  favored  the  election  of 
Zachary  Taylor  for  the  presidency.  In  return  he  was  appointed 
American  consul  at  Picton,  N.  S.,  where  he  remained  till  his  death 
in  1869.  He  was  a  fine-looking  gentleman,  and  treated  every  body 


The  Hartford  Times.  309 

with  kindness  and  consideration.  He  was  much  respected  while 
consul  in  Nova  Scotia. 

The  Times,  on  the  appointment  of  Niles  to  the  post-office,  was  the 
organ  of  the  Democratic  Party  in  Connecticut.  It  was  now  under 
the  guidance  of  Gideon  Welles,  the  author,  it  was  alleged,  of  most 
of  the  articles  which  gave  the  Hartford  Post-office  first  to  Norton, 
and  then  to  Niles'.  Welles  was  considered  a  vigorous  writer  for  a 
party  paper  during  the  administration  of  Andrew  Jackson,  and  dur- 
ing the  fight  with  the  Nullifiers  in  1832.  Martin  Van  Buren  gave 
him  some  office  when  he  was  President.  In  1861  he  was  called  to 
the  cabinet  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  where  he 
remained  during  the  more  serious  fight  with  the  Rebellion.  Since 
his  retirement  from  office  he  has  been  engaged  in  reminiscences, 
adding  his  mite  to  the  history  of  the  world.  His  first  contribution 
was  in  November  or  December,  1869,  when  he  wrote  a  pretty  severe 
letter  to  his  successor  in  office,  Mr.  Robeson,  refusing  to  surrender 
some  papers  which  the  latter  said  belonged  to  the  archives  of  the 
Navy  Department.  Other  papers  on  the  relief  of  Fort  Sumter  and 
Fort  Pickens,  and  on  the  capture  of  New  Orleans,  have  also  been 
given  by  him,  through  the  Galaxy,  to  the  country. 

In  1835  Niles  was  appointed  United  States  senator  from  Con- 
necticut, and  in  1839  he  was  the  unsuccessful  Democratic  candidate 
for  governor  of  his  native  state.  In  May,  1840,  and  for  the  closing 
months  of  Van  Buren's  administration,  he  succeeded  Amos  Kendall 
as  Postmaster  General.  In  1842  he  was  again  sent  to  the  United 
States  Senate  for  a  full  term.  It  is  fair  to  suppose  that  while  in  the 
cabinet  and  in  the  Senate  he  ceased  to  be  editor  of  the  Times. 

There  was  one  act  on  the  part  of  the  Times  that  gave  it  a  good 
deal  of  character.  It  opposed,  under  the  editorial  guidance  of  Al- 
fred E.  Burr,  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  in  1853-4,  while 
nearly  all  the  other  organs  of  the  Democratic  Party  favored  that  un- 
wise measure.  Subsequent  events  showing  the  correctness  of  the 
judgment  of  the  Times,  the  opinions  of  that  paper  have  since  been 
treated  with  more'  respect  and  consideration  by  its  political  oppo- 
nents. 

The  Times  is  now  edited  by  W.  O.  Burr,  a  son  of  one  of  the  orig- 
inal proprietors,  and  it  occupies  the  same  position,  in  a  political  and 
party  point  of  view,  in  Connecticut  that  the  Boston  Post  does  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  the  Albany  Argus  and  New  York  World  in  New  York. 
It  has  always  evinced  talent  in  its-leading  articles,  and  is  not  defi- 
cient in  enterprise  for  a  provincial  paper. 

It  was  proposed  by  William  Cobbett  to  issue  his  Weekly  Political 
Register,  to  begin  June  21, 1816,  from  No.  19  Wall  Street,  New  York 
City.  It  was  to  consist  "partly  of  Mr.  Cobbett's  essays  which  had 


310  Journalism  in  America. 

been  published  in  England,  with  the  addition  of  notes ;  but  chiefly 
of  matter  from  the  same  pen,  wholly  new,  sent  out  from  England  in 
manuscript."  Henry  Cobbett  and  G.  S.  Oldfield  were  the  agents  in 
New  York.  Cobbett  became  so  notorious  on  this  side  of  the  At- 
lantic by  his  writings  when  here  that  it  was  thought  that  his  Political 
Register  would  find  numerous  readers.  He  was  known  as  Peter 
Porcupine.  Carey's  United  States  Recorder  of  January  24, 1 798,  gave 
the  following  morceau  under  the  head  of 

PORCUPINIAD. 

PETER  PORCUPINE  has  at  length  difcovered  that  cookery  is  his  forte; 
and,  ftill  defirous  of  ferving  a  ROYAL  MASTER,  has  volunteered  to  fup- 
ply  the  table  of  his  INFERNAL  MAJESTY  with  delicacies  from  this  fublunary 
world  of  ours. 

This  generous  offer  was  made  yefterday,  in  language  equally  polite,  elegant,  and 
claffical. 

But  let  the  Porcupine  fpeak  for  hiinfelf.  He  thus  addrefies  the  printers  of  the 
New-  York  Gazette : 

Send  me  a  file  of  your  papers,  you  trimming  rafcals,  and  you  fliall  fee  what  pretty  creatures  I'll 
make  of  you.  I'll  COOK  you  up  in  a  DISH  fit  for  the  DEVIL.  WM.  COBBETT. 

We  are  yet  to  learn  whether  or  not  Beelzebub  will  accept  of  this  eleemofynary 
treat  from  his  good  friend  C  OB  B  ET  :  But  of  Porcupine's  qualifications  for  fuper- 
intending  the  infernal  kitchen,  not  the  leaft  doijbt  can  be  entertained ;  for  every 
man  of  tafte  will  readily  admit  that  the  OLIOS  and  OLLA  PODRIDAS  which 
this  arch  cook  has  hitherto  ferved  up  to  the  fovereign  people  of  America,  where 
calculated  only  for  a  HELLISH  APPETITE. 

The  enterprise  of  the  reprint  of  the  Register  in  New  York  did  not 
amount  to  much.  The  pleasantest  description  of  this  conspicuous 
publicist  appeared  in  Miss  Mitford's  Recollections  of  a  Literary 
Life.  It  is  a  picture  of  William  Cobbett  as  a  host : 

He  had  at  that  time  a  large  house  at  Botley,  with  a  lawn  and  gardens  sweeping 
down  to  the  Bursleden  River,  which  divided  his  (Mr.  Cobbett's)  territories  from 
the  beautiful  grounds  of  the  old  friend  where  he  had  been  originally  studying,  the 
great  squire  of  the  place.  His  own  house — large,  high,  massive,  red,  and  square, 
and  perched  on  a  considerable  eminence — always  struck  me  as  being  not  unlike 
its  proprietor.  It  was  rilled  at  that  time  almost  to  overflowing.  Lord  Cochrane 
was  there  ;  then  in  the  very  height  of  his  warlike  fame,  and  as  unlike  the  common 
notion  of  a  warrior  as  could  be.  A  gentle,  quiet,  mild  young  man,  was  this  burner 
of  French  fleets  and  cutter-out  of  Spanish  vessels,  as  one  should  see  in  a  summer 
day.  He  lay  about  under  the  trees  reading  Selden  on  the  Dominion  of  the  Seas, 
and  letting  the  children  (and  children  always  know  with  whom  they  may  take  lib- 
erties) play  all  sorts  of  tricks  with  him  at  their  pleasure.  His  ship's  surgeon  was 
also  a  visitor,  and  a  young  midshipman,  and  sometimes  an  elderly  lieutenant,  and 
a  Newfoundland  dog ;  fine  sailor-like  creatures  all.  Then  there  was  a  very  learn- 
ed clergyman,  a  great  friend  of  Mr.  Gifford  of  the  Quarterly,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  exceedingly  clever  persons.  Two  literary  gentlemen  from  London  and 
ourselves  completed  the  actual  party  ;  but  there  was  a  large  fluctuating  series  of 
guests  for  the  hour  or  guests  for  the  day,  of  almost  all  ranks  and  descriptions, 
from  the  earl  and  his  countess  to  the  fanner  and  his  dame.  The  house  had  room 
for  all,  and  the  hearts  of  the  owners. would  have  had  room  for  three  times  the 
number.  I  never  saw  hospitality  more  genuine,  more  simple,  or  more  thoroughly 
successful  in  the  great  end  of  hospitality — the  putting  every  body  completely  at 
ease.  There  was  not  the  slightest  attempt  at  finery,  or  display,  or  gentility.  They 
called  it  a  farm-house,  and  every  thing  was  in  accordance  with  the  largest  idea  of 
a  great  English  yeoman  of  the  old  time.  Every  thing  was  excellent — every  thing 
abundant — all  served  with  the  greatest  nicety  by  trim  waiting  damsels  ;  and  ev- 


Col.  Thomas  H.  Benton  as  an  Editor.        311 

ery  thing  went  on  with  such  quiet  regularity  that  of  the  large  circle  of  guests  not 
one  could  find  himself  in  the  way.  I  need  not  say  a  word  more  in  praise  of  the 
good-wife,  very  lately  dead,  to  whom  this  admirable  order  was  mainly  due.  She 
was  a  sweet  motherly  woman,  realizing  our  notion  of  one  of  Scott's  most  charm- 
ing characters,  Ailie  Dinmont,  in  her  simplicity,  her  kindness,  and  her  devotion 
to  her  husband  and  her  children.  At  this  time  William  Cobbett  was  at  the  height 
of  his  political  reputation ;  but  of  politics  we  heard  little,  and  should,  I  think,  have 
heard  nothing,  but  for  an  occasional  red-hot  patriot,  who  would  introduce  the  sub- 
ject, which  our  host  would  fain  put  aside,  and  get  rid  of  as  speedily  as  possible. 
There  was  something  of  Dandie  Dinmont  about  him,  with  his  unfailing  good  hu- 
mor and  good  spirits,  his  heartiness,  his  love  of  field-sports,  and  his  liking  for  a 
foray.  He  was  a  tall,  stout  man,  fair  and  sunburnt,  with  a  bright  smile,  and  an  air 
compounded  of  the  soldier  and  the  farmer,  to  which  his  habit  of  wearing  an  eter- 
nal red  waistcoat  contributed  not  a  little.  He  was,  I  think,  the  most  athletic  and 
vigorous  person  that  I  had  ever  known.  Nothing  could  tire  him.  At  home  in 
the  morning,  he  would  begin  his  active  day  by  mowing  his  own  lawn  ;  beating  his 
gardener,  Robinson,  the  best  mower,  except  himself,  in  the  parish,  at  that  fatiguing 
work.  For  early  rising,  indeed,  he  had  an  absolute  passion ;  and  some  of  the  po- 
etry that  we  trace  in  his  writings,  whenever  he  speaks  of  scenery  or  of  rural  ob- 
jects, broke  out  in  his  method  of  training  his  children  into  his  own  matutinal  hab- 
its. The  boy  who  was  first  down  stairs  was  called  the  Lark  for  the  day,  and  had, 
amongst  other  indulgences,  the  pretty  privilege  of  making  his  mother's  nosegay 
and  that  of  any  lady  visitors.  Nor  was  this  the  only  trace  of  poetical  feeling  that 
he  displayed ;  whenever  he  described  a  place,  were  it  only  to  say  where  such  a 
covey  lay,  or  such  a  hare  was  found  sitting,  you  could  see  it,  so  graphic,  so  vivid, 
so  true  was  the  picture.  He  showed  the  same  taste  in  the  purchase  of  his  beau- 
tiful farm  at  Botley,  Fairthorn — even  in  the  pretty  name.  To  be  sure,  he  did  not 
give  the  name  ;  but  I  always  thought  that  it  unconsciously  influenced  his  choice 
in  the  pur-chase.  The  beauty  of  the  situation  certainly  did.  The  fields  lay  along 
the  Bursleden  River,  and  might  have  been  shown  to  a  foreigner  as  a  specimen  of 
the  richest  and  loveliest  English  scenery.  In  the  cultivation  of  his  garden,  too, 
he  displayed  the  same  taste.  Few  persons  excelled  him  in  the  management  of 
vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers.  His  green  Indian  corn,  his  Carolina  beans,  his 
water-melons,  could  hardly  have  been  exceeded  at  New  York.  His  wall-fruit  was 
equally  splendid  ;  and  much  as  flowers  have  been  studied  since  that  day,  I  never 
saw  a  more  glowing  or  a  more  fragrant  autumn  garden  than  that  at  Botley,  with 
its  pyramids  of  hollyhocks,  and  its  masses  of  China-asters,  of  cloves,  of  mignonette, 
and  of  variegated  geranium.  The  chances  of  life  soon  parted  us,  as,  without  grave 
faults  on  either  side,  people  do  lose  sight  of  one  another ;  but  I  shall  always  look 
back  with  pleasure  and  regret  to  that  visit. 

Thomas  Hart  Benton,  so  well  known  in  the  opposite  characters 
of  bitter  opponent  and  warm  partisan  of  Andrew  Jackson,  and  as 
United  States  senator  from  Missouri,  edited  the  St.  Louis  Enquirer 
in  1816-17.  It  was  the  organ  of  the  dominant  party  of  that  period. 
Selected,  with  David  Barton,  as  one  of  the  first  senators  from  that 
new  state  in  1820,  partly  because  of  the  active  part  he  took  in  the 
famous  controversy  of  that  exciting  time,  he  disposed  of  the  Enquirer 
and  theoretical  statesmanship,  and  became  a  practical  statesman  for 
thirty  years  in  the  national  capital.  In  1824  the  Enquirer  passed 
into  the  possession  of  Duff  Green ;  and  while  Benton  was  making 
an  effort  to  get  the  Missouri  Legislature  to  pass  resolutions  in  favor 
of  Henry  Clay  for  the  presidency,  Duff  Green  was  organizing  the 
Jackson  Party  in  that  state.  These  facts  are  interesting,  in  view  of 
the  attitude  of  these  two  journalists  toward  General  Jackson  after 
his  inauguration  as  President  in  1829. 


312  Journalism  in  America. 

The  American  Cyclopaedia,  in  giving  a  sketch  of  Colonel  Benton, 
said : 

He  now  removed  to  Missouri,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  City  of  St.  Louis  in 
1815.  There  he  devoted  himself  anew  to  his  profession.  Soon,  however,  enga- 
ging in  the  politics  of  the  day,  he  was  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  newspaper  en- 
titled The  Missouri.  Argus.  In  this  position  he  was  involved  in  many  disputes 
and  contentions.  Duels  were  usual  at  that  time,  and  he  had  his  share  of  them, 
with  their  unhappy  consequences.  In  one  of  them,  which  was  forced  upon  him, 
he  killed  his  opponent,  Mr.  Lucas — an  event  he  deeply  regretted,  and  all  the  pri- 
vate papers  relating  to  which  he  has  destroyed.  His  journal  took  a  strong  and 
vigorous  stand  in  favor  of  the  admission  of  Missouri,  notwithstanding  her  slavery 
Constitution,  and  when  the  angry  controversy  was  terminated  he  was  rewarded 
for  his  labors  by  being  chosen  one  of  the  first  senators  from  the  new  state.  It  is 
from  this  period,  1820,  that  his  political  history  and  the  great  influence  he  has  ex- 
erted upon  public  affairs  may  be  said  to  date.  A  man  in  the  early  prime  of  life, 
possessed  of  a  commanding  intellect,  of  large  and  liberal  culture,  an  assiduous 
student,  industrious,  temperate,  resolute,  and  endowed  with  a  memory  whose  te- 
nacity was  marvelous,  he  soon  placed  himself  in  the  front  rank  of  those  who  shaped 
the  councils  of  the  nation. 

The  Cyclopaedia  is  wrong  in  the  name  of  the  paper.  It  was  the 
Enquiter,  and  not  the  Argus.  In  reply  to  Colonel  Benton's  article 
in  Thirty  Years  in  the  Senate,  on  the  establishment  of  the  Wash- 
ington Globe,  Duff  Green  thus  speaks  of  Benton's  early  journalistic 
career  in  Missouri : 

I  first  knew  Col.  Benton  in  St.  Louis,  in  1817,  where,  as  editor  of  the  St.  Louis 
Enquirer,  he  made  himself  useful  to  Gen.  Clarke  and  the  dominant  party.  He 
was  the  relative  and  partisan  of  Mr.  Clay.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  Mis- 
souri controversy,  and  was  rewarded  with  a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate.  In 
1823  he  went  to  St.  Charles,  then  the  seat  of  government,  with  resolutions  nomi- 
nating Mr.  Clay  for  the  presidency,  intending  to  bring  them  to  Washington  as  so 
much  political  capital.  These  resolutions  I  defeated  by  opposing  them  in  caucus, 
where  I  denounced  Mr.  Benton,  and  compelled  him  to  leave  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment in  haste,  by  declaring  that  if  he  remained  until  the  Senate  met  on  the  next 
day  I  would  institute  a  legislative  inquiry  into  his  conduct.  In  1824  I  purchased 
from  the  person  to  whom  he  had  sold  it  the  St.  Louis  Enqtiirer,  organized  a  par- 
ty in  support  of  Gen.  Jackson,  and  carried  the  popular  vote  of  one  district  for 
him,  in  spite  of  Col.  Benton,  who  came  back  to  Missouri  and  made  extraordinary 
efforts  for  Mr.  Clay.  It  so  happened  that  one  of  Mr.  Clay's  half  brothers  was  the 
clerk  of  one  of  the  counties  which  gave  a  majority  for  Gen.  Jackson,  and  by  his 
refusal  to  make  the  return,  and  an  intrigue  in  the  Legislature,  the  entire  vote  of 
the  state  was  given  to  Mr.  Clay,  regardless  of  the  popular  will. 

The  New  York  American,  an  evening  paper,  was  established  by 
Charles  King,  son  of  Rufus  King,  and  Johnston  Verplanck,  in  1819. 
It  was  at  first  a  Tammany,  or  Bucktail  paper,  and  acted  with  the 
Van  Buren  Democracy  in  opposition  to  De  Witt  Clinton.  In  1823 
the  American  advocated  John  Quincy  Adams  for  the  presidency, 
while  Van  Buren  and  Tammany  Hall,  with  the  National  Advocate, 
went  for  William  H.  Crawford,  after  Van  Buren  and  Hamilton's  pil- 
grimage to  Georgia,  and  this  movement  severed  the  connection  be- 
tween the  American  and  the  Democratic  Party. 

These  movements  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  new  paper, 
named  the  New  York  Patriot,  and  edited  by  Charles  K.  Gardener, 
one  of  the  Assistant  Postmaster  Generals,  and  an  aid  of  General 


Foreign  Organs  in  New  York.  313 

Brown  during  the  war.  It  was  believed  that  Henry  Wheaton  and 
John  C.  Calhoun  were  both  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  this 
new  political  organ  in  the  city  of  New  York.  It  was  the  policy  of 
the  Patriot  not  to  favor  any  candidate  for  the  presidency,  but  to  op- 
pose the  elevation  of  Crawford  to  the  chief  magistracy  of  the  Union. 
The  presidential  electors  for  the  State  of  New  York  were  then  cho- 
sen by  the  Legislature,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  the  choice 
would  be  favorable  to  the  Georgia  statesman.  Something  needed 
to  be  done  to  prevent  this.  Hammond  speaks  of  this  scheme  in 
these  words : 

With  a  view  to  guard  against  such  a  result,  it  was  urged  that  the  electors  ought 
to  be  chosen  by  the  people.  "  If  the  majority  of  the  people  are  for  Mr.  Craw- 
ford," said  his  opponents, "  we  cheerfully  acquiesce  in  their  determination ;  if  not, 
let  their  will  be  carried  into  execution."  This  plan  was  formed  by  a  citizen  of 
Albany,  whose  name  has  never  been  mentioned,  but  who  communicated  it  to  Mr. 
Wheaton,  of  New  York,  and  immediately  the  Nciv  York  Patriot  took  strong  ground 
in  favor  of  the  measure. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  go  into  the  political  history  of  New  York, 
but  simply  to  show  the  reasons  for  changes  in  the  management  and 
in  the  politics  of  newspapers,  and  for  the  establishment  of  new  par- 
ty organs.  We  all  know  that  Mr.  Crawford  never  became  President. 

The  American  was  thenceforward  a  Whig  and  National  Republi- 
can paper.  In  1845  ft  was  united  with  the  Courier  and  Enquirer, 
on  the  1 6th  of  February  of  that  year.  Its  editor  then  became  asso- 
ciate editor  with  James  Watson  Webb  and  Henry  J.  Raymond  till 
his  appointment  as  President  of  Columbia  College.  Mr.  King  died 
in  Europe  six  or  seven  years  ago. 

Verplanck  was  a  man  of  superior  attainments.  He  was  known 
as  one  of  the  Bucktail  bards.  He  died  in  1829.  The  American 
was  remarkable  for  its  neatness,  taste,  elegance,  and  dignity,  and  its 
pretentions  to  high  breeding  and  culture  were  patent  to  mankind. 
Its  short  paragraphs  were  always  well-pointed  and  epigrammatic. 

The  New  York  Albion,  an  organ  of  English  opinion,  was  estab- 
lished on  the  22d  of  June,  1822.  Its  originator  was  Dr.  John  S. 
Bartlett.  Daniel  Fanshaw  was  the  printer.  It  acquired  an  influen- 
tial position,  and  was  a  useful  paper  to  the  British  population  of  the 
United  States.  Peter  Simple,  Midshipman  Easy,  Japhet  in  Search 
of  his  Father,  were  first  introduced  to  the  American  public  through 
the  columns  of  the  Albion.  This  was  at  a  time  when  these  novels, 
republished  by  the  Harpers  and  others,  were  considered  too  expen- 
sive for  general  circulation.  After  Dr.  Bartlett  had  successfully  man- 
aged the  Albion  for  many  years,  he  sold  the  establishment  to  Wil- 
liam Young  on  the  6th  of  May,  1848.  It  then  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Wr.  H.  Mprrell,  and  was  afterwards  sold  to  Kinahan  Cornwallis. 
It  is  now  published  by  Piercy  Wilson.  Other  English  organs  ap- 


314  Journalism  in  America. 

peared  in  New  York.  One,  the  Anglo-American,  was  quite  ably  con- 
ducted by  Dr.  Pattison,  but  there  was  not  room  for  two  papers  of 
the  same  order  in  the  metropolis. 

These  organs  seem  necessary  in  the  estimation  of  many  states- 
men. EINotirioso  de  Ambos  Mundos  in  1840,  and  El  Cronista  since 
then,  have  spoken  for  Spain.  The  French  have  had  one  in  New 
York  for  many  years — the  Courier  des  Etats  Unis.  It  has  always 
been  ably  conducted.  It  was  established  in  1828.  One  of  its  ed- 
itors, Frederick  Gaillardet,  was  decorated  with  the  legion  d'honneur 
by  Louis  Philippe.  Galignants  Messenger  has  been  considered  the 
English  organ  in  Paris  since  1814.  Le  Nord,  published  for  years  in 
Brussels — the  "Printing-House  Square"  of  the  Continent — was  the 
organ  of  Russia  in  Western  Europe.  Napoleon  III.  purchased  the 
Morning  Chronicle,  of  London,  and  during  the  last  years  of  its  life 
its  editorials,  written  by  H.  D.  Delille,  were  inspired  by  him.  It  is 
a  noteworthy  fact  that  he  kept  a  scrap-book,  in  which  were  filed  all 
the  articles  of  the  London  Times  relative  to  France,  on  the  side  of 
which  he  made  his  notes  and  comments.  Many  years  ago  Isaac  C. 
Pray  edited  an  American  paper  in  the  English  metropolis.  There 
is  now  published  in  London  and  Paris  the  American  Register,  which 
is  an  independent  organ  of  the  American  people  in  Europe.  It  is 
edited  by  John  J.  Ryan,  a  very  accomplished  and  experienced  jour- 
nalist. He  has  been  connected  with  the  English,  French,  and  Amer- 
ican Press,  and  was  for  many  years  on  the  staff  of  the  New  York 
Herald,  where  he  showed  both  ability  and  skill  of  a  high  order.  The 
American  Register  must  be  of  great  service  to  Americans  and  to  the 
interests  of  the  United  States  in  Europe.  Our  country  is  very  little 
understood  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  even  now.  It  will  be 
the  mission  of  the  Register  to  educate  Europe  in  American  politics, 
finance,  commerce,  and  society. 

Samuel  Woodworth  and  others  attempted  a  neat  weekly  paper  in 
1823,  and  named  it  the  New  York  Weekly  Mirror.  Woodworth  is 
well  known  to  fame  as  the  author  of 

"  The  old  oaken  bucket,  the  iron  bound  bucket, 
The  moss-covered  bucket  which  hung  in  the  well." 

The  Mirror  afterwards  became  the  property  of  George  P.  Morris 
and  Nathaniel  P.Willis.  It  seemed  to  have  been  the  rendezvous  of 
poets.  Morris's  lines  of 

"  Woodman,  spare  that  tree ! 
Touch  not  a  single  bough  !" 

are  as  well  known  as  the  "  Old  Oaken  Bucket."  Willis,  Hoffman, 
Cooper,  Sigourney,  Fay,  Nack,  Halleck,  Leggett, WThittier, Verplanck, 
Irving,  Sands,  Neal,  and  a  dozen  others,  contributed  to  its  columns. 
Willis's  "  Pencilings  by  the  Way,"  which  gave  him  so  much  noto- 


Society  Newspapers.  315 

riety  on  his  first  visit  to  Europe,  also  gave  a  good  many  subscribers 
to  the  Mirror.  These  "  pencilings"  excited  a  good  deal  of  criti- 
cism when  they  first  appeared.  These  poets  afterwards  published 
a  daily  paper  called  the  Evening  Mirror. 

Morris  and  Willis's  Weekly  Mirror  was  chiefly  sustained  by  the 
subscriptions  of  the  fashionable  and  literary  women  of  the  nation. 
It  was  the  organ  of  the  "  Upper  Ten,"  a  term  originating  with  Wil- 
lis. The  Mirror  has  been  succeeded  by  the  Home  Journal,  now 
edited  by  Morris  Phillips,  a  perfect  Count  d'Orsay  in  fashionable 
literature.  This  paper,  established  by  Morris  and  Willis,  and  edit- 
ed by  them  while  they  lived,  is  not  unlike  the  Morning  Post  of  Lon- 
don, although  there  is  another  paper,  started  in  1870,  called  Our 
Society,  that  disputes  the  palm  with  the  Home  Journal  in  the  gossip 
of  the  boudoir  and  salon,  not  only  in  New  York,  but  in  all  parts  of 
the  republic,  and  especially  at  the  watering-places  and  sea-side. 
They  are  perfectly  au  fait  in  all  fashionable  parlance  and  move- 
ments. 

When  newspapers  were  subscription  papers,  pure  and  simple, 
with  limited  circulation,  subscribers  believed  that  they  held  a  power 
over  the  editor  in  the  potent  order  of  "stop  my  paper!"  This 
threat  had  had  its  effect  in  its  day,  but  by  the  present  system  of 
publication  editors  are  ignorant  and  independent  of  individual  sub- 
scribers. Managers  of  theatres,  merchants,  actors,  snobs,  ship- 
owners, politicians,  would  resort  to  this  order  with  the  utmost  com- 
placency. Of  this  class  of  patrons  the  laurel  wreath  belongs  to  a 
French  savant,  and  the  interview  with  the  indignant  Gaul  was  de- 
scribed by  General  Morris,  of  the  Mirror,  in  1835,  soon  after  the 
first  railroad  furore  in  the  United  States. 

"  WTe  were  sitting  in  our  elbow-chair,"  said  General  M.,  ruminat- 
ing on  the  decided  advantages  of  virtue  over  vice,  when  a  little  with- 
ered Frenchman,  with  a  cowhide  as  long  as  himself,  and  twice  as 
heavy,  rushed  into  our  presence. 

"  Sair !"  and  he  stopped  to  breathe. 

"Well,  sir?" 

"Monsieur  T  he  stopped  again  to  take  breath. 

"Diable  Monsieur!"  and  he  flourished  his  instrument  over  his 
head. 

"  Really,  my  friend,"  said  we,  smiling,  for  he  was  not  an  object  to 
be  frightened  about, "when  you  have  perfectly  finished  amusing 
yourself  with  that  weapon,  we  should  like  to  be  the  master  of  our 
.own  leisure." 

"  No,  sair :  I  have  come  to  horsewhip  you  wis  dis  cowhide  !" 

We  took  a  pistol  from  a  drawer,  cocked  it,  and  aimed  it  at  his 
head. 


316  Journalism  in  America. 

"  Pardon,  sair,"  said  the  Frenchman  ;  "  I  will  first  give  you  some 
little  explanation,  Monsieur,  {/"you  have  write  dis  article?" 

We  looked  it  over,  and  acknowledged  ourself  the  author.  It  was 
a  few  lines  referring  to  the  great  improvements  in  railroads,  and  in- 
timating that  this  mode  of  traveling  would  one  day  supersede  every 
other. 

"You  have  write  dat  in  your  papair?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Well,  den,  sair, 'stop  your  dem  papair.'  I  have  live  quarante- 
neuf  ans.  I  have  devote  all  my  life  to  ride  de  ballon! — c'est  ma 
grande  passion.  Bien,  Monsieur  !  I  shall  look  to  find  every  one 
wis  his  littel  balloon — to  ride  horseback  in  de  air — to  go  round  de 
world  in  one  summair,  and  make  me  rich  like  Monsieur  Astair,  wis 
de  big  hotel.  Well,  Monsieur,  now  you  put  piece  in  your  dem  pa- 
pair  to  say  dat  de  railroad.  Monsieur,  de  littel  railroad,  supercede 
— voila  'supersed.'  Dat  is  what  you  say — supersede  every  thing 
else.  Monsieur,  begar,  I  have  de  honnair  to  inform  you  dat  de  rail- 
road nevair  supersede  de  balloon — nevair !  and  also,  Monsieur, 
venire  bleu!  '  stop  your  dem  papair  !'  " 

This  ridiculous  practice,  so  aptly  illustrated  in  the  indignation  of 
this  enthusiastic  follower  of  Montgolfier,  was  effectively  killed  by 
the  establishment  of  the  Independent  Press  in  1835.  Subscribers, 
like  those  to  the  London  Press,  are  not  now  known.  They  buy  the 
paper  when  they  want  it ;  they  stop  it  when  they  please :  the  editor 
and  proprietor  are  wholly  oblivious  of  the  fact.  This  is  as  it  should 
be.  No  sensible  reader  of  a  newspaper  could  wish  it  otherwise. 

It  is  not  often  that  an  editor  lives  to  see  the  golden  anniversary 
of  the  journal  he  ushered  into  existence.  On  the  3d  of  January, 
1 870,  William  E.  Richmond  published  in  the  Providence  Journal  a 
brief  sketch  of  the  early  career  of  that  paper,  which  completed  its 
fiftieth  year  on  that  day.  Mr.  Richmond  was  its  first  editor.  It  is 
curious  enough  in  its  historical  statements,  and  interesting  enough 
in  its  political  data  to  insert  entire : 

SOME  NOTES   ON  THE  EARLY   HISTORY   OF  THE  JOURNAL. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Journal: 

Your  desire  to  know  the  early  history  of  the  Providence  Journal,  now  within 
a  few  days  of  its  semi-centennial  existence,  is  perfectly  natural. 

Under  your  control  and  management,  that  paper  has  obtained  a  scope  and 
power  of  usefulness  in  this  state  and  country,  which  can  scarcely  be  overrated. 
I  can  not  pretend,  after  the  lapse  of  half  a  century,  to  remember  all  the  prelim- 
inaries of  its  establishment.  Between  the  conclusion  of  the  war  of  1812  and  the 
commencement  of  the  year  1820,  an  opinion  arose  and  prevailed,  with  increasing 
strength  among  business  men,  that  a  new  paper  was  required  by  the  public  inter- 
ests. The  business  of  the  community  had  been  greatly  modified  by  the  events 
and  consequences  of  the  war.  Capital  to  a  large  amount  had  been  withdrawn 
from  commerce,  and  invested  in  manufactures.  The  publishers  and  managers  of 
the  newspapers  then  in  circulation  had  taken  up  the  erroneous  idea  that  the 


The  Way  Newspapers  were  Started.          317 

success  of  manufactures  would  be  injurious  to  commerce,  and  destructive  to  nav- 
igation. 

It  resulted,  therefore,  that  these  new  enterprises  were  viewed  with  jealousy, 
distrust,  and  aversion  by  a  portion  of  the  business  community,  and  received  no 
countenance  or  support  from  the  current  newspapers.  Nor  should  it  be  forgot- 
ten that  those  papers,  in  their  competition  for  patronage,  had  gradually  fallen  un- 
der the  control  of  individuals.  But  the  men  who  had  thus  embarked  their  proper- 
ty and  their  destiny  in  a  new  undertaking  were  not  to  be  disheartened  by  trifles. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1819,  the  project  of  a  new  paper  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  productive  industry  was  matured,  and  its  personnel  engaged,  the  first  num- 
ber to  appear  the  following  January.  You  will  naturally  desire  to  know  the 
names  of  the  principal  founders  of  this  new  institution.  First  and  foremost  were 
Samuel  and  John  Slater,  who  having,  in  their  native  country,  learned  the  cotton- 
spinning  business  from  Arkwright,  came  here  and  made  their  first  establishments, 
at  Pawtucket  and  Slatersville  ;  David  Wilkinson,  one  of  the  greatest  mechanics 
the  world  has  ever  produced ;  Timothy  Greene  and  Sons — the  oldest  son  Samuel, 
who  died  a  short  time  since,  was  very  industrious  in  the  dissemination  of  the 
paper  and  always  indefatigable  in  its  support ;  Benjamin  Aborn  and  George 
Jackson,  his  partner,  who  were  not  only  manufacturers,  but  deeply  engaged  in 
commerce  ;  Amasa  and  William  H.  Mason,  then  withdrawing  from  foreign  com- 
merce, to  invest  their  capital  in  manufactures  in  Connecticut ;  the  Coventry  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  consisting  of  James  Burrill,  William  Anthony,  Samuel  Ar- 
nold,William  Valentine,  Richard  Anthony,  Joseph  Harris,  Richard  Jackson,  and 
Nathan  W.  Jackson ;  William  Sprague,  the  elder,  a  stalwart  farmer,  bold  and 
strong-minded,  who  conceived  the  idea  of  creating  a  market  for  the  products  of 
his  farm  by  building  and  stocking  a  cotton-mill ;  who  was  his  own  factotum,  and 
on  his  return  from  the  town  at  night,  could  detail  to  his  clerk  in  their  turn,  and 
each  with  all  essential  particulars,  one  hundred  business  transactions ;  his  two 
sons,  Amasa,  meditative  and  thoughtful,  and  always  revolving  great  enterprises  in 
his  mind,  and  William,  afterwards  governor  of  the  state  and  senator  of  the  United 
States,  who  were  then  superintendents  in  the  mill ;  James,  Christopher,  and  Wil- 
liam Rhodes,  who  were  also  very  industrious  and  efficient  in  the  establishment 
of  "  The  Rhode  Island  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Domestic  Industry." 
These  and  many  others,  supported  by  the  sympathy  of  thousands  of  the  residents 
on  our  many  water-courses,  were  the  founders  of  the  Mannfactztrers''  and  Farmers' 
Journal,  which  was  started  as  a  semi-weekly  paper. 

It  was  well  understood  in  the  early  years  of  the  Joiirnal  that  the  paper  was  to 
have  no  concern  in  party  politics.  This  rule  was  so  strictly  observed,  that  during 
the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  Missouri  Compromise,  that  subject  was  not 
mentioned  in  the  paper,  excepting  in  the  report  of  Congressional  proceedings, 
although  many  articles  condemnatory  of  the  compromise  were  furnished  by  the 
editor  for  the  American,  edited  by  Prof.  William  G.  Goddard.  It  was  afterwards 
deemed  no  infraction  of  this  rule  to  advocate  the  formation  of  a  written  constitu- 
tion of  the  state. 

In  and  about  the  year  1820,  although  there  were  as  many  newspapers  as  the 
community  required,  there  was  no  systematic  and  well-managed  journalism.  A 
printer  and  publisher,  for  the  purpose  of  extending  his  business,  put  forth  propo- 
sals and  issued  a  subscription  for  a  new  paper.  If  the  number  of  subscribers 
were,  in  his  opinion,  sufficient  to  pay  the  expense,  he  engaged  a  person  to  edit 
and  supervise  the  paper.  At  that  time  literary  labor  of  this  description  was  so 
meanly  compensated,  that  no  lawyer,  physician,  or  schoolmaster  would  undertake 
the  business  for  merely  the  monetary  remuneration.  In  the  case  of  the  first  editor 
of  the  Journal,  there  was  no  demand  or  stipulation  for  pay.  That  person  saw 
the  necessity  of  a  sacrifice  by  some  one  for  the  advancement  of  great  public  inter- 
ests, and  he  consented  to  a  temporary  supervision  of  the  Journal.  A  reference 
to  the  early  files  of  that  paper,  now  in  the  editorial  library,  will  enable  you  to  es- 
timate the  amount  of  labor  bestowed.  It  was  almost  exclusively  in  the  night  sea- 
son that  the  Journal  was  edited,  as  a  relaxation  from  the  daily  labors  of  another 
profession  ;  and  it  was  understood  from  the  beginning,  that  so  soon  as  the  Jour- 
nal could  be  considered  as  securely  established,  another  editor  should  be  pro- 
cured. At  the  end  of  the  first  year  the  name  of  the  editor  was  omitted  from  the 
imprint  in  consequence  of  the  increase  of  professional  business,  but  he  continued 


318  Journalism  in  America. 

for  several  years  thereafter  an  informal  oversight  of,  and  contribution  to  its  col- 
umns, for  which,  and  for  all  previous  labors,  he  received  the  sum  of  five  hundred 
dollars. 

Simultaneously  with  the  establishment  of  the  Journal,  a  general  discussion  of 
what  was  then  called  the  Tariff  Question  broke  out  along  the  sea-board  of  the 
country,  from  the  Portland  Argus  southerly  to  the  Richmond  Enquirer.  Judge 
Story,  Mr.  Lowell,  of  Boston,  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  Matthew  Gary,  William  Duane, 
Hezekiah  Niles,  the  veteran  editor  of  the  Richmond  Enquirer,  occasionally  Gales 
and  Seaton,  of  the  National  Intelligencer,  Henry  Wheaton,  and  others  of  great 
name  and  consideration  in  the  country,  laid  themselves  out  freely  in  this  contest. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  discussion,  a  large  majority  of  the  Democratic  party,  then 
predominant  in  the  country  and  in  nearly  every  state,  were  in  favor  of  protection 
to  domestic  industry,  in  consequence  of  their  political  hostility  to  Great  Britain, 
while  as  large  a  majority  of  the  Federal  party,  then  in  the  last  years  of  its  exist- 
ence, were  in  favor  of  unrestricted  commerce.  The  effects  of  the  discussion  soon 
became  apparent  in  the  rapid  change  among  individuals  of  opinion  and  position. 
The  slave  power  had  already  obtained  pre-eminence  and  dictatorship  over  the 
Democratic  party,  and  virtually  ruled  and  directed  all  the  measures  of  the  govern- 
ment. The  normal  instincts  of  that  party  soon  led  it  to  perceive  the  danger  to 
itself  of  the  establishment  in  the  country  of  an  organized  system  of  free  and  well- 
paid  labor  ;  and  although  its  principal  leader,  Mr.  Calhoun,  had  already,  in  1816, 
concurred  with  Mr.  Burrill,  of  this  state,  and  Mr.  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  square-yard  duty  on  cotton  cloth,  in  apprehension  of  the  rivalship 
with  our  Southern  staple,  of  India  cotton,  that  gentleman  now  reversed  his  policy, 
toto  ccelo,  and  declared  his  utter  hostility  to  every  form  of  legislative  protection. 
He  was  followed  implicitly  by  the  whole  of  the  ruling  southern  population.  Nor 
less  signal  was  the  change  of  opinion  and  position  on  the  other  hand.  At  the 
opening  of  the  discussion,  Boston  and  its  dependent  cities  were  nearly  unanimous 
in  opposition  to  a  protective  tariff.  Webster,  Choate,  Story,  Otis,  indeed  all  their 
great  orators,  all  their  capitalists,  all  their  merchants,  great  and  small,  all  their 
traders,  all  their  bankers,  and  all  their  money-changers  of  every  description,  were 
frantic  in  their  opposition.  Meetings  were  held,  committees  appointed,  reports 
received,  speeches  made  by  their  great  orators,  and  remonstrances  adopted  and 
forwarded  to  Congress.  In  1823-4,  another  demonstration  in  opposition  to  pro- 
tection was  made  in  the  same  quarter,  with  greatly  diminished  intensity ;  but  in 
1827-8,  mirabile  dictu!  all  the  aforesaid  orators,  merchants,  capitalists,  traders, 
bankers,  and  money-changers  came  out  with  equal  unanimity  and  ardor  in  favor 
of  the  tariff  of  1828.  I  refer  you  again  to  the  contemporaneous  files  of  the  Jour- 
nal for  the  part  which  that  paper  maintained  in  these  discussions. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  me,  at  this  time,  to  portray  in  detail  the  wonderful  im- 
petus which  the  tariff  of  1828  gave  to  the  industry  of  the  country.  As  a  general 
thing,  it  advanced  the  textile  fabrics  in  number  and  finish,  it  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  cotton-printing,  and  it  greatly  extended  the  domestic  market  for  raw  cot- 
ton. It  finally  brought  into  existence  new  mill  manufactures  and  handicraft 
trades,  numerous  and  useful,  and  up  to  that  time  unknown  in  the  country.  These 
new  undertakings,  sympathizing  with  the  ordinary  business  of  the  country,  pro- 
duced new  subdivisions  of  labor,  a  call  for  new  laborers  and  advanced  compen- 
sation for  every  description  of  labor.  With  increased  compensation,  the  laborer 
felt  a  new  ability  to  purchase  and  enjoy  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life.  Our 
commerce  soon  began  to  feel  the  effects  of  increasing  consumption,  the  importa- 
tion of  foreign  comforts  and  luxuries,  and  its  new  prosperity  at  once  exploded  the 
solemn  croakings  of  the  anti-tariff  party. 

Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  session  of  1827-28,  the  anti-tariff 
parties,  north  and  south,  dispatched  two  agents  to  England  to  open  correspond- 
ence with  the  ministry  and  leading  mercantile  firms  of  that  country,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  devising  measures  by  which  the  object  of  the  tariff  of  1828  might  be  de- 
feated. If  we  may  believe  the  newspaper  statements,  these  men  were  received 
with  welcome  in  ministerial  and  mercantile  circles.  The  idea  of  a  secret  league 
between  the  British  government  and  the  Southern  malcontents,  and  the  terms 
on  which  it  could  be  established,  was  deliberately  considered. 

On  the  part  of  the  malcontents,  it  was  demanded  that  the  Southern  States,  in 
case  of  separation  from  the  Union,  should  be  received  into  union  with  Great 


The  Tariff  Question  in  1827-28.  319 

Britain,  and  should  be  allowed  a  certain  number  of  peerages  and  a  certain  num- 
ber of  seats  in  the  English  House  of  Commons.  To  this  was  to  be  added  the  full 
protection  of  slavery,  as  then  established  by  law,  in  the  Southern  States.  The 
response  of  the  ministry  to  these  propositions  was,  that  the  required  seats  in  the 
two  houses  of  Parliament  might  be  granted,  but  that  no  ministry  in  Great  Britain 
could  maintain  a  stipulation  for  the  protection  of  American  slavery,  and  it  was 
finally  concluded  that,  in  place  of  formal  stipulations,  a  perpetual  although  in- 
formal friendship  should  exist  between  the  parties,  to  be  manifested  by  either  as 
opportunity  might  allow.  The  hurried  acknowledgment  of  Southern  rebels  as 
belligerents  in  1861,  and  the  subsequent  destruction  of  the  American  mercantile 
navy,  on  the  high  seas,  by  pirates  equipped  and  sent  forth  by  permission  of  the 
English  government,  Perfidia  plusquam  Punica,  was  only  a  public  expression  of 
the  policy  that  in  the  intervening  years  had  actuated  that  government. 

And  all  these  years,  from  1820  to  1870,  the  Journal  has  been  steadfast  to  the 
principles  of  its  establishment.  Through  thick  and  thin,  through  faint-hearted- 
ness  and  compromise,  through  National  Republicanism  and  \Vhigism,  through 
Polk,  Fillmore,  Pierce,  and  Buchanan,  it  has  been  unwavering  and  effective  in  its 
support  of  legislative  protection  for  home  industry.  Need  I  say  any  thing  in 
reply  to  the  oft  exploded  sophistry  which  is  now  urged  upon  us  as  if  it  had  never 
before  been  urged  ?  The  light  of  history  dissipates  that  sophistry  through  all  the 
ages.  Is  there  a  nation  on  earth  that  is  richer  by  exchanging  its  raw  material 
for  the  manufactured  articles  of  another  nation  ? 

Our  ancestors  in  England,  nine  centuries  ago,  consigned  their  fleeces  of  wool 
to  the  merchants  of  the  Low  Countries  for  the  purchase  of  manufactured  goods 
of  all  descriptions.  In  process  of  time,  the  returns  of  these  transactions  became 
proverbial  as  "  Flemish  accounts,"  and  Parliament  interfered,  prohibiting  the  ex- 
portation of  wool.  They  not  only  did  this,  but  they  enacted  a  law  that  every  per- 
son deceased  should  be  buried  in  wool.  This  course  of  legislation  in  regard  to 
raw  materials  and  manufactured  articles  became  general,  and  was  persistently 
continued  to  the  present  day.  It  has  enriched  England,  notwithstanding  her  im- 
mense waste  of  productive  power  in  forests  and  uncultivated  farms  and  pleasure- 
grounds.  There  is  no  other  nation  of  thirty  millions  so  rich  as  she.  Every  na- 
tion that  follows  the  same  policy  is  rich,  every  nation  which  neglects  that  policy 
is  poor.  The  idea  of  free  trade  is  Utopian.  How  can  any  movement  or  transac- 
tion be  free  which  pays  a  tax  ?  Where  is  the  government  which  demands  no  tax  ? 

The  unvarying  support,  at  times  very  able  and  effective,  given  by  the  Journal 
to  the  principles  on  which  it  was  established  fifty  years  ago,  have  deservedly  at- 
tracted to  it  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  business  community,  while  in  sci- 
ence, literature,  and  general  information,  the  labors  of  an  efficient  staff,  of  varied 
and  extensive  attainments,  are  duly  appreciated  by  the  cultivated  classes. 

In  the  adaptation  of  the  different  ingredients  composing  a  newspaper  consists 
the  art  of  a  journalist,  and  his  power  to  please  the  commuuity.  Scholarship  alone 
can  not  do  it — it  must  add  to  scholastic  attainments  the  gradual  acquisitions  of 
time  and  experience,  and  when  these  components  are  symmetrically  and  grace- 
fully united,  the  art  of  journalism  is  attained.  With  sincere  good  wishes  for  your 
continued  prosperity,  and  that  of  the  journal  you  so  ably  conduct, 

I  am  yours  truly,  WILLIAM  E.  RICHMOND. 

The  Journal,  on  its  semi-centennial,  published  zfac-simile  "of  the 
first  page  of  the  first  issue"  of  that  paper.  It  was  filled  with  its 
Prospectus  under  the  head  of  "  Proposals,"  and  a  leading  article 
of  several  columns  in  length  entitled  "Introductory  Observations." 
It  was  then  called  the  Manufacturers'  and  Farmers'  Journal  and 
Providence  and  Pawtucket  Advertiser.  Its  device  was  a  spread  eagle 
standing  on  an  anchor,  holding  a  ribbon  in  its  beak,  on  which  was 
inscribed  the  motto,  "  Encourage  National  Industry."  On  one  side 
were  agricultural  implements ;  on  the  other,  parts  of  a  ship.  Its 
publishers  were  Miller  &  Hutchens. 


320  Journalism,  in  America. 

Since  that  period  the  paper  has  gone  through  the  usual  changes 
and  vicissitudes  of  an  American  journal.  In  the  early  history  of 
newspapers  in  this  country,  the  changes  in  names,  publishers,  and 
editors  were  frequent.  In  some  establishments  the  remains  of  a 
dozen  papers  may  be  found.  The  Journal,  in  a  sketch  of  its  own 
progress,  gives  these  details : 

On  the  ist  of  July,  1840,  Henry  B.Anthony  was  admitted  a  part- 
ner, and  the  paper  was  published  under  the  name  of  Knowles,  Vose, 
&  Anthony,  till  the  death  of  Mr.  Vose  in  1848,  when  it  was  con- 
tinued by  the  surviving  partners,  under  the  name  of  Knowles  & 
Anthony;  and  on  the  ist  of  January,  1863,  on  the  admission  of 
Geo.  W.  Danielson  as  a  partner,  the  name  was  changed  to  Knowles, 
Anthony  &  Danielson,  by  whom  it  has,  since  that  time,  been  pub- 
lished. The  editors  of  the  Journal  have  been  William  E.  Richmond, 
Thomas  Rivers,  Benjamin  F.  Hallett,  Lewis  Gaylord  Clarke,  George 
Paine,  John  B.  Snow,  Thomas  H.Webb,  Henry  B.  Anthony,  James  B. 
Angell,  George  W.  Danielson.  Of  the  past  editors,  Mr.  Richmond, 
Mr.  Clarke,  and  Mr.  Angell  survive.  In  i824,"the  Independent  In- 
quirer, a  weekly  paper,  which  had  been  started  the  year  before,  was 
transferred  to  the  Journal,  and  its  name  changed  to  the  Rhode  Island 
Country  Journal,  under  which  it  is  still  published.  On  the  ist  of 
July,  1829,  the  Daily  Journal  was  started.  On  the  26th  of  January, 
1863,  the  Evening  Bulletin  was  started. 

The  mechanical  history  of  the  Journal  illustrates  the  progress  of 
the  art  of  printing.  It  was  first  printed  on  the  old-fashioned  hand- 
press,  which  was  thought  to  do  rapid  work  at'24o  impressions  an 
hour.  It  would  require  three  days,  working  all  the  time,  night  and 
day,  for  that  press  to  work  off  its  present  daily  editions.  The  first 
improvement  was  a  machine  roller  in  place  of  balls  for  inking  the 
type,  and  this,  in  1836,  was  succeeded  by  an  Adams  press  of  prim- 
itive construction,  which  performed  the  marvelous  work  of  800  im- 
pressions an  hour,  and,  it  was  thought,  carried  the  art  of  printing  to 
its  ultimate  capability.  In  1845  trie  old  Adams  press  gave  way  to 
a  new  one  of  improved  construction  under  the  same  patent.  This 
served  for  eleven  years,  when  a  steam-engine  and  a  cylinder  press 
of  Hoe's  patent  were  introduced,  and  in  1862  a  second  press  of  the 
same  construction,  but  of  double  capacity,  was  added. 

Of  all  the  great  agencies  of  civilization,  in  none  has  the  advance 
been  more  wonderful  than  in  journalism.  Long  after  the  Journal 
was  established,  the  New  York  and  Boston  papers  did  not  together 
circulate  a  hundred  copies  in  Providence.  For  external  news  the 
mails  were  depended  upon,  and  little  attention  was  paid  to  local  in- 
formation. Day  after  day  the  Providence  papers  came  out  without 
an  item  of  news  that  had  not  been  read  the  day  before  by  the  few 


Enterprise  of  the  Providence  Journal.        321 

who  took  the  New  York  papers.  The  Journal  was  among  the  ear- 
liest papers  that  exhibited  spirit  and  enterprise  in  the  collection  of 
news.  Mr.  Jackson,  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  organized  expresses 
for  the  collection  of  election  returns,  and  Samuel  A.  Coy,  of  West- 
erly, who  first  took  charge  of  them  for  Washington  and  Kent  coun- 
ties, still  appears  in  the  Journal  office  regularly,  on  the  night  of  an 
election,  with  the  papers  distributed  among  his  various  pockets,  nev- 
er losing  one,  but  never  knowing  at  first  in  which  pocket  he  has  put 
them,  and  bearing  his  seventy-nine  years  as  though  he  were  a  boy. 
Many  times  the  Journal  run  expresses  from  Boston  to  obtain  elec- 
tion news,  and  Richard  Haughton,  of  the  Boston  Atlas,  the  most  en- 
terprising newspaper  man  of  his  day  in  New  England,  always  sup- 
plied it  with  the  results  of  his  own  labor  and  expenditure.  The 
Journal  relates  an  instance  of  the  enterprise  of  Haughton  : 

At  an  important  election  he  expressed  the  State  of  Virginia,  to  the  wonder  of 
the  whole  country,  and  especially  to  that  of  the  sleepy  denizens  of  the  "  Old  Do- 
minion," chartering  a  steam-boat,  the  John  W.  Richmond,  from  New  York  to 
Providence,  where  he  gave  the  news  to  the.  Journal,  and  then  to  Boston  by  a  spe- 
cial train. 

This  was  not  an  election  in  Virginia,  but  that  of  1840  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, when  it  appeared  that  the  hopes  of  the  Whig  Party  depended 
on  the  result  in  that  state.  The  Journal  horse  expresses  repeated- 
ly made  the  distance  from  Boston  inside  of  four  hours  with  election 
news,  and  with  foreign  news  by  the  Cunarders,  which  was  always 
expressed  when  the  ship  arrived  after  the  closing  of  Saturday's  mail, 
and  in  time  for  Monday's  paper. 

In  1841  the  Journal  organized  a  system  of  early  news  by  which 
it  gained  great  credit.  The  only  mail  from  New  York  arrived  in 
the  early  morning  by  way  of  Stonington.  The  news,  including  a 
letter  from  Washington,  was  set  up  in  New  York,  and  the  type  sent 
in  boxes,  reaching  the  Journal  in  time  to  be  put  upon  the  press  for 
the  morning  edition,  thus  giving  its  readers  the  advantage  of  full 
twenty-four  hours  for  every 'thing  which  came  from  New  York,  and 
anticipating  the  New  York  papers  themselves.  When  the  day  line 
between  Boston  and  New  York  was  first  established  by  way  of  the 
Long  Island  and  Norwich  and  Worcester  railroads,  the  Journal  reg- 
ularly expressed  the  New  York  morning  papers  from  Danielsonville, 
and  at  first  people  would  visit  the  office  to  see  the  marvel  of  a  New 
York  paper  in  Providence  the  day  that  it  was  printed.  These  re- 
citals show  the  expedients  which  were  resorted  to,  at  that  not  very 
remote  period,  to  obtain  the  intelligence  of  what  was  going  on  in  the 
world.  In  1848,  in  time  for  the  presidential  election,  Providence 
was  placed  in  telegraphic  communication,  and  although,  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  the  new  arrangements  were  of  a  very  imperfect  char- 
acter, it  was,  from  the  beginning,  such  an  improvement  over  the  ex- 

X 


322  Journalism  in  America. 

isting  modes  that  these  fell  rapidly  into  disuse,  and  now,  instead  of 
giving  the  news  from  New  York  twenty-four  hours  old,  every  daily 
paper  can  print  the  proceedings  of  the  British  Parliament  the  morn- 
ing after  the  adjournment. 

One  of  the  editors  of  the  Journal,  Henry  B.  Anthony,  has  been 
Governor  of  the  state,  and  is  now  in  the  United  States  Senate.  He 
is  President  pro  tern,  of  that  body  in  the  absence  of  Vice-President 
Colfax. 

The  Daily  National  Gazette  was  established  in  Philadelphia  in 
1820,  taking  the  name  ef  Freneau's  well-known  paper,  which  exist- 
ed in  that  city  in  the  latter  part  of  last  century.  It  was  published 
by  Robert  Walsh  and  William  Fry.  This  journal  assumed  a  high 
tone  in  literature  and  politics,  and  was  dignified,  and  rather  pre- 
tentious in  its  articles  on  national  and  other  matters.  Mr.  Walsh,  we 
believe,  made  some  reputation  as  one  of  the  earliest  Washington 
and  Paris  correspondents  of  the  American  Press.  Walsh,  we  be- 
lieve, when  in  Europe,  prior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Gazette,  pub- 
lished an  article  in  the  Edinburg  Review  on  the  "True  Causes  of  the 
Military  Power  of  France,"  and  also  a  pamphlet  on  the  "  Genius 
and  Dispositions  of  the  French  Government."  These  productions 
appeared  in  1809  and  1812,  and  produced  a  great  sensation  at  the 
time.  They  were  powerful  expositions  in  the  interest  of  the  Fed- 
eral party,  and  were  so  popular  with  the  enemies  of  France  that 
they  were  translated  in  several  languages,  and  circulated  throughout 
the  world.  The  National  Gazette  ceased  to  exist  on  the  ist  of  Jan- 
uary, 1842. 

There  were  no  daily  papers  west  of  Albany,  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  till  1826.  The  Rochester  Daily  Advertiser  was  established 
in  that  year.  Its  first  number  was  issued  on  the  25th  of  October. 
Some  of  the  early  reminiscences  of  journalism  in  that  section  of  the 
nation  were  related  by  the  Hon.  H.  C.  Frisbee,  in  a  speech  in  1871, 
at  a  banquet  given  by  the  present  proprietor  of  the  Fredonia  Censor. 
Mr.  F.  said  : 

After  satisfying  himself  that  he  could  obtain  assistance,  he  hired  a  broken-down 
establishment  for  sale  at  Buffalo,  brought  it  to  Fredonia,  and  in  1821  issued  The 
New  York  Censor.  There  was  at  that  time  a  paper  at  Erie  and  one  at  Pittsburg 
—  none  other  west  of  Fredonia.  The  Gazette  died  soon  afterward.  He  com- 
menced with  fifty  subscribers  and  no  advertisements,  continued  seventeen  years, 
and  sold  to  E.  &  J.  Winchester.  About  four  years  thereafter  Mr.  M'Kinstry  pur- 
chased the  office,  and  has  since  controlled  it.  Mr.  K.,  in  due  time,  took  unto  him- 
self a  fair  maiden  of  the  village  for  his  wife,  and  has  raised  up  a  Jr.  M'Kinstry, 
who  in  turn  has  secured  a  permanent  attachment,  and  followed  up  the  programme 
with  still  another  and  revised  edition.  He  liked  this  partnership  of  father  and 
son  in  any  business.  It  signified  good  order  and  permanency.  In  1821  there 
were  no  stage-roads  west  of  Buffalo.  To  get  beyond  that  point  you  must  go  by 
water,  and  pay  heavy  tolls  at  every  point,  or  travel  on  horseback  or  on  foot.  In 
fact,  a  Buffalonian  was  known  from  home  by  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  he  car- 
ried his  hands,  as  if  taking  toll  —  could  always  tell  him.  Nothing  ever  got  by 


George  D.  Prentice  and  the  Louisville  Journal.  323 

without  paying,  and  that  was  why  even  the  cholera  stopped  in  Buffalo,  and  failed 
to  reach  Fredonia — we  wouldn't  pay  any  toll.  The  mails  from  Buffalo  to  Erie 
were  then  carried  on  horseback  once  a  week,  and  by  a  woman  at  that.  In  1823 
a  tri-weekly  stage  was  opened — a  great  triumph  of  the  age. 

There  was  a  paper  called  the  Telegraph  issued  in  New  York  in 
1826,  and  edited  by  John  M.  Mumford.  Its  publication  was  stopped 
shortly  after,  and  its  editor  went  to  Europe.  On  his  return  he  start- 
ed the  Standard,  which  for  a  time  was  the  organ  of  the  Jackson 
Democracy.  On  one  occasion,  to  give  the  Standard  a  little  advan- 
tage over  its  opponents,  General  Jackson  intrusted  an  advance  copy 
of  one  of  his  annual  messages  to  its  editor.  Its  contents  were  pre- 
maturely divulged.  Subsequently  this  important  state  paper  was 
sent  to  the  postmasters  or  collectors  of  the  port  for  distribution  to 
all  the  papers.  In  1830,  the  New  York  Herald,  a  paper  that  had 
been  started  nine  months  previously  by  Alanson  Nash,  who,  in  per- 
sonal appearance,  was  Webster's  Dromio,  was  sold  to  Mumford  and 
united  with  the  Standard. 

The  celebrated  Fanny  Wright,  who  flourished  as  a  lecturer  before 
the  present  race  of  Woman's  Rights  advocates  were  born,  entered 
the  field  of  journalism  in  1829.  With  George  H.  Purser  and  others 
she  established  the  Sentinel  in  New  York,  and  then  the  Man,  to  in- 
culcate their  peculiar  religious,  political,  and  social  doctrines.  It 
has  been  claimed  that  the  Man  was  the  first  penny  paper  issued  in 
this  country,  but  this  claim  is  not  well  founded. 

The  Louisville  Journal,  another  paper  of  note,  was  established  in 
1831,  with  George  D.  Prentice,  the  poet,  as  editor.  In  1828  he  ed- 
ited the  New  England  Weekly  Review.  The  Journal  was  remarka.- 
ble  for  its  short  editorial  squibs,  full  of  point  and  wit.  They  hit 
right  and  left.  They  were  sharp  and  smart.  There  were  only  a 
few  journalists  capable  of  throwing  off  these  stinging  paragraphs  at 
sight.  It  not  only  required  "  mother  wit,"  but  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  politics.  Major  Noah,  James  Gordon  Bennett, 
Colonel  Charles  G.  Greene,  Thurlow  Weed,  and  George  D.  Prentice 
were  adepts  at  this  sort  of  journalism.  Two  lines  would  often  ac- 
complish more  than  a  column  of  argument.  They  were  the  flash 
of  lightning  to  the  long  roll  of  thunder.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
London  Press,  Coleridge,  Lamb,  Swift,  and  Johnson  would  indulge 
in  these  small  shots,  which  always  left  a  laugh  and  a  sting.  Cole- 
ridge was  remarkably  successful  in  them.  The  English  Press,  like 
most  of  the  party  papers  of  this  country,  afterwards  run  into  long 
editorial  articles :  words  without  wit.  The  London  Times  has  pub- 
lished daily,  for  years,  three  or  four  ponderous  articles  of  a  column 
each  in  length,  many  of  them  splendidly  written,  and  are  masterly 
essays.  Such  a  thing  as  a  short  paragraph  is  rarely,  if  ever,  seen 
in  that  paper.  All  the  snap  of  English  politics  is  to  be  found  in 


324  Journalism  in  America. 

Punch  and  Fun  only.  The  Louisville  Journal,  Boston  Post,  New 
York  Evening  Star,  and  New  York  Herald  revived  the  short  para- 
graphs, and  these  papers  would  sparkle  with  them.  These  epigram- 
matic editorials, "  shooting  folly  as  it  flies,"  are  always  telling  and 
effective. 

When  the  Morning  Star  and  the  Telegraph  were  established  in 
London  a  few  years  ago  as  the  Cheap  Press  of  that  metropolis,  they 
neglected  to  reintroduce  the  short  paragraphs.  Richard  Cobden 
was  much  interested  in  these  papers.  When  he  was  in  the  United 
States  a  short  time  before  his  death,  he  spoke  of  these  new  journals 
on  a  visit  to  the  Herald  establishment  in  New  York.  Their  circula- 
tion had  then  run  up  to  above  that  of  the  Times,  but  their  influence 
and  advertisements  were  not  equal  to  their  circulation.  "What we 
want  in  London,"  said  Mr.  Cobden, "  are  a  few  smart  paragraphists. 
They  are  the  most  effective  editorials.  Our  cheap  papers  must 
adopt  them." 

This  specimen  of  a  news  paragraph  was  written  by  Prentice  and 
published  in  the  Journal  in  July,  1835.  It  is  an  account,  in  nuce, 
of  an  affray  between  several  editors  of  Lexington,  Kentucky : 

Mr.  Trotter,  without  provocation,  attempted  to  shoot  Mr.  Clark  in  the  street ; 
the  parties  exchanged  shots  twice  without  effect ;  Mr.  O'Hara,  a  friend  of  Mr. 
Trotter,  made  an  attack  in  the  mean  time  upon  Mr.  Bryant,  the  associate  of  Mr. 
Clark ;  Mr.  Bryant  gave  Mr.  O'Hara  an  effectual  cudgeling,  and  then  laid  his 
cane  over  the  head  and  shoulders  of  Mr.  Trotter  till  the  latter  cried  for  quarters, 
and  there  the  matter  ended,  Mr.  Clark  retiring  to  reload  his  pistols,  Mr.  Bryant  to 
procure  a  new  cane,  and  Messrs.  Trotter  and  O'Hara  to  get  their  heads  mended. 

The  Journal  was  noted  for  its  satire  and  abuse.  No  political  op- 
ponent was  spared  by  Prentice.  The  opposition  editors  in  Louis- 
ville were  continually  exchanging  shots  either  with  the  pen  or  pis- 
tol— the  former  leading  to  the  latter.  There  are  numerous  instances 
of  these  personal  rencounters  on  record.  William  E.  Hughes,  of  the 
Democrat,  once  sent  his  card  to  the  editor  of  the  Journal.  "  Tell 
Mr.  Hughes,"  said  Mr.  Prentice, "  that  I  will  be  down  as  soon  as  I 
load  my  pistols."  In  1858,  Reuben  Durrett,  editor  of  the  Courier, 
published  a  paragraph  for  several  days,  strongly  insinuating  that  the 
conductor  of  the  Journal  had  fallen  from  a  gang-plank  under  pe- 
culiar circumstances.  Mr.  Prentice  stated  in  his  paper  that  if  the 
paragraph  again  appeared  he  would  hold  the  editor  of  the  Courier 
personally  responsible.  The  paragraph  appeared.  Mr.  Prentice 
called  upon  Mr.  Durrett.  They  exchanged  two  shots,  and  each  ed- 
itor had  to  be  placed  under  the  care  of  surgeons. 

The  Journal 'was  a  loyal  sheet  during  the  Rebellion.  Charles  G. 
Shanks,  at  one  time  connected  with  that  paper,  thus  relates  an  in- 
cident connected  with  the  Journal  and  the  Rebellion  : 

When  the  news  of  the  Bull  Run  fight  reached  Louisville,  the  intensest  excite- 
ment prevailed,  and  the  rebel  population  paraded  the  streets  swearing  vengeance 


Scene  at  the  Journal  Office.  325 

against  all  loyal  men  who  came  in  contact  with  them.  The  Journal  office  had 
long  been  floating  a  United  States  flag  from  a  staff  on  the  roof,  but  the  staff  being 
too  short  for  the  flag,  a  carpenter  had  been  sent  for  early  in  the  day  to  put  up  a 
longer  one.  He  arrived  at  the  time  quite  a  threatening  demonstration  was  being 
made  in  front.  The  Courier  office,  which  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  same 
street,  was  intensely  rebel,  and  it  was  bruited  about  that  a  Confederate  flag  would 
be  hoisted  upon  it  during  the  day.  The  crowd  between  the  two  offices  was  clam- 
orous for  the  raising  of  one  flag  and  the  lowering  of  the  other.  At  this  juncture, 
Mr.  Prentice  was  informed  by  an  excited  employe  from  the  counting-room  that 
somebody  was  on  the  roof  pulling  down  the  flag.  The  old  man's  eyes  flashed 
fire. 

"Then,  by  G — ,"  said  he,  "go  up  there  and  throw  the  scoundrel  down  among 
the  mob." 

Up  rushed  the  willing  employe.  The  flag  was  already  half-masted,  and  the 
carpenter,  intent  mainly  on  earning  his  wages,  though  not  insensible  to  the  cries 
of  the  admiring  crowd  beneath,  was  busily  engaged  in  untying  it  from  the  hal- 
yards. To  his  infinite  disgust,  however,  before  his  work  was  completed,  he  found 
himself  hurled  back  by  a  strong  hand,  which  in  the  next  breath  flirted  the  flag 
again  to  the  peak  and  tied  the  halyards  in  an  insoluble  knot  to  the  staff.  The 
honest  carpenter  was  then  lustily  kicked  down  the  skylight,  and  thrust  the  rest 
of  the  way  down  two  pair  of  stairs  to  the  street  door,  where  he  received  an  ener- 
getic parting  salute,  and  found  himself  landed  among  his  late  admirers,  without 
having  a  single  chance  to  receive  or  tender  an  explanation.  This  bold  stroke 
touched  the  generous  impulses  of  the  mob,  if  they  had  any,  and  all  demonstra- 
tions against  the  Journal  and  its  flag  ceased.  The  crowd,  in  fact,  turned  its  ridi- 
cule on  the  unoffending  carpenter,  who  with  difficulty  made  his  way  to  his  shop 
with  unbroken  bones. 

The  Southern  subscribers  of  the  Journal  withdrew  in  large  num- 
bers when  they  saw  the  course  of  the  paper  on  the  question  of  co- 
ercion. He  did  not  spare  them,  as  the  following  specimen  shows : 

TO  THE   EDITOR. 

UNIV. VIRGINIA,  May  17, 1861. 
PRENTICE  : 

Stop  my  paper ;  I  can't  afford  to  read  abbolition  journals  these  times :  the  at- 
mosphere of  old  Virginia  will  not  admit  of  such  filthy  sheets  as  yours  has  grown 
to  be.  Yours,  etc.,  GEORGE  LAKE. 

LOUISVILLE,  May  24, 1861. 

LAKE  : 

I  think  it  a  great  pity  that  a  young  man  should  go  to  a  university  to  graduate 
a  traitor  and  a  blackguard — and  so  ignorant  as  to  spell  abolition  with  two  £'s. 

The  Journal,  under  the  fostering  influence  of  its  old  editor,  has 
been  the  means  of  developing  a  good  deal  of  the  fresh  poetic  genius 
of  the  West,  many  of  the  sweetest  productions  of  that  fertile  region 
first  appearing  in  the  columns  of  that  paper. 

It  was  the  custom  of  Prentice  to  rise  early  in  the  morning  and 
begin  at  once  the  labors  of  the  day.  He  would  first  overhaul  the 
exchanges,  looking  over  every  paper,  tearing  out  any  suggestive  arti- 
cle or  witticism,  rarely  using  the  scissors  for  this  purpose.  He 
would  be  prepared  by  ten  o'clock  for  his  amanuensis.  Then  he 
would  throw  off  his  editorials  and  sparks  of  wit  for  the  next  morn- 
ing's journal. 

Mr.  Prentice  died  in  1870,  aged  67  years.  He  had  been  an  inva- 
lid during  the  later  years  of  his  life. 


326  Joiirnalism  in  America. 

\ 

The  Courier  and  Journal  were  united  in  1868,  and  now  publish- 
ed under  that  double  name.  It  is  edited  by  Henry  Watterson,  and 
its  old  reputation  for  wit  and  humor  "  hangs  round  it  still."  One 
of  the  correspondents  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial  in  1871  inter- 
viewed the  new  editor,  and  developed  the  following  information  : 

Going  up  two  flights  of  stairs,  I  knocked  at  the  door  of  Mr.  Henry  Watterson's 
room,  and  was  told  to  come  in.  Mr.  Watterson  is  the  head  and  front  of  the  Cou- 
rier-Journal. He  is  part  owner,  managing  editor,  editor-in-chief,  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing.  In  short,  he  is  the  Courier- Journal.  He  was  bent  over  a  volumi- 
nous pile  of  manuscript,  working  like  a  Trojan,  for  he  lives  and  flourishes  by 
work.  I  came  near  saying  that  he  grows  fat  by  work,  but  this  would  not  be 
strictly  true,  as  he  is  lean  and  slender.  In  stature  he  is  small,  not  weighing,  I 
should  think,  over  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds.  He  has  the  misfortune  to 
be  entirely  blind  in  one  eye,  and  partially  so  in  the  other.  To  see  the  work  that 
he  gets  through  with  in  a  day,  half  blind  as  he  is,  is  enough  to  make  most  men 
with  good  eyes  ashamed. 

I  had  an  interesting  conversation  with  Mr.  Watterson  about  the  newspaper  bus- 
iness, past  and  present,  in  Louisville.  "  I  claim  to  have  done  some  very  hard 
and  ungrateful  work,"  said  he,  "  since  I  came  to  Louisville.  When  I  came  here 
I  found  the  press  of  the  city  as  thoroughly  infected  with  the  prevailing  malady  of 
Southern  journalism  as  it  well  could  be.  It  either  puffed  every  body  and  every 
thing  beyond  reason,  or  it  blackguarded  every  body  and  every  thing.  Each  of  the 
offices  was  stocked  with  the  riff-raffs  of  dead-beats  and  drunkards." 

"  They  were  not  all  dead-beats  and  drunkards,  were  they,  Mr.  Watterson  ?" 

"  Oh  no.  Of  course  there  were  exceptions.  I  am  speaking  of  them  in  the 
main.  It  was  the  time-honored  habit  of  most  of  them  to  get  drunk  every  day. 
There  was  one  on  the  press  then  who  is  on  the  press  now  who  was  sober  all  the 
year  round." 

"  Who  is  that  ?" 

"  Walter  Haldeman.  He  is  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  newspaper  business 
any  where.  He  deserves  a  great  deal  from  the  commerce  of  Louisville,  and  much 
more  from  the  Democratic  party  than  he  has  ever  got." 

"What  sort  of  a  set  of  journalists  have  you  in  Louisville  now?"  I  inquired. 
"I  don't  mean  the  Courier-Journal  particularly,  but  all  the  papers." 

"  We  have  got  a  good  set — an  excellent  set.  There  is  not  a  drunkard  on  the 
press  of  Louisville,  so  far  as  I  know.  On  our  paper  we  have  got  a  lot  of  young  fel- 
lows, boys  picked  up  at  random,  and  out  of  the  composing-room.  They  are  all 
sober,  and  they,  together  with  those  at  work  on  other  papers  in  the  city,  would 
compare  with  the  employes  of  any  bank  institution  or  members  of  any  learned 
profession  in  the  country.  They  don't  wear  swallow-tailed  coats  and  spend  their 
time  and  money  in  drinking  saloons  and  gambling  dens." 

John  Greenleaf  Whittier,  the  poet,  it  is  said,  was  the  editor  of  a 
Boston  paper  in  1829,  and  that  it  had  a  small  circulation.  It  is 
also  said  that  he.  was  associated  with  George  D.  Prentice  and  Gide- 
on Welles  in  the  editorial  management  of  the  New  England  Review 
in  1830.  In  an  interview,  one  or  two  years  ago,  with  a  correspond- 
ent of  the  Commercial,  he  thus  corrects  one  or  two  of  these  on  dits  : 

Mr.Whittier  said  many  things  pleasant  and  interesting  for  me  to  recall,  but  I 
do  not  know  that  I  should  be  pardonable  in  making  his  friendly  private  talk  pub- 
lic. One  or  two  things  I  may  be  allowed  to  repeat,  in  my  own  language,  howev- 
er. I  spoke  to  him  of  a  paragraph  I  had  seen  in  the  newspapers  some  time  ago, 
stating  that  he  intended  to  write  his  recollections  of  my  old  friend,  Mr.  George  D. 
Prentice,  for  a  proposed  volume  of  his  poems.  Mr.Whittier  said  he  had  himself 
seen  such  a  paragraph,  but  that  it  was  a  mistake  ;  he  had  never  really  known  Mr. 
Prentice,  and  had  never  seen  him.  He  then  related  to  me,  with  a  good  deal  of 
genial  humor,  the  history  of  his  succession  to  Mr.  Prentice  long  ago  as  editor  of 
the  New  England  Review,  at  Hartford.  As  this  may  be  said  to  have  been  the 


John  G.  Whittier  and  George  D.  Prentice.     327 

beginning  of  Mr.Whittier's  public  literary  life,  his  account  was  very  interesting  to 
me.  He  said  that  he  was  spending  a  year  at  school  in  the  academy  at  Haver- 
hill,  and  while  there  happened  to  see  a  copy  of  the  New  England  Review,  edited 
by  Mr.  Prentice,  which  had  struck  him  with  its  brightness  and  sprightliness  as 
distinguished  from  the  ordinary  newspapers  of  the  time,  and,  feeling  interested  in 
it,  he  had  ventured  to  send  its  editor  two  or  three  of  his  "compositions,"  as  he 
called  them,  which,  to  his  great  astonishment,  had  been  published  with  commend- 
atory remarks.  They  had  induced  him  to  send  other  contributions,  and  so  he 
continued  to  do  until  his  year  at  the  Haverhill  Academy  had  come  to  an  end, 
when  he  returned  to  his  father's  farm.  Here  one  day,  a  short  time  afterward, 
while  he  was  at  work  in  the  field,  hoeing,  perhaps,  a  letter  was  brought  him  from 
the  publishers  of  the  Hartford  paper,  saying  that  they  had  been  requested  by  Mr. 
Prentice  to  invite  him  to  become  editor  of  the  paper  during  Mr.  Prentice's  ab- 
sence in  Kentucky,  whither  he  had  gone  to  write  a  campaign  life  of  Henry  Clay. 
"I  could  not  have  been  more  utterly  astonished,"  said  Mr. Whittier,  "if  I  had 
been  told  that  I  was  appointed  prime  minister  to  the  Great  Khan  of  Tartary." 
Then  he  described  the  struggle  between  his  boyish  ambition  and  his  sense  of  ex- 
perience and  unfitness.  He  felt  entirely  unprepared — knew  nothing  about  pub- 
lic affairs,  but  could  not  bring  himself  to  think  the  opportunity  was  one  to  be  put 
by,  and  so  his  ambition  got  the  better  of  his  timidity,  and,  having  accepted  the 
call,  he  finally  set  off  for  Hartford  to  take  possession.  This  was  then  a  long  jour- 
ney, he  said ;  even  to  go  to  Boston  was  not  a  slight  undertaking.  Mr.  Whittier 
then  described,  pleasantly,  his  interview  with  his  publishers,  "not  letting  on,"  he 
said,  how  little  he  knew  of  editorial  duties  and  political  affairs,  but  they  did  not 
"  find  him  out,"  and  so  he  continued  for  two  years  as  editor  of  the  Review.  His 
greatest  trial,  he  told  me,  was  when  the  leading  party  men  came  to  see  him  and 
discuss  the  political  course  of  the  paper.  Then  he  found  his  policy  was  to  main- 
tain a  judicious  silence,  allowing  them  to  do  all  the  talking,  which  was  quite  suc- 
cessful, and  left  him  in  their  good  graces  at  the  end  of  each  interview.  What  was 
especially  charming  to  me  in  the  poet's  account  of  this  little  far-gone  experience 
was  the  pleasant  way  in  which  he  seemed  to  realize  his  boyish  feeling  again  in  its 
recital.  Mr.  Whittier  spoke  kindly  of  Mr.  Prentice,  always  having  regarded  him, 
he  said,  as  a  man  of  good  and  generous  impulses,  and,  during  the  recent  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  a  true  Union  man,  but,  perhaps,  unfortunately  placed. 

Not  remaining  long  in  any  one  place,  we  find  Whittier  a  member 
of  the  State  Legislature  representing  his  own  town.  After  this,  or 
in  1836,  he  is  chosen  Secretary  of  the  American  Anti-Slavery  Socie- 
ty, and  links  his  fate  to  that  cause  till  the  emancipation  of  slaves  in 
the  United  States.  About  1837  he  was  editor  of  the  Freeman,  an 
abolition  paper  published  in  Philadelphia.  Again  changing  his  lo- 
cation, he  settles  in  Amesbury,  Massachusetts,  in  1840,  and  that  vil- 
lage has  been  his  residence  from  that  year.  In  nearly  all  this  time 
he  has  been  engaged  in  throwing  off  his  poetic  sketches  for  the  ad- 
miration of  the  world — "  Mogg  Megore,"  "  The  Bridal  of  Penna- 
cook,"  "  New  Wife  and  the  Old,"  "  Mary  Garvin,"  "  and  Maud 
Muller." 

"  For  all  sad  words  of  tongue  or  pen, 
The  saddest  are  these  :  '  It  might  have  been  !' " 

Still  having  faith  in  the  Newspaper  Press,  on  which  he  commenced 
his  career,  many  of  these  attractive  little  poetic  sketches  found  their 
way  to  the  public  eye  and  heart  through  the  National  Era  of  Wash- 
ington, which  printed  so  much  to  live,  and  yet  could  not  itself  sur- 
vive the  general  fate  of  newspapers.  Whittier's  effusions  now  find 
vent  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  and  other  publications  of  the  day. 


328  Journalism  in  America. 

Whittier  still  occasionally  leaves  the  field  of  poetry  to  dabble  in 
politics.  It  was  not  long  since  that  he  wrote  a  long  article  for  the 
Amesbury  Villager,  urging  upon  Grant  the  selection  of  Charles  Sum- 
ner  for  the  State  Department.  Most  of  our  poets  have  been,  or  are, 
editors  and  reporters.  Percival,  Bryant,  Poe,  Prentiss,  Wallis,  Whit- 
tier,  English,  Gaylord  Clark,  Lewis  Gaylord  Clark,  Freneau,  Drake, 
Fitz  Green  Halleck,  Leggett,  Willis,  Arnold,  Pike,  Park  Benjamin, 
Dawes,  Halpine,  have  all  been  connected  with  the  Newspaper  Press. 
'  Nearly  every  one  of  these  whose  names  we  have  mentioned  have 
been  political  editors,  engaged,  during  their  lives,  in  mixing  in  equal 
proportions  the  muse  of  Parnassus  with  the  mud  of  politics. 

The  Charleston  (S.  C.)  City  Gazette  was  a  paper  of  some  note  in 
its  day.  It  was  prominent  in  the  early  part  of  this  century.  E.  S. 
Thomas  owned  and  edited  it  for  a  time.  Then  Major  M.  M.  Noah 
had  the  management  of  its  columns.  This  was  in  1810.  After 
Noah  it  was  conducted  by  William  Gilmore  Simms,  the  Southern 
poet,  and  author  of  Guy  Rivers  and  other  reputable  work  in  litera- 
ture. It  was  the  first  journal  in  South  Carolina  that  opposed  the 
principle  of  nullification. 

The  Old  Colony  Memorial  celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniversary  on  the 
2d  of  May,  1872.  Its  present  proprietor,  George  F.  Andrews,  gave 
a  banquet  in  honor  of  the  event.  On  the  loth  of  December,  1822, 
seven  months  after  the  commencement  of  its  publication,  John  Ad- 
ams thus  alluded  to  the  paper  in  a  letter  to  Elkanah  Watson : 

I  hope  you  received  the  Old  Colony  Memorial,  a  newspaper  instituted  at  Plym- 
outh, and  edited  by  William  Thomas,  Esquire — a  paper  which  deserves  to  be  read 
and  encouraged  by  all  America. 

Among  other  writers  for  the  Memorial  was  Daniel  Webster.  Ad- 
ams no  doubt  was  a  contributor. 


Class  Journalism.  329 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SPECIAL  OR  CLASS  JOURNALISM. 

THE  AGRICULTURAL  PRESS. — THE  FIRST  ORGAN  OF  THE  FARMERS.  —  NUM- 
BER OF  AGRICULTURAL  NEWSPAPERS. — THE  COMMERCIAL  AND  FINANCIAL 
PRESS. — THE  COMMERCIAL  BULLETIN.  — ITS  CHARACTER  AND^VALUE. — 
THE  SUNDAY  PRESS.  —  WHAT  is  IT? — THE  SPORTING  PRESS.  —  WHAT  IT 

HAS  DONE  FOR  SPORT  AND  STOCK,  THE  TURF  AND  THE  FIELD. — THE  TEL- 
EGRAPH ORGANS. — OUR  SOCIETY,  ETC. 

SPECIAL  journalism  is  so  rapidly  increasing  in  the  United  States 
that  it  deserves  special  notice.  Newspapers  of  this  character  give 
the  freshest  and  fullest  information  on  the  particular  interest  they 
represent,  and  are  therefore  newspapers.  They  are  the  religious, 
the  medical,  the  scientific,  the  agricultural,  the  sporting,  the  finan- 
cial, the  railroad,  the  commercial,  the  shipping,  the  telegraph,  the 
mining,  the  art,  the  musical,  the  yachting,  the  Sunday,  the  army,  and 
the  navy  press.  What  a  field  of  operations  ! 

Special  or  class  journalism  originated  in  England.  Such  papers 
are  common  there.  They  are  published,  too,  in  France.  They  are 
of  recent  date  in  this  country,  but  they  are  successful,  and  prosper- 
ous, and  increasing.  Some  of  them  are  splendid  specimens  of  typog- 
raphy. We  are  inclined  to  think  that  this  sort  of  journalism  orig- 
inated in  the  needs  of  the  agricultural  interests,  and  afterwards  in 
the  commercial  and  financial  circulars  that  were  years  ago  issued 
by  merchants,  and  then  expanded  into  BicknelFs  Bank-note  Reporter 
and  Sylvester's  Prices  Current.  The  first  of  these  trade  circulars 
appeared  half  a  century  ago,  and  since  then  Commercial  Lists  have 
been  issued  weekly  and  semi-weekly  every  where.  The  Banker's 
Circular,  printed  in  London  in  1836-7-8,  and  longer,  was  devoted 
to  financial  intelligence,  and  became  an  oracle  in  money  centres. 
Newspapers  in  the  United  States,  in  that  period  of  commercial 
distraction,  extensively  copied  the  leading  articles  of  the  Circular, 
signed  H.  B.,  and  his  views  were  deemed  of  value  by  the  operators 
and  bankers  of  Wall  Street. 

Out  of  the  old  Prices  Current  and  Bankers'  Circulars  have  sprung 
innumerable  sheets  as  the  special  organs  of  special  classes.  We 
now  have  the  Commercial  Bulletin,  the  Dry  Goods  Reporter,  the  To- 
bacco Leaf,  the  Wool  Circular,  the  Cotton  Buyer,  the  Architectural  Re- 
view and  Builders'"jfournal,  the  Scalpel,  the  Art  Review,  the  Scientific 
American,  the  Phrenological  Journal,  the  Hide  and  Leather  Reporter, 


330  Journalism  in  America. 

the  Stockholder,  the  Mining  Journal,  the  Nautical  Gazette,  the  Army 
and  Navy  Journal,  the  Musical  Review,  and  others,  handsomely 
printed  sheets,  and  conducted  with  ability. 

The  vast  railroad  interests  have  the  Railroad  Reporter,  and  the 
extensive  telegraph  enterprises  the  Telegrapher,  a  Journal  of  Elec- 
trical Progress,  and  the  Journal  of  the  Telegraph.  The  first  is  ably 
edited  by  J.  N.  Ashley,  an  old  journalist  and  an  experienced  opera- 
tor, and  F.  L.  Pope,  a  skillful  operator  and  telegraph  engineer.  It 
is  the  independent  promoter  of  all  telegraph  inventions,  lines,  im- 
provements, and  operators.  The  second  was  for  some  time  admira- 
bly conducted  by'J.  D.  Reid,  long  identified  with  the  telegraph  in- 
terests, and  is  the  acknowledged  organ  of  the  Western  Union  Com- 
pany. These  are  the  only  publications  devoted  to  telegraphy  m  the 
country. 

Our  Society,  previously  mentioned,  printed  on  tinted  paper  in  New 
York,  is  filled  exclusively  with  announcements  of  parties,  balls,  en- 
gagements, Germans,  marriages,  receptions,  bals  masques,  and  has  a 
circulation  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  thousand.  It  is  the  Court  Journal 
of  the  American  metropolis.  This  new  idea  in  journalism  originated 
in  New  York  in  1863  and  '4,  in  a  neat  little  paper  called  the  Play- 
bill, an  entr1  ade  luxury,  and  sold  every  evening  at  the  several  the- 
atres in  that  city.  It  was  then  abandoned  as  too  personal.  The 
details  of  these  fashionable  movements,  not  so  full  as  in  Our  Society, 
are  now  a  conspicuous  feature  of  modern  journalism  in  the  United 
States. 

THE  AGRICULTURAL   PRESS. 

Two  or  three  years  after  the  appearance  of  the  first  religious  news- 
paper, the  pioneer  agricultural  publication  was  issued  in  Baltimore. 
On  the  2d  of  April,  1818,  the  American  Farmer  was  established  by 
John  S.  Skinner,  so  well  known  in  connection  with  the  farm  and  the 
turf  and  their  charming  surroundings.  After  thirty-five  years  of  de- 
voted service  to  the  science  of  agriculture  he  retired,  and  in  1851 
he  died  full  of  honors,  and  with  his  name  inscribed  on  every  farm 
and  in  every  stable. 

Solomon  Southwick,  so  long  the  autocrat  of  the  political  press  in 
Albany,  established  the  Plough-Boy  in  that  city  in  1821,  and  publish- 
ed it  for  a  few  years.  Some  have  ascribed  the  origin  of  this  useful 
branch  of  newspaper  literature  to  Mr.  Southwick,  while  others,  with- 
out reference  to  the  claims  of  Skinner,  have  given  the  credit  to 
Thomas  Green  Fessenden,  who,  with  T.  W.  Shepard,  established  the 
New  England  Farmer  in  August,  1822.  The  only  evidence  of  Fes- 
senden's  priority  in  geoponical  literature  is  in  the  fact  that,  after  he 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  he  wrote  for  the  well  known  Farm- 


The  Agricultural  Press.  331 

ers'  Weekly  Museum,  published  at  Walpole,  N.  H.,  in  1796.  That  pa- 
per, however,  was  not  devoted  to  agriculture.  It  received  its  name 
from  the  farming  region  where  it  was  published.  It  was  a  literary 
paper,  with  political  tendencies,  and  was  full  of  wit  and  humor.  It 
was  a  famous  paper  in  its  day.  Fessenden  was  the  "  Simon  Spunk- 
ey"  of  the  concern,  Joseph  Dennie  the  "  Lay  Preacher,"  and  Roy- 
al Tyler  the  "Colon  and  Spondee."  But  in  1803  the  publishers  of 
the  Museum,  in  an  appeal  to  the  public  for  future  support,  stated 
that "  the  interest  of  the  farmer  shall  claim  our  notice  in  the  publi- 
cation of  useful  agricultural  hints,  inventions,  and  improvements." 
It  is  probable  from  these  three  facts,  ist,  that  Fessenden  wrote  for 
the  Museum ;  2d,  that  that  paper  was  called  the  Farmers'  Weekly 
Museum;  and,  3d,  that  its  publishers  promised  agricultural  intelli- 
gence in  1803,  that  the  statement  obtained  credence  that  Fessenden 
was  the  originator  of  this  valuable  class  of  newspapers. 

The  New  England  Farmer  was  published  in  quarto  form  from  the 
beginning  till  within  a  few  years.  Shortly  after  its  first  appearance 
the  interest  of  Shepard  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  B.  Russell.  It 
was  in  a  few  years  sold  to  Joseph  Breck,  who  in  1846  transferred 
it  to  Luther  Tucker,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  It  was  changed  by  Tucker 
to  the  Horticulturist.  It  was  managed  with  a  great  deal  of  skill 
and  ability  by  Fessenden.  Without  the  practical  knowledge  of  farm- 
ing, he  beame  a  teacher  to  the  practical  farmer.  He  edited  the 
Farmer  from  its  first  number  till  1837,  when  he  died.  He  was  buried 
in  Mount  Auburn,  where  his  friends  erected  a  monument  with  the 
following  inscription  to  his  memory : 

THOMAS  GREEN  FESSENDEN, 
died  Nov.  n,  183^. 

aged  65. 

This  monument  is  erected  by  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  Promoting  Agri- 
culture, by  the  Horticultural  Society  of  Massachusetts,  and  individuals,  as  a  tes- 
timony of  respect  for  the  talents  and  acquirements  of  the  deceased,  and  his  labors 
in  promoting  the  objects  of  the  above  institutions. 

The  New  England  Farmer  was  revived  in  Boston,  and  is  now  pub- 
lished in  folio  form  by  R.  P.  Eaton  &  Co.,  with  Simon  Brown  as  its 
agricultural  editor. 

The  Southern  Agriculturist  was  published  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  in 
1828,  by  John  D.  Legare,  and  in  1830  Luther  Tucker  issued  the  first 
number  of  the  Genesee  Farmer  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Samuel  Fleet, 
in  the  same  year,  published  the  New  York  Farmer  and  Horticultural 
Repository.  In  1833,  Edward  Ruffin,  "the  white-haired  rebel"  who 
fired  the  first  shot  on  the  American  flag  at  Fort  Sumter  in  1861, 
started  an  agricultural  publication  at  Shellbanks,  Virginia.  The 
Maine  Farmer  also  appeared  in  1833.  In  1834,  Jesse  Buel,  who  had 
been  editor  of  the  Albany  Argus,  preferring  good  potatoes  to  bad 


332  Journalism  in  America. 

politics,  established  the  Cultivator,  and  became  a  Mentor  to  the 
farmers  of  the  rich  and  luxuriant  Genesee  Valley.  Like  Grant,  he 
was  an  inveterate  smoker.  He  and  his  clay  pipe  were  always  to- 
gether. In  the  same  year  Miner  and  Challis  issued  a  Quarterly 
Journal  of  Agriculture.  Hovey's  Magazine  of  Horticulture  appeared 
in  1835. 

The  Boston  Cultivator  was  the  next  in  order.  In  1839,  William 
Buckminster,  who,  like  -Fessenden,  had  been  educated  a  lawyer,  be- 
came one  of  its  proprietors  and  its  editor.  In  October,  1841,  Mr. 
Buckminster  established  another  agricultural  paper  in  Boston,  over 
which  he  had  entire  control.  This  he  called  the  Massachusetts 
Ploughman.  In  1846  he  took  his  eldest  son,  William  J.  Buckmin- 
ster, as  associate  in  the  management  of  the  concern.  In  1862  he 
sold  the  establishment  to  Hugh  W.  Greene.  Next  year  it  became 
the  property  of  George  Noyes.  It  is  now  the  official  organ  of  the 
New  England  Agricultural  Society.  Its  name  was  spelt  Plowman 
for  a  short  time  after  it  passed  from  the  hands  of  Buckminster,  but 
its  title  was  soon  restored  to  its  original  orthography.  The  Cultiva- 
tor continues  to  be  published  by  Otis  Brewer,  its  original  publisher. 

Another  leading  publication  of  this  class  is  the  American  Agricul- 
turist. It  was  started  in  1842,  and  designed  mainly  as  a  rural  pa- 
per. It  has  since  swallowed  several  other  papers  of  the  same  sort, 
and  has  become  an  extensively  circulated  publication.  It  is  a  month- 
ly, and  can  not,  therefore,  be  much  of  a  newspaper,  except  in  its 
own  peculiar  line,  but  its  enterprise  is  a  sufficient  reason  for  includ- 
ing it  in  this  summary.  It  is  now  published  by  Orange  Judd  & 
Co.  Apart  from  its  agricultural  value,  it  has,  we  hope,  accomplished 
some  good  for  the  rural  population  in  preventing  them  from  being 
too  much  swindled  by  all  sorts  of  bogus  schemes,  by  its  timely  ex- 
posure of  the  cheats,  humbugs,  and  swindles  of  the  day.  It  claims 
to  have  a  circulation  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  copies. 

Then  there  is  the  Rural  New  Yorker,  the  Prairie  Farmer,  the  Mir- 
ror and  Farmer,  the  Dixie  Farmer,  the  Farmers'  Home  Journal,  the 
Ohio  Farmer,  the  Country  Gentleman,  the  Farmers'1  Chronicle,  the 
Western  Rural,  the  Wisconsin  Farmer,  the  Iowa  Homestead  and  Hor- 
ticulturist, Caiman's  Rural  World  and  Valley  Farmer,  the  Journal 
of  Agriculture,  and  the  California  Farmer,  all  weekly  publications. 
Some  of  these  are  older  and  many  are  younger  than  several  of  those 
we  have  more  particularly  mentioned.  There  is  a  German  agricul- 
tural paper  published  in  America.  It  is  issued  in  New  York,  and 
called  Gerhard's  Deutsche  Amerikanische  Farmer  Zeitung.  H.  Nich- 
ols Zerchow  is  its  editor.  There  are  a  number  of  papers  published 
with  "  Rural"  and  "  Farmer"  attached  to  their  titles  which  are  not 
devoted  to  agricultural  matters.  There  are  now  issued  in  the  Uni- 


Newspapers  and  the  Farmers.  333 

ted  States  twenty-one  weekly  and  thirty-five  monthly  and  semi- 
monthly newspapers  and  periodicals  entirely  in  the  interests  of  the 
farmer  and  stock-breeder.  It  is  probable  that  as  many  more  have 
been  started,  and,  after  a  short  life  of  usefulness,  "  perished  by  the 
wayside"  of  journalism. 

The  Agricultural  Press  has  done  much  to  make  farming  a  favor- 
ite pursuit.  It  has  done  much  to  make  it  an  attractive  one  to  the 
wealthy  classes  as  well  as  to  the  laborer  in  the  field.  See  what  has 
been  accomplished  in  the  creation  of  the  numerous  agricultural  col- 
leges throughout  the  country,  and  in  keeping  the  young  farmers  at 
home  on  the  lands  of  their  fathers.  The  American  Farmer,  the 
Country  Gentleman,  the  Ploughman,  the  Agriculturist,  the  New  En- 
gland Farmer,  are  household  words  throughout  the  rural  districts. 
These  papers  are  teachers.  They  are  the  business  educators  of  the 
farmers.  They  bring  to  their  notice  all  the  improvements  in  tools 
and  tillage.  They  tell  the  lovers  of  good  cows  all  about  the  best 
breeds.  They  elevate  the  farm,  and  make  the  labor  thereon  a  learn- 
ed profession.  Our  farmers  are  no  longer  mere  drudges.  Art,  and 
science,  and  taste,  and  the  resulting  increased  wealth,  are  the  work 
of  these  newspapers.  All  this  is  to  be  seen  in  the  reaping  ma- 
chines, improved  farms,  mowing  machines,  splendid  barns,  tedders, 
better  breeds  of  cattle,  better  horses,  superior  butter,  drained  lands, 
more  grass,  outside  of  the  mansion  ;  and  music,  and  books,  and 
beauty,  and  comfort,  and  happiness  inside  of  the  farm-house. 

It  has  been  a  task  to  accomplish  this  result.  Old  fanners  would 
not  be  convinced  that  there  was  any  value  in  book  or  newspaper 
farming.  They  believed  in  the  old  dung-hill ;  they  were  ignorant 
of  the  compost-heap.  Old  prejudices  are  hard  to  overthrow.  With 
many  they  are  not  yet  overthrown.  Half  a  century  ago,  when  the 
American  Farmer  first  made  its  appearance,  the  rural  population  car- 
ried on  their  farms  as  their  ancestors  had  done  for  generations  be- 
fore. There  was  no  progress,  except  in  raising  more  potatoes  and 
more  corn  for  the  increase  of  population.  It  was  "living  from  hand 
to  mouth."  Twenty-five  years  ago  there  was  visible  improvement. 
Agricultural  papers  had  become  established  facts,  and  their  circula- 
tion reached  twenty  thousand.  After  this  the  progress  was  wonder- 
ful. Now  one  paper  alone  claims  a  subscription  list  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand,  and  has  probably  half  a  million  of  readers.  It 
is  not  an  exaggeration,  in  our  opinion,  to  set  the  average  weekly  cir- 
culation of  all  the  agricultural  press  at  half  a  million,  and  its  read- 
ers at  three  millions.  Besides  this  extraordinary  exhibit,  in  the 
space  of  fifty  years,  in  this  one  class  of  journals,  nearly  every  week- 
ly paper,  political,  religious,  or  literary,  since  Joseph  Tinker  Buck- 
ingham introduced  "Geoponics"  in  the  Boston  Courier,  has  had  a 


334  Journalism  in  America. 

"  Farmers'  Department."  What  is  the  result  ?  It  is  to  be  seen 
along  every  railroad,  on  the  banks  of  every  river,  in  the  vicinity  of 
every  city,  through  every  town — in  a  word,  every  where ;  and  the 
United  States  have  become  the  greatest  and  most  progressive  agri- 
cultural nation  of  the  world.  No  stronger  illustration  of  this  fact  is 
needed  than  the  mere  statement  that  in  1847  there  were  forty-three 
agricultural  patents  granted  in  this  country,  while  in  1866  the  num- 
ber was  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-eight ! 

THE   COMMERCIAL   PRESS. 

Commercial  newspapers  form  a  valuable  class.  They  devote 
great  industry,  much  research,  considerable  enterprise,  to  the  devel- 
opment of  the  mercantile,  financial,  material,  and  commercial  inter- 
ests of  the  country.  It  is  only  a  little  more  than  half  a  century  that 
journalists  commenced  the  publication  of  market  reports.  If  we 
look  back  to  such  papers  as  the  Boston  Centinel,  New  York  Gazette, 
New  York  Commercial  Advertiser,  or  any  of  the  leading  journals  of 
fifty  years  ago,  we  find  scarcely  a  reference  to  commerce  or  finance. 
The  New  York  Gazette  of  March  4,  1739,  gave  the  quotations  for 
flour,  rum,  sugar,  tea,  molasses,  wheat,  corn,  and  stated  that  of  cot- 
ton wool,  turpentine,  and  "  indico"  there  were  none  in  market. 
Enos  Bronson,  the  active  editor  of  the  United  States  Gazette  of  Phil- 
adelphia, was  the  first  in  this  country  to  introduce  commercial  mat- 
ters in  his  paper  on  any  thing  like  a  comprehensive  scale.  In  1806 
he  devoted  several  columns  to  Prices  Current,  as  the  detailed  quo- 
tations of  prices  were  called.  In  the  Columbian  Centinel  of  Boston, 
on  the  7th  of  January,  1818,  all  we  see  is  a  table  like  the  following, 
"  corrected  by  two  brokers,"  which  is  a  curiosity  when  placed  in 
juxtaposition  with  the  daily  stock  sales  reported  in  the  papers  of 
1872.  There  were  no  remarks,  and  no  other  market  reports.  The 
Centinel  was  the  Thunderer  of  New  England  : 

PRICES  OF  STOCKS. 

CORRECTED  BY  TWO   BROKERS   WEEKLY. 

Massachusetts  Five  per  Cents,  int.  off     -        -  97    to    98 

U.  S.  new  Six  per  Cents io6£  to  106^ 

Seven  per  Cents icgitoiio 

Threes 70  offered. 

'  old  and  deferred       -----  100    to  ioo£ 

'  new  Treasury  Notes     -        -        -        -  4    to  5  adv. 

•    '  Sevens     -        -        -        -        -        -        -        6    to  7" 

Massachusetts  Bank 106    to     — 

Union  Bank    -         -         -         -         -        -        -        -  106    to     — 

Boston  Bank,  per  share  of  75  -        -        -          85    to     — 

State  Bank,  "         of  60 65  fc  to     — 

New  England  Bank,  per  share  of  75     -        -        -          85^  to    86 
Manufacturers'  and  Merchants'  Bank,  per  share  of  50     5ii  to    52 

United  States  Bank  151    to  151  i- 

Drafts  on  London,  30  days 2    to     2\  adv. 


The  Commercial  Press.  335 

Drafts  on  London,  60  days       - 2    to      2^  adv. 

Mississippi  Stock 86    to    86J 

Spanish  Dollars 3    to      3^  adv. 

Doubloons  $16  each. 

Once  a  week  perhaps  a  dozen  lines  were  given  to  show  the  cur- 
rent prices  of  flour  and  a  few  leading  staples.  Such  reports  of  the 
money  and  produce  markets  as  are  now  daily  published  in  all  the 
leading  papers  in  all  the  cities  in  the  country  would  have  startled 
the  whole  journalistic  and  commercial  community.  When  the  New 
York  Herald  initiated  the  money  articles,  meagre  as  they  necessarily 
were  at  first,  the  thunders  of  Wall  Street  were  brought  down  upon 
the  head  of  its  editor.  Now,  no  journal  with  any  pretensions  can  live 
in  a  commercial  community  without  its  daily  financial  review  and  its 
full  report  of  the  previous  day's  operations  in  these  two  great  money 
centres — Wall  Street  and  State  Street. 

According  to  our  researches,  the  Boston  Prices  Current  and  Ma- 
rine Intelligencer,  Commercial  and  Mercantile,  the  publication  of  which 
was  begun  on  the  5th  of  September,  1795,  was  the  first  regular  and 
legitimate  commercial  paper  issued  in  this  country.  In  1798  it  em- 
braced politics.  In  1800  its  name  was  changed  to  that  of  the  Bos- 
ton Gazette,  and  became  a  general  newspaper.  The  second  success- 
ful attempt  to  establish  a  special  market  reporter  or  commercial  or- 
gan was  made  at  the  extreme  Southwest.  On  the  27th  of  July,  1822, 
the  New  Orleans  Prices  Current  was  issued  in  that  emporium.  James 
G. Watts  and  George  H.  Hart  announced  their  intention  to  issue  a 
Commercial  Chronicle  in  Philadelphia  in  1820,  but  as  it  did  not  ap- 
pear, the  New  Orleans  Prices  Current  must  be  considered  the  pioneer. 
It  struggled  and  lived,  and  is  alive  to-day,  always  a  handsome  sheet, 
and  always  a  valuable  one,  and  is  a  record  of  the  commerce  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  for  half  a  century.  Then  others  started,  like  the 
New  York  Shipping  List  and  Prices  Current,  and  Hudson's  Shipping 
List  and  Prices  Current,  and  now  they  are  as  common  as  they  are 
necessary.  The  first  Prices  Current  appeared  in  Cincinnati  in  1835. 
They  have  gradually  swelled  in  importance  and  usefulness,  and  are 
consulted  and  filed  away  as  valuable  guides  to  the  merchants,  pro- 
ducers, and  traders  of  the  country. 

Since  that  period  another  class  of  commercial  newspapers  has 
been  brought  into  existence  more  comprehensive  in  its  character. 
In  1859  the  Commercial  Bulletin  was  established  in  Boston.  Curtis 
Guild,  one  of  its  proprietors,  was  educated  a  merchant,  but  took  to 
newspapers.  He  became  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Boston  Jour- 
nal, and  afterwards  in  that  of  the  Traveller,  and  then  became  one 
of  the  proprietors  in  the  latter  concern.  He  turned  his  hand  and 
his  head  to  every  thing  connected  with  the  Press.  In  his  travels  at 
the  West  he  found  that  Boston  was  very  little  known.  New  York 


336  Journalism  in  America. 

met  him  wherever  he  went.  New  York  stared  him  in  the  face  ev- 
ery where.  If  he  desired  to  see  a  newspaper,  a  New  York  paper 
was  brought  to  him — never  a  Boston  paper.  If  he  wished  to  know 
how  to  get  from  Chicago  to  Boston,  he  was  directed  by  hotel-keep- 
ers, railroad  conductors,  and  steam-boats  to  go  to  New  York,  where 
he  could  find  a  conveyance  to  Boston.  New  York  was  all  over  the 
Union — New  York  oysters,  New  York  fashions,  New  York  newspa- 
pers, New  York  ideas,  and  the  Hub  nowhere.  Imagine  the  sensa- 
tion of  a  Bostonian  under  these  circumstances.  It  occurred  to  him 
that  a  commercial  newspaper,  not  to  be  confined  in  its  circulation 
to  Boston,  but  to  be  spread  throughout  the  West  in  every  hotel  and 
in  every  merchant's  counting-room,  would  greatly  tend  to  bring  the 
New  England  metropolis  to  the  notice  of  the  people  of  that  wealthy 
section.  Boston  has  always  considered  New  York  her  rival.  She 
has  never  publicly  acknowledged  her  superiority.  If  one  walks 
through  the  mercantile  streets  of  the  two  cities,  and  sees  the  same 
merchants'  signs,  and  finds  them  identically  the  same,  the  ardent 
admirer  of  Boston  is  indignant  if  he  is  told  that  these  are  the  signs 
of  the  decay  of  that  ancient  town.  With  these  impressions,  Mr. 
Guild  felt,  on  one  of  his  midnight  rides,  that  there  was  an  opening 
for  a  commercial  paper  in  Boston  with  special  reference  to  the 
spread  of  information  of  New  England  notions  over  the  mighty 
West.  He  brought  all  his  experience  and  energy  to  bear  on  this 
point,  and,  acting  individually  and  independently,  he  went  to  work, 
and,  amid  many  struggles,  he  brought  out  the  Commercial  Bulletin  in 
1859 ;  and  now,  thanks  to  his  foresight  and  energy,  he  has  a  pros- 
perous and  valuable  newspaper  in  full  operation,  which  is  really  a 
valuable  institution  to  the  material  interests  of  New  England.  He 
entered  the  Board  of  Trade.  He  wrote  up  the  mills  of  that  section 
of  the  country.  He  had  his  paper  on  file  in  three  hundred  hotel 
reading-rooms  at  the  West  and  Northwest.  He  made  his  paper  at- 
tractive in  matter  and  typography.  In  this  way  he  has  made  a 
specialty  in  journalism.  'The  Bulletin  is  a  large  folio  sheet  of  nine 
long  columns  to  the  page,  and  we  noticed  in  one  number  art  entire 
page  devoted  to  manufactures,  seven  of  which  were  advertisements, 
and  two  filled  with  interesting  news  items  relative  to  factories  in  all 
the  states — the  erection  of  new  ones,  improvements  in  old  ones,  the 
destruction  of  some,  and  the  enlargement  of  others. 

The  success  of  the  Bulletin  has  led  to  the  establishment  of  similar 
papers  elsewhere.  Journals  of  Commerce,  Commercial  and  Financial 
Chronicles,  Economists'  and  Dry  Goods  Reporters,  are  springing  up  in 
all  large  commercial  centres,  and  thus,  with  the  space  given  in  the 
regular  daily  newspapers  to  commerce  and  finance,  the  wealth  of 
this  great  nation  is  no  longer  hid  from  public  view  and  public  ap- 
preciation. 


Sunday  Newspapers.  337 


THE   SUNDAY   PRESS. 

There  were  no  Sunday  papers  prior  to  1825.  One  hundred  years 
after  the  first  newspaper  was  started  in  New  York  the  Sunday  Cott- 
rzVrwas  issued  in  that  city.  Although  the  Galaxy  made  its  appear- 
ance in  religious  Boston  on  Sunday  mornings  as  early  as  1834-5, 
there  was  a  strong  public  sentiment  against  them  in  the  Northern 
States.  There  is  a  mistaken  notion  outside  of  newspaper  offic^ 
about  the  work  done  on  this  class  of  papers.  The  New  Orleans  Pica- 
yune, for  instance,  is  published  on  Sunday,  but  not  on  Monday  morn- 
ings. This  arrangement  gives  the  editors,  printers,  and  other  em- 
ployes rest  on  the  Sabbath.  It  is  for  the  edition  issued  on  Monday 
that  the  work  has  to  be  done  on  Sunday ;  but  as  the  paper  seen  in 
the  streets  on  that  day  is  the  offending  sheet,  the  time  of  labor  pre- 
paring it  for  publication  is  not  taken  into  consideration  by  the  re- 
ligious public. 

There  are  Sunday  papers, per  ^issued  on  that  day  only.  Then 
there  are  the  Sunday  editions  of  the  daily  press,  like  the  New  York 
Herald,  New  York  Times,  and  New  York  World.  The  New  York 
Herald  publishes  a  paper  every  day.  There  is  no  break  in  that  es- 
tablishment, and  it  is  the  only  one  in  America  out  of  which  a  paper 
is  issued  daily  throughout  the  year.  The  Augsburg  Gazette  is  pub- 
lished every  day  in  Germany.  The  New  York  Tribune  attempted  to 
issue  a  Sunday  edition  during  the  Rebellion,  but  the  remonstrances 
of  several  of  its  subscribers  stopped  its  issue  after  the  first  attempt. 
There  are  now  Sunday  papers  in  Boston  and  Philadelphia  as  well 
as  in  New  York.  Several  of  the  papers  formerly  issued  in  New 
York  on  Sunday  are  now  published  on  Saturday,  but  they  are  cir- 
culated and  sold  with  the  others  on  Sunday.  It  was  a  part  of  the 
management  of  the  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce  to  have  no  work 
done  in  that  establishment  between  twelve  o'clock  Saturday  night 
and  twelve  o'clock  Sunday  night.  This  was  probably  the  only  daily 
city  newspaper  in  the  country  having  such  a  rule  of  conduct. 

The  first  Sunday  newspaper  that  we  have  any  record  of,  as  we 
have  said,  was  the  Sunday  Courier.  It  was  published  by  Joseph  C. 
Melcher,  at  the  Tontine  Coffee-house,  on  the  corner  of  Wall  and 
Water  Streets,  New  York  City.  It  made  its  first  appearance  in  1825. 
Thomas  Snowden,  afterwards  of  the  National  Advocate  and  Courier 
and  Enquirer,  was  engaged  in  the  enterprise.  Very  curiously,  it  was 
edited  by  a  theological  student  named  William  Hill. 

The  Telegraph  was  the  next  paper  of  this  class.  It  did  not  long 
survive  its  birth. 

The  Sunday  Morning  News  was  the  next  in  order.  Samuel  Jenks 
Smith  was  its  publisher  and  editor.  It  came  out  shortly  after  the 

Y 


338  Journalism  «in  America. 

cholera  panic  of  1832.  John  Howard  Payne,  of  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  who  had  edited  a  little  paper  called  the  Thespian  when  he 
was  fourteen  years  old,  was  an  associate  of  Smith's. 

"  'Mid  pleasures  and  palaces  though  we  may  roam, 
Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there's  no  place  like  home." 

In  the  Reminiscences  of  Henry  Crabb  Robinson  there  is  an  al- 
lusion to  Payne.  "Mary  Lamb  has  begged  me,"  said  Robinson, 
under  date  of  Paris,  August  20, 1822,  "to  give  her  a  day  or  two. 
She  comes  to  Paris  this  evening,  and  stays  here  a  week.  Her  only 
male  friend  is  a  Mr.  Payne,  whom  she  praises  exceedingly  for  his 
kindness  to  Charles.  He  is  the  author  of 'Brutus,'  and  has  a  fine 
face."  So  much  for  Payne. 

Although  a  stout,  fresh,  healthy-looking  man,  Smith  became  con- 
sumptive, sold  his  establishment  in  1839,  and  sailed  for  Europe.  He 
died  at  sea.  Warren  Draper,  who  had  been  connected  with  the 
Shipping  List  and  Prices  Current,  and  afterwards  started  a  paper 
called  the  Evening  Herald  to  annoy  James  Gordon  Bennett,  edited 
the  News  after  the  retirement  of  Smith.  Charles  M'Lacklin,  of  the 
Evening  Mirror,  and  George  G.  Foster,  the  "  City  Items"  of  the  Trib- 
une, were  also  writers  for  the  News.  It  finally  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Russell  Jarvis,  of  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger.  Its  day  of  pub- 
lication was  changed  from  Sunday  to  Saturday.  Then  it  died. 

Another  Sunday  Courier  was  established  in  1834.  It  was  issued 
by  John  Tryon,  who  afterwards  became  known  as  a  reporter  on  the 
Express,  and  as  a  writer  of  notices,  bills,  and  advertisements  for  the 
extensive  circus  companies  and  menageries  of  Colonel  Welsh  and 
Colonel  Mann.  James  Gordon  Bennett  owned  the  Courier  at  one 
time,  and  we  have  read  many  of  his  short  and  sharp  paragraphs  in 
the  old  file  of  that  paper. 

In  1838,  two  printers,  Anson  Herrick,  of  the  Express,  and  Jesse  A. 
Fell,  of  the  Daily  Whig,  started  the  Sunday  Morning  Atlas.  They 
had  no  money.  They  were  not  supplied  with  an  overplus  of  indus- 
try. But  a  paper  issued  once  a  week  they  thought  they  could  man- 
age without  injury  to  their  health.  The  News  was  selling  at  six- 
pence a  copy.  These  two  disciples  of  Faust  calculated  that  if  they 
could  publish  a  paper  at  three  cents  they  would  obtain  a  large  cir- 
culation, and  make  the  concern  a  success  with  advertisements.  The 
editorials  were  supplied  gratuitously  for  a  week  or  two  by  Samuel  J. 
Burr  (one  of  the  editors  of  \h&  Daily  W7//^-),Worthington  G.  Snethen 
(formerly  of  John  Gibson's  True  American,  of  New  Orleans),  and 
Frederick  West,  who  issued  the  first  penny  paper  in  Philadelphia 
called  the  Transcript,  afterwards  merged  with  the  Public  Ledger.  On 
the  issue  of  the  third  number,  West,  with  a  limited  credit  of  $50  per 
week  obtained  of  Dudley  Persse,  of  the  firm  of  Campbell  and  Persse, 


Increase  of  Sunday  Newspapers.  339 

for  paper,  became  editor  and  a  partner  in  the  Atlas.  West  was  a 
happy  man.  He  was  a  clever  little  Englishman,  ready  to  assist  any 
one  with  poetry  or  pennies.  Shortly  after,  Fell  fell  out  of  the.  con- 
cern, and  John  F.  Ropes  was  roped  in,  and  then  the  firm  was  Her- 
rick,  West,  and  Ropes.  Herrick  and  Ropes  became  politicians,  and 
published  a  daily  paper  for  a  short  time,  to  the  depletion  of  their 
bank  account.  Then  the  former  was  elected  an  alderman  of  the 
metropolis,  and  the  latter  held  a  sinecure  in  the  Custom-house. 
Herrick  was  afterwards  elected  to  Congress,  and,  for  obvious  rea- 
sons, was  called  a  deacon.  He  died  a  few  years  since.  The  Atlas, 
we  believe,  is  now  published  by  his  son. 

The  Sunday  Visitor  was  started  in  1839.  Its  name  was  changed 
to  Sunday  Mercury  in  1840.  Paige  and  Nichols  were  the  brains  of 
this  establishment.  Paige  was  the  writer  of  the  peculiar  and  origi- 
nal sermons  of  Dow  Junior,  which  attracted  pretty  much  the  same 
sort  of  attention  then  as  Artemus  Ward's  epistles  have  since  that 
period.  Nichols  was  an  Englishman,  with  English  tastes.  His  tone 
was  strongly  concentrated  on  theatricals.  Machine  poetry  was  a 
feature  in  the  Mercury. 

The  first  penny  Sunday  paper  was  The  Packet.  John  M.  Moore, 
who  seemed  to  vie  in  cheap  papers  and  low-priced  advertisements, 
was  the  originator.  It  did  not  live  long.  It  was  too  cheap.  It  was 
Moore  and  Hooper  who  endeavored  to  obtain  a  large  advertising 
patronage  at  low  rates — one  cent  a  line — but  the  price  was  too  low. 

Thaddeus  W.  Meighan,  an  industrious  writer,  started  The  Star  in 
January,  1842.  This  was  the  second  penny  paper  of  this  class.  Its 
price  was  afterwards  raised  to  two  cents.  It  lived  about  eighteen 
months. 

Two  actors,  named  Anderson  and  Conway,  bought  out  the  Sunday 
Globe  in  1843.  It  was  a  star  engagement  only. 

Then  Mike  Walsh  and  Enoch  E.  Camp  produced  the  Sunday 
Knickerbocker.  After  its  one  pot  of  ale  it  died. 

George  Wilkes  then  established  the  Life  in  New  York.  No  one 
knew  life  in  the  metropolis  more  thoroughly  than  Wilkes,  but  it 
ceased  to  be,  and  its  editor  confined  himself,  with  Enoch  E.  Camp, 
to  the  National  Police  Gazette,  now  published  by  ex-Chief  of  Police 
George  W.  Matsell. 

These  publications  attracted  considerable  attention,  and  a  large 
aggregate  circulation  was  the  result.  The  Herald  oi  the  2Qth  of 
July,  1844,  thus  noticed  them  : 

During  the  last  few  years  a  new  class  of  newspapers — partly  literary,  partly  gos- 
sipping,  partly  silly,  partly  smart,  partly  stupid,  partly  namby-pamby — have  grown 
up  from  the  lowest  and  most  sickly  state  to  a  point  of  some  consideration  in  cer- 
tain portions  of  society  not  much  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city.  We  allude  to 
the  Sunday  Newspaper  Press.  About  fifteen  years  ago  we  recollect  starting  our- 


34-O  Journalism  in  America. 

self  one  of  the  first  Sunday  newspapers  in  this  city,  the  Sunday  Courier,  which 
lasted  several  months,  and  contained  some  very  curious  articles.  But  the  project 
was  rather  premature,  and  we  declined  prosecuting  it  in  order  to  engage  in  other 
avocations.  The  present  Sunday  Press  has  sprung  into  existence  during  the  last 
six  years,  the  first  paper  Of  the  class  being  the  Atlas,  which  originated  in  1838,  if 
we  recollect  right. 

The  third  Sunday  Courier  was  born  in  1845.  It  was  edited  by 
Thomas  L.  Nichols,  afterwards  known  as  a  "Water-cure  Physician," 
and  the  husband  of  Mrs.  Gove,  who  created  a  sensation  in  New 
York  at  one  time  by  her  lectures.  Nichols  had  been  a  reporter  on 
the  Herald,  and  edited  a  lively  little  paper  in  Buffalo  called  the 
Buffalonian,  where  he  got  into  difficulty,  and  suffered  some  from  li- 
bel suits. 

The  Sunday  Age,  in  which  Grattan,  the  actor,  and  Thaddeus  W. 
Meighan  were  interested,  came  into  life,  but  soon  disappeared  from 
the  foot-lights. 

The  Sunday  Times  was  next  established  by  John  Dillon  and  John 
M.  Moore.  John  Hooper,  the  advertising  agent,  also  became  con- 
nected with  the  paper.  They  published  a  small  evening  paper 
called  the  Tattler.  William  J.  Snelling,  of  Boston,  wrote  for  the 
Times.  Major  M.  M.  Noah,  as  we  have  already  said,  united  his 
Weekly  Messenger  with  the  Times,  and  he  became  the  responsible 
editor  of  the  newly-arranged  concern.  This  occurred  in  1845.  The 
Times  and  Messenger  is  now  published,  in  1872,  by  E.G.  Howard  & 
Co.  Colonel  Jo.  S.  Du  Solle,  once  of  Philadelphia,  and  Fanny  Ho- 
bart,  write  for  its  columns. 

The  Sunday  Dispatch  made  its  debut  in  1846.  Amor  J.  Williamson 
and  William  Burns  were  the  publishers  and  editors.  When  the  lat- 
ter died,  the  establishment  became  the  property  of  Williamson.  He 
made  it  a  sort  offender  to  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties,  and  its 
proprietor  was  elected  to  municipal  offices,  and  died  a  wealthy  man. 

The  fourth  Sunday  Courier  made  its  appearance  in  1848.  It  was 
published  by  Smith,  Adams,  &  Smith.  Harry  Franco  Briggs  and 
John  E.  Durivage  were  its  editors.  The  latter  was  at  one  time  a 
reporter  on  the  Herald,  and  had  been  connected  with  a  brother,  F.  A. 
Durivage,  with  the  Boston  press.  He  had  also  been  an  attache  of 
the  New  Orleans  Picayune.  It  is  stated  that  he  edited  the  first  daily 
paper  established  in  California.  He  was  a  nephew  of  Edward 
Everett. 

Other  Sunday  papers  were  published.  The  Sunday  Bulletin,  Sun- 
day Galaxy,  Sunday  Chronicle  and  Sporting  Register,  Sunday  Reflect- 
or, Sunday  News  or  Extra,  Sunday  Era,  Sunday  Age,  and  Sunday 
Leader,  are  among  the  names  of  those  that  made  their  entre'e  and 
exit.  Of  all  these  papers,  the  only  ones  now  in  existence  are  the 
Courier,  Times  and  Messenger,  Atlas,  and  Dispatch. 


Newspapers  for  Sporting  Intelligence.         341 

The  Leader  suddenly  died  in  December.  It  was  a  bright,  ably- 
edited  Democratic  organ.  Its  last  editor  was  J.  C.  Goldsmith.  Mayor 
A.  Oakey  Hall  largely  supplied  it  with  wit.  The  Dispatch  was  the 
antithesis  of  the  Leader  in  politics.  These  papers  have  found  poli- 
tics, when  properly  mixed  with  poetry,  to  pay  better  than  when  they 
confined  themselves  to  literature  and  local  news  only. 

THE    SPORTING   PRESS. 

BelFs  Life  in  London,  established  many  years  ago,  gives  one  an 
idea  of  a  sporting  paper.  It  is  an  authority  in  all  matters  connect- 
ed with  the  race -course,  the  ring,  the  hunt,  and  the  stream.  Its 
word  on  these  subjects  is  law.  Its  editor  is  the  Coke,  the  Black- 
stone  of  the  sporting  world.  When  a  paper  to  represent  a  particu- 
lar class  or  interest  is  established,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  satisfac- 
tion in  rinding  it  an  authority — in  finding  that  it  is  up  to  the  mark, 
and  worth  its  subscription  price.  Such  is  the  reputation  of  Bell's 
Life. 

Have  we  any  paper  of  this  kind  in  the  United  States  ? 

In  the  days  of  Colonel  William  Johnson, "  the  man  with  the  white 
hat,"  and  of  John  C.  Stevens,  who  did  so  much  for  the  race-course 
and  for  yachting  in  years  gone  by,  the  public  were  but  meagerly  sup- 
plied with  information  of  the  turf  and  the  field.  The  monarchs  of 
the  Union  Course  were  a  little  exclusive  at  first,  but  Stevens,  when 
he  comprehended  the  value  of  the  press,  expanded  a  little,  and  the 
fast  trotters  became  more  popular,  and  more  numerous,  and  better 
known.  When  such  matches  as  that  of  Eclipse  and  Henry  created 
an  excitement  which  extended  from  the  Penobscot  to  the  Missis- 
sippi, more  attention  was  paid  to  such  matters. 

William  T.  Porter,  a  printer  in  New  York,  whose  tastes  and  in- 
stincts all  run  in  the  right  direction  for  the  enterprise,  then  estab- 
lished the  Spirit  of  the  Times.  This  was  in  1831.  It  was  the  Bell's 
Life  of  America.  It  was  the  first  weekly  sporting  paper  published 
in  the  United  States.  It  was  acceptably  managed  and  edited  by 
Porter  till  1853  or  thereabouts.  He  became  widely  known  through- 
out the  country  as  a  judge  of  horses  and  stock  of  all  sorts.  His 
opinion  was  sought  by  every  one  interested  in  sporting,  from  catch- 
ing a  trout  with  a  fly,  and  snooting  a  canvas-back  on  the  Delaware, 
to  the  capture  of  a  buffalo  on  the  prairies.  "  The  Tall  Son  of  York," 
as  he  was  familiarly  called,  became  the  most  genial  of  companions, 
and  suffered  immensely  thereby,  but  he  made  the  Spirit  of  the  Times 
an  oracle  in  the  ^  sporting  world.  Owing  to  some  differences,  Col- 
onel Porter  left  the  old  concern  in  1853  or  '54,  and,  in  company 
with  George  Wilkes,  established  what  was  known  for  some  time  as 
Porter's  Spirit  of  the  Times,  and  which  continued  to  keep  up  the 


342  Journalism  in  America. 

character  of  sporting  journalism.  Colonel  Porter  died  in  1858,  when 
the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Wilkes.  It  is  now  calle'd  The 
Spirit  of  the  Times :  the  American  Gentleman's  Newspaper.  When 
the  war  broke  out  in  1861  its  present  editor  run  into  politics,  and 
mixed  the  rebellion  and  the  race-course  in  fair  proportions  in  his 
columns. 

One  of  the  curious  incidents  of  life  in  New  York  is  related,  in 
connection  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Times,  by  Mr.  Raymond,  of  the 
Daily  Times,  as  having  come  under  his  observation : 

While  walking  down  Broadway  one  afternoon,  before  I  had  begun  to  earn  much 
money,  I  fell  into  the  wake  of  a  tall,  handsome,  splendidly-dressed  young  man,  dis- 
playing himself,  in  all  the  luxury  of  white  kids  and  diamond  studs,  to  the  general 
admiration.  I  fancied  him  one  of  the  nabobs  of  the  town,  and  fell  into  a  train  of 
wondering  thought  as  to  how  he  had  probably  reached  his  present  height  of  daz- 
zling splendor.  Of  course,  I  could  not  wholly  forbear  contrasting  my  own  posi- 
tion with  his,  though  without  any  feelings  of  special  envy.  The  next  day  Mr. 
Greeley  asked  me  to  go  to  the  office  of  Porter's  Spirit  of  the  Times,  then  in  Bar- 
clay Street,  and  get  him  a  copy  of  the  paper.  While  waiting  at  the  desk,  the  door 
opened,  and  my  magnificent  friend  of  the  day  before,  all  accoutred  as  he  was, 
sailed  in.  He  walked  into  the  back  part  of  the  office,  took  off,  folded,  and  put 
away  his  white  gloves,  hung  up  his  hat  and  coat,  put  on  an  ink-stained  linen  jack- 
et, and  set  himself  busily  to  work  writing  wrappers.  I  felt  decidedly  encouraged 
as  to  the  prospects  of  New  York  life  ! 

Another  paper  of  this  class,  called  the  New  York  Clipper,  was  start- 
ed in  New  York  about  1853.  It  is  also  an  authority.  It  is  owned 
and  edited  by  Frank  Queen.  It  has  been  quite  prosperous,  and 
recently  its  proprietor  erected  a  fine  building  in  Centre  Street,  an 
ornament  to  that  noted  thoroughfare,  for  the  transaction  of  his  in- 
creasing business.  The  Clipper  is  a  large  quarto,  handsomely  made 
up  and  printed.  It  has  the  additional  title  of  the  Oldest  American 
Sporting  and  Theatrical  Journal,  but  the  Spirit  of  the  Times  is  more 
than  twenty  years  its  senior.  When  such  men  as  Tom  Hyer  and 
John  C.  Heenan  prepared  for  a  fight  in  the  ring,  the  stakes  were  de- 
posited at  the  office  of  the  Clipper. 

The  Turf,  Field,  and  Farm  is  yet  another  publication  devoted  to 
the  kindred  subjects  of  its  title.  It  makes  its  weekly  appearance  in 
the  metropolis,  and  is  also  successful.  This  is  not  surprising,  for 
there  is  so  much  wealth  and  time  now  expended  in  horses  that 
there  is  every  desire  to  know  all  about  them. 

These  papers  indulge  in  learned  and  edifying  articles  on  racing, 
angling,  base-ball,  cricket,  la  crosse,  yachting,  skating,  shooting,  row- 
ing— indeed,  in  all  outdoor  sports.  They  give  an  impulse  to  open- 
air  enjoyments,  and  do  a  great  deal  towards  improving  \\iQphysique 
of  the  human  family,  and  towards  throwing  away  the  physic  of  the 
family  physician. 

There  are  other  publications  in  the  Union  devoted  more  or  less 
to  horses,  and  hunting,  and  fishing,  but  these  take  the  lead,  and  are 
specialties  in  this  kind  of  journalism.  John  S.  Skinner,  as  far  in  the 


Influence  of  Class  Newspapers.  343 

rear  as  1818,  published  a  Turf  Magazine  in  Baltimore,  and  paid  at- 
tention to  the  breed  of  horses.  The  Western  Stock  Journal  is  a  pa- 
per now  printed  at  the  West  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  all  sorts 
of  animals.  No  country  surpasses  this  in  attention  to  this  subject. 
Our  daily  papers  are  also  interested  in  all  matters  connected  with 
the  turf,  field,  and  water-courses — the  prize  ring,  the  race-course,  pig- 
eon shooting,  buffalo  hunting,  mains,  and  similar  sports — but  they 
do  not  confine  themselves  to  these  matters.  Occasionally,  it  is  true, 
a  sporting  paper  takes  higher  flights — Wilkes's  Spirit  of  the  Times, 
for  instance — and  makes  suggestions  to  politicians,  statesmen,  and 
generals,  and  sometimes  brings  down  such  game  with  a  shot  or  two. 

The  interest  exhibited  in  the  success  of  these  papers  is  also  to  be 
seen  in  the  improvement  of  our  horses,  in  our  game-laws,  in  the  in- 
troduction of  fish-ways  on  rivers  and  streams  where  factories  had 
driven  away  or  destroyed  the  trout,  shad,  salmon,  black  bass,  and 
alewives,  and  in  all  farm  animals.  When  Dexters  sell  for  $30,000 
apiece,  and  Flatbush  mares  for  $20,000,  and  the  value  of  horses 
that  make  their  magnificent  appearance  in  Central  Park,  on  Belle- 
vue  Avenue,  and  on  the  Brighton  Road  in  one  day,  for  pleasure 
alone,  is  estimated  at  a  million  of  dollars,  need  there  be  any  sur- 
prise at  the  erection  of  handsome  stone  edifices  for  publication  of- 
fices of  sporting  papers  ? 

These  class  papers  have  their  value.  Their  circulation  is  not, 
comparatively,  large ;  it  is  necessarily  limited  to  the  particular  inter- 
est it  represents ;  but  these  papers  unquestionably  give  more  infor- 
mation on  the  subjects  they  treat  than  the  general  newspaper  can. 
It  may  be  impossible  for  a  daily  paper  to  embrace  within  its  space 
all  the  movements  of  the  day — science,  fashion,  politics,  history,  phi- 
losophy, literature,  theatres,  art,  music,  sporting,  yachting,  inventions, 
discoveries,  religion,  law,  poetry,  agriculture,  trade,  finance,  morals, 
education — all  in  full  and  complete.  News  on  all  these  points  are 
given,  but  the  elaborate  and  scientific  details  go  into  the  class  pa- 
pers, where  each  particular  interest  can  learn  all  that  has  been  de- 
veloped on  the  subject,  and  frequently  illustrated  with  superior  en- 
gravings of  plans,  machinery,  horses,  cows,  models,  instruments,  and 
diagrams. 


344  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  BLANKET  SHEETS  OF  NEW  YORK. 

THE  MORNING  COURIER  AND  NEW  YORK  ENQUIRER. — JAMES  WATSON 
WEBB.  —  NEWSPAPER  ENTERPRISE. — SIZE  OF  THE  SHEETS. — THE  CILLEY 
DUEL. — THE  WOODS  RIOT. — THE  MARSHALL  DUEL. — SENTENCE  OF  COL- 
ONEL WEBB. — WILLIAM  L.  MARCY  AND  JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT. — THE 
MACKENZIE  PAMPHLET. — WEBB  AND  NAPOLEON. — THE  JOURNAL  OF  COM- 
MERCE.—  ITS  ORIGIN.  —  HALE  AND  HALLOCK.  —  NEWS  SCHOONERS  AND 
PONY  EXPRESSES. — ABOLITION  RIOTS  IN  NEW  YORK. — ORIGIN  OF  THE  AS- 
SOCIATED PRESS. — THE  BOGUS  LINCOLN  PROCLAMATION. — SUSPENSION  OF 
NEW  YORK  PAPERS. 

THE  "  blanket  sheets"  made  their  appearance  in  the  city  of  New 
York  in  1827.  The  Morning  Courier  and  Journal  of  Commerce  were 
established  in  that  year,  and  became  leading  metropolitan  journals. 
They  did  not  come  under  the  cognomen  of"  blanket  sheets"  for  sev- 
eral years  after  that  period,  but  this  is  the  title  they  enjoy  in  jour- 
nalistic annals.  They  made  some  noise  in  Gotham  in  their  day. 
They  were  commercial  and  political  papers.  They  pretended  to 
look  after  the  interests  of  the  mercantile  classes.  They  acquired 
their  influence  mostly,  however,  from  their  politics,  negative  and  pos- 
itive. In  their  early  days,  one  was  Democratic,  the  other  Abolition. 
In  their  later  life,  the  Democrat  became  a  Whig,  and  the  Abolition 
a  Democratic  organ. 

THE  COURIER  AND  ENQUIRER. 

First  in  order  is  the  Morning  Courier.  It  was  established  in  May, 
1827.  In  the  following  December  it  passed  into  the  possession  of 
James  Watson  Webb,  a  brother-in-law  of  its  originator.  Webb  had 
been  an  officer  in  the  army,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  was  young 
and  fresh  in  the  fields  of  journalism.  Thirty-four  years  after  this 
event,  in  speaking  of  his  debfit  as  an  editor,  he  said : 

We  left  the  army  a  mere  boy,  to  take  charge  of  a  political  press  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  political  campaign  which  terminated  in  the  election  of  Andrew 
Jackson  to  the  presidency  in  1828,  and,  in  a  party  point  of  view,  we  possessed  not 
a  solitary  qualification  for  the  position.  We  brought  into  political  life  the  one 
leading  characteristic  of  the  army,  a  determination  on  all  occasions  to  speak  not 
only  the  truth,  but  the  whole  truth,  and  in  practicing  upon  this,  to  the  mere  poli- 
tician, ridiculous  theory,  we,  of  course,  became  in  a  short  time  a  target  at  which 
our  political  friends  were  as  fond  of  firing  as  were  our  political  opponents ;  and 
to  this  we  may  justly  attribute  the  somewhat  well-known  fact  that  we  have  been 
considerably  the  best-abused  personage  connected  with  the  American  Press.  Jack- 


The  New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer.       345 

son  had  not  been  inaugurated  a  month  before  we  openly  condemned  some  of  his 
acts;  and  when  he  abandoned  a  protective  tariff  and  a  Bank  of  the  United  States, 
we  abandoned  him ;  and  we  then  made  proclamation,  and  have  ever  adhered  to 
our  declaration,  that  doing  battle  under  the  motto  of  "  Principles,  not  Men,"  we 
should  never  recognize  any  allegiance  to  party  except  so  far  as  adherence  to  its 
forms  might  be  necessary  to  carry  out  the  great  principles  which  we  seek  to  es- 
tablish. 

The  Enquirer,  as  we  have  stated,  was  merged  with  the  Courier  in 
the  spring  of  1829.  Webb,  Noah,  and  Bennett  were  in  Albany  seek- 
ing some  of  the  public  printing,  and,  to  arrange  the  pending  differ- 
ences of  that  time,  the  latter  suggested  to  Webb  the  purchase  of 
the  Enquirer.  This  idea  was  carried  into  effect,  and  the  united  pa- 
pers appeared  under  the  title  of  the  Morning  Courier  and  New  York 
Enquirer.  The  Courier  started  free  of  party  influence.  It  was  es- 
tablished by  the  father-in-law  of  its  first  editor  as  a  business  or 
profession.  But  in  those  exciting  times  neutrality  or  independence 
in  politics  seemed  impossible.  Hence  it  became  a  political  paper ; 
and  when  it  came  into  the  hands  of  Webb,  in  spite,  or  in  conse- 
quence of  his  inexperience,  it  assumed  a  more  decided  political  char- 
acter. Webb  was  young  and  ardent.  He  was  a  man  of  impulse. 
Excitement  to  the  verge  of  a  fight,  and  even  actual  hostilities,  suited 
his  temperament.  If  his  rights  were  at  all  interfered  or  trifled  with, 
from  a  theatrical  criticism  to  a  political  opinion,  there  must  be  an 
atonement  in  some  way,  either  in  a  riot  at  the  Park  Theatre  or  a 
duel  at  Bladensburg.  Such  a  man,  with  sound  judgment  and  strong 
persistency,  would  make  a  splendid  journalist. 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer,  by  which  name  it  is  now  known  to 
fame,  continued  a  Democratic  organ  and  an  influential  Jackson  pa- 
per till  1832.  It  was  published  in  1830  by  James  Watson  Webb, 
Daniel  E.  Tylee,  and  James  Lawson  ;  in  1831  by  Webb,  Tylee,  and 
James  Gordon  Bennett.  It  left  the  Democratic  Party  in  1832,  early 
in  the  great  fight  on  the  United  States  Bank  question.  All  sorts 
of  stories  have  been  told  in  explanation  of  this  change  in  the  poli- 
tics of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  the  well-known  Silas  E.  Bur- 
rows, a  public-spirited  and  enterprising  merchant,  abandoned  Jack- 
son, and  came  out  in  favor  of  Nicholas  Biddle  and  the  Bank  at  the 
same  time.  The  paper  was  then  published  by  James  W.  Webb  & 
Co.  The  Democrats,  led  by  Churchill  C.  Cambreleng  in  Congress, 
made  every  effort  to  throw  some  suspicion  on  Colonel  Webb's  mo- 
tives for  his  advocacy  of  Biddle  and  the  Bank.  James  Gordon  Ben- 
nett disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  paper  when  the  revolution  in  its 
political  sentiments  was  decided  upon. 

Colonel  Webb,  in  his  valedictory  in  June,  1861,  when  the  Courier 
and  Enquirer  was  united  with  the  World,  stated  that  "  from  the  time 
we  became  proprietor  of  the  Morning  Courier  in  December,  1827, 
until  now,  he  who  now  writes  has  been  the  sole  and  only  responsi- 


346  Journalism  in  America. 

ble  editor  of  the  Morning  Courier,  and  of  the  Morning  Courier  and 
New  York  Enquirer ;"  yet  he  has  been  assisted  by  several  leading 
and  distinguished  journalists  :  by  James  Gordon  Brooks,  known  as 
"Florio;"  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  Herald;  James  Kirke 
Paulding ;  Charles  King,  afterwards  President  of  Columbia  College ; 
John  O.  Sargent,  afterwards  editor  of  the  Washington  Republic,  and 
known  as  Taylor's  organ  ;  Henry  Jarvis  Raymond,  of  the  New  York 
Times ;  Hoskins,  Daniels,  Spaulding,  Smith,  George  H.  Andrews, 
and  half  a  dozen  others.  Some  of  the  most  powerful  articles  on 
nullification  which  appeared  in  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  were  writ- 
ten by  James  K.  Paulding,  the  novelist,  and  afterwards  Secretary 
of  the  Navy. 

The  paper  mostly  in  competition  with  the  Courier  and  Enquirer 
was  \he,Journal  of  Commerce — not  politically,  for  the  Courier  was  now 
a  decided  Whig,  and  the  Journal  at  this  -time  wished  to  be  consid- 
ered as  decidedly  neutral.  It  was  for  the  support  of  the  commer- 
cial classes  that  these  papers  fought  and  struggled.  They  enlarged 
their  respective  journals  to  an  enormous  size  in  competition  for  the 
advertisements  of  the  merchants  ;  they  started  news  schooners  and 
pony  expresses ;  they  spent  money,  and  worked  with  a  will.  The 
news  schooners  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  were  the  pilot-boats 
Thomas  H.  Smith  and  Eclipse,  hired  for  the  purpose.  Then  a  su- 
perior clipper  was  built,  and  called  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  The 
yournal  of  Commerce  had  two  schooners,  one  the  Evening  Edition, 
and  the  other  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  Sometimes  these  five  swift 
sailers  would  be  together  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  miles  at  sea  from 
Sandy  Hook,  in  the  exciting  pursuit  of  ships  and  foreign  news. 
These  races  were  almost  equal  to  those  of  the  fast  yachts  of  the 
New  York  Squadron  in  the  fall  of  1871  with  the  Livonia.  News  in- 
stead of  silver  cups  were  the  prizes.  This  enterprise  of  these  two 
journals,  costing  each  paper  $15,000  to  $20,000  per  year,  was  com- 
menced in  1831,  and  was  continued  till  1834,  when  the  schooners 
were  disposed  of,  and  small  row-boats  resumed  their  position  in  the 
harbor. 

These  "  blanket  sheets"  were  equally  enterprising  with  their  pony 
expresses  from  Washington,  which  they  established  to  convey  their 
dispatches  from  the  national  capital.  Many  interesting  incidents 
occurred  in  their  contests  for  news.  Neither  was  persistent  in  its 
enterprise.  One  established  a  news  schooner  because  the  other  did. 
The  circulation  of  these  papers  was  considered  large  at  that  time  ; 
it  was  about  four  thousand  to  four  thousand  five  hundred  each — 
nothing  compared  with  the  circulation  of  the  journals  of  to-day. 
If  that  of  the  Herald,  for  instance,  should  rise  or  fall  five  thousand 
any  day  from  any  particular  excitement,  or  in  the  absence  of  im- 


A  Newspaper  Hoax.  347 

portant  news,  it  would  not  be  noticed.  But  this  circulation  com- 
manded the  advertisements  of  that  day ;  and  the  enterprise  of  the 
Courier  and  Journal,  as  they  both  started  in  the  same  year,  were  to 
them  what  Bonner's  extraordinary  advertisements  and  literary  en- 
terprise thirty-five  years  later  are  to  the  Ledger. 

Among  the  incidents  related  of  the  enterprise  of  these  journals 
was  one  affecting  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  In  one  period  of  their 
competition  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  happened  to  be  most  fortunate 
in  getting  foreign  news.  Advices  from  the  other  parts  of  the  world 
than  Europe  came  so  rarely  and  were  of  such  small  interest,  that 
the  news  from  Europe  was  always  distinguished  as  "foreign  news." 
Much  to  Webb's  surprise,  he  found,  when  he  felt  sure  that  he  was 
ahead,  that  the  journal  of  Commerce  also  had  the  news.  How  was 
this  ?  After  being  disappointed  in  his  hopes  once  or  twice  in  the 
exclusiveness  of  his  news,  he,  like  a  true  graduate  of  West  Point, 
thought  he  could  resort  to  a  little  strategy.  About  that  time  the 
Ajax,  we  believe,  was  due  from  Europe  with  later  news.  One  morn- 
ing the  Courier  and  Enquirer  appeared  with  a  postscript,  announcing 
the  arrival  of  their  news  schooner  with  the  news  by  the  Ajax,  which 
had  reached  the  offing  the  night  before.  The  "  news"  was  given. 
It  appeared  in  a  few  copies  only.  These  were  left  by  the  regular 
carrier  in  the  regular  way  at  the  doors  of  the  subscribers'  stores 
nearest  the  newspaper  offices.  One  was  "  borrowed."  Immediately 
the  others  were  gathered  up  and  destroyed,  and  the  regular  Courier 
and  Enquirer,  without  the  "  news,"  delivered  to  their  subscribers. 
That  morning  the  Journal  of  Commerce  published  the  "  news  by  the 
Ajax"  exclusively. 

"  Ho !  ho !  Your  neighbor  is  ahead  of  you  this  morning,"  ex- 
claimed the  Courier  subscribers,  'rushing  into  the  office. 

"  Ahead  ?     No  !     How  ?"  asked  the  astonished  clerks. 

"  Haven't  you  seen  the  Journal1!  It's  got  the  Aj  ax's  news!  Beat- 
en this  time,  my  fine  fellows.  They  are  too  much  for  you.  You 
had  better  look  out  for  your  laurels,"  said  the  considerate  friends  of 
the  Courier. 

But  these  consolatory  remarks  did  not  seem  to  affect  the  occu- 
pants of  that  establishment  as  such  remarks  sometimes  do.  They 
looked  as  if  the  Courier  could  survive  the  defeat.  After  a  few  con- 
gratulations the  cat  was  seen  in  the  meal-tub,  and  the  attaches  of 
the  Journal  of  Commerce  were  not  very  hilarious  about  Wall  Street 
that  day. 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer  and  Journal  of  Commerce  organized 
their  daily  pony  expresses  from  Washington  in  1835.  This  enter- 
prise went  into  effect  for  the  session  of  Congress  of  1835-6.  It 
was  a  successful  one  for  these  journals.  It  was  not  continued,  how- 


348  Journalism  in  America. 

ever,  and  was,  therefore,  only  of  temporary  advantage.  Amos  Ken- 
dall, then  Postmaster  General,  set  up  an  opposition.  Quite  an  in- 
teresting trial  before  the  Court  of  Sessions  of  New  York  grew  out 
of  the  pony  express  of  the  Courier.  One  of  the  packages  of  that 
paper  was  tampered  with  by  some  one,  and  Messrs.  Day  and  Beach, 
of  the  Sun,  were  prosecuted  by  Colonel  Webb  for  using  his  news. 
Although  it  was  shown  that  they  knew  the  contents  of  the  package, 
it  was  not  proved  that  they  broke  the  seal  of  the  parcel  which  had 
been  brought  from  Washington  by  express. 

There  was  a  tragical  episode  in  the  career  of  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer in  the  winter  of  1838.  The  Washington  correspondent  of 
that  journal,  the  well-known  Matthew  L.  Davis,  who  wrote  over  the 
nomme  de  plume  of  "The  Spy  in  Washington,"  made  a  charge  of  cor- 
ruption against  some  member  of  Congress.  The  matter  was  brought 
before  the  House,  and  Mr.  Davis  was  summoned  before  the  Speaker. 
The  charge  led  to  an  excited  debate,  in  which  one  of  the  members 
was  savagely  severe  on  all  newspapers,  newspaper  editors,  and  news- 
paper letter-writers.  In  this  debate,  Jonathan  Cilley,  one  of  the 
members  from  Maine,  was  particularly  severe  on  the  character  of 
Colonel  James  Watson  Webb,  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  On 
reaching  the  attention  of  that  gentleman,  he  immediately  started  for 
the  national  capital  to  obtain  satisfaction.  Those  who  were  con- 
nected with  the  press  and  politics  in  that  year  will  never  forget  the 
excitement  the  appearance  of  Webb  in  Washington,  and  the  subse- 
quent tragical  scene  near  that  city,  produced  throughout  the  country. 
We  will  let  Matthew  L.  Davis  tell  the  story,  as  he  did  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  to  the  Courier  and  Enquirer : 

WASHINGTON,  24th  of  Feb.,  1838. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer: 

It  is  with  great  reluctance  that  I  notice,  in  my  letters,  the  contests  or  collisions 
of  gentlemen,  but  cases  do  occur  which  seem  to  be  imperative  in  their  character, 
and  one  has  recently  occurred  which  I  can  not  pass  unnoticed. 

It  is  within  your  knowledge  that  Mr.  Cilley,  of  Maine,  on  the  floor  of  the  House, 
made  an  attack  on  Col.  J.  W.  Webb.  That  gentleman  arrived  here  a  few  days 
since,  and  through  Mr.  Graves,  of  Kentucky,  called  upon  Mr.  Cilley,  in  courteous 
terms,  for  an  explanation  of  his  language. 

On  Mr.  Graves  presenting  the  communication  of  Col.  Webb  to  Mr.  Cilley,  he 
demurred  as  to  receiving  it,  but  took  time  to  consider.  Shortly  after  Mr.  Cilley 
declined  to  receive  it,  and  assumed  the  ground,  in  conversation  with  Mr.  Graves, 
that  he  did  not  hold  himself  responsible  for  language  used  in  debate,  etc.,  that  he 
intended  no  discourtesy  to  Mr.  Graves,  and,  as  Mr.  Graves  understood  him,  made 
no  objections  to  Col.  Webb's  character  or  standing  as  a  gentleman. 

On  separating,  Mr.  Graves  addressed  a  note  to  Mr.  Cilley,  requesting  him  to 
commit  to  writing  the  substance  of  their  conversation,  which,  as  he  understood  it, 
he  repeated  in  his  note.  Mr.  Cilley  replied,  admitting  all  the  points  except  that 
which  refers  to  Col.  Webb's  character  or  standing,  and  which  he  neither  admits 
nor  denies.  Mr.  Graves  considered  this  equivocal,  if  not  impeaching  his  own 
statement  of  the  conversation,  as  contained  in  his  note  to  Mr.  Cilley,  and  so 
writes  him  requiring  further  explanation. 

Mr.  Cilley  adhered  to  the  course  he  had  adopted,  and  adds,  that  he  can  not 
permit  himself  to  be  catechized  on  that  point,  whereupon  Mr.  Graves,  through 


The  Graves  and  Cilley  Duel.  349 

Mr. Wise,  demanded  satisfaction,  which  demand  Mr.  Cilley  agreed  to  grant,  and 
proposed  to  meet  this  day  with  rifles,  provided  the  distance  of  one  hundred  yards 
is  also  accepted.  Mr.  Graves  joins  issue  ;  and  the  parties  went  out  this  morn- 
ing, with  their  respective  friends,  to  a  place  unknown  to  me,  for  the  purpose  of 
terminating  the  affair  with  rifles. 

While  I  am  writing,  I  am  interrupted  by  a  gentleman  entering  my  room,  and 
informing  me  that  the  body  of  Mr.  Cilley  has  just  been  conveyed  to  his  lodgings  ; 
that  he  fell,  and  expired  immediately  after,  on  the  third  fire ;  and  that  Mr.  Graves 
has  returned  unhurt. 

The  city  has  been  filled  with  rumors  respecting  Col. Webb,  arising  no  doubt, 
out  of  the  fact  that  he  had  determined  to  prevent  the  fight  between  Mr.  Cilley 
and  Mr.  Graves  ;  but  he  was  kept  in  ignorance  as  to  the  time  and  place  ;  and  had 
no  suspicion  that  they  would  meet  to-day,  or  for  some  days  to  come,  until  about 
ten  o'clock  this  morning ;  when,  accompanied  by  two  friends,  each  of  them  arm- 
ed, he  proceeded  to  Bladensburgh  in  search  of  the  hostile  party,  with  a  fixed  res- 
olution that  Mr.  Cilley  should  permit  him  to  take  the  place  of  Mr.  Graves.  In 
this  decision  his  friends  would  have  sustained  him,  at  all  hazards,  regardless  of 
all  consequences.  Not  finding  the  combatants,  Mr.  Webb  returned  to  Washing- 
ton, and  having  received  information  that  led  to  the  conclusion  that  they  might 
be  found  in  another  direction,  with  the  same  friends  he  renewed  the  attempt  to 
discover  the  place  of  meeting ;  but  this  was  alike  unsuccessful.  Returning  to 
this  city,  they  made  a  third  attempt  with  the  like  result ;  and  I  think  most  fortu- 
nately, for  no  man  can  tell  what  would  have  been  the  termination  of  such  a  meet- 
ing, supported,  as  Col. Webb  was,  by  two  chivalric  and  resolute  friends. 

These  movements,  however,  during  the  morning,  produced  rumors  that  Col. 
Webb  was  himself  embarked  in  the  conflict.  They  were  without  foundation. 
Col.  Webb  has  neither  given  nor  received  any  challenge,  except  in  the  case  of  Mr. 
Cilley,  since  his  arrival  in  Washington.  THE  SPY  IN  WASHINGTON. 

Matthew  L.  Davis,  "  The  Old  Boy  in  Specs"  as  well  as  "  The 
Spy  in  Washington,"  was  for  a  number  of  years  the  New  York  cor- 
respondent of  the  London  Times,  and  wrote  over  the  signature  of  "A 
Genevese  Traveller."  He  resigned  his  position  in  1848  in  conse- 
quence of  his  advanced  age.  He  commenced  life  as  a  journalist  in 
the  last  century,  and  was  always  the  friend  of  Aaron  Burr.  He 
was  his  literary  executor  and  biographer.  Affairs  of  honor  he  was 
accustomed  to,  and  was  mixed  up  with  several  in  his  early  career. 

Colonel  Webb  imported  a  new  English  printing-press  in  the  spring 
of  1838.  It  did  not  work  well.  English  white  paper  was  nec- 
essary to  its  success.  Our  flimsy  cotton  rag  paper  would  roll  and 
clog  the  machinery.  The  press  was  therefore  soon  abandoned,  and 
the  Courier  fell  back  on  Hoe's  inventions.  Walker,  of  the  Daily 
Advertiser,  had  previously  imported  an  English  press  which  was 
more  successful. 

One  essential  point  with  the  Courier  and  Journal  seemed  to  be 
size.  One  must  be  the  largest !  The  size  of  each  page  of  the  New 
York  Gazette,  Daily  Advertiser,  the  Philadelphia  Aurora,  and  Relfs 
Gazette,  the  old  class  of  journals,  was  about  the  same  as  those  of 
the  World,  Times,  Herald,  and  Tribune  are  now.  They  did  not,  how- 
ever, publish  double,  triple,  or  quadruple  sheets.  We  speak  of  the 
size  of  each  page.  It  was  the  ambition  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
Courier  and  Journal,  in  their  competition,  to  be  large — to  cover 
more  white  paper  than  was  ever  before  covered.  They  were  folio 


35O  Journalism  in  America. 

sheets.  If  one  enlarged  and  boasted  of  more  superficial  inches,  the 
other  would  immediately  bend  its  energies  to  add  an  inch  to  its 
size,  and  make  its  paper  as  inconveniently  large  as  possible. 
Hence  the  name  of  "  blanket  sheets"  which  Bennett,  of  the  Herald, 
gave  them.  In  September,  1850,  the  Courier  plumed  itself  on  be- 
ing sixty-eight  square  inches  larger  than  the  London  Times.  It 
went  into  a  long  arithmetical  calculation  to  show  how  far  ahead  of 
the  Thunderer  it  had  become.  Thus  Webb  took  a  copy  of  the  two 
papers  of  that  period,  and  counted  the  number  of  letters  in  each, 
with  this  result : 

In  the  London  Times  : 

Columns.         a  Column.          a  Line.  Total. 

Nonpareil  -        -        -        -    23^            250            32  188,000 

Minion                                         19              232            28  123,424 

Brevier       -        -        -               5^-            192            24  _25>344 

Total  ems  in  the  Times 336,768 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer  used  no  Brevier,  its  largest  type  being 
Minion ;  and  the  advertisements  were  set  in  Agate,  which  is  one 
size  smaller  than  the  Nonpareil  used  by  the  Times.  The  following 
statement  shows  the  number  of  ems  in  each  kind  of  type  used : 

In  the  New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer : 

Lines  in  Ems  in 

Columns.         a  Column.          a  Line.  Total. 

Agate         -        -        -        -    34^            539            34  632,247 

Nonpareil        ...          2             368            28  20,608 

Minion                                         1\            328            25  64,500 

Total  ems  in  Courier  and  Enquirer       -        -        -  714,355 

Total  ems  in  London  Times       ....  336,768 

Excess  in  Courier 377.587 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  number  of  ems  in  a  single  copy  of  the 
Courier  and  Enqitirer  was  more  than  twice  as  great  as  the  number 
in  a  single  copy  of  the  London  Times.  Occasionally,  however,  the 
Times  published  a  double-sheet  supplement,  filled  entirely  with  ad- 
vertisements in  Nonpareil,  each  column  of  which  contained  8000 
ems.  The  total  number  of  ems  in  both  the  Times  and  its  double 
supplement  on  such  occasions  was — 

In  the  Times -        -        -  336,768 

In  the  Supplement 384,000 

Total    -                  720,768 

In  the  Courier  and  Enquirer        -         ....  714.355 

Excess  in  Times   -        -        -        -        •        -         -  6,413 

So  the  London  Times,  with  one  of  its  double  advertising  supple- 
ments, which  it  rarely  issued,  contained  only  6413  ems  more  than  a 
single  copy  of  the  ordinary  daily  issue  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer, 
which  is  an  excess  of  but  little  over  a  third  of  one  of  its  advertising 
columns ! 

Was  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Journal  of  Commerce  would 


Size  of  Old  and  Modern  Newspapers.        35 1 

permit  this  ?  Were  Hale  and  Hallock  to  be  outdone  by  James  Wat- 
son Webb  ?  Not  if  there  were  rags  enough  in  Italy  and  America 
for  the  paper-mills.  In  October,  1850,  the  Journal  was  enlarged, 
but,  owing  to  circumstances  beyond  their  control,  a  copy  of  that 
paper  measured  only  1820  square  inches,  61  inches  less  than  the 
Courier.  Would  this  do  ?  Of  course  not.  Therefore  on  the  ist 
of  March,  1853,  the  grand  climax  was  reached  :  the  Journal  of  'Com- 
merce announced  itself  the  "  largest  daily  paper  in  the  world."  It 
measured  i6J  feet,  or  20575  square  inches — 765  square  inches 
larger  than  the  Courier.  Happy  journalists !  It  must  have  been  a 
wet  blanket  for  Col.  Webb  on  that  morning.  What  a  difference  in 
size  these  mammoth  sheets  of  1850-53  present  when  compared 
with  Harris's  Publick  Occurrences  of  1690,  and  the  Boston  News-Let- 
ter of  1704.  Let  us  see  the  figures  in  contrast : 

Boston  News-Letter,      1704  -  192  square  inches. 

Courier  and  Enquirer,  1850         -         -         -         1881       "          " 
Journal  of  Commerce,   1853    -  2057      "          " 

When  the  World's  Fair  was  announced  to  be  held  in  the  Crystal 
Palace  in  London,  among  other  productions  of  mankind  to  be 
placed  on  exhibition  were  newspapers.  Many  American  journals 
were  represented,  and  the  English  newspaper  critics  rather  sneered 
at  our  specimen  sheets.  Very  few  of  our  papers  were  then  printed 
as  well  as  they  are  now.  Our  advertising  columns  were  disfigured 
with  all  sorts  of  pictures  and  head-lines.  Some  of  them  looked  as 
deplorably  as  the  advertisement  pages  of  the  Paris  papers,  or  the 
side  of  an  old  fence  covered  with  placards,  with  their  curious  and 
confounding  cross-readings.  On  that  occasion  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer appeared  in  full  costume  :  a  specimen  number  was  published 
for  that  Universal  Exhibition,  and  here  are  the  dimensions  as  they 
appeared  in  that  paper  on  the  ist  of  January,  1851.  This  specimen 
was  in  no  spirit  of  competition  with  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  It 
was  merely  a  broadside  at  John  Bull,  to  show  that  conceited  and 
portly  old  fellow  what  a  Yankee  newspaper  publisher  could  do. 
The  Courier  said : 

This  edition  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  will  challenge  general  attention  on 
account  of  its  size.  We  believe  it  is  the  largest  newspaper  sheet  ever  published 
in  the  world.  The  ordinary  edition  of  the  daily  Courier  and  Enquirer  is  consid- 
erably larger,  judged  by  any  standard,  than  any  other  daily  published  either  in 
Europe  or  in  the  United  States — containing  more  than  twice  as  many  ems,  and 
332  more  square  inches,  than  a  copy  of  the  London  Times.  But  this  edition,  as 
will  be  seen  by  a  slight  calculation,  transcends  any  edition  of  the  Times  or  of  any 
other  daily  newspaper  ever  published. 

This  copy  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  contains  eight  pages,  of  eleven  col- 
umns each,  the  total  number  of  ems  in  which  may  be  thus  estimated : 


352  Journalism  in  America. 


Lines 

Ems 

Columns.            in 

a  Column. 

in  a  Line.' 

Total. 

Agate         ....       62$ 

539 

34 

1,145,375 

Nonpareil     -        -        -            2 

368 

28 

20,608 

Minion      -        ...       23$ 

328 

25 

192,700 

Total  ems  in  Courier  and  Enquirer 
Total  in  Times  and  Supplement 

- 

. 

1,358,683 
720,768 

Excess         - 

- 

- 

637,915 

The  present  number,  therefore,  of  this  paper  contains  nearly  TWICE  as  many 
ems  as  the  Times  in  its  double  supplement. 

These  mammoth  sheets  were  merely  curiosities  in  the  mechanical 
department  of  newspaper  literature.  They  were  useless  for  general 
use  and  circulation,  and  any  one  would  suppose  that  one  experi- 
ment would  satisfy  both  the  publisher  and  the  public  of  this  fact. 
But  not  so.  In  1859,  George  Roberts,  formerly  of  the  Boston  Times, 
came  to  New  York,  and  started  an  enterprise  that  was  to  cover  the 
"blanket  sheets"  and  all  other  papers  under  its  immense  pages. 
On  the  4th  of  July  it  made  its  appearance,  with  the  stunning  title 
of  The  Illuminated  Quadruple  Constellation.  It  was  certainly  a  cu- 
riosity. Nothing  of  the  sort  had  ever  appeared  before.  Nothing 
of  the  sort  has  appeared  since.  We  never  saw  even  a  second  num- 
ber of  the  Constellation.  This  first  number  was  evidently  sufficient 
for  this  century,  for  it  appears  by  the  following  advertisement  that 
Roberts  only  intends  publishing  it  once  in  a  hundred.years.  It  was 
not  a  daily,  nor  a  weekly,  nor  a  monthly,  but  a  century  paper.  The 
next  number  is  to  appear  on  the  4th  of  July,  1959.  But  here  is  the 
announcement : 

THE  GREAT  WONDER  OF  THE  AGE ! 

THE  MASTERDON  OF  NEWSPAPERS  ! 

PUBLISHED  ONCE  IN  100  YEARS ! 


The  subscriber  feels  great  pride  in  presenting  herewith  to  the  American  people 
THE  LARGEST  SHEET  OF  PAPER  EVER  MADE  AND  PRINTED  ? 

To  which  he  has  affixed  the  title  of 
"THE  ILLUMINATED  QUADRUPLE  CONSTELLATION." 

Being  one  sheet  70x100  inches  ! 

Beyond  all  question  it  will  be  pronounced  the  greatest  newspaper  curiosity  that 
will  be  seen  for  a  hundred  years.    This  immense  paper  contains  more  matter  than 
six  numbers  of  Harper's  Monthly,  or  fifteen  numbers  of  the  New  York  Ledger, 
or  Harper's  Weekly. 
A  limited  edition  of 

ONLY  28,000  COPIES 

has  been  printed,  and  it  is  impossible  to  issue  more  of  them,  as  the  different  pages 
have  all  been  distributed.     It  contains 

EIGHT  MAMMOTH  PAGES, 

thirteen  columns  to  a  page.  Each  column  FORTY-EIGHT  INCHES  in  length.  The 
paper  is  of  superior  quality,  of  great  strength  and  durability,  so  as  to  be  capable 
of  standing  great  usage,  weighing  300  pounds  to  the  ream,  and  costing  $60  a  ream 
— being  twelve  times  more  than  a  ream  of  the  Herald,  Times,  or  Tribune  costs. 
The  weight  of  paper  required  for  the  limited  edition  of  28,000  copies  is  equal  to 
that  required  for  over  200,000  copies  of  the  Times  and  Herald.  It  has  taken  eight 
weeks  of  unceasing  labor  of  nearly  forty  persons  to  produce  this 
MASTODON  PAPER! 

We  can  wait  without  impatience  for  the  next  number.     But,  in  a 


Meeting  between  Col.  Webb  and  Diiff  Green.   353 

mechanical  and  typographical  point  of  view,  these  two  specimens — 
that  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  for  the  World's  Fair,  and  the  Illu- 
minated Constellation — were  certainly  wonderful  curiosities  in  jour- 
nalism. 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer  was  always  a  demonstrative  paper.  Its 
first  illustration  of  this  fact  was  in  suggesting  the  nomination  of 
Martin  Van  Buren  for  the  presidency  in  1829,  to  succeed  General 
Jackson  at  the  expiration  of  his  first  term.  The  Telegraph,  then  the 
organ  of  Jackson,  denounced  the  movement  in  such  a  way  as  to  lead 
to  the  famous  encounter  between  Colonel  Webb  and  Duff  Green 
on  the  steps  of  the  Capitol.  This  affair,  one  of  the  sensations  of 
that  exciting  era  in  politics,  was  thus  described  by  the  two  parties 
interested.  Annexed  is  the 

STATEMENT  OF  COL.  JAMES  WATSON  WEBB. 

WASHINGTON  Cirv.Thursday,  May  6,  1830,  2  p.m. 

I  arrived  here  at  1 1  o'clock,  having  taken  the  5  o'clock  stage  from  Baltimore 
with  a  view  of  being  here  in  time  to  inflict  upon  Duff  Green,  on  his  arrival  at  the 
Capitol,  the  personal  chastisement  which  I  promised  him  and  which  he  so  richly 
merited.  I  reached  the  Capitol  at  half  past  u,  and  having  ascertained  that  he 
was  not  in  either  house  of  congress,  took  up  my  position  in  the  rotunda,  selected 
that  as  the  theatre  of  his  disgrace  and  not,  as  he  on  a  former  occasion  selected  a 
committee  room  of  the  senate,  when  he  pulled  the  nose  of  an  assistant  editor  of 

the '-.     This  being  the  day  on  which  an  interesting  race  was  to  be 

contested  on  the  Washington  Course,  many  of  the  members  were  leaving  the 
house,  and  those  who  knew  me  were  naturally  attracted  by  my  position.  They 
at  once  saw  my  object  and  urgently  recommended  me  to  select  some  other  place 
to  punish  Green.  I  complied  with  all  their  wishes,  and  determined  to  punish 
him  in  front  of  the  building.  I  accordingly  repaired  to  the  library,  which,  as  you 
well  know,  commands  a  view  of  the  approach  to  the  Capitol  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Avenue,  and  leisurely  waited  for  the  arrival  of  Green.  At  about  i  o'clock  I  saw 
him  enter  the  gate  opposite  the  west  front,  and  immediately  left  the  library  to 
meet  him,  previous  to  his  entrance  into  the  building,  and  thereby  avoid  the  charge 
of  assaulting,  within  the  Capitol,  an  officer  of  Congress.  On  my  arrival  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs,  however,  (Green  had  passed  the  wide  brick  walk  in  front  of  the  door, 
and  was  entering  the  building,)  I  immediately  exclaimed,  "  Well  met.  I  was  seek- 
ing you  !"  He  retreated  backwards  a  few  paces,  which  carried  him  some  distance 
from  the  door,  drawing,  at  the  same  time,  from  the  right  hand  pocket  of  his  pan- 
taloons, a  pistol,  about  eight  inches  long,  with  percussion  lock  and  half  cap,  and 
having  a  mahogany  stock.  His  retreat,  the  drawing  of  the  pistol,  and  its  being 
cocked  and  levelled  at  me  were  the  work  of  a  moment,  and  owing  to  my  distance 
from  him,  when  he  discovered  me,  I  could  not  close  with  and  disarm  him.  After 
looking  at  him  in  silence  some  seconds,  I  placed  under  my  arm  the  walking  cane 
which  I  used,  and  leaned  against  the  south  jamb  of  the  door,  addressing  him  in 
the  following  terms,  which  are  still  fresh  in  my  recollection  : 

"  You  poor,  contemptible,  cowardly  puppy,  do  you  not  feel  that  you  are  a  cow- 
ard, and  that  every  drop  of  blood  that  courses  through  your  veins  is  of  the  same 
kind  of  hue  as  your  complexion  ?  There  you  stand,  secured  from  punishment  by 
a  weapon  which  you  dare  not  use,  and  virtually  proclaiming  that  you  only  pre- 
sume to  assail  private  character,  because  you  think  it  will  not  add  to  your  infamy 
by  being  known  as  an  assailant !  Contemptible  and  degraded  as  you  are,  throw 
aside  your  pistol,  and  I  pledge  you  my  honor,  I  will  not  injure  you.  I  will  throw 
away  my  cane,  and  only  pull  your  nose  and  box  your  ears." 

He  refused  to  do  so,  alleging  that  he  would  never  descend  to  my  level.  He 
then  requested  me  to  proceed  and  let  him  pass.  I  told  him  that  I  would  not,  but 
that  he  should  pass  me  as  I  then  stood,  or  stand  and  hear  me  abuse  him.  He 
did  not  dare  to  pass,  fearing  that  I  should  take  the  pistol  from  him.  After  some 

z 


354  Journalism  in  America. 

moments,  however,  I  told  him  I  would  return  up  stairs,  and  proclaim  to  every 
member  of  congress  his  cowardly  conduct.  We  accordingly  proceeded  to  the 
house  of  representatives,  where  I  related  all  that  had  passed,  and  from  thence 
hastened  to  commit  it  to  paper,  while  the  expressions  I  used  to  him  were  still  fresh 
in  my  memory. 

I  have  already,  and  will  again  prove  him  a  wilful  and  malicious  slanderer.  He 
now  stands  branded  as  a  coward.  Can  he  remain  where  he  is  ?  No.  He  is  a 
disgrace  to  the  station  he  fills,  and  must  sink  into  the  oblivion  from  which  he  was 
accidently  brought  forth.  JAS.  WATSON  WEBB. 

The  editor  of  the  Telegraph  wrote  to  a  friend  in  New  York  giving 
his  version  of  the  meeting.  Colonel  Webb  was  called  the  "  senior 
editor"  of  the  Courier  at  that  time,  and  hence  that  phrase  in  Gen- 
eral Green's  letter.  The  Herald  alluded  to  in  this  communication 
was  a  paper  of  that  name  edited  by  Alanson  Nash,  and  which  was 
afterwards  merged  with  the  Standard : 

GENERAL  DUFF  GREEN'S  STATEMENT. 

WASHINGTON,  May  7,  1830. 

Dear  Sir.  Your  "senior  editor"  is  here.  I  yesterday,  passing  up  to  the  Capi- 
tol, met  him  at  the  west  front.  I  had  been  advised  by  a  letter  from  New  York 
that  he  was  on  his  way  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  execution  his  threat  of 
"  personal  chastisement ;"  and  a  friend  had  given  me  a  pocket  pistol.  When  I 
met  him,  I  halted  on  the  platform ;  he  raised  his  cane ;  I  then  drew  my  pistol. 
He  then,  for  the  first  time,  spoke,  and  said  :  "throw  away  your  pistol  and  I  will 
throw  away  my  cane,  and  give  you  a  damned  whipping."  To  this  I  replied  :  "I 
do  not  intend  to  be  whipped  by  you,  nor  will  I  put  myself  in  a  position  to  invite 
attack  from  you."  He  then  said  :  "are  you  not  a  coward  to  draw  a  pistol  on  an 
unarmed  man  ?"  To  this  I  replied, "  I  have  not  time  to  waste  with  you,  so  you 
must  march  out  of  my  path."  He  said,  "I  will  not."  I  told  him  "You  shall,'; 
and  cocked  my  pistol  and  presented  it,  saying  at  the  same  time*  "  march  on, 
march."  He  said  "I  will  go  back."  "Very  well,"  said  I ;  "you  may  go  back- 
ward or  forward  as  you  like,  but  march  out  of  my  path."  He  then  turned  through 
the  door,  and  run  up  a  flight  of  steps  into  the  rotunda,  and  from  thence  passed 
into  the  hall  of  the  house  of  representatives.  When  I  entered  the  house,  he 
was  giving  his  version  of  the  transaction  to  judge  Wayne  of  Georgia.  I  under- 
stand that  he  brags  of  his  triumph  and  declares  that  I  am  down  !  I  had  no  oth- 
er desire  from  the  first,  than  to  vindicate  my  character  and  defend  my  person  from 
his  assaults.  It  would  be  a  source  of  regret  to  me  to  be  under  the  necessity  of 
doing  him  personal  injury.  If  he  is  satisfied  with  the  issue,  I  will  have  no  cause 
of  complaint — and  my  only  object  is  to  guard  against  misrepresentation.  If  he 
should  publish,  as  in  all  probability  he  will,  another  account  of  this  affair  than  that 
which  I  transmit,  I  trust  that  you  will  do  me  the  justice  to  insert  this  in  your  pa- 
per ;  and  also  request  the  editors  of  the  Herald  to  do  the  same. 

Your  friend,  D.  GREEN. 

After  this  and  other  excitements  had  somewhat  calmed  down,  the 
Abolition  Riots  broke  out  in  New  York.  These  occurred  in  1834. 
The  Courier  took  a  most  decided  stand  against  the  Abolitionists 
and  agitators.  On  the  arrival  of  George  Thompson,  the  English 
Radical,  in  that  year,  it  fanned  the  fire  of  the  opposition  with  great 
vigor.  Here  is  one  of  its  articles : 

No  man  not  blind  to  future  consequences,  to  all  former  examples,  and  to  all 
the  lessons  of  past  experience,  can  hesitate  a  moment  in  foreseeing  that  the  tri- 
umph of  the  Abolitionists  is  a  thousand  times  more  likely  to  be  consummated  by 
the  extermination  of  the  masters,  their  wives  and  their  children,  than  by  the  free- 
dom and  consequent  happiness  of  the  slaves. 

As  the  enemies  then  of  social  order,  of  the  rights  of  property,  of  the  lives  of 


The  Courier  Office  Mobbed.  355 

hundreds  of  thousands  of  our  brethren  of  the  race  of  white  men,  their  wives  and 
their  children,  and  as  the  vilifiers  and  sappers  of  our  social  institutions,  laws  and 
Constitution,  we  say,  therefore,  that  the  preachers  and  expounders  of  such  doc- 
trines are  justly  amenable  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  as  common  and  notorious  dis- 
turbers of  the  public  peace,  enemies  to  the  rights  of  property,  and  traitors  to  the 
country. 

What  renders  the  conduct  of  these  instigators  of  treason,  robbery  and  massacre 
still  more  outrageous  and  indefensible,  is  the  fact  of  their  having  imported  more 
than  one  organ  of  mischief  from  England  to  assist  in  sowing  the  live  coals  of 
ruin  and  desolation  over  a  large  portion  of  this  prosperous  land.  Not  content 
with  the  agency  of  the  wretched  libeller  of  his  country,  the  exclusive  '•'•friend  of 
all  the  human  race"  they  have  associated  in  their  righteous  race  an  imported  in- 
cendiary, "  who  left  his  country  for  his  country's  good ;"  this  apostle  of  the  old 
pussy-cats  of  Glasgow  ;  this  tool  of  Tappanism,  has  hitherto  escaped  the  Bride- 
well, transportation,  or  some  other  species  of  modern  martyrdom,  is  a  proof  either 
that  our  laws  are  defective,  our  magistrates  neglectful,  or  our  people  the  best  na- 
tured  in  the  world. 

We  hope  and  trust  that  his  next  attempt  in  this  city  will  end  in  a  transfer  to 
the  Penitentiary,  as  a  common  disturber  and  enemy  to  society,  and  would  earn- 
estly recommend  to  the  superintendent  of  that  society  a  solitary  probation,  lest 
he  might  corrupt  the  morals  of  his  pupils. 

Another  sensation  sprung  up  in  the  midst  of  the  Abolition  excite- 
ment. The  Woods  were  singing  at  the  Park  Theatre.  They  formed 
the  principal  part  of  a  celebrated  English  Opera  troupe.  Joseph 
Wood  and  his  wife  were  considered  the  best  English  vocalists  that 
ever  appeared  here.  They  were,  of  course,  very  popular  and  very 
successful.  Wood  was  vain  and  conceited.  He  had  had  some  diffi- 
culty with  Mrs.  Conduit,  a  popular  vocalist  of  the  Park  stock  com- 
pany. One  day  he  took  exception  to  a  criticism  in  regard  to  his 
treatment  of  this  lady  which  had  appeared  in  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer, and  that  evening,  meeting  Dr.  Hart,  the  critic  of  that  paper, 
in  the  lobby  of  the  theatre,  applied  some  epithet  to  the  paper,  and 
spit  in  the  doctor's  face.  It  turned  out  that  Wood  spit  in  the  face 
of  the  public,  for  the  fact  was  known  immediately  all  over  town,  and 
very  quickly  resented.  The  Courier  and  Enquirer  took  the  matter 
up  in  its  accustomed  manner.  On  the  evening  of  the  27th  of  May, 
1836,  the  Woods  were  announced  to  appear  in  Guy  Mannering. 
The  house  was  full.  Very  few  ladies  were  there  that  night.  On 
the  appearance  of  the  Woods  the  greatest  tumult  prevailed.  They 
were  driven  from  the  house,  and  did  not  sing  again  in  New  York  for 
years. 

On  one  occasion  arrangements  had  been  made  to  mob  the  office 
of  the  Courier.  What  was  done  ?  Webb  brought  his  West  Point 
education  into  practice ;  he  turned  his  building  into  a  fortress ; 
armed  his  printers,  editors,  clerks,  pressmen,  and  friends,  and  quiet- 
ly awaited  the  assault.  The  mob  marched  dov/n  Wall  Street  pre- 
pared to  make  the  attack  and  demolish  the  establishment.  They 
halted.  All  was  as  still  as  a  church  in  the  Courier  office.^  Its  win- 
dows presented  an  ominous  silence.  The  mob  was  packed  in  a 
narrow  street  in  front.  Some  one  informed  one  of  the  leaders  of 


356  Journalism  in  America. 

the  preparations  made  by  Webb.  There  was  a  brief  consultation. 
"  Fall  into  line !"  was  heard  among  the  crowd.  "  Forward — march," 
said  a  man,  recognized  as  the  chief.  In  ten  minutes  Wall  Street 
was  as  quiet  as  Greenwood.  Not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen. 

The  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Marshall,  the  eloquent  member  of  Congress 
for  Kentucky,  and  who  became  famous  as  a  temperance  orator  in 
1842,  became  involved  in  a  personal  difficulty  with  General  Webb, 
and  in  a  speech  before  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  in  New 
York,  made  some  allusion  to  General  W.,  leading  to  a  challenge  and 
a  duel,  which  took  place  in  Delaware  in  June  of  that  year,  resulting 
in  a  shot  in  Webb's  leg,  which  disabled  him  for  some  time.  The 
Grand  Jury  of  New  York  indicted  Webb  for  the  offense  of  "  leaving 
the  state  with  the  intention  of  receiving  or  giving  a  challenge."  In 
his  special  plea  before  the  Court  of  Sessions,  General  Webb  made 
this  statement : 

*  *  While  I  do  not  pretend  to  deny  that  I  left  this  state  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  fighting  a  duel  with  the  Hon.  Thomas  F.  Marshall,  there  are  those  who 
will  bear  witness  that  I  utterly  refused  to  sanction  any  arrangement  which  would 
give  to  our  meeting  a  sanguinary  appearance.  With  me  it  was  strictly  a  point 
of  honor ;  and  my  declining  to  fight  at  four  or  eight  paces,  my  repeated  refusals 
to  suffer  the  meeting  to  take  place  on  a  Sunday,  and  my  solemn  determination 
that  under  no  circumstances  would  I  take  the  life  of  my  antagonist,  can  leave  no 
doubt  on  the  minds  of  honorable  men  that  I  was  not  actuated  by  any  feeling  of 
malice  towards  him,  but  that  I  simply  acted  in  accordance  with  the  dictates  of 
that  public  opinion  which  I  had  not  the  moral  courage  to  contemn — that  public 
opinion  which  is  alike  arbitrary  and  unjust,  and  which,  while  it  forever  disgraces 
all  who  shrink  from  these  personal  rencounters,  at  the  same  time  gravely  censure 
all  who  engage  in  them.  It  was  with  me  but  a  choice  of  evils.  I  selected  what 
I  deemed  the  least ;  and  solemnly  resolving  that  in  no  contingency  would  I  take 
the  life  of  my  adversary,  I  had  a  right  to  suppose  that  a  law  which  had  never 
been  enforced  against  others  would  not  be  revived  against  me. 

I  need  not  tell  you  that  from  the  duel  I  alone  am  the  sufferer ;  while,  had  I  been 
actuated  by  the  same  feelings  as  my  antagonist,  whose  boast  it  is  that  he  sought 
my  life,  he  might  long  since  have  been  the  tenant  of  the  silent  tomb,  and  I  a  wan- 
derer from  my  home,  and  the  object  of  execration  and  denunciation  by  that  very 
society  which  compelled  the  meeting.  ****** 

Having  thus  pleaded  guilty,  Col. Webb,  it. was  supposed,  would 
have  been  sentenced  to  imprisonment,  but  he  was  discharged,  on 
account  of  some  informality  in  the  indictment,  by  Recorder  Tall- 
madge.  In  November  he  was  again  indicted,  when  he  entered  the 
same  plea,  and  was  then  sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  the  State 
Prison  for  two  years.  When  the  clerk  of  the  court  asked  Col.  Webb 
what  he  had  to  say  why  judgment  should  not  be  pronounced  against 
him,  he  said, 

I  might  say  much  against  the  policy,  the  justice,  and  the  constitutionality  of  the 
law  under  which  I  have  been  indicted.  I  might  say  still  more  in  relation  to  the 
unjust  persecution  by  which  that  indictment  was  originally  got  up ;  but  I  feel 
satisfied  that,  much  as  I  might  say,  it  would  have  no  influence  on  the  minds  of  this 
court,  or  alter  your  judgment.  I  shall  therefore  simply  content  myself  with  sub- 
mitting to  your  decision  without  any  further  remark,  satisfied  as  I  am  that  what- 
ever of  odium  there  is  in  the  matter  attaches  to  my  persecutors,  and  not  to  me. 


The  Mackenzie  Pamphlet.  357 

The  Recorder,  in  passing  sentence,  concluded  as  follows  : 

The  punishment  provided  for  this  offense,  and  I  allude  to  it  particularly,  as 
there  has  been  some  misunderstanding  out  of  doors  in  relation  to  it — the  extent 
to  which  the  Court  can  sentence  for  an  offense  of  this  nature  is  limited  to  seven 
years;  at  the  same  time,  the  Court  can  not  sentence  for  a  less  term  than  two 
years.  The  sentence  of  the  Court  therefore  is,  that  you,  James  Watson  Webb,  be 
imprisoned  in  the  State  Prison  at  Sing  Sing  for  a  term  of  two  years. 

Many  petitions  for  his  pardon  were  signed,  and  before  the  time 
arrived  for  his  departure  for  Sing  Sing  he  received  a  full  pardon 
from  Governor  Seward. 

In  a  speech  to  his  constituents,  Mr.  Marshall  thus  alluded  to  this 
affair  of  honor : 

In  conclusion,  the  only  really  plausible  charge  urged  against  him  was  in  rela- 
tion to  his  long  absence,  during  the  late  session,  from  his  legislative  duties.  In 
this  matter  he  threw  himself  upon  the  mercy  and  liberal  spirit  of  his  people.  He 
had  joined  the  Washingtonian  Society.  He  was  invited  to  New  York,  and  he 
wished  to  see  that  magnificent  city  before  he  left  Washington.  He  had  been 
grossly  abused  by  the  celebrated  Colonel  Webb,  editor  of  the  New  York  Courier, 
for  his  active  exertions  to  repeal  the  Bankrupt  Law.  Whilst  he  was  in  New  York, 
this  editor  daily  continued  his  detraction  and  slander ;  and  in  his  last  article  of 
outrageous  attacks,  held  him  up  before  his  constituents  as  a  recreant  knight,  ready 
to  inflict  injury,  but  destitute  of  the  courage  to  resent  insult  or  vindicate  charac- 
ter. Forbearance  now  ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  He  called  Col.  Webb  to  the  field, 
and  only  regrets  that  he  was  but  partially  punished  for  his  unprovoked,  vindic- 
tive, and  unprincipled  abuse  of  private  reputation.  Col.  Webb  had  promised  to 
fight  him  in  six  hours,  but  delayed  the  matter  three  weeks.  He  could  not  return 
to  Washington  City  whilst  the  affair  was  in  progress,  for  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia the  giving  or  receiving  a  challenge  was  a  Penitentiary  offense.  If,  under  all 
these  circumstances  of  wanton  aggression  on  the  part  of  Col.Webb,  he  had  not 
called  him  out,  there  was  not  a  Presbyterian  lady  in  his  district  who  would  not 
have  whipped  him  with  her  garter,  in  scorn  and  contempt,  from  her  presence. 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer  had  a  great  advantage  over  its  con- 
temporaries in  1843.  All  the  notices  of  proceedings  in  bankruptcy 
under  the  Bankrupt  Act  of  1842  were  ordered  to  be  printed  in  that 
paper,  because  it  had  the  largest  circulation.  All  the  small  papers 
were  ignored  in  this  award.  The  daily  circulation  of  the  Courier 
was  then  5000,  and  its  weekly  circulation  3000.  The  Sun  had  19,000 
daily  and  3000  weekly  ;  the  Herald  13,000  daily  and  14,000  weekly. 

The  publication  of  the  Mackenzie  pamphlet  was  an  episode  in 
political  journalism  in  the  metropolis.  So  many  private  letters, 
bringing  to  light  so  much  rich  and  curious  material,  called  forth 
personal  explanations  of  a  still  more  curious  character ;  and  those 
who  had  newspapers  under  their  control  endeavored  to  make  their 
epistolary  productions  clearer  to  the  public  and  more  interesting  in 
filling  the  gaps  in  political  history.  Thus  General  Webb,  of  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer,  on  the  25th  of  September,  1845,  in  publishing 
some  of  the  letters  from  the  Mackenzie  pamphlet,  said,  in  explana- 
tion of  the  course  of  his  paper  in  regard  to  the  nomination  of  Gov- 
ernor Marcy, 

In  1832  we  had  not  as  yet  abandoned  the  support  of  General  Jackson,  because 


358  Journalism  in  America. 

he  had  not  then  quite  forsaken  every  principle  upon  which  he  was  elected  to  the 
presidency.  But,  being  the  friend  of  William  L.  Marcy,  and  entertaining  the  most 
sovereign  contempt  for  the  Albany  Regency,  we  placed  Mr.  Marcy's  name  at  the 
head  of  our  columns  for  Governor,  in  defiance  of  the  intrigues  of  the  Regency  to 
defeat  his  nomination.  The  editor  of  the  Argus,  and  similar  tools  and  creatures 
of  party,  urged  upon  Senator  Marcy  to  authorize  them  to  declare  that  he  had  not 
connived  at  or  sanctioned  our  course.  He  refused  to  do  so. 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer  then  published  a  letter  from  the  pam- 
phlet from  Senator  Marcy  to  Jesse  Hoyt,  written  June  3d,  1832,  in 
which  he  mentions  the  efforts  made  to  get  him  to  withdraw.  He 
said, 

"  The  result  was  that  I  am  not  to  persist  in  declining  now,  but  am  to  be  let 
alone  if  it  can  be  done.  ******  Webb  has  not  modified  and  published  your 
articles." 

Then  follows  another  letter  from  Senator  Marcy  to  Jesse  Hoyt, 
taken  from  the  same  page  of  the  pamphlet.  This  is  the  epistle  : 

WASHINGTON,  Saturday. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  have  this  morning  received  a  note  from  Webb,  and  I  learn  from 
the  tenor  of  it  that  you  had  written  to  him  on  the  subject  which  engaged  us  in 
two  or  three  conversations.  I  find  that  our  opinions  of  him  were  perfectly  cor- 
.  rect.  Attacked  as  he  is  on  all  sides,  he  is  willing  to  do  something  for  others  as 
well  as  himself.  I  find  my  intimation  to  you  is  well  founded  that  Bennett  had 
been  too  sanguine  in  the  matter  referred  to,  and  had  understood  from  me  more 
than  I  intended  to  convey.  Webb  has  undoubtedly  every  disposition  to  put 
things  right,  and  he  ought  to  be  permitted  to  do  so  to  a  certain  extent  in  his  own 
way.  I  have  had  full  conversations  with  you,  and  from  them  you  can  make  to 
him  such  suggestions  as  will  apprise  him  of  my  views.  He  may  think  I  ought  to 
write  to  him — and  so  I  should  perhaps — but  I  have  two  reasons  for  not  doing  so  ; 
the  one  is,  that  if  I  should  go  over  the  whole  matter  as  I  did  with  you  in  conver- 
sation, it  would  make  a  prodigiously  long  letter,  and  I  am  too  much  engaged  to 
afford  the  time  to  write  it ;  but  the  second  is,  I  have  declined  to  write  to  all  editors 
on  the  subject  (except  one  which  I  explained  to  you).  This  resolution  was  early 
taken  to  preserve  my  position — to  keep  silent.  He  will  appreciate  my  motives, 
and,  I  hope,  approve  of  the  course. 

The  key  to  the  above  is  given  by  James  Gordon  Bennett  in  the 
Herald  of  the  26th  of  September,  1845.  ^  's  a  n^ce  bit  of  autobi- 
ography : 

The  reference  made  to  Bennett  in  the  above  letter  of  Senator  Marcy,  now  Sec- 
retary of  Wrar  at  Washington,  requires  some  correction.  I  positively  and  une- 
quivocally deny  that  I  had  ever  been  "too  sanguine"  in  the  case  referred  to,  or 
that  I  "  had  understood  more"  than  Mr.  Marcy  "  had  intended  to  convey."  This 
matter  had  reference  to  his  nomination  for  Governor  in  1832. 

In  1832,  during  the  session  of  Congress,  I  was  at  Washington  as  one  of  the  ed- 
itors of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  enjoying  the  confidence  of  the  party  and  all 
concerned,  and  corresponding  with  that  journal.  Mr.  Marcy  was  then  a  member 
of  the  Senate.  I  had  frequent  personal  intercourse  with  him  on  politics  alone. 
We  never  discussed  piety,  as  Mr.  Butler  does  in  his  letters,  or  finance,  on  the  plan 
of  John  Van  Buren.  We  were  both  men  of  busjness — practical  politicians — stuck 
to  the  thing  in  hand,  and  never  troubled  ourselves  either  about  the  stated  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  or  whether  Lawrence  was  likely  to  run  like  the  cholera ;  nay, 
we  didn't  even  trouble  ourselves  about  the  price  of  stocks  or  the  chances  of  an 
election  bet.  During  that  session  I  used  to  see  Mr.  Marcy  almost  every  day.  In 
the  course  of  conversation  one  day,  during  a  walk  up  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  to 
which  he  invited  me,  I  found  that  the  senator  had  something  heavy,  very  heavy 
indeed,  on  his  mind  which  he  wished  to  disclose.  He  called  me  out  of  his  room, 
and  we  walked  along  the  street,  and  during  that  walk  I  discovered,  after  a  good 
deal  of  backing  and  filling  in  the  way  of  language,  and  in  a  style  something  sim- 


Mr.  Bennett  and  Governor  Marcy.  359 

ilar  to  that  in  which  Caesar  refused  the  crown  in  Shakspeare's  play  of  Julius  Cas- 
sar,  that  the  heavy  business  on  the  heart  of  the  senator  was  a  desire  to  be  brought 
forth  in  the  columns  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  as  a  candidate  for  the  guberna- 
torial chair  of  New  York,  in  anticipation  of  the  Convention  of  the  party  to  be 
held  in  Herkimer  in  the  fall.  We  discussed  the  matter  in  all  its  aspects  for  sev- 
eral weeks.  I  considered  it  in  every  point  of  view,  and  I  concluded  that  it  would 
be  a  famous  movement  for  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  particularly  for  my 
friend  Webb  to  take  up,  as  he  was  in  rather  an  awkward  predicament  in  relation 
to  the  party,  growing  out  of  the  disclosure  about  the  $52,000  affair  of  the  United 
States  Bank,  which  had  been  previously  brought  out  by  Cambreleng.  In  this  state 
of  the  case,  I  commenced  a  series  of  private  letters  addressed  to  Mr.  Webb,  stat- 
ing all  the  views  of  the  case — Senator  Marcy's  opinions,  the  position  of  Webb 
himself,  and  the  admirable  movement  it  would  be  in  enabling  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer  to  checkmate  the  Argus  and  "  the  Regency"  on  their  own  ground.  I 
suppose  I  wrote  twenty  or  thirty  letters  on  this  subject,  disclosing  and  explaining 
the  position  of  affairs.  These  letters  contained  a  variety  of  the  views  communi- 
cated to  me  for  that  special  purpose  by  Senator  Marcy  himself.  If  Mr.  Webb 
were  to  look  among  his  old  papers  he  would  find  these  letters  ;  and  as  they  will 
justify  the  course  he  took,  and  show  distinctly  that  the  charge  made  by  Senator 
Marcy  in  his  private  letter  to  Jesse  Hoyt  that  "  Bennett  had  been  too  sanguine, 
and  had  understood  more  than  he  intended,"  was  altogether  incorrect.  I  deny 
having  been  "  too  sanguine ;"  I  deny  that  I  had  understood  and  communicated 
more  to  Mr.  Webb  than  Marcy  intended  to  convey.  Indeed,  almost  every  day,  or 
every  other  day,  at  that  time,  Senator  Marcy  used  to  meet  me  in  the  Capitol  and 
at  his  own  room,  and  there  he  would  disclose  to  me  all  the  information  which  he 
had  received  from  the  regency  camp  at  Albany,  in  order  that  I  might  be  enabled  to 
apprise  Mr.  Webb  of  the  facts,  and  qualify  him  to  complete  the  checkmate  which 
we  intended  to  give  him.  In  all  this  business  Senator  Marcy  wished  to  stand 
still  between  the  two  contending  cliques,  while  I  was  to  work  the  wires  in  Wash- 
ington, and  Mr.  Webb  was  to  fire  off  the  big  gun  in  New  York.  Senator  Marcy 
and  I  in  Washington  used  to  laugh  and  chuckle  most  amusingly  over  the  move- 
ments by  which,  through  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  we  accomplished  ultimately 
his  nomination,  checkmated  his  personal  foes  at  Albany,  and  elected  him  trium- 
phantly Governor  of  this  state  for  the  first  time.  Before  the  summer  was  over, 
however,  Mr.Webb  bolted  from  the  Democratic  Party  on  the  United  States  Bank 
question,  and  came  out  against  the  re-election  of  General  Jackson,  including  also 
the  election  of  the  very  man,  William  L.  Marcy,  whom  he  had  so  much  contribu- 
ted to  bring  before  the  public.  I  stuck  to  the  movement,  and  left  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer  on  account  of  this  bolting.  Two  months  before  November  I  made  an 
estimate  of  the  votes  of  every  county  in  the  state,  and  elected  Marcy  by  ten  thou- 
sand five  hundred.  Matthew  L.  Davis  made  an  estimate  at  the  same  time,  which 
was  published  in  the  Courier,  electing  his  antagonist  by  nineteen  thousand  four 
hundred.  Marcy  was  elected  by  nine  thousand  seven  hundred,  being  within  a  few 
hundred  of  the  estimate  I  made  before  the  election. 

Such  is  a  true  and  correct  statement  of  that  piece  of  simple  political  intrigue  by 
which  Senator  Marcy  was  made  Governor  Marcy,  and  in  which  I  participated, 
like  a  political  sinner  as  I  was,  as  one  of  the  electric  wires  between  Washington 
and  Albany.  Every  thing  I  did  was  after  consultation  with  Marcy ;  and  although 
I  prompted  many  things,  yet  he  concurred  in  them,  and  I  did  nothing  that  he  did 
not  sanction.  It  was,  therefore,  very  unhandsome  in  him  to  have  been,  as  it  now 
appears,  writing  letters  to  Jesse  Hoyt  censuring  me  privately  for  the  very  thing 
which  he  approved  and  concurred  in  to  myself  personally  at  Washington. 

Mr.  Bennett  never  forgave  Mr.  Marcy  for  his  conduct  to  him  in 
this  affair.  He  held  him  as  a  Scotch  terrier  would  a  rat  through 
the  remainder  of  his  political  life,  and  one  day,  somewhere  about 
1852  or  '53,  after  he  became  Secretary  of  State  under  President 
Pierce,  the  genial  Richard  Schell  called  on  Mr.  Bennett  with  an  in- 
vitation to  call  on  Secretary  Marcy,  then  stopping  at  the  Irving 
House.  " No,"  said  Mr.  Bennett,  "I  have  no  desire  to  see  Mr.  Mar- 


360  Journalism  in  America. 


cy.  I  am  already  acquainted  with  him.  I  helped  make  him  Gov- 
ernor of  this  state  ;  I  do  not  intend  to  aid  in  any  way  to  make  him 
President  of  the  United  States.  That's  his  present  object."  Sec- 
retary Marcy  was  then  making  his  arrangements  to  secure  the  nom- 
ination which  afterwards  fell  to  Mr.  Buchanan,  resulting  in  the  elec- 
tion of  the  latter  in  1857. 

On  the  i2th  of  November,  1846,  the  Whig  Young  Men's  Commit- 
tee of  New  York  City  passed  a  series  of  resolutions  reading  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer  out  of  the  party  for  its  opposition  to  John 
Young,  the  regular  nominee  of  the  party  for  Governor  of  New  York, 
and  for  being  "  mainly  instrumental  in  defeating  a  Whig  Lieuten- 
ant Governor,  two  members  of  Congress,  the  Sheriff,  and  County 
Clerk  in  our  city,  and  creating  a  feeling  between  the  Whigs  of  dif- 
ferent sections  of  our  state  prejudicial  to  the  success  of  the  Whig 
Party,"  and  that  "the  Courier  and  Enquirer  has  no  longer  the  con- 
fidence of  the  Whig  Party  of  this  city." 

Mr.  Henry  J.  Raymond,  who  had  left  the  Tribune  and  joined  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer  in  1843,  infused  a  good  deal  of  spirit  in  the 
editorial  management  of  the  latter  journal.  One  of  his  strong  points 
of  character  was  controversy.  It  was  \\isforte.  He  delighted  in 
a  verbal  fight.  His  tilt  with  Horace  Greeley  on  Fourierism,  with 
Archbishop  Hughes,  with  Mr.  Chase,  M.  C.  from  Tennessee,  and 
with  others,  showed  this.  He  was  quick  and  smart  in  repartee.  His 
mind  was  keen  and  bright.  What  he  most  lacked  was  persistency 
in  journalism.  In  March,  1845,  he  had  a  controversy  with  Nathan- 
iel P.Willis  while  on  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  It  became  quite 
personal.  Willis  was  then  editor  of  the  Evening  Mirror.  He  was 
soon  placed  on  the  defensive,  and  to  repel  Raymond's  assaults  he 
felt  constrained  to  give  copies  of  social  invitations  from  several  of 
the  nobility  of  Europe,  and  from  distinguished  ladies  and  gentlemen 
in  the  United  States.  The  controversy  was  an  exciting  and  amus- 
ing one,  but  there  was  no  violation  of  the  public  peace. 

Mr.  Raymond  made  an  effort  to  turn  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  on 
the  track  of  the  new  class  of  journals.  Thomas  Snowden,  a  heavy, 
phlegmatic  printer  of  the  old  Advocate  and  of  the  old  school,  was 
the  business  manager  of  the  concern  at  that  time,  and  could  not 
appreciate  the  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  new  spirit  in  the  estab- 
lishment. Every  effort  made  in  this  direction  brought  forth  a  groan 
of  despair  from  the  ancient  Snowden.  "  That  little  Raymond," 
Snowden  would  say,  "  will  not  rest  contented  till  he  has  turned  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer  into  a  two-cent  paper." 

On  the  election  of  General  Taylor  to  the  presidency,  General 
Webb  was  appointed  minister  to  Austria  j  but,  in  the  language  of  a 
friend  of  the  editor, 


General  Webb  in  Brazil.  361 

Public  feeling  in  America  ran  very  high  at  that  moment  against  Austria  on  ac- 
count of  her  conduct  towards  Hungary,  and  the  Democratic  party  opposed  Gen- 
eral Webb's  nomination  as  a  preparatory  step  to  the  suspension  of  diplomatic 
intercourse  with  Austria,  and  on  that  ground  were  sustained  by  many  of  Webb's 
personal  and  political  friends.  His  nomination  was  defeated,  and  it  was  the 
avowed  intention  of  the  Senate  to  reject  in  like  manner  any  other  nomination  for 
th.e  same  post.  General  Cass,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the  presidency,  orig- 
inated the  movement  against  the  nomination,  and  against  sending  any  minister 
to  Vienna,  but  in  so  doing  took  especial  occasion  to  declare,  in  the  most  pointed 
and  direct  terms,  that  he  did  so  from  no  personal  objection  to  General  Webb, 
with  whom,  on  the  contrary,  he  declared  that,  despite  political  differences,  he  had 
for  many  years  been  on  terms  of  the  most  intimate  friendship,  and  for  whom  he 
had  the  highest  personal  regard,  as  well  as  a  high  opinion  of  his  unquestionable 
talents,  and  his  entire  qualification  for  the  post  to  which  he  had  been  appointed. 

Webb  had,  however,  started  on  his  mission,  and  met  his  rejection 
in  Vienna.  In  his  absence  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  was  placed 
under  the  editorial  management  of  Mr.  Raymond.  After  General 
Webb's  return  Mr.  Raymond  retired  from  the  establishment.  This 
was  early  in  1851,  in  consequence  of  a  difference  of  opinion  with 
the  editor:in-chief  on  the  great  compromise  measures  of  the  previous 
year.  The  Times  was  brought  out  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 

On  the  ist  of  July,  1861,  the  Morning  Courier  and  New  York  En- 
quirer was  united  with  the  World,  under  the  title  of  The  World  and 
Courier  and  Enquirer.  Since  then  the  latter  name  has  been  drop- 
ped, and  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  passed  to  the  Greenwood  of  jour- 
nalism. 

General  Webb  was  appointed  minister  to  Brazil  by  President 
Lincoln,  and  confirmed  as  such,  and,  with  an  occasional  excitement 
with  the  British  minister,  with  Admiral  Davis  on  the  Paraguayan 
difficulty,  and  with  the  Brazilian  foreign  minister,  he  passed  a  very 
agreeable  time.  In  a  recent  letter  to  Secretary  Seward,  in  speak- 
ing of  his  affair  with  Admiral  Davis,  he  said,  "  One  thing  is  cer- 
tain :  we  can  not  both  be  right,  and  one  of  us  should  be  severely 
censured,  if  not  recalled."  As  General  Webb  was  at  home  about 
the  time  this  was  published,  and  afterwards  returned  to  Brazil,  the 
government  let  the  matter  drop  till  it  afterwards  turned  up  in  Con- 
gress. 

Although  at  the  head  of  no  newspaper,  Webb  has  never  ceased 
to  be,  in  one  way  or  another,  engaged  in  some  affair  which  has  kept 
his  name  before  the  public.  The  last  one  was  in  relation  to  the 
withdrawal  of  the  French  troops  from  Mexico.  The  New  York 
Times  gave  a  history  of  General  Webb's  connection  with  this  matter. 
It  had  been  generally  believed  that  the  abandonment  of  Mexico  by 
France  was  caused  by  Secretary  Seward's  demand,  made  in  Decem- 
ber, 1865.  But  it  appears  that  as  early  as  1863,  in  an  interview 
with  Louis  Napoleon,  the  promise  was  given  to  General  Webb  that 
the  French  troops  should  be  recalled  if  France  was  not  threatened 


362  Journalism  in  America. 

by  the  United  States ;  and  that  at  a  breakfast  at  St.  Cloud  in 
November,  1865,  the  emperor  made  an  arrangement  with  General 
Webb  that  the  Imperial  troops  should  be  withdrawn,  and  this  ar- 
rangement was  to  be  communicated  to  the  President  in  person,  and 
without  the  circumlocution  of  the  State  Department,  or  the  Ameri- 
can embassy  in  Paris.  The  New  York  Herald,  au  contraire,  pub- 
lished a  letter  from  the  Chevalier  Wikoff,  in  which  he  claimed  to 
have  arranged  the  matter  with  Napoleon.  These  two  diplomats 
were  both  personal  friends  of  the  Emperor  in  his  days  of  exile  and 
imprisonment.  General  Webb  became  acquainted  with  him  at  the 
Washington  Hotel,  in  New  York,  in  1834,  and  the  Chevalier  Wikoff 
when  Louis  Napoleon  was  in  prison  at  Ham.  But  in  a  recent  bi- 
ography of  Webb  the  following  important  letter  from  Napoleon  to 
General  Webb  is  printed,  which  seems  to  'entitle  the  latter  to  most 
of  the  credit  of  this  achievement : 

THE  EMPEROR  TO  GENERAL  WEBB. 

PARIS,  March  22d,  1863. 

MY  DEAR  GENERAL, — I  received  your  letter  of  March  8,  and  the  interesting 
note  inclosed  therein,  which,  after  perusal,  I  burned  immediately,  according  to 
your  wishes,  and  without  mentioning  the  subject  to  any  one.  The  questions  you 
treat  of  are  very  important  and  very  delicate ;  still,  I  will  answer  them  in  all 
frankness. 

You  are  greatly  mistaken  if  you  believe  that  any  motive  of  ambition  or  cupid- 
ity has  led  me  into  Mexico.  Engaged  in  this  enterprise  by  Spain,  and  led  by  the 
doings  of  Juarez,  I  reluctantly  sent,  first,  2000  men  ;  afterwards,  the  national  honor 
being  compromised,  my  troops  were  increased  to  8000  ;  finally,  the  repulse  at 
Puebla  having  engaged  our  military  honor,  I  sent  over  35,000  men.  It  is,  there- 
fore, much  against  my  inclination  that  I  am  compelled  to  wage  war  at  such  a  dis- 
tance from  France ;  and  it  is  in  no  way  for  the  purpose  of  taking  possession  of 
the  mines  of  the  Sonora  that  my  soldiers  are  fighting.  But,  now  that  the  French 
flag  is  in  Mexico,  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  foretell  what  may  happen ;  at  all  events, 
my  intention  is  to  withdraw  as  soon  as  honor  and  the  interests  now  engaged  al- 
low me. 

It  would  be  wrong  in  the  United  States,  therefore,  to  make  my  being  there  a 
subject  of  dispute  ;  for  a  menace  would  then  change  all  my  plans,  which  now  are 
disinterested.  As  regards  the  war  which  desolates  your  country,  I  profoundly  re- 
gret it,  for  I  do  not  see  how  and  when  it  will  end,  and  it  is  not  the  interest  of 
France  that  the  United  States  should  be  weakened  by  a  struggle  without  any 
good  results  possible.  In  a  country  as  sensible  as  America,  it  is  not  by  arms  that 
domestic  quarrels  should  be  settled,  but  by  votes,  meetings,  and  assemblies.  In 
Europe,  too,  we  have  many  causes  of  disturbance — many  grave  questions  to  solve. 
For  this  purpose,  France  needs  the  alliance  of  England  ;  hence  my  efforts  have 
always  been  directed  toward  maintaining  the  ties  of  good  understanding,  often  in 
spite  of  the  ill  will  of  the  English  government. 

I  have  now  sincerely  explained  my  position  to  you,  and  in  that  way,  you  see,  I 
reciprocate  the  perfect  frankness  of  your  communication.  Be  always  persuaded, 
my  dear  general,  of  my  interest  in  your  country,  as  well  as  my  friendship  and  the 
high  esteem  which  I  profess  for  your  character. 

With  these  sentiments,  I  remain  yours  very  affectionately,  NAPOLEON. 

THE  JOURNAL   OF  COMMERCE. 

The  Journal  of  Commerce  was  the  second  of  this  class  of  newspa- 
pers. It  was  established  in  New  York  City  on  the  ist  of  Septem- 


The  Journal  of  Commerce.  363 

ber,  1827,  under  the  auspices  of  Arthur  Tappan.  It  was  first  edited 
by  William  Maxwell,  of  Norfolk,  Virginia.  Mr.  Maxwell,  with  the 
Monroes,  Madisons,  Barbours,  Faulkners,  and  M'Dowells,  was  in  fa- 
vor of  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  Virginia  at  that  period,  and  the 
subject  was  strongly  advocated  in  the  Convention  of  that  state. 
The  measure  was  defeated  then  by  Nat.  Turner's  insurrection,  and 
the  appearance  of  Abolitionism  in  the  North,  and  especially  in  New 
England,  with  such  men  as  William  Lloyd  Garrison  at  the  head  of 
the  movement  in  Boston,  and  the  Tappans  in  New  York.  Maxwell 
came  to  New  York  with  this  idea  on  his  brain,  and  assumed  the  edi- 
torial management  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  Arthur  Tappan, 
and  his  brother  Lewis,  were  extensive  dry-goods  merchants  in  Pearl 
Street,  in  the  middle  of  the  district  of  the  great  fire  of  1835,  full  of 
piety  and  philanthropy.  They  aided  \b&  Journal  of  Commerce  to  the 
extent  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  a  large  sum  in  those  clays  to  invest 
in  the  luxury  of  a  newspaper  or  an  idea.  Arthur  Tappan  then  be- 
came fatigued  with  spending  money,  and  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
the  concern.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of  Lewis  Tappan,  David 
Hale,  and  Horace  Bushnell,  afterwards  the  well-known  theologian. 
It  was  then  purchased  by  Hale  and  Hallock,  the  former  of  whom 
had  been  connected  with  the  paper  from  its  origin.  Abolitionism 
now  began  to  assume  a  serious  phase.  Mobs,  riots,  tar,  feathers, 
and  hanging  in  effigy  were  frequently  spoken  of  in  connection  there- 
with. The  agitation  of  Lloyd  Garrison  in  Boston,  and  the  affair  of 
Nat.  Turner  in  Virginia,  changed  the  whole  aspect  of  the  question, 
and  emancipation  in  Virginia  was  postponed  till  1859-61,  when  it 
culminated  in  the  hanging  of  John  Brown  and  the  firing  on  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  at  Fort  Sumter. 

David  Hale  and  Gerard  Hallock,  both  of  Boston,  became  propri- 
etors of  the  Journal  of  Commerce  in  the  fall  of  1828.  Hale  managed 
the  business  part  of  the  establishment  and  the  commercial  depart- 
ment of  the  paper.  Hallock  had  the  editorial  management,  and 
guided  the  general  policy  of  the  journal.  The  former  retained  his 
place  till  his  death  early  in  1849,  and  the  latter  was  the  responsible 
editor  till  September  i,  1861,  when  he  retired  to  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  died  on  the  4th  of  January,  1866. 

Hallock  was  the  originator  of  the  Boston  Telegraph,  which  was 
started  on  the  ist  of  January,  1824,  and  edited  that  paper  till  its 
union  with  the  Boston  Recorder  in  1825,  which  he  edited  till  1827. 
He  then  became  part  proprietor  of  the  New  York  Observer,  and  re- 
mained as  such  for  one  year.  He  did  not  know,  however,  what  jour- 
nalism was  till  he  took  hold  of  \hz  Journal  of  Commerce  in  1828.  He 
was  a  painstaking,  well-meaning,  conscientious  editor ;  a  man  of 
intelligence,  a  careful  writer,  an  accomplished  linguist,  but  not  a  bril- 


364  Journalism  in  America. 

liant  man.  He  did  not  wish  to  injure  any  man's  feelings,  but  he  al- 
ways deemed  it  necessary  to  do  his  duty.  Although  the  Journal 
of  Commerce  came  into  existence  as  an  Abolition  paper,  it  ran  into 
strong  conservatism.  It  endeavored  to  save  the  Union  in  1850, 
when  Castle  Garden  was  the  seat  of  government,  and  Washington 
the  Executive  Mansion.  It  was  the  organ  of  the  Southern  Aid  So- 
ciety in  1860,  and  Hallock  retired  to  private  life  rather  than  accept 
the  situation  of  1861.  He  was  a  genial  gentleman,  honest  and  hon- 
orable ;  fair  and  firm  in  all  transactions,  and  a  valuable  citizen. 
With  his  wealth  he  did  all  the  good  he  could  in  accordance  with  his 
views.  It  is  said  that  he  built  and  almost  supported  a  church  in 
New  Haven.  He  was  a  man  of  frugal  and  simple  habits ;  fatherly 
in  his  family,  and  fatherly  in  his  manners ;  plain  and  modest  in  his 
dress  and  deportment,  positive  and  decided  in  his  convictions.  In 
a  word,  he  was  a  man  to  be  respected. 

Hale  was  a  tall,  slim,  brusque,  vigorous  man,  with  a  loud  manner 
and  a  loud  voice.  He  was  energetic ;  felt  sure  that  success  depend- 
ed on  attending  to  his  business ;  was  not  afraid  of  any  one ;  had 
two  religions,  in  both  of  which  he  was  orthodox.  One  religion  was 
as  a  member  of  the  old  Tabernacle  Church  in  Broadway,  where  all 
the  splendid  oratorios  of  the  New  York  Sacred  Music  Society  were 
given  ;  where  Herz  gave  his  monster  concerts,  and  Leopold  de  Mey- 
er wore  his  big  plaid  pants  ;  where  Ole  Bull,  Vieux  Temps,  and  Si- 
vori  played  so  exquisitely  on  the  violin  and  the  people's  feelings ; 
where  so  many  mass  meetings  were  held  on  so  many  popular  sub- 
jects, and  where  they  had  stated  preaching  morning,  afternoon,  and 
evening  of  each  Sunday  throughout  the  year.  When  the  church 
was  sold,  Hale  bought  it  to  save  it ;  and,  if  he  had  felt  disposed,  he 
could  have  realized  a  handsome  fortune  by  the  operation,  but  he 
bought  it  for  the  Church.  Hale's  other  religion  was  opposition  to 
Webb  and  the  Courier  and  Enquirer;  to  beat  that  concern  in  get- 
ting news  whenever  that  was  possible,  and  obtain  all  the  yearly  ad- 
vertisers he  could  from  that  paper.  He  went  on  'Change  every  day 
to  gather  what  he  could  there  for  his  evening  editions,  which  were  a 
feature  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce  at  that  time,  and  added  many 
names  to  its  subscription-list  in  the  neighboring  towns  and  cities 
before  the  telegraphic  wires  were  stretched  over  the  country.  We 
have  seen  crowds,  in  ToplifFs  News-room  in  Boston,  disagreeably 
elbowing  each  other  around  the  file  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  on 
the  arrival  of  the  New  York  mail,  for  the  brief  one  and  two  line  item 
in  these  late  editions.  We  have  seen  Hale  mount  a  chair  in  his 
office  in  New  York,  and  read  off  to  the  crowds  of  merchants,  with 
the  voice  of  Stentor,  some  fresh  news  just  received.  Newspapers 
were  then  a  curious  institution,  and  Hale  was  fully  up  to  the  mark 


News  Schooners  at  New  York.  365 

as  a  journalist  to  1835-40,  but  he  never  went  beyond  that  notch  of 
time. 

Hale  and  Hallock  inaugurated  the  famous  news  schooners  in 
1829-30.  Much  interest  was  manifested  in  this  country  in  the  af- 
fairs of  France,  then  on  the  eve  of  the  Revolution  of  July,  1830.  To 
obtain  the  news  from  Europe,  these  "  old  fogy"  journalists,  in  the 
words  of  the  Journal,  bought  and  equipped  a  small,  swift  schooner, 
called  her  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  sent  her  to  cruise  at  sea,  in- 
tercept packet  ships,  and  bring  in  the  latest  intelligence.  This  was 
the  first  news-boat  of  any  size  in  America.  Small  row-boats  had 
been  used  to  board  shipping  in  the  harbor  by  the  Journal  as  well 
as  other  papers,  but  no  one  had,  up  to  this  time,  sent  a  news-boat  to 
sea.  The  enterprise  was  regarded  by  others  as  ridiculous  and  ruin- 
ously expensive,  but  the  result  proved  the  wisdom  of  Hale  and  Hal- 
lock.  The  Semaphoric  Telegraph  would  report  the  Journal  of 
Commerce  in  the  offing,  and  business  would  be  at  once  suspended 
to  await  her  arrival.  Crowds  would  then  surround  the  office,  as  in 
the  days  of  modern  war  bulletins,  and  the  news  would  soon  appear 
in  an  Extra.  This  was  the  commencement  of  the  New  York  Extras. 
The  success  was  such  that  the  firm  built  and  equipped  another 
schooner,  of  90  tons,  calling  her  The  Evening  Edition,  and  thus  had 
two  swift  vessels  constantly  cruising  for  news.  An  association  of 
other  papers  was  then  formed,  and  a  pilot-boat  hired  to  compete  with 
the  Journal  of  Commerce  squadron.  The  association  subsequently 
fitted  out  a  small  vessel,  and  the  business  of  news-boats  continued 
for  some  time  a  fixed  fact  with  New  York  dailies. 

These  successes  on  water  had  given  such  strength  and  prestige 
to  the  establishment  that  Hale  and  Hallock  determined  to  introduce 
their  system  on  the  land.  Accordingly,  in  1833,  they  established  a 
horse  express  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  with  eight  relays,  and 
by  this  means  published  the  proceedings  of  Congress  and  all  other 
Southern  news  one  day  in  advance  of  their  contemporaries.  The 
other  papers  established  an  opposition  express,  and  the  government 
then  commenced  it,  and  ran  the  express  from  Philadelphia  to  New 
York;  whereupon  the  proprietors  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce  extend- 
ed their  relays  to  Washington,  so  that  they  regularly  beat  the  gov- 
ernment express  twenty-four  hours.  In  one  instance  the  Norfolk 
Beacon  (published  229  miles  southeast  of  Washington)  copied  the 
Washington  news  on  two  successive  days  from  the  New  York  Jour- 
nal of  Commerce,  which  it  received  by  sea,  before  it  had  any  advices 
from  the  capital.  The  Journal  express  employed  24  horses,  and 
often  made  the  whole  distance  of  227  miles  inside  of  20  hours. 

The  Journal  of  Commerce  claims  that  these  news-boats  and  ex- 
presses were  the  origin  of  the  whole  system  of  expressing  and  tele- 


366  Journalism  in  America. 

graphing  which  has  since  been  brought  to  so  much  perfection  by 
the  New  York  Associated  Press  and  the  enterprising  independent 
journals  of  the  country.  After  five  or  six  years'  enterprise  of  this 
sort,  however,  the  New  York  papers  became  somewhat  tired  of  the 
expense,  and  combined  their  forces,  and  finally  relapsed  to  the 
small  row-boats  for  the  collection  of  ship-news  and  foreign  intelli- 
gence. When,  in  1837  and  1838,  the  new  class  of  papers  came 
into  noticeable  existence,  the  Herald  and  the  Sun,  for  instance,  the 
Wall  Street  papers  had  fallen  into  great  apathy.  The  Herald  then, 
as  it  acquired  means,  began  to  accomplish  wonders  in  the  acquisi- 
tion of  news,  and  it  succeeded  in  making  its  mark  en  the  public 
mind  as  the  pioneer  of  modern  journalism.  The  editors  and  pro- 
prietors of  the  old  class  of  papers  first  endeavored  to  crush  out 
these  fresh  additions  to  journalism  by  abuse.  They  opened  their 
batteries  upon  the  Herald,  but  that  establishment  was  an  iron-clad. 
It  continued  on  its  pathway,  increasing  its  enterprise  with  its  in- 
creased resources.  The  "  penny  press"  were  spoken  of  with  con- 
tempt. Sneer  followed  success,  and  more  success  succeeded  sneer. 
All  of  the  small  cheap  papers,  and  especially  the  Herald,  were  ig- 
nored by  the  "respectable  sixgennies."  There  was  no  public  rec- 
ognition ! 

Amidst  this  state  of  things,  what  was  to  be  the  result  ?  It  was 
evident  that  the  Cheap  Press  were  making  inroads  upon  the  old 
class,  slowly  it  was  true,  but  surely.  Hale  and  Hallock,  with  some 
of  the  foresight  they  had  shown  when  they  took  hold  of  the  Journal 
of  Commerce  in  1828,  came  to  the  rescue. 

One  forenoon,  after  the  Herald  had  published  some  exclusive 
news,  a  knock  was  heard  at  the  door  of  the  editorial  rooms  of  that 
paper.  "  Come  in  !"  answered  the  editor.  The  tall,  gaunt  figure 
of  David  Hale  entered.  One  of  the  magnates  of  Wall  Street  jour- 
nalism was  actually  in  the  office  of  a  despised  penny  paper !  But 
Hale  was  a  practical  man.  He  saw  the  handwriting  plainly  enough. 
There  was  very  little  circumlocution  about  him. 

"  I  have  called,"  said  he,  "  to  talk  about  news  with  you.  Have 
you  any  objection  ?" 

"  None,"  replied  the  penny  editor.  "Am  always  pleased  to  talk 
on  that  subject." 

"  We  propose  to  join  the  Herald  in  getting  news,"  continued  Mr. 
Hale.  "  Have  you  any  objection  to  that  ?" 

This  led  to  a  brief  conversation  on  newspaper  enterprise,  pony 
expresses,  and  news-boats.  This  conversation  on  the  establish- 
ment of  the  telegraph  led  to  the  organization  of  the  New  York  As- 
sociated Press.  This  interview  was  the  origin  of  that  institution. 
Out  of  this  conversation  grew  up  an  entente  cordiale  in  news  be- 


The  Early  Abolition  Riots.  367 

tween  the  old  Journal  of  Commerce  and  the  young  Herald  which 
was  of  great  service  to  the  former  during  the  war  with  Mexico,  and 
in  its  competition  with  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  When  \hz  Asso- 
ciated Press  was  organized,  Gerard  Hallock  became  its  president, 
and  remained  as  such  till  he  retired  from  the  Press,  respected  by 
every  member  of  that  body. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  these  two  representative  "  blanket 
sheets"  were  constantly  in  opposition.  It  was  particularly  so  dur- 
ing the  Abolition  Riots  in  New  York  in  1833  and  '34.  The  contents 
of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  and  Journal  of  Commerce  in  1833  and 
1860  present  a  curious  contrast.  But  the  same  wonderful  changes 
in  sentiment  are  every  where  visible.  Nevertheless,  the  extracts 
we  make  are  either  curiosities  in  newspaper  literature,  or  they  ex- 
hibit wonderful  progress  in  human  freedom. 

Many  old  citizens  will  remember  these  Abolition  Riots.  Then  a 
handful  of  men  and  women,  mostly  of  the  latter  sex  in  Boston, 
headed  by  Mr.  Joshua  Leavitt  in  New  York,  and  William  Lloyd 
Garrison  in  Boston,  set  the  Anti-slavery  ball  in  motion.  New  York 
was  then  comparatively  a  small  place.  It  contained  a  population 
of  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  million.  Its  fences  and  walls,  on  the  ist 
of  October,  1833,  were  placarded  witlf  a  very  simple  announcement. 
But  it  aroused  Gotham.  It  read  as  follows  : 

The  friends  of  immediate  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  United  States  are  request- 
ed to  meet  at  Clinton  Hall  on  Wednesday  evening,  2d  October,  at  half  past  sev- 
en o'clock,  to  form  a  New  York  City  Anti-slavery  Society. 

Committee :  Joshua  Leavitt,  John  Rankin,  William  Goodell,  William  Green, 
Jr.,  Lewis  Tappan. 

This  apparently  harmless  call  was  immediately  followed  by  an- 
other, more  full  of  meaning,  which  appeared  throughout  the  city  on 
the  same  day.  Here  it  is  : 

NOTICE. 

TO  ALL  PERSONS   FROM  THE  SOUTH. 

All  persons  interested  in  the  object  of  a  meeting  called  by  J.  Leavitt,  W.  Good- 
ell,  W.  Greene,  Jr.,  J.  Rankin,  and  L.  Tappan,  at  Clinton  Hall,  this  evening,  at 
seven  o'clock,  are  requested  to  attend  at  the  same  hour  and  place. 

MANY  SOUTHERNERS. 

N.B. — All  citizens  who  may  feel  disposed  to  manifest  the  true  feeling  of  the 
State  on  this  subject  are  requested  to  attend. 

These  two  calls  proved  to  be  sparks  in  a  powder  magazine. 
There  was  an  explosion,  the  noise  of  which  was  heard  all  over  the 
Union  for  the  next  thirty  years.  The  movement  of  Leavitt  and 
Tappan  was  denounced  by  the  newspapers,  and  strong  appeals 
made  to  the  people  to  crush  it  in  its  infancy.  Our  two  "blanket 
sheets"  entered  the  arena  with  great  vigor,  one  for  and  the  other 
against  these  new  philanthropists. 

The  trustees  of  Clinton  Hall  became  alarmed,  and  refused  their 


368  Journalism  in  America. 

rooms  to  the  Abolitionists.  Other  public  halls  could  not  be  ob- 
tained. Immense  crowds  gathered  in  Nassau  Street  and  vicinity, 
and  then  adjourned  to  Tammany  Hall.  Amidst  this  excitement, 
the  Abolitionists  quietly  met  at  the  old  Chatham  Street  Chapel, 
which  had  been  the  old  Chatham  Theatre,  only  a  stone's  throw 
from  Tammany.  There  they  organized  the  "  Anti-slavery  Society 
of  New  York."  In  thirty  minutes  the  thing  was  done,  and  the  fifty- 
three  individuals  composing  the  meeting  voted  to  adjourn.  Mean- 
while the  crowd  outside  swelled  in  numbers.  They  had  scented 
the  Abolitionists  to  the  chapel  and  stormed  the  place.  But  all  but 
one  man  had  vanished  through  the  back  doors  leading  into  another 
street  as  the  mob  carried  the  citadel.  That  man  was  Isaac  T. 
Hopper,  who  refused  to  leave  except  by  the  front  door,  and  the 
crowd  let  him  pass.  Hopper  was  a  well-known  Quaker  philanthro- 
pist in  New  York.  He  was  the  image  of  Napoleon  after  he  became 
emperor  and  stout.  Joseph  Bonaparte  once  called  upon  Hopper 
when  in  New  York,  and  said  that  he  never  saw  a  more  striking  re- 
semblance between  two  men.  Hopper,  it  seems  in  this  affair,  was 
like  Napoleon  in  another  point :  he  did  not  know  fear.  The  steps 
of  the  Chatham  Street  Chapel  were  his  Lodi. 

After  this  night  of  wild  excitement  what  did  the  "  blanket  sheets" 
say?  On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  October,  1833,  the  Journal  of 
Commerce,  in  speaking  of  the  affair,  held  forth  as  follows  : 

These  "  many  Southerners"  were  probably  a  handful  of  "  Northern  fanatics," 
who,  not  content  with  enjoying  their  own  opinions,  and  uttering  them  when  and 
where  they  pleased,  were  anxious  to  prevent  others  from  enjoying  the  same  priv- 
ilege. But,  whether  Northern  or  Southern,  they  have  mistaken  the  genius  of  our 
institutions  if  they  imagine  a  cause,  be  it  ever  so  bad,  can  be  permanently  injured 
by  such  disgraceful  proceedings.  "  The  blood  of  the  martyrs,"  it  is  said,  "  is  the 
seed  of  the  Church;"  and  persecution  in  any  form,  or  against  any  set  of  opin- 
ions, is  very  apt  to  produce  reaction.  In  this  country  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
putting  down  error  by  physical  force,  or  any  thing  equivalent  thereto.  If  Fanny 
Wright  and  Robert  Dale  Owen,  in  their  late  mission  to  New  York,  had  met  with 
this  kind  of  opposition,  instead  of  being  permitted  to  belch  out  their  poison  at 
pleasure,  it  is  more  than  probable  they  would  have  found,  both  for  themselves  and 
their  doctrines,  a  permanent  lodgment  among  us.  As  it  was,  they  soon  exhaust- 
ed their  resources,  and  betook  themselves  to  other  shores,  followed  by  the  pity 
and  disgust  of  almost  our  whole  population.  Let  us  not  be  understood  as  allud- 
ing to  this  case  for  the  sake  of  invidious  comparison,  but  only  for  the  purpose  of 
illustration.  The  immediate  Emancipationists,  though  embracing  but  a  small 
part  of  our  population,  enroll  among  their  numbers  many  gentlemen  of  exalted 
worth,  and  who,  whatever  may  be  their  errors  on  this  subject,  will  be  remember- 
ed and  honored  long  after  the  tongues  of  their  traducers  shall  be  silent  in  the 
grave. 

But  it  is  not  upon  this  ground  merely  that  we  condemn  the  proceedings  of  last 
evening.  Though  the  individuals  referred  to  were  men  of  the  feeblest  intellect 
and  of  the  most  worthless  character,  we  would  still  maintain  that  they  had  as 
good  a  right  to  assemble  and  make  speeches,  free  from  interruption  and  insult,  as 
any  of  their  opposers.  What  sort  of  toleration  is  that  which  bears  with  those 
who  agree  with  us  in  opinion  ?  Just  such  as  may  be  found  in  Spain,  or  Turkey, 
or  in  the  dominions  of  the  Czar.  The  essence  of  toleration  is  to  bear  with  those 
who  differ  from  us,  and  with  opinions  which  we  hold  in  utter  abhorrence.  There 


The  Abolition  Riots  in  New  York.  369 

are  plenty  of  men  in  this  country,  and  plenty  of  editors,  who  are  stanch  advo- 
cates of  toleration  on  paper,  but  the  moment  you  touch  a  subject  in  which  they 
feel  deeply,  their  liberality  has  vanished  into  smoke.  Toleration  is  very  good 
when  it  applies  to  themselves,  but  when  it  is  called  for  in  favor  of  others,  and 
when  they  are  the  persons  to  exercise  it,  that  alters  the  case  materially.  It  is  no 
longer  your  bull  that  has  killed  one  of  my  oxen. 

We  said  that  common  interest  required  that  public  meetings  should  not  be  in- 
terrupted. For  it  is  as  easy  to  interrupt  a  Colonization  meeting  as  an  Abolition 
meeting.  A  very  few  persons  suffice  to  accomplish  the  object.  They  have  only 
to  make  more  noise  than  the  speaker,  and  the  work  is  done.  And  what  enter- 
prise, good  or  bad,  has  not  its  opposers  ?  No  one.  Let,  then,*the  principle  be 
established,  that  any  bevy  of  gentlemen  or  vagabonds  may  invade  the  peace  of  a 
meeting,  the  design  of  which  they  disapprove  (or  profess  to  disapprove,  for  the 
sake  of  having  a  row),  and  what  will  be  the  consequence  ?  Why,  that  all  public 
meetings  will  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  evil-minded.  There  is  no  line  of  distinction 
which  can  be  drawn.  We  say,  then,  that  all  parties,  on  all  subjects,  are  interest- 
ed in  putting  down  the  disgraceful  practice. 

We  are  happy  to  believe  that  whoever  else  is  implicated  in  the  transactions  of 
last  evening,  the  Colonization  Society  is  not.  The  Commercial  Advertiser,  which 
is  more  the  organ  of  that  society  than  any  other  paper  in  this  city,  foresaw  the  in- 
terruption, and  entered  its  protest  against  it. 

After  all,  it  appears  that  the  immediate  Emancipationists  outgeneraled  their 
opposers ;  for  while  the  latter  were  besieging  Clinton  Hall,  or  wasting  wind  at 
Tammany  Hall,  the  former  were  quietly  adopting  their  Constitution  at  Chatham 
Street  Chapel.  They  had  but  just  adjourned,  we  understand,  when  the  din  of  the 
invading  army,  as  it  approached  from  Tammany  Hall,  fell  upon  their  ears ;  and 
before  the  audience  was  fairly  out  of  the  chapel,  the  flood  poured  in  through  the 
gates,  as  if  they  would  take  it  by  storm.  But  lo  !  they  were  too  late  ;  the  Anti- 
slavery  Society  had  been  formed,  the  Constitution  adopted,  and  the  meeting  ad- 
journed !  So  they  had  nothing  to  do  but  go  home. 

"  The  King  of  France,  with  twenty  thousand  men, 
Marched  up  the  hill,  and  then  marched  down  again." 

The  Courier  and  Enquirer,  in  opposition,  denounced  the  Journal 
of  Commerce  as  the  "principal  organ  of  Fanaticism  and  Hypocrisy," 
and  "  the  advocate  of  every  measure  calculated,  directly  or  indirect- 
ly, to  cast  a  stigma  on  the  character  of  our  country,  our  people,  our 
wives,  our  mothers,  sisters,  and  daughters,"  and  following  up  the 
subject,  the  Courier  said  : 

There  can  no  longer  be  any  doubt  of  the  objects  of  these  fanatics,  nor  of  the 
tendency  of  their  proceedings ;  and  it  becomes  the  duty  of  every  good  citizen  to 
frown  upon  them,  as  dangerous  to  the  harmony  of  the  country,  and  hazardous  to 
the  property  and  lives  of  our  Southern  brethren.  What,  then,  is  to  be  done  ?  Are 
we  tamely  to  look  on,  and  see  this  most  dangerous  species  of  fanaticism  extend- 
ing itself  through  society,  until  at  length  it  acquires  a  foothold  among  us  sufficient 
to  induce  those  partaking  of  it  to  array  themselves  openly,  as  they  now  are  se- 
cretly, against  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  ?  Or  shall  we,  by  promptly 
and  fearlessly  crushing  this  many-headed  hydra  in  the  bud,  expose  the  weakness, 
as  well  as  the  folly,  madness,  and  mischief  of  these  bold  and  dangerous  men  ? 
We  confess  this  latter  course  appears  to  us  the  most  proper,  and,  under  all  the 
circumstances,  the  only  one  which  can  with  safety  be  pursued. 

Thus  the  crusade  against  slavery  opened.  This  was  "  the  small 
cloud  no  bigger  than  a  man's  hand."  Then  the  excitement  became 
more  intense,  and  spread  over  the  entire  country.  The  Washington 
Telegraph,  edited  by  Duff  Green,  the  organ  of  John  C.  Calhoun,  took 
up  the  subject,  and  set  the  South  on  fire  by  its  inflammatory  ap- 
peals. Other  newspapers  embraced  the  idea.  Fifty  thousand  dol- 

AA 


370  Journalism  in  America. 

lars  reward  were  offered  in  New  Orleans  for  the  body  of  Arthur 
Tappan,  and  another  reward  for  Lewis  Tappan.  Abolition  editors 
were  indicted  by  Southern  grand  juries.  Trade  between  the  North 
and  South  entered  largely  into  the  contest,  and  so  the  ball  of  agita- 
tion rolled  on. 

One  afternoon  in  July,  1834,  as  Lewis  Tappan  was  sitting  in  his 
store  in  Pearl  Street,  a  colored  waiter  from  the  City  Hotel  touched 
him  on  the  shoulder,  and  said,  in  a  quick  under-tone, 

"Mr.  Tappan,  your  house  will  be  mobbed  to-night." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?"  asked  Tappan. 

"  I  hear  the  gentlemen  talk  so  at  dinner,"  replied  the  negro,  and 
he  disappeared. 

Mr.  Tappan  left  his  store  earlier  than  usual  on  that  day,  engaged 
a  carriage,  and  proposed  to  his  family  to  take  a  short  ride  in  the 
country.  The  carriage  was  driven  up  the  Bowery  and  out  to  Har- 
lem, where  the  husband,  wife,  and  children  took  supper.  They  pass- 
ed the  night  at  the  hotel.  The  first  paper  opened  on  the  next  morn- 
ing showed  the  correctness  of  the  negro  waiter's  information.  There 
was  the  fact  in  large  capitals  : 

GREAT  RIOT— LEWIS  TAPPAN'S  HOUSE  SACKED. 

New  York  had  its  riot  week  then  as  in  1863.  It  was  one  of  com- 
motion, excitement,  and. fear.  The  Chatham  Street  Chapel,  the 
Bowery  Theatre,  Dr.  S.  H.  Cox's  church  and  house,  Zion's  (colored) 
Church,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ludlow's  church,  St.  Philip's  (colored)  Church, 
African  Baptist  Church,  Arthur  and  Lewis  Tappan's  houses,  were 
mobbed  and  sacked.  Windows  and  doors  were  smashed  ;  bonfires 
of  furniture,  with  church  organs  and  parlor  pianos  thrown  in  to  in- 
crease the  conflagration,  lighted  up  the  city,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  order  reigned  in  the  metropolis.  Now  all  has  passed  into 
history,  and  only  three  daily  newspapers  published  in  that  exciting 
period  are  in.  existence  ;  and  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  said  Hallock, 
in  1861,  "is  now  the  only  paper  of  its  class  in  the  city,  all  the  other 
large  dailies,  five  or  six  in  number,  which  were  in  existence  when 
its  publication  commenced,  as  well  as  all  which  have  since  been 
started,  being  now  defunct,  or  metamorphosed  into  some  new  form 
of  physical  existence." 

There  were  assistant  editors,  of  course,  on  the  Journal  of  Com- 
merce, as  on  other  papers.  In  its  early  days,  Richard  Haughton, 
afterwards  of  the  Boston  Atlas,  was  one  of  these.  One  of  his  duties 
was  to  collate  the  election  returns.  These  figures,  so  interesting 
to  politicians  and  to  office-seekers  when  they  result  in  majorities  on 
the  right  side,  are  very  difficult  to  arrange  clearly  and  intelligently. 
Sometimes  they  are  a  Chinese  puzzle.  One  must  understand  the 


General  Hallock,  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  371 

science  not  to  make  stupid  blunders.  Haughton  understood  them. 
Bennett,  of  the  Herald,  thoroughly  comprehended  them.  So  did 
Greeley,  of  the  Tribune.  Others,  in  attempting  to  give  election  re- 
turns, would  often  get  them  terribly  confused.  When  Haughton  left 
the  Journal  of  Commerce  to  take  charge  of  the  Atlas,  who  was  to 
look  after  this  peculiar  department  in  that  office  ?  Hale  told  Hal- 
lock  he  must  perform  this  task.  "  I  don't  understand  such  tilings ; 
I  never  did,  and  I  never  could,"  said  Hallock.  "  Well,"  replied 
Hale,  "we  must  have  them,  and  you  must  try  you-r  hand  at  them." 
Hallock,  patient  and  obliging  man,  did  try,  and  succeeded.  Some 
of  the  Union  merchants,  in  giving  some  silver  plate  to  him  one  day 
for  his  services  to  the  country  as  a  journalist,  included  in  their  com- 
pliments one  for  the  accuracy  of  his  election  returns. 

Hallock  slept  on  his  arms.  His  family  resided  in  New  Haven. 
On  Friday  afternoon  he  would  go  home.  On  Monday  morning  he 
would  return.  It  was  a  regular  swing  of  the  pendulum  backwards 
and  forwards.  The  remainder  of  the  week  was  spent  in  his  office. 
Next  to  his  editorial  room  was  a  nice,  neatly-furnished  bedroom. 
There  he  slept.  He  would  take  his  meals  at  the  restaurants — to- 
day at  George  W.  Browne's,  to-morrow  at  Alderman  Ridabock's. 
In  the  early  days  of  the  Journal  he  would  run  to  fires.  No  fire  oc- 
curred at  night  in  New  York  that  was  not  chronicled  in  his  paper 
the  next  morning.  Once  he  nearly  lost  his  life  in  this  sort  of  en- 
terprise. In  running  through  one  of  the  narrow,  dark  streets,  when 
the  city  was  not  lighted,  as  the  almanacs  had  arranged  for  the  moon 
to  shine,  he  was  precipitated  into  a  freshly-excavated  cellar  of  con- 
siderable depth.  With  some  difficulty  he  extricated  himself.  "And 
didn't  you  miss  that  fire  ?"  asked  a  friend,  when  he  was  telling  the 
incident.  " Oh  no,"  said  he  ;  "I  sat  down  on  the  curb-stone  to  rub 
myself,  and,  seeing  the  light  of  the  fire  brighten  up,  I  started  for  it 
again.  It  was  in  the  Journal  the  next  morning."  Our  respect  for 
the  practical  journalist  was  immensely  increased  by  the  incident. 

When  the  Journal  of  Commerce  was  started  in  1827  it  was  35  by 
24  inches  in  size.  When  it  reached  its  growth  on  the  ist  of  March, 
1853,  it  was  35  by  58^  inches.  Imagine  a  folio  sheet  of  the  latter 
size  to  hold  out  at  arm's  length  to  read.  Nast  and  Leitch  some- 
times represent  such  sheets  in  Punch  and  Harper's.  It  is  painful, 
even  now,  to  think  of  the  effort.  In  1828  the  circulation  of  the  pa- 
per was  850.  In  1853  it  had  increased  to  4500.  It  also  had  800 
yearly  advertisers  in  that  year,  as  many  as  its  entire  circulation  in 
1828.  Its  circulation  is  now  about  5000.  This  is  considered  large 
for  a  paper  of  this  class.  It  depends  for  its  revenue  on  the  com- 
mercial classes — on  its  "  yearly  advertisers" — who  are  not  quite  yet 
prepared  for  the  prices  demanded  by  the  new  class  of  papers — the 


372  Journalism  in  America. 

Independent  Press.  These  advertisers  paid  $32  per  year  each  in 
1850.  Some  advertised  largely  and  greedily,  others  modestly  and 
moderately,  leaving  a  fair  average  for  the  newspaper  proprietor. 
This  unfair  system  was  changed  in  the  Journal in  1853.  Then  the 
yearly  advertiser  was  limited  to  ten  lines  per  day  for  $32  per  an- 
num, or  one  cent  per  line  per  day.  With  the  increased  cost  of  ev- 
ery thing  since  1861,  this  price  is  now  much  higher,  but  not  rela- 
tively higher  than  the  rates  in  the  new  class  of  papers. 

There  is  an  incident  which  will  illustrate  this  point,  and  the  dif- 
ference in  the  two  classes  of  journals  in  this  respect.  One  of  the 
large  steam-ship  lines  in  New  York  advertised  in  nearly  all  the  pa- 
pers— in  \h&  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  in  the  New  York  Herald.  Six- 
ty dollars  was  paid  the  former,  and  one  thousand  dollars  the  latter, 
for  the  same  service  for  twelve  months.  When  viewed  together  by 
the  steam-ship  company,  these  bills  appeared  somewhat  incongru- 
ous to  their  minds.  "  There  must  be  some  mistake  in  that  bill," 
said  Mr.  Cunard,  the  manager  of  the  line,  to  the  chief  of  the  adver- 
tisement bureau  of  the  Herald.  "  Not  at  all,"  replied  the  chief;  "our 
bill  is  correct."  "  How  ?"  said  Mr.  Cunard.  "  Look  at  that,"  show- 
ing the  Journal  bill.  "  Nine  hundred  and  forty  dollars  difference  for 
the  same  advertisement,  and  no  mistake  ?  Impossible  !"  And  the 
steam-ship  manager  took  his  hat.  "  I  will  tell  you  what  we'll  do," 
said  the  amiable  and  accommodating  man  of  the  Herald.  "We 
will  advertise  at  the  same  rate  that  the  Journal  of 'Commerce  charges 
you."  "That  is  what  I  thought,"  interrupted  the  active  man  of 
steam.  "  Stop  a  moment,"  continued  the  journalistic  clerk.  "Our 
rates  are  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  the  Journal.  The  circulation 
of  that  paper  is  4500 — we'll  call  it  5ooo.  Ours  is  100,000.  Sixty 
dollars  for  5000  is  $1200  for  100,000  circulation.  Is  it  not?  Our 
regular  rates  are,  therefore,  in  fact,  $200  per  year  less.  Then,  where 
the  Journal  has  three  readers,  the  Herald  has  five.  Again :  cut  your 
advertisement  from  one  copy  of  the  Herald,  weigh  it,  multiply  that 
by  100,000,  and  then  by  365  daily  publications,  and  the  cost  of  the 
white  paper  alone  on  which  it  is  printed  will  astound  you  in  a  small 
way.  Then  again — "  "  Enough !"  exclaimed  the  practical  merchant. 
"  I  am  satisfied."  On  returning  to  his  office  he  ordered  the  bills  to 
be  paid,  and  the  advertisements  of  this  popular  and  well-managed 
steam-ship  line  continued  daily  in  the  Herald  and  Journal  of  Com- 
merce. 

On  the  ist  of  September,  1861,  owing  to  political  circumstances 
growing  out  of  the  Rebellion,  and  a  desire  to  retire  from  active  bus- 
iness, now  interfered  with  by  government,  Gerard  Hallock  sold  his 
interest  in  the  paper.  After  this  the  Journal  was  published  by  David 
M.  Stone,  who  for  the  previous  twelve  years  had  been  at  the  head  of 


Suspension  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce.      373 

the  commercial  department  of  the  paper,  and  William  C.  Prime,  au- 
thor of  "Owl-Creek  Letters,"  "  The  Old  House  by  the  River,"  "Trav- 
els in  the  Holy  Land,"  "  Tent  Life  in  Egypt,"  "  Boat  Life  in  Egypt 
and  Nubia,"  "  Later  Years,"  etc.,  William  H.  Hallock,  and  David  A. 
Hale,  representing  the  heirs  of  David  Hale,  deceased.  On  taking 
leave  of  the  press  and  the  public  in  1861,  after  a  journalistic  life  of 
nearly  forty  years,  Gerard  Hallock  said : 

Accordingly,  although  we  have  denounced  secession  again  and  again  as  a  dan- 
gerous heresy,  unauthorized  by  the  Constitution,  and  never  justifiable  unless  rev- 
olution is  justifiable,  because  of  heavy  oppression,  and  because  redress  can  be  ob- 
tained in  no  other  way,  yet  so  industrious  has  been  the  tongue  of  slander,  through 
the  press  and  otherwise,  that  I  suppose  one  half  the  population  of  New  York  hon- 
estly believe  that  the  Journal  of  Commerce  is  a  secession  paper,  and  that  I  am  an 
advocate  of  that  heresy.  Accordingly,  I  have  received  anonymous  letters  by  the 
dozen,  threatening  personal  violence  and  the  destruction  of  my  office.  Volunteer 
committees  have  waited  upon  numbers  of  our  subscribers,  urging  and  sometimes 
significantly  advising  them  to  stop  taking  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  Anonymous 
letters  and  circulars  have  been  served  upon  advertisers,  warning  them  that  if  they 
continue  to  advertise  in  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  their  own  business  will  suffer 
in  consequence.  The  ultra- War  Press,  whose  name  is  legion,  has  been  set  upon 
us,  or  has  set  itself  upon  us,  and  continued  the  onset  for  weeks  and  months,  with 
a  ferocity  that  knew  no  bounds.  The  U.  S.  Grand  Jury  has  presented  us,  or  half 
presented  us,  just  at  the  close  of  their  session,  asking  no  instructions  from  the  judge, 
and  expressly  stating  that  they  desired  none,  preferring  to  let  the  matter  go  over 
to  the  next  term  of  the  court.  Lastly,  on  the  strength  of  that  presentment,  the 
Postmaster  General  has  refused  to  our  paper  the  common  right  of  transmission 
in  the  mails.  Had  the  Grand  Jury  waited  for  instructions,  the  judge,  whatever 
might  be  his  prejudices,  would  have  been  compelled  to  tell  them  that  we  had  vio- 
lated no  law,  and  therefore  that  they  had  nothing  to  do  in  the  case.  But  by  leav- 
ing the  matter  in  abeyance  for  two  months,  there  would  be  time  for  the  poison  to 
work  in  the  community,  without  the  possibility  of  our  administering  an  effectual 
remedy,  and  also  a  chance  for  the  Postmaster  General  to  apply  the  screws  to  an 
old  enemy  of  Abolitionism,  and  sectionalism  generally.  Had  this  last  form  of  op- 
pression been  omitted,  all  the  others  would  have  failed  of  their  object ;  for,  in 
spite  of  them  all,  our  circulation  in  the  aggregate  has  been  steadily  increasing,  and 
we  have  more  subscribers  to-day  in  the  non-seceded  states  than  we  had  on  the 
1st  of  January  last  in  the  whole  Union.  But  I  can  not  contend  with  the  govern- 
ment, and  have  no  disposition  to  do  so.  I  believe  the  exclusion  oi\hzjournal  of 
Commerce  from  the  mails  is  sanctioned  by  no  law,  but  that  it  is  in  violation  of  law 
and  of  the  Constitution.  But  as  neither  the  law  nor  the  Constitution  was  avail- 
able against  the  edict  of  the  government,  or  one  branch  of  it,  I  concluded  to  save 
my  partners  by  disposing  of  my  interest  in  the  establishment,  and  retiring  from 
its  direction,  thus  atoning  for  the  sins  of  the  ultra-war  papers,  whose  testimony 
in  regard  to  the  Journal  of  Commerce  the  Postmaster  General  doubtless  received 
as  true.  Had  it  not  been  for  my  partners,  or  some  of  them,  I  might  have  pre- 
ferred to  leave  the  dead  body  of  ti\z  Journal  of  Commerce  unburied,  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  measure  of  liberty  now  enjoyed  by  the  press  in  this  free  country. 

But  the  Journal  of  Commerce  did  not  escape  trouble  by  the  retire- 
ment of  its  senior  editor.  In  1864  a  bogus  proclamation  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln,  calling  for  half  a  million  more  troops,  was  imposed 
upon  several  of  the  newspapers  of  the  metropolis.  The  Journal 
was  one  of  the  innocent  victims.  Its  office  was  seized,  and  the  pub- 
lication of  the  paper  suspended  by  order  of  the  government  in  the 
most  arbitrary  manner.  The  history  of  this  outrageous  affair,  so  en- 
tirely new  since  the  Alien  and  Sedition  laws,  is  so  important  that 


374  Journalism  in  America. 

we  give  a  sketch  of  the  proceedings  in  the  case  as  it  appeared  in 
the  Journal  of  Commerce  of  March  26, 1870 : 

THE  BOGUS  PROCLAMATION. 

The  forged  proclamation  issued  in  the  name  of  the  late  President  Lincoln  was 
published  at  a  critical  period  of  the  war,  and  in  a  time  of  great  excitement.  It  is 
quite  natural,  therefore,  that  later  writers,  who  endeavor  in  good  faith  to  give  its 
true  history,  should  fall  into  serious  errors  by  copying  statements  which  were  orig- 
inally made  without  a  full  knowledge  of  the  facts.  Within  the  last  few  months 
several  such  accounts  have  appeared,  each  of  them  containing  grave  inaccuracies, 
and  calculated  to  perpetuate  the  earlier  erroneous  impressions.  Mr.  Maverick, 
in  his  Life  of  Raymond,  has  inadvertently  spoken  of  that  invention  as  having  im- 
posed upon  the  editors  of  this  paper,  and  within  a  day  or  two  a  contemporary  has 
alluded  to  the  sharpness  of  the  Times  and  Tribune  in  suspecting  the  hoax  and  re- 
fusing to  publish  it.  It  should  be  known  that  no  one  in  any  way  connected  with 
the  editorial  department  of  the  Journal oj 'Commerce ever  saw  the  proclamation  un- 
til it  was  printed,  and  that  no  copy  was  ever  left  at  the  Tribune  office,  so  that  the 
editors  of  that  paper  had  no  opportunity  to  suspect  or  reject  it.  The  fact  that  the 
Tribune  had  no  copy  was  one  reason,  if  not  the  governing  motive,  for  making  the 
inquiry  as  to  its  authenticity  of  the  agency  of  the  Associated  Press,  which  result- 
ed in  excluding  it  from  several  other  papers. 

We  propose  to  make  a  contribution  to  the  history  of  this  case.  Where  we 
make  positive  statements  we  speak  of  facts  within  our  own  knowledge  or  which 
are  undisputed  :  some  explanations  we  supply  from  incidents  brought  out  in  the 
investigation  at  the  time,  but  without  vouching  in  all  cases  for  their  absolute  cor- 
rectness. 

The  proclamation  was  invented  by  Joseph  Howard,  now  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  New  York  Daily  Star,  but  then  a  prominent  Republican,  being  one  of  the 
Kings  County  Republican  Committee,  and  a  communicant  in  Rev.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher's  church  in  Brooklyn.  The  copies  presented  for  publication  were  writ- 
ten on  a  book  of  manifold  paper  which  had  been  abstracted  from  the  office  of 
the  Associated  Press,  and  this  work  was  executed  by  F.  A.  Mallison,  formerly  em- 
ployed in  such  service,  whose  hand  was  familiar  to  the  papers. 

Copies  were  sent  to  all  of  the  morning  papers  in  this  city  accustomed  to  receive 
the  dispatches  of  the  Associated  Press,  but,  as  no  printed  envelopes  could  be  ob- 
tained, the  loose  pages  were  folded  and  delivered  without  any  wrapper.  The  boy 
who  was  sent  was  not  very  familiar  with  the  night  entrance  to  the  several  offices. 
He  pounded  for  a  long  time  on  the  wrong  door  of  the  Tribune  building,  and  failed 
to  obtain  access  ;  hence  that  paper  had  no  copy  of  the  document.  The  Daily 
News,  not  a  member  of  the  Association,  had  but  recently  been  entitled  to  buy  the 
news,  and  when  the  copy  was  laid  on  its  counter  the  person  in  attendance  asked 
why  it  was  not  sent  in  an  envelope.  The  boy  prevaricated,  and  hastily  left.  Hav- 
ing his  suspicions  aroused,  the  receiver  sent  down  to  the  Times  office  to  see  if  it 
was  a  Press  dispatch.  He  was  answered  in  the  affirmative  ;  but  attention  being 
thus  called  to  the  production  itself,  suspicion  was  aroused  in  the  Times  office,  and 
a  message  sent  across  the  street  to  see  if  the  Tribune  had  it,  and  what  was  thought 
of  it  there.  The  answer  returned  was  that  the  Tribtme  knew  nothing  about  it. 
We  have  always  believed  that  if  the  Tribune's  copy  had  been  delivered,  all  the 
papers  receiving  it  in  time  would  have  printed  it.  After  the  answer  came  from 
the  Tribune  a  question  was  sent  over  to  the  office  of  the  Associated  Press,  when 
it  was  ascertained  that  the  pretended  dispatch  was  not  genuine.  The  Times  then 
suppressed  the  document,  but  apprised  no  other  paper  of  its  discovery  save  the 
News,  which  had  made  the  first  inquiry. 

The  World  received  and  printed  it  without  question.  The  Sun,  which  had  a 
very  large  edition,  and  always  went  to  press  early,  had  made  up  its  form,  and 
could  not  get  it  in,  if  its  editors  had  been  disposed  to  print  it. 

The  Herald  received  it  as  genuine,  stereotyped  if  in  its  form,  and  went  on  print- 
ing it.  After  about  twenty-five  thousand  copies  had  been  struck  off,  a  messenger 
sent  for  an  early  copy  of  the  paper  called  at  \hzHerald  press-room  with  the  Times 
and  Tribune  in  his  hand.  On  being  questioned  as  to  whether  the  proclamation 
had  reached  those  papers  in  time  for  their  first  edition,  he  expressed  surprise,  and 


The  Bogus  Proclamation.  375 

a  search  revealed  the  fact  that  those  papers  did  not  contain  it.  The  Herald  im- 
mediately struck  it  from  the  paper  and  recast  the  form.  Only  a  few  copies  with 
the  insertion  had  been  sent  out,  and  the  remainder  were  consigned  to  the  flames 
or  the  paper-mill. 

The  messenger  had  been  instructed  to  deliver  the  copy  to  the  Journal  of  Com- 
merce last  of  all,  and  he  subsequently  testified  that  doubts  had  been  expressed  if 
it  would  pass  muster  at  this  office,  no  similar  attempt  at  imposition  ever  having 
been  successful  in  this  quarter.  It  was  half  past  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  be- 
fore the  conspirators  ventured  to  send  it.  Not  only  had  the  night  editor  in  charge 
and  all  his  force  left  for  home,  but  all  the  compositors  save  those  employed  in 
manipulating  the  forms  had  been  dismissed.  The  proof-reader  lingered  a  mo- 
ment on  the  outside  step  of  the  entrance  at  No.  93  Wall  Street  to  talk  with  the 
copy-holder,  who  had  just  been  discharged  for  inattention  and  general  incompe- 
tency.  The  boy  was  making  some  plea  in  the  hope  of  being  restored,  after  which 
the  proof-reader  turned  down  the  street  toward  his  Brooklyn  home,  and  the  copy- 
holder started  in  the  opposite  direction.  As  the  latter  passed  the  corner  he  heard 
a  pounding  on  the  door  of  No.  91,  which  led  to  the  business  office,  but  did  not 
connect  with  the  upper  stories.  He  called  to  know  what  was  wanted,  when  a 
boy  who  was  knocking  came  down  the  short  steps  and  handed  him  the  proclama- 
tion, saying  that  it  was  a  very  important,  dispatch  from  the  Associated  Press. 
He  remarked  that  it  was  too  late  for  the  paper,  but  he  would  take  it  in,  and  thus 
receiving  it  from  the  other  boy,  he  rushed  with  it  up  the  stairs  to  the  printing 
office.  But  for  his  officiousness  the  Journal  of  Commerce  would  have  missed  it 
as  the  Tribune  did,  and  precisely  for  the  same  reason.  Pausing  a  moment  at  the 
first  landing,  where  there  was  a  gas-light,  to  see  what  the  news  could  be,  his  eye 
caught  the  words  "a  day  of  fasting,"  and  he  dashed  up  to  the  imposing  table, 
where  the  foreman,  with  three  assistants,  was  just  taking  off  the  form,  with  the 
words,  "  You'll  have  to  wait ;  here's  a  holiday  for  you !" 

On  being  questioned,  he  said  he  had  received  the  dispatch  "  from  an  Associated 
Press  boy  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs."  As  most  of  these  messengers  were  intimate 
with  the  boys  of  the  office,  the  foreman  had  no  question  of  this  statement,  but  he 
hesitated  because  the  hour  was  so  late  and  his  workmen  gone.  His  orders  were 
that,  after  the  form  was  closed  and  the  editor  gone,  he  should  stop  the  press  for 
nothing  but  the  news  of  a  battle  or  an  official  order.  Of  the  latter  the  Journal 
of  Commerce  had  published  gratuitously  enormous  quantities  about  drafts,  enlist- 
ments, etc.,  a  large  proportion  of  which  came  from  Washington  at  a  late  hour  in 
the  night. 

This  proclamation  was  written  on  several  pages  of  thin  tissue  paper.  Looking 
at  the  foot  of  the  last  page  the  foreman  saw  the  signature  "  Abraham  Lincoln," 
and  the  countersign  of  Wm.  H.  Seward.  Reluctantly  he  yielded  to  what  he  sup- 
posed to  be  the  necessities  of  the  case,  and  giving  each  of  his  assistants  part  of 
the  copy,  he  set  up  part  with  his  own  hand.  No  proof  was  taken,  each  composi- 
tor setting  his  own  part  as  carefully  as  possible,  and  thus  the  whole  of  it  was  read 
by  no  one  in  the  office  until  it  came  from  the  press. 

The  writer  of  this  was  the  first  at  the  editor's  office  next  morning.  By  a  singu- 
lar coincidence,  the  paper  had  failed  to  reach  his  hand  that  morning  at  his  house 
for  the  only  time  during  the  whole  year.  There  was  an  excited  crowd  on  the 
streets  and  around  the  publication  room.  Hastily  glancing  at  the  page  of  the 
paper,  we  called  for  the  copy.  It  was  presented  at  once,  and  bore  every  internal 
evidence,  both  in  paper  and  handwriting,  of  its  genuineness  as  a  Press  dispatch, 
but  we  placed  on  the  bulletin  at  once  our  suspicion  of  its  authenticity. 

A  telegram  of  inquiry  to  the  State  Department  at  Washington  was  not  an- 
swered until  the  next  evening !  But  the  moment  we  ascertained  that  the  copy 
did  not  come  from  the  office  of  the  Association,  we  denounced  it  at  once  as  a  for- 
gery, and  forwarded  at  our  own  expense  by  the  Cunard  line  a  contradiction  to  be 
circulated  by  telegraph  in  Europe.  The  forged  proclamation  was  printed  on 
Wednesday  morning,  the  i8th  of  May,  1864.  The  Herald  was  not  molested  for 
the  few  copies  it  had  issued  ;  but  orders  came  immediately  from  the  President  to 
arrest  the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce  and  the  World,  lock 
them  up  in  Fort  Lafayette,  and  suppress  their  papers.  Major  General  Dix,  then 
in  command  of  this  military  department,  in  a  correspondence  which  reflected  much 
credit  upon  him,  endeavored  in  vain  to  secure  the  modification  of  this  order  by 


376  Journalism  in  America. 

representing  that  the  parties  to  be  punished  were  the  victims  of  the  fraud  and 
not  its  perpetrators,  and  could  not  have  been  guilty  of  any  disrespect  to  the  na- 
tional authority.  The  offices  named  were  seized,  and  a  portion  of  the  designated 
persons  arrested.  The  military  were  searching  for  the  remainder,  and  a  boat 
with  steam  up  was  waiting  off  the  Battery  to  take  them  down  the  bay,  when  about 
three  o'clock  Thursday  morning  the  President  countermanded  the  order  of  arrest, 
but  the  troops  still  kept  possession  of  the  printing  establishments  that  had  been 
seized.  In  addition  to  the  telegrams  actually  sent  by  General  Dix  to  Washing- 
ton, we  have  heard  it  asserted  by  undoubted  authority  that  this  distinguished  of- 
ficer wrote  a  still  more  creditable  letter,  declining  to  execute  the  military  decree, 
and  tendering  his  resignation  if  the  service  were  insisted  upon ;  but  he  was  over- 
ruled in  his  judgment  of  what  his  sense  of  justice  and  a  proper  self-respect  re- 
quired, and,  retaining  the  letter  in  his  desk,  he  executed  his  disagreeable  mission 
in  the  open  violation  of  law  and  the  sacred  rights  so  solemnly  guaranteed  by  the 
Constitution. 

Mr.  Howard,  the  author  of  the  forgery,  was  arrested  on  Thursday,  the  igth  of 
May,  and,  making  a  full  confession,  was  on  Friday  sent  to  Fort  Lafayette.  Mr. 
Mallison,  the  instrument,  was  arrested  a  day  after,  and  on  Saturday  was  sent  to 
the  fort.  The  newspaper  offices  were  vacated  by  the  military  on  Saturday  after- 
noon, and  resumed  the  publication  of  their  issues  on  Monday  morning.  The 
guilty  perpetrators  of  the  forgery,  having  strong  friends  among  the  leading  men 
of  the  dominant  party,  were  soon  after  discharged  from  custody  without  punish- 
ment. 

The  Governor  of  this  state  called  the  District  Attorney's  attention  to  the  vio- 
lation of  both  "  the  state  and  national  laws"  in  the  attempt  of  the  authorities  to 
punish  the  victims  instead  of  the  authors  of  the  wrong,  and  Major  General  Dix, 
with  several  inferior  officers,  were  arrested,  and  on  July  9th  had  a  hearing  before 
Judge  Russell.  Judge  Pierrepont,  General  Cochrane,  Wm.  M.  Evarts,  and  other 
eminent  counsel,  were  heard,  and  Judge  Russell  held  these  officers  subject  to  in- 
dictment by  the  Grand  Jury.  The  editors  who  had  suffered  so  unjustly,  however, 
did  not  urge  the  prosecution,  and  no  further  action  was  ever  taken. 

After  the  newspapers  were  suspended  the  government  discover- 
ed that  it  had  been  precipitate,  and  made  efforts  to  withdraw  from 
the  untoward  dilemma  in  which  it  had  placed  itself  against  the  ad- 
vice of  Major  General  Dix,  who  at  one  time  was  on  the  point  of 
sending  in  his  resignation  rather  than  carry  out  the  orders  of  the 
authorities  at  Washington.  The  friends  of  the  administration  en- 
deavored to  induce  the  editors  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce  to  peti- 
tion the  Secretary  of  War  to  release  that  paper  from  arrest  and  sus- 
pension, but  Mr.  Stone  positively  and  properly  refused  to  do  so. 
"  I'll  ask  no  such  favor,"  said  Stone,  in  his  vehement  manner  and 
tone,  to  the  mild  but  firm  General  Dix.  "  I  have  wittingly  commit- 
ted no  offence,  and  the  Journal  of  Commerce  shall  never  appear 
again  if  it  must  be  on  such  conditions.  Let  the  government  right 
its  own  wrong." 

The  most  extraordinary  part  of  this  extraordinary  affair  was  the 
actual  promulgation,  a  few  weeks  after  these  arbitrary  proceedings, 
of  a  bonafide  proclamation  almost  of  the  same  purport  of  the  bogus 
document !  Modern  usurpation  could  not  go  farther  than  this.  It 
was  as  much  as  the  people  would  permit  under  the  peculiar  con- 
dition of  the  country  at  the  time,  and  for  America  in  1864  it  was  an 
extreme  measure,  and  tolerated  only  in  the  supposed  exigencies  of 
the  government. 


The  President  of  the  Associated  Press.        377 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Gerard  Hallock  in  1869,  his  son 
William  H.  Hallock  retired  from  the  concern  and  went  to  Europe. 
On  his  return  he  made  an  effort  to  establish  a  cheap  evening  paper 
in  New  York.  It  was  started,  and  called  the  Republic ;  but  young 
Hallock  having  received  his  newspaper  education  in  the  office  Of 
one  of  the  old  class  journals,  he  was  not  equal  to  the  new  state  of 
things  introduced  by  modern  journalism  and  the  telegraph.  After 
losing  $30,000  he  gracefully  succumbed  to  fate,  and  the  Republic  is 
no  more. 

Since  then  Mr. William  C.  Prime  has  withdrawn  from  the  Journal 
of  Commerce  to  indulge  in  books,  art,  lectures,  travel,  and  numis- 
matics, leaving  that  paper  entirely  under  the  editorial  management 
of  David  M.  Stone,  who  seems  fond  of  his  position,  and  hugely  en- 
joys himself  as  presiding  officer  of  that  distinguished  illuminati,\h&, 
New  York  Associated  Press. 


378  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

SOME  OF  THE  BOSTON  NEWSPAPERS. 

THE  BOSTON  DAILY  ADVERTISER. — HORATIO  BIGLOW  AND  NATHAN  HALE. 
— THE  FIRST  DAILY  NEWSPAPER. — EDITORIAL  ARTICLES. — THE  EVENING 
TRAVELLER.  —  THE  BOSTON  COURIER.  —  JOSEPH  TINKER  BUCKINGHAM. — 
THE  TRANSCRIPT. — THE  LIBERATOR. — WILLIAM  LLOYD  GARRISON. — OLD 
FILES  OF  NEWSPAPERS.  —  THE  BOSTON  POST.  —  CHARLES  G.GREENE. — 
THE  ATLAS. — RICHARD  HAUGHTON  AND  JOHN  H.  EASTBURN. — THE  MER- 
CANTILE JOURNAL. — THE  HERALD.  —  THE  LAST  NEWSPAPER  ENTERPRISE. 
— THE  GLOBE. 

NEW  ENGLAND  could  always  boast  of  her  newspapers.  She  is 
the  mother  of  them  in  America.  They  were  always  well  edited ; 
always  neatly  printed  ;  always  felt  an  amore  propre  that  was  of  serv- 
ice to  them ;  always  believed  in  New  England ;  and  always  had 
faith  in  Boston.  Augusta,  Concord,  Montpellier,  Hartford,  and  Prov- 
idence are  nice  cities,  and  respected  as  capitals  in  their  respective 
states,  but  Boston  above  all  in  the  estimation  of  every  New  En- 
glander.  She  being  the  Hub,  the  others  are  the  spokes,  and  so  they 
revolve.  The  newspapers  of  Boston,  therefore,  are  the  newspapers 
par  excellence  of  New  England.  The  Springfield  Republican  and 
Worcester  Spy,  and  one  or  two  other  journals  in  the  rural  districts, 
are  influential,  and  as  potent,  probably,  as  the  metropolitan  papers, 
but  not  in  the  same  districts  and  in  the  same  way.  These  journals 
have  an  individuality  and  an  enterprise  of  their  own  that  has  kept 
them  in  power  with  their  readers.  Our  pages  indicate  the  promi- 
nent part  the  papers  of  New  England  have  performed  in  history, 
from  the  Neivs-Letter  to  the  Globe. 

The  first  prominent  daily  paper  issued  in  New  England  was  the 
Boston  Daily  Advertiser,  the  publication  of  which  was  commenced 
on  the  3d  of^Iarch,  1813.  There  was  a  daily  paper  begun  in  that 
city  on  the  6th  of  October,  1796,  by  Alexander  Martin,  and  edited 
by  John  O'Ley  Burk,  one  of  the  "United  Irishmen."  It  lived  about 
six  months.  It  was  called  the  Polar  Star  and  Boston  Daily  Adver- 
tiser. Another  was  attempted  on  the  ist  of  January,  1798,  by  Caleb 
P.  Wayne,  who  was  afterwards  editor  of  the  United  States  Gazette  of 
Philadelphia.  This  second  daily  paper  of  Boston  was  named  the 
Federal  Gazette  and  Daily  Advertiser.  It  lived  three  months.  The 
third  attempt  at  a  daily  paper  in  the  capital  of  Massachusetts  was 


Nathan  Hale,  of  the  Boston  Advertiser.       379 

a  success.  It  was  published  by  William  W.  Clapp,  afterwards  of 
the  Saturday  Evening  Gazette,  and  edited  by  Horatio  Biglow.  Its 
editor,  on  the  previous  January,  printed  a  prospectus,  of  which  the 
following  is  an  extract : 

Whilst  every  other  city  on  the  continent  is  teeming  with  diaries,  we  will  not, 
by  unnecessary  apology,  anticipate  the  charge  of  presumption  in  offering  to  the 
patronage  of  the  citizens  of  Boston  the  plan  of  a  Daily  Commercial  and  Political 
Gazette,  nor  betray,  by  the  wariness  of  precaution,  a  diffidence  to  that  candor  and 
liberality  which  has  ever  characterized  the  inhabitants  of  this  ancient  and  respect- 
able metropolis.  We  might,  however,  find  a  sufficient  justification  in  the  features 
of  the  times,  which  are  of  so  extraordinary  an  aspect  and  so  varying  a  hue,  that 
whilst  every  interest  is  absorbed  in  political  anxiety,  every  hour  gives  a  different 
complexion  to  the  chameleon-like  object  of  our  solicitude.  By  delaying  the  im- 
pression of  our  paper  till  the  arrival  of  the  Southern  mail,  we  shall  be  able  to  in- 
sert an  abstract  of  congressional  debates,  and  so  communicate  the  earliest  intelli- 
gence of  any  portentous  movement  in  the  cabinet  or  camp.  The  frequency  of 
publication  will  prevent  the  accumulation  of  important  matter,  and  leave  us  am- 
ple room  for  the  favors  of  our  advertising  friends. 

It  was  the  intention  then  to  name  the  new  paper  the  Morning 
Post  and  Daily  Advertiser,  a  Commercial  and  Political  yoimial.  On 
the  3d  of  March,  however,  the  first  number  appeared  as  the  Boston 
Daily  Advertiser.  This  was  the  principal  head-line.  On  the  sec- 
ond number  the  name  of  Repertory  was  added  to  the  sub-head  only. 
The  editor,  in  the  initial  sheet,  said : 

It  is  about  six  weeks  since  the  editor  of  this  paper  first  announced  the  design 
of  it  to  the  public.  The  liberal  encouragement  he  has  already  received,  and  an 
arrangement  with  the  proprietor  of  the  Repertory,  have  enabled  him  to  commence 
the  publication  sooner  than  he  could  have  anticipated.  He  has,  in  one  respect, 
departed  from  his  original  intention.  In  compliance  with  the  wish  of  his  adver- 
tising friends,  the  Daily  Advertiser  will  be  issued  at  an  early  hour,  without  regard 
to  the  arrival  of  the  morning  post,  and  forwarded  to  distant  subscribers  by  the 
mail  of  the  day. 

********* 

In  instituting  the  comparison,  he  has  no  wish  to  derogate  from  the  merits,  or 
the  ability,  or  the  utility  of  the  Federal  papers  of  this  town.  No  one  can  be 
more  ready  to  do  justice  to  their  character,  and  no  one  can  more  highly  appreci- 
ate their  services.  He  would  be  unwilling  to  think  that  his  support  must  detract 
from  theirs — he  only  asks  for  a  share  of  public  patronage.  Besides  monthly, 
weekly,  and  semi-weekly  publications,  EIGHT  daily  papers  are  circulated  in  New 
York,  and  the  little  city  oi  Alexandria,  with  not  half  the  population  of  Salem,  is 
provided  with  TWO.  It  were  an  unworthy  supposition  that  Boston,  with  all  its 
wealth  and  liberality,  is  incompetent  to  the  maintenance  of  ONE. 

Biglow  conducted  the  paper  till  the  6th  of  April,  1814.  He  then 
went  to  New  York,  where  he  edited  the  American  Monthly  Magazine 
and  Critical  Review  in  1817.  Nathan  Hale,  a  nephew  of  "the  pa- 
triot spy  of  the  Revolution,"  after  whom  he  was  named,  assumed 
the  editorial  management  of  the  Advertisers,  the  yth  of  April,  1814. 
Mr.  Clapp  continued  to  be  the  publisher.  Its  sub-head  was  then 
Repertory  and  Daily  Advertiser.  It  was  once  more  changed,  and 
Repertory  was  dropped. 

Mr.  Hale  entered  upon  his  duties  with  a  full  appreciation  of  the 
responsibilities  of  an  editor.  On  the  yth  of  April  he  said  : 


380  Journalism  in  America. 

The  great  variety  of  duties  which  fall  at  once  upon  the  present  editor  of  this 
paper,  on  his  entering  somewhat  suddenly  upon  his  new  engagements,  might  per- 
haps excuse  him  in  the  omission  of  the  customary  formality  of  an  introductory 
address. 

********* 

Many  of  these  readers  rely  solely  for  information  upon  the  amount  afforded  by 
a  single  paper.  Thus  the  intellectual  appetites  of  thousands  of  readers,  through 
which  nourishment  or  poison  is  to  be  afforded  to  their  political,  moral,  and  some- 
times religious  principles,  by  which  arguments  are  to  be  supplied  for  their  daily 
discussion,  facts  for  their  history,  and  an  impetus  to  all  their  mental  exercise,  are 
dependent  for  their  periodical  supply  upon  the  frail  understanding  of  a  single 
editor. 

********* 

One  of  the  peculiar  traits  of  national  character  alluded  to  above  is  the  insatia- 
ble appetite  which  exists  in  all  classes  of  people  in  this  country  for  news.  It  is  a 
thirst  so  universal  that  it  has  given  rise  to  a  general  and  habitual  form  of  saluta- 
tion on  the  meeting  of  friends  and  strangers,  What's  the  news  ?  This  is  an  in- 
quiry of  such  universal  interest  that  he  who  can  answer  it  is  always  welcome, 
while  he  who  brings  the  second  report  of  an  event,  although  it  be  much  more  full 
and  correct  in  its  details,  is  listened  to  with  indifference.  From  this  diseased 
state  of  the  public  taste  arises  a  very  great  obstacle  to  the  suitable  performance 
of  the  editorial  duties.  The  most  correct  rumors  are  seldom  the  most  rapid  in 
their  flight ;  and  while  the  editor  is  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  a  true  statement  of 
any  affair,  his  readers  are  satisfied  with  the  distorted  representation  that  had  gone 
forward.  If  he  would  keep  pace  with  the  curiosity  and  anticipations  of  a  great 
part  of  his  readers,  he  must  deal  more  in  crude  reports  and  loose  conjectures 
than  in  well-authenticated  facts  and  the  materials  of  history. 

The  new  editor,  with  these  views,  was  the  first  to  introduce  the 
regular  editorial  articles  as  a  feature  in  journalism.  Edward  Ever- 
ett, in  some  remarks  before  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  on 
the  1 2th  of  February,  1863,  relative  to  Mr.  Hale,  observed : 

It  was  said  of  the  Daily  Advertiser  by  a  distinguished  contemporary  journal- 
ist, the  founder  and  editor  of  the  Boston  Courier,  that  the  Advertiser  was  the  first 
journal  which  systematically  introduced  the  editorial  discussion  of  political  topics, 
that  branch  of  journalism  having  been  before  left  to  correspondents,  the  most 
celebrated  of  whom  are  the  authors  of  the  Federalist  and  Junius.  I  have  not  the 
means  of  verifying  the  accuracy  of  this  remark,  but  certain  it  is  that  the  columns 
of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  for  forty  years,  contained,  as  a  standing  feature,  an  edi- 
torial comment  on  passing  affairs  at  home  and  abroad ;  and  not  less  so,  that  such 
comment,  prepared  as  it  was  by  Mr.  Hale,  in  a  manner  to  exercise  a  marked  in- 
fluence on  public  opinion,  could  be  the  achievement  of  no  ordinary  mind. 

Managers  of  newspapers,  for  a  long  period  in  this  country,  were 
not  generally  writers.  They  were  printers  whose  expectations  were 
that  their  pages  would  be  filled  with  advertisements,  tales,  news  ex- 
tracts, and  gratuitous  contributions  from  politicians  and  a  few  pub- 
lic spirited  writers.  They  were  mostly  controlled  by  the  leading 
politicians  of  the  day,  who  would  assist  them  with  their  pens  and 
purses.  The  introduction  of  regular  comments  on  passing  events 
from  the  responsible  editor  of  the  paper  was  therefore  a  great  feat- 
ure in  the  history  of  the  Advertiser,  and  an  immense  step  forward 
in  the  progress  and  improvement  in  journalism. 

Other  papers  had  previously  editorial  articles,  but  they  were  rare. 
All  public  matters  were  discussed  in  communications.  Our  early 
editors  were  known  as  Publius,  Tacitus,  Fabius,  Massachusettensis, 


Names  of  Ancient  and  Modern  Editors.      381 

Laco,  Zeno,  Jonathan  Oldstyle,  Tullius,  Honestus,.Curtius,  Solon, 
Busy  Body,  Federalist,  Old  South,  Junius,  Socrates,  Veritas,  Cato, 
Brutus,  Poor  Richard,  Miles  Juveniles,  Thucydides,  Spy,  Senator, 
Scrutator.  They  wrote  for  the  papers  before  the  Hales,  Weeds, 
Bennetts,  Webbs,  Hallocks,  Raymonds,  Greenes,  Marbles,  Danas, 
Greeleys,  Brookses,  Blairs,  and  Bryants  became  journalists.  When 
this  editorial  feature  was  introduced  in  the  Advertiser,  it  was  the  first 
step  towards  the -Independent  Press.  The  editorial  comments  of 
this  paper  had,  as  a  national  result,  a  large  influence  on  the  affairs 
of  New  England,  and  in  the  development  of  the  resources  of  Massa- 
chusetts. There  were  other  writers  for  the  Advertiser,  but  Mr.  Hale 
was  so  tenacious  of  his  prerogatives  that,  if  Edward  Everett,  or 
Daniel  Webster,  or  Alexander  H.  Everett  wrote  for  the  paper,  their 
productions,  it  is  said,  appeared  as  communications. 

There  was  some  journalistic  enterprise  in  Mr.  Hale.  It  is  men- 
tioned that  he  was  the  first  to  introduce  steam  power-presses  in 
New  England,  as  Walter,  of  the  London  Times,  was  the  first  to  in- 
troduce them  in  Old  England.  With  William  Tudor  and  a  few  oth- 
ers, Mr.  Hale  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  North  American 
Review  in  1815,  and  of  the  Christian  Examiner  at  a  later  period. 

With  the  change  of  base  in  the  protective  policy  of  the  nation 
from  the  South  to  the  North,  Mr.  Hale  wrote,  in  1828,  a  pamphlet 
on  that  policy,  which  became  the  basis  of  the  protective  tariffs  of 
the  United  States  from  that  day  to  this.  He  also  entered  largely 
into  the  system  of  internal  improvements,  which  has  done  so  much 
for  this  country.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Boston  and 
Worcester  Railroad,  the  first  railway  in  New  England,  and  over 
which  the  first  locomotive  in  that  section  of  the  land  drew  a  train 
of  cars. 

The  Advertiser  has  absorbed  a  number  of  newspapers  which 
were  prominent  and  influential  in  their  day,  as  these  pages  testify, 
but  which  could  not  outlive  their  peculiarity  and  specialty.  Our 
researches  develop  the  curious  fact  that  of  all  the  numerous  pa- 
pers which  have  been  started  into  existence  in  the  United  States, 
and  produced  a  sensation  for  a  time,  very  few  have  continued  in 
prosperity  long  after  the  demise  of  their  founders  and  energetic 
conductors ;  and  of  those  which  have  survived  half  a  century  are 
not  now  famous  for  any  particular  brilliancy,  or  energy,  or  enter- 
prise. Our  readers  will  recognize  in  such  names  as  the  Boston  Re- 
pertory, the  Independent  Chronicle  and  Boston  Patriot,  the  Columbian 
Centinel,  the  New  England  Palladium,  the  Commercial  Gazette,  and 
the  Centinel  and  Gazette,  journals  that,  in  years  gone  by,  had  an  in- 
fluence, and  made  their  mark  in  public  circles.  Well,  all  these  pa- 
pers now  constitute  the  Boston  Daily  Advertiser  of  1872. 


382  Journalism  in  America. 

The  Advertiser  is  now  called  the  "  respectable  daily"  of  Boston, 
and  the  organ  of  Harvard  College.  It  never  admits  any  thing  of- 
fensive to  State  Street,  or  Beacon  Street,  or  the  illuminati  of  old 
Harvard.  In  old  times  it  never  sought  an  advertisement  or  a  sub- 
scriber by  personal  application,  because  such  a  mode  of  doing  bus- 
iness was  not  dignified.  All  this  may  have  been  true.  All  may  be 
true  now.  What  of  it  ?  I§  it  a  sin  for  a  newspaper  to  have  a  char- 
acter of  its  own  ?  But  these  statements  are  not  all  correct  now. 
There  is  young  blood  in  the  concern.  There  is  more  enterprise  in 
the  establishment.  There  is  a  daily  column  of  news  items  that,  "in 
general,"  spice  the  solid  and  well-written  leaders.  Its  money-mar- 
ket and  marine  news  reports  have  always  been  reliable.  It  shows 
its  respect  for  Harvard  by  publishing  all  the  Latin  rhyme  the  stu- 
dents may  send  in. 

The  office  of  the  Advertiser,  in  a  "splendid  new  building,  now 
stands  in  Court  Street,  on  the  spot  where  Benjamin  Franklin  began 
his  career  as  printer  and  journalist  in  the  early  part  of  last  century. 

There  was  a  paper  printed  on  the  corner  of  Cornhill  and  Court 
Street,  Boston,  forty-seven  years  ago,  that  was  interesting  and  enter- 
taining, and  a  valuable  guide  to  the  traveler.  It  had  a  peculiarly 
plain  head-line  for  its  title,  which  was  the  American  Traveller.  Its 
editor  was  Royal  L.  Porter.  The  first  number  was  issued  on  the 
ist  of  January,  1825.  There  was  another  paper  previously  publish- 
ed, which  was  an  affinity  to  the  Traveller,  called  the  Stage  Register. 
It  was  like  the  railroad  guide  of  to-day — filled  with  two  and  three 
columns  of  advertisements  of  stage  lines  in  the  United  States,  as 
our  newspapers  are  now  filled  with  advertisements  of  railroad  lines 
— of  the  departures  of  the  numerous  trains  to  every  section  and  cor- 
ner of  the  Union. 

These  two  publications  very  properly  came  together  and  were 
united,  and  the  same  sort  of  advertisements,  with  the  old  familiar 
cut  of  the  stage-coach,  four-in-hand,  dashing  over  the  dusty  roads, 
appeared  in  the  American  Traveller,  and  no  better  name  could  have 
been  selected  for  a  paper  with  such  a  class  of  advertisements.  With 
the  increasing  steam-boat  lines,  and  the  railroads  just  beginning  to 
come  into  use,  the  Stage  Register  was  becoming  a  misnomer  :  it  was 
not  up  to  the  spirit  of  the  age. 

We  recollect  in  the  American  Traveller  the  publication  of  a  cor- 
respondence from  along  the  Hudson  and  elsewhere,  among  the  first 
of  the  kind,  descriptive  of  the  routes,  scenery,  country,  over  the  sig- 
nature of  F.  H.  These  letters,  a  novelty  then,  were  written  by 
Freeman  Hunt,  afterwards  the  successful  manager  of  Hunts  Mer- 
chants' Magazine,  a  very  valuable  and  useful  financial  and  commer- 
cial publication. 


The  Boston  Evening  Traveller.  383 

On  the  ist  of  April,  1845,  the  Boston  Evening  Traveller,  a  daily 
paper,  took  the  place  of  the  American  Traveller  in  one  sense,  and 
the  latter  became  the  semi-weekly  issue  of  the  new  enterprise,  and 
the  old  Stage  Register  was  transformed  into  the  Weekly  Traveller. 
The  first  editor  of  the  American  Traveller,  Royal  L.  Porter,  died  in 
1834,  ten  years  before  this  change  was  contemplated.  Others  had 
the  management  of  the  establishment  then.  Ferdinand  Andrews 
and  the  Rev.  George  Puncharcl  were  the  originators  of  the  Evening 
Traveller.  R.  Worthington,  the  present  senior  proprietor,  joined 
them  in  June,  1845.  Andrews  had  been  connected  with  the  Salem 
Gazette,  and  published  the  Landmark  in  that  ancient  town  of  com- 
merce and  wealth.  It  was  in  that  paper  that  the  famous  sketch  of 
Deacon  Giles's  Distillery,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Geo.  B.  Cheever,  appeared, 
creating  a  sensation  in  Church,  court,  and  country  from  Maine  to 
Mississippi,  and  making  the  Deacon  and  the  Dominie  notorious  ev- 
ery where  and  forever. 

When  the  Traveller  was  issued  as  a  daily,  all  the  papers  then 
published  in  Boston,  with  the  exception  of  the  Mail  and  Times, 
were  sixpenny  sheets,  and  too  respectable  to  be  s.old  in  the  streets 
by  the  newsboys.  The  Traveller  was  started  as  a  two-cent  paper, 
and  not  sold  in  the  streets  at  first,  because  of  the  prevailing  dignity 
of  the  Press  in  modern  Athens.  But  all  things,  as  well  as  leaves, 
have  their  time  to  change.  On  the  nomination  of  General  Taylor 
for  the  presidency,  Daniel  Webster  did  not  enter  the  campaign  with 
his  usual  enthusiasm.  It  was,  however,  announced  one  day  in  Au- 
gust, 1848,  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Constitutional  Expounder 
to  have  a  talk  with  his  neighbors  at  Marshfield  on  the  political  as- 
pects of  the  country.  Worthington  immediately  engaged  Dr.James 
W.  Stone,  the  stenographer,  and  started  for  that  charming  and  clas- 
sic spot.  Webster  delivered  his  great  speech,  in  which  he  uttered, 
in  his  most  emphatic  and  impressive  manner,  these  memorable  but 
useless  words,  that  the  nomination  of  General  Taylor  was  one  "  not 
fit  to  be  made.  No,  my  friends,  not  fit  to  be  made."  Worthing- 
ton, with  Stone  and  his  short-hand  notes,  returned  by  express  to 
Boston,  and  had  the  speech  ready  in  an  Extra  Traveller  for  sale 
early  the  next  morning.  The  Athenians  were  delighted.  This 
piece  of  newspaper  enterprise  was  a  success,  and  was  the  introduc- 
tion of  that  paper  to  the  ragged  and  rugged  newsboys  of  Boston. 
Webster's  speech  sold  all  day  in  that  city.  It  was  sent  specially  to 
the  New  York  Herald,  and  thus  spread  over  the  Union,  to  the  de- 
light of  the  Democrats  and  the  disgust  of  the  Taylor  Whigs.  But 
Old  Zach  was  elected. 

There  was  another  bit  of  enterprise  that  gave  the  Traveller  a  fresh 
impetus  in  the  right  direction.  When  the  news  of  the  flight  of 


384  Journalism  in  America. 

Louis  Philippe  reached  Boston,  also  in  1848,  it  was  issued  in  an 
extra  from  that  office  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  so  extensive  was 
the  demand  for  the  news  that  the  presses  were  occupied  till  late  in 
the  evening  in  meeting  the  wants  of  the  news-seekers.  These  ex- 
tras were  also  sold  by  the  newsboys,  and  this  put  the  finishing 
touch  to  the  respectability  of  selling  papers  in  the  public  thorough- 
fares. 

Those  staring  placards  of  the  leading  points  of  news  which  are 
now  so  attractive  in  front  of  each  newspaper  office  in  Boston  orig- 
inated in  that  city  with  the  Traveller ;  and  when  the  irrepressible 
Curtis  Guild,  of  the  Commercial  Bulletin,  then  in  the  office  of  the 
Journal,  placed  a  spreading  one  in  front  of  that  establishment, 
Colonel  Rogers,  one  of  its  proprietors,  tore  it  down  with  his  umbrella 
in  utter  disgust,  remarking  that  "  the  Journal  had  not  yet  come  to 
that !"  Those  in  front  of  the  Journal  office  were  afterwards  among 
the  most  readable  and  sensational  long  before  the  colonel  died. 

The  Traveller  is  to-day  one  of  the  leading  successful  papers  of 
Boston.  With  other  features  it  has  two  persistent  ones  :  an  elabo- 
rate weekly  review  of  the  events  of  the  world,  liberally  sprinkled 
with  puns,  and  pepper,  and  attic  salt,  prepared  by  that  "learned 
printer"  with  a  prodigious  memory,  Charles  C.  Hazewell ;  and  the 
weekly  publication  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  sermons,  which  are  so 
useful  to  the  clergy  at  large  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  Boston  Courier,  for  a  long  time  one  of  the  chief  Whig  papers 
of  Boston,  was  established  on  the  2d  of  March,  1824.  It  was  edited 
till  1848  by  Joseph  Tinker  Buckingham,  one  of  the  best-known  edi- 
tors of  New  England.  He  had  also  editorial  charge  of  the  New  En- 
gland Galaxy  and  New  England  Magazine.  In  addition  to  his  edi- 
torial labors,  Mr.  Buckingham  has  given  the  public  and  the  profession 
his  "  Reminiscences,"  which  ranks  with  "  Thomas's  History  of  Print- 
ing" in  this  country.  He  learned  the  art  of  printing  newspapers  in 
the  office  of  the  Greenfield  Gazette.  In  1805  he  published  the  Poly- 
anthus. In  1809  he  established  the  Ordeal. 

The  New  England  Galaxy,  the  publication  of  which  was  com- 
menced by  Buckingham  in  1820,  has  been  edited  by  a  number  of 
writers  at  different  periods.  Theophilus  Parsons,  author  of  "  Deus 
Homo"  and  "  The  Infinite  and  the  Finite,"  and  for  many  years 
Professor  of  Law  in  Harvard  College,  was  one.  About  1833  it  was 
under  the  management  of  William  J.  Snelling,  a  very  erratic,  but 
brilliant  and  powerful  writer  at  that  time.  When  he  had  charge  of 
the  Galaxy  he  made  a  desperate  war  upon  the  gamblers  of  Boston. 
He  had  his  office  ornamented  with  the  paraphernalia  of  an  ex- 
tensive gambling  establishment.  All  sorts  of  threats  were  made 
against  him  by  the  gamblers.  It  was  the  sensation  of  that  day.  So 


Joseph  Tinker  Buckingham.  385 

many  stories  were  related  of  him  that  people  visited  his  office  in 
numbers  to  see  it,  and  its  wonderful  and  bold  editor.  He  was 
always  found,  at  that  time,  in  a  miniature  fortress,  selling  his  own 
paper  over  the  counter.  He  was  to  be  seen  on  Sunday  mornings 
in  his  shirt  sleeves,  walking  to  and  fro,  evidently  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. We  believe  no  attack  was  made  upon  him  ;  the  matter  be- 
.  came  a  nine  days'  wonder,  and  after  that  Snelling  edited,  for  a  brief 
period,  a  paper  called  the  Censor,  in  New  York.  Several  young 
journalists,  such  as  Isaac  C.  Pray  and  A.L.  Stimson,  took  charge  of 
the  Galaxy  in  1838,  and  managed  it  till  they  sought  "  other  fields 
and  pastures  green." 

But  the  Courier  was  the  paper  that  gave  him  his  fame  as  a  jour- 
nalist. It  was  spiritedly  conducted,  and  became  a  very  influential 
sheet  with  the  Whig  Party.  His  views  were  sound  and  his  opinions 
respected  by  the  party  leaders  of  his  day.  No  editor  stood  higher 
in  public  esteem  in  New  England. 

One  feature  of  the  Courier  was  the  information  it  gave  to  farmers 
every  Saturday  morning  under  the  head  of  "Geoponics."  It  was 
very  useful  and  valuable,  and  materially  assisted  in  making  farming ' 
attractive.  Some  idea  of  the  character  of  the  man  may  be  gathered 
from  the  anecdote  related  by  Colonel  Ropes,  of  the  New  York  Sun- 
day Atlas,  once  a  compositor  in  the  office  of  the  Courier.  One  day, 
the  assistant  foreman  of  the  office,  William  Sweet,  in  making  up  a 
crowded  paper,  and  not  supposing  Mr.  Buckingham  to  be  near,  ex- 
claimed with  an  oath, "  I  wonder  what  the  old  gentleman  wants  all 
this  Geoponical  matter  in  to-day  for."  Mr.  Buckingham,  who  always 
went  up  and  down  stairs  with  a  light,  soft  step,  entered  the  printing- 
office  at  that  moment,  and  politely  lifting  his  specs,  quietly  remarked, 
"And  why  not,  Mr.  Sweet?"  Geoponics  always  went  in  after  that, 
much  to  the  delight  and  edification  of  the  farming  interest  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  elsewhere. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  1840,  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
invention  of  printing  was  celebrated  in  Boston.  On  this  interesting 
occasion,  Editor  Buckingham,  of  the  Courier,  presided.  There  was  a 
procession  and  a  banquet.  The  procession  was  formed  into  line  at 
the  State  House,  and  marched,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Charles  G.  Greene,  of  the  Post,  to  the  "Old  Cradle  of  Liberty." 
There  were  some  specimen  toasts  at  the  dinner.  Here  are  a  few 
of  them : 

The  Press. — The  magnificent,  tremendous,  universal  power  of  the  Press,  second 
only  in  effluency  to  the  Archangel's  trumpet  that  is  to  revivify  the  uncounted 
millions  of  the  dead. 

Newspapers. — The  intellectual  spring  into  which  every  body  dips  his  bucket, 
whilst  few  thank  the  fountain  for  its  supply. 

The  old  fellowship  between  Faustus  and  the  Devil. — When  the  Press  became 

BB 


386  Journalism  in  America. 

emancipated,  the  Partnership  was  dissolved.    .The  Free  Press  tells  the  truth  and 
shames  the  devil. 

The  Printers'  Devil, — A  harmless  familiar,  to  whom  many  an  author  has  been 
indebted  for  reputation  as  a  wit  and  novelist,  and  never  gave  the  devil  his  due. 

Buckingham  was  a  strong  and  vigorous  writer,  and  many  recol- 
lections of  him  to-day  are  that  he  was  very  bitter  and  very  personal 
in  his  editorials.  But  he  was  evidently  a  careful  journalist,  for  in 
writing  to  James  Gordon  Bennett  to  secure  letters  from  him  from 
New  York  for  the  Galaxy,  he  said, 

The  proposed  sketches  ought  to  be  free  from  personalities,  at  least  such  as 
might  give  offense  to  the  respectable  citizens  of  New  York. 

One  of  the  most  fascinating  writers  for  the  Courier  was  Louisa 
Maria  Child.  Her  charming  letters  from  New  York  were  fine  spec- 
imens of  newspaper  correspondence.  She  immortalized  Ole  Bull 
in  these  letters  on  his  first  visit  to  the  United  States.  She  was  one 
of  the  leading  editors  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Standard  in  1842. 

The  Courier  is  now  a  weekly  paper.  It  has  till  lately  been  edited 
by  George  Lunt.  It  became  a  conservative  organ,  and  amid  so 
•much  radicalism  it  fell  from  grace  and  ceased  to  be  a  daily.  Be- 
fore Mr.  Lunt  it  was  edited  by  Samuel  Kettell,  who,  with  Frederick 
S.  Hill,  wrote  the  "  Six  Degrees  of  Crime,"  which  was  produced  with 
some  success  in  1832,  or  thereabouts,  at  the  Tremont  Theatre.  W. 
L.  Brigham  is  its  present  chief  editor. 

The  Boston  Transcript,  the  family  paper,  the  paper  for  the  tea- 
table  before  late  dinners  became  a  business  and  social  necessity, 
was  established  in  July,  1830,  by  Button  and  Wentworth,  two  excel- 
lent printers  and  pleasant  gentlemen.  They  were  the  state  print- 
ers. Mr.  Button  was  foreman  of  Wells  &  Lilly's  printing-office 
when  James  Gordon  Bennett  was  proof-reader  there  in  1819-1820. 
The  Transcript  was  remarkable  for  its  neat  typographical  appear- 
ance. It  was  small,  always  clean,  and  was  a  general  favorite  in  the 
family  circle.  It  was  lively,  without  any  large  pretensions  to  enter- 
prise, carefully  edited,  and  profitably  patronized. 

The  first  editor  of  the  Transcript  was  Lynde  M.  Walter.  He  per- 
formed the  duties  of  his  office  with  taste  and  tact  till  1840.  He. 
died  July  24, 1842.  Br.  Joseph  Palmer  was  editor  pro  tern,  during 
Mr.  Walter's  illness.  Br.  Palmer  afterwards  edited  the  Centinel  and 
Gazette,  and  died  in  1871,  while  commercial  editor  of  the  Daily  Ad- 
vertiser. On  the  death  of  Mr.  Walter,  his  sister,  Miss  Cornelia  M. 
Walter,  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the  Transcript,  and  managed  the 
intellectual  department  of  the  paper  to  the  satisfaction  of  every  one. 
Subsequently  Epes  Sargent  was  its  editor  for  a  number  of  years. 

The  Transcript  is  now  edited  by  B.  M.  Haskell,  and  is  published 
by  Henry  W.  Button  &  Son.  They  have,  like  the  proprietors  of  the 


William  Lloyd  Garrison  and  the  Liberator.  387 

Post,  Advertiser,  Journal,  and  Herald,  erected  a  splendid  building 
for  their  establishment,  which  is  one  of  the  ornaments  of  Boston. 

The  Transcript  has  had,  like  other  journals,  many  volunteer  con- 
tributions. We  recollect  those  of  Nathaniel  J.  Bowditch,  signed 
"  Gleaner,"  which  were  of  great  interest  to  the  real-estate  owners 
of  Boston. 

The  Boston  Liberator  was  one  of  the  remarkable  papers  of  its 
day.  All  the  world  recognized  it  as  the  organ  of  Abolitionism  in  the 
United  States.  It  was  better  known  as  Garrison's  Liberator.  Its 
publication  was  commenced  on  the  first  of  January,  1831,  and  for 
thirty-four  years  it  fulminated  against  the  institution  of  slavery  in 
spite  of  persecution,  tar  and  feathers,  denunciation,  rewards  for  its 
editor's  head,  threatened  assassination,  hanging  in  effigy,  assaults, 
and  mobs,  from  which  the  bold  editor  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 
William  Lloyd  Garrison  was  the  master-spirit  of  the  paper.  What 
manner  of  man  he  was  may  be  seen  in  an  extract  of  a  letter  he 
wrote  to  John  Neal,  editor  of  The  Yankee,  and  which  appeared  in 
that  paper  on  the  20th  of  August,  1828,  nearly  iwo  years  and  a  half 
before  the  issue  of  the  Liberator.  This  is  the  extract : 

I  have  only  to  repeat,  without  vanity,  what  I  declared  publicly  to  another  op- 
ponent— a  political  one — (and  I  think  he  will  never  forget  me)  that,  if  my  life  be 
spared,  my  name  shall  one  day  be  known  so  extensively  as  to  render  private  in- 
quiry unnecessary ;  and  known,  too,  in  a  praiseworthy  manner.  I  speak  in  the 
spirit  of  prophecy — not  of  vainglory — with  a  strong  pulse,  a  flashing  eye,  and  a  glow 
of  the  heart.  The  task  may  be  yours  to  write  my  biography. 

WM.  LLOYD  GARRISON. 

The  same  idea  was  embraced  in  an  article  in  the  first  number  of 
the  Liberator.  He  then  said  : 

It  is  pretended  that  I  am  retarding  the  cause  of  emancipation  by  the  coarse- 
ness of  my  invectives  and  the  precipitancy  of  my  measures.  The  charge  is  not 
true.  On  this  question  my  influence,  humble  as  it  is,  is  felt  at  this  moment  to  a 
considerable  extent,  and  shall  be  felt  in  coming  years,  not  perniciously,  but  bene- 
ficially ;  not  as  a  curse,  but  as  a  blessing  ;  and  posterity  will  bear  testimony  that 
I  was  right.  ^  • 

Immediate  emancipation  was  the  principle  on  which  Garrison 
conducted  the  Liberator.  Such  was  the  effect  produced  by  the  cir- 
culation of  this  paper  that  the  Legislature  of  Mississippi,  by  special 
enactment,  offered  a  reward  of  $5000  for  the  arrest  of  and  prose- 
cution of  any  person  who  should  be  detected  in  the  circulation  of 
the  Liberator  in  that  state.  Several  other  states  adopted  the  same 
policy  of  suppression.  The  Emancipator,  issued  in  New  York,  was 
indicted  in  Alabama,  and  Governor  Gayle,  of  that  state,  actually  sent 
on  a  requisition  to  Governor  Marcy,  of  New  York,  for  the  surrender 
of  R.  J.  Williams,  its  publisher.  Mr.  Williams  was  not  considered 
a  fugitive  from  justice  by  the  Governor  of  New  York. 

The  Liberator  was  managed  with  great  energy  and  boldness  from 


388  Journalism  in  America. 

its  commencement  till  the  emancipation  of  the  four  million  of  slaves 
in  the  United  States  was  an  accomplished  fact.  Then,  in  1865, 
with  its  work  done,  the  Liberator  ceased  to  exist.  The  spirit  of 
prophecy,  which  was  so  strong  with  Garrison  in  1828,  was  unabated 
in  1871,  for  on  the  i7th  of  May  of  that  year,  at  a  convention  of  the 
Middlesex  County  Woman  Suffrage  Association,  Mr.  Garrison,  in 
reviewing  his  work  since  forty  years  ago,  when  he  first  spoke  in 
Charlestown  in  the  anti-slavery  cause,  said  that  he  had  lived  to  see 
every  slave  set  free,  and  was  still  working  in  the  same  cause — the 
cause  of  liberty ;  and  in  offering  a  series  of  resolutions,  of  which 
the  chief  one  is  annexed,  he  evidently  felt  that  the  woman  suffrage 
movement  would  be  as  fully  successful  as  that  which  led  to  the  abo- 
lition of  slavery  : 

Resolved,  That  in  simply  recommending  that  "  the  petitioners  have  leave  to 
withdraw,"  the  committee  have  virtually  confessed  that  no  valid  reasons  can  be 
adduced  against  the  claim  to  equal  and  impartial  suffrage,  and  without  regard  to 
the  natural  distinctions  of  birth ;  and,  no  matter  how  adroitly  postponed  or  evaded, 
that  claim  must  be  asserted  and  demanded  until  the  woman  of  Massachusetts 
shall  stand  on  the  same  political  platform  with  the  man,  and  as  fully  entitled  to 
vote  and  to  be  voted  for  in  every  municipal  state  and  national  election. 

The  friends  of  Garrison,  in  Europe  and  America,  in  consideration 
of  his  services  towards  emancipation,  subscribed  the  sum  of  $31,000, 
which  they  presented  to  him  in  1868. 

There  are  few  complete  files  of  the  Liberator  in  the  country — not 
more  than  four  or  five.  One  was  lately  presented  to  the  Public  Li- 
brary of  Portland.  This,  indeed,  is  incomplete.  The  volumes  of 
1831  and  1832  are  entirely  wanting.  Otherwise,  however,  the  set  is 
nearly  perfect.  Newspaper  files  are  important  to  every  library. 
There  are  very  few  complete  sets  of  any  of  the  older  papers.  Those 
in  the  library  in  Washington  are  probably  the  most  perfect.  All 
the  daily  papers  of  New  York  are  preserved,  and  many  are  from  the 
date  of  the  first  issue.  The  London  Gazette,  we  have  seen  it  stated, 
is  complete  from  1665,  and  the  British  Royal  Calendar  from  1772. 
The  London  Times  is  filed  from  1796.  The  Almanac  de  Gotha  is 
from  1776.  It  was  first  issued  in  1771.  All  the  files  of  Washing- 
ton papers  are  complete.  The  library  of  the  New  York  Herald  is 
rich  in  newspaper  data.  So  is  that  of  the  Boston  Athenceum.  Some 
of  the  old  public  libraries  and  Historical  Societies  are  well  supplied  ; 
but  the  new  institutions,  such  as  the  Public  Library  in  Boston,  are 
lacking  in  this  valuable  historical  department.  Time  is  requisite 
to  secure  old  volumes  of  newspapers.  Now  and  then  they  are  of- 
fered for  sale.  The  Worcester  Spy,  from  1791  to  1866,  was  recently 
sold  for  $500.  The  Common  Council  of  New  York  paid  $2000  for 
a  file  of  the  Herald  from  1841  for  the  City  Library.  The  New  York 
Historical  Society"  has  a  complete  file  of  the  Boston  News-Letter 


The  Greenes  and  the  Boston  Post.  389 

from  1704  to  1775,  the  only  one  extant  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
Other  sets  of  newspapers  are  mentioned  in  our  sketches.  Three 
copies  of  each  journal  printed  in  England  have  been  regularly  trans- 
mitted to  the  Stamp-office  in  London  for  preservation.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  each  year  a  complete  file  of  each  newspaper  has  been 
deposited  in  the  British  Museum,  and  kept  for  reference. 

The  Daily  Morning  Post  is  a  famous  paper  of  Boston.  It  is  fa- 
mous for  "  all  sorts"  of  things.  Its  first  number  was  issued  Novem- 
ber 9,  1831.  Beals  and  Greene  were  the  publishers.  Charles  Gor- 
don Greene  was  the  editor,  and  he  still  remains  at  his  post,  hale, 
happy,  and  humorous.  It  has  always  been  a  Democratic  paper.  It 
is  to  the  democracy  of  New  England  what  the  Argus  has  been  in 
New  York,  the  Statesman  in  Ohio,  the  Enquirer  in  Virginia.  In 
Jackson's  time  it  was  mixed  up  with  "  blanks,  paper,  and  twine,"  and 
other  similar  political  clap-trap  and  banter.  Its  career  has  been 
an  honorable  one  throughout.  Nathaniel  G.Greene,  a  brother  of 
the  editor,  of  fine  literary  taste  and  culture,  and  for  a  long  time  Post- 
master of  Boston,  wrote  for  the  Post.  He  was  clearly  a  man  of  let- 
ters. Charles  G.  Greene,  the  editor,  has  been  Naval  Officer  of  the 
port  of  Boston,  and  would  handsomely  and  ably  fill  any  office,  al- 
though he  fills  that  of  editor  the  best  of  any.  One  of  the  charges 
against  the  Post,  in  circulation  in  State  Street,  in  the  persistent  mi- 
nority of  the  democracy  in  Massachusetts,  was  that  the  leaders  of 
that  party  purposely  kept  its  size  down  to  the  precise  number  req- 
uisite to  fill  the  federal  offices  in  the  Old  Bay  State.  This  slander 
has  only  once  been  refuted,  and  that  was  when  Marcus  Morton  was 
elected  governor  by  a  majority  of  one. 

The  Post  is  celebrated  for  its  wit,  fun,  and  bonhomie.  It  originated 
the  column  of  smart  sayings  that  are  now  to  be  seen  in  every  paper, 
to  the  utter  annihilation  of  comic  journalism  in  the  United  States. 
"  All  Sorts,"  "  Odds  and  Ends,"  "  Happenings,"  "  Flashes,"  all  had 
their  origin  in  that  paper.  When  Park  Benjamin  resided  in  New 
York  and  wrote  letters  to  Boston,  he  promised  some  one  a  "  first- 
rate  notice  in  the  Boston  Morning  Post"  and  the  phrase  became  a 
standard  one  in  newspaper  offices. 

The  genial  good  humor  of  its  editor  never  deserted  him.  After 
a  very  exciting  political  campaign,  and  when  his  party  were  com- 
pletely routed  at  the  polls,  he  naively  announced  the  result  the  next 
morning  by  requesting  the  drivers  of  the  carriages  bringing  the  for- 
tunate Whigs  to  the  office  of  the  Post  to  collect  their  bets  to  head 
the  horses  down  Water  Street,  to  prevent  confusion,  and  not  block 
up  the  thoroughfare.  There  was  always  a  joke  in  the  paper,  always 
a  sparkle  of  wit,  always  a  smile  for  each  reader,  always  a  ray  of  sun- 
shine for  the  defeated  Democrat  of  Massachusetts. 


390  Journalism  in  America. 

The  proprietors,  in  their  annual  announcement  for  1870,  thus  ex- 
pressed this  characteristic  of 'the  paper : 

To  infuse  good  humor  and  kindly  feelings  is  an  object  we  diligently  seek ;  and 
when  we  can  soften  asperity  by  forbearance,  we  shall  feel  that  something  has  been 
done  to  promote  that  genial  fellowship  which  gives  society  its  richest  blessing. 
Thanking  our  old  friends  for  past  favors,  we  solicit  their  continuance,  and  also 
their  efforts  to  bring  others  into  our  subscription-lists,  that  all  may  see  whether 
we  preach  the  true  doctrine  of  '76 — the  only  doctrine  that  can  hold  the  "  stars" 
in  our  political  firmament. 

/ 

The  Post  has  remained  in  the  hands  of  Beals  and  Greene  from  its 
commencement.  Sons  of  the  original  proprietors  are  enthusiasti- 
cally engaged  on  the  paper.  Its  editorial  management  is  now  in 
the  hands  of  Charles  G.  Greene,  and  Nathaniel  H.  Greene,  his  son. 
The  establishment  is  in  a  splendid  granite  building  of  its  own,  op- 
posite the  new  Post-office  in  Boston — where  one  is  the  Post-office, 
and  the  other  the  office  of  the  Post.  They  vie  with  each  other  in 
architectural  beauty,  and  are  ornaments  to  that  part  of  Boston. 
There  are  probably  as  many  belles  lettres  in  one  as  in  the  other ;  and 
as  for  "  blanks,  paper,  and  twine,"  they  are  all  on  the  other  side  of 
the  line. 

The  organ  of  the  Whig  Party  in  New  England,  in  its  days  of 
vigor,  was  the  Boston  Atlas.  It  was  established  by  John  H.  East- 
burn  on  the  2d  of  July,  1832.  Mr.  Eastburn  was  long  and  favora- 
bly known  as  the  City  Printer  of  Boston.  He  did  his  work  promptly 
and  neatly.  He  had  been  in  the  employment  of  Major  Ben.  Rus- 
sell, of  the  Centinel,  and  he  imbibed  some  notions  of  a  newspaper 
from  that  veteran,  who  so  much  resembled  Zachary  Taylor  in  his 
personal  appearance.  Eastburn  reversed  the  order  of  things,  and 
carried  the  Atlas  as  vigorously  on  his  shoulders  as  a  man  could 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  subscribers  to  start  with.  He  was  origi- 
nally aided  in  the  intellectual  part  of  his  enterprise  by  John  T.Aus- 
tin, Henry  H.  Fuller,  Elisha  Fuller,  and  Robert  C.Winthrop.  In- 
deed the  Atlas  brought  Winthrop  before  the  public.  These  gentle- 
men, too, "would  prop  up  the  Atlas  by  getting  subscribers  for  it. 
Austin  at  one  time,  in  the  early  struggles  of  the  paper,  took  a  sub- 
scription paper  from  door  to  door  in  State  Street,  and  returned  to 
the  happy  Eastburn  a  list  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  subscri- 
bers. Daniel  Webster  also  contributed  to  the  thunder  of  the  Atlas. 
One  day  Eastburn  was  standing  in  his  doorway  at  the  head  of  State 
Street — a  custom  of  his — and  he  has  stood  there  for  over  fifty  years, 
with  a  beaming  smile  for  every  one,  when  the  Godlike,  as  the  Bos- 
tonians  were  wont  to  call  Webster,  came  down  the  street,  and,  see- 
ing Eastburn,  stopped  for  a  chat  with  him.  Very  soon  the  walk  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  under  the  eaves  of  the*  old  State 
House,  filled  with  people,  gathered  out  of  curiosity  to  see  Webster 


Richard  Haughton  and  the  Boston  Atlas.     391 

in  a  familiar  street  conversation.  "  Mr.  Webster,"  said  Mr.  East- 
burn,  "  if  you  remain  here  any  longer  I  shall  have  to  send  for  the 
police  to  clear  the  street."  "Why  so  ?"  asked  the  great  Expounder, 
turning  round  to  see  what  the  matter  was.  "  Stopping  to  chat  with 
me,  sir,  has  crowded  that  sidewalk,  you  see."  Mr. Webster,  as  his 
eye  caught  sight  of  the  large  gathering,  gracefully  raised  his  hat  and 
passed  down  the  street,  and  every  head  was  instantly  uncovered  in 
response.  Webster  was  then  in  the  height  of  his  fame  and  popu- 
larity. He  had  not  delivered  his  yth  of  March  speech. 

Eastburn  imported  Major  Haughton  from  New  York,  where  he 
had  been  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  making 
up  election  returns,  and  performing  other  duties.  He  gave  him 
$800  per  annum  to  manage  the  editorial  part  of  the  paper.  He 
had  previously  employed  Richard  Hildreth  to  write  certain  articles. 
With  Eastburn  and  Haughton  newspaper  enterprise  of  the  right 
kind  began  to  dawn  on  Boston.  Haughton  was  not  much  of  a 
writer,  but  he  knew  how  to  make  others  write.  He  was  a  good 
manager,  and  wonderful  on  figures  when  returns  came  in  from  the 
polls.  It  was  the  Atlas  that  originally  established  the  horse  and 
railroad  expresses  from  every  town  in  Massachusetts  to  bring  in  the 
results  for  publication  on  the  morning  after  election.  There  were 
very  few  railroads  then.  The  whistle  of  the  locomotive  was  not 
heard  every  five  minutes  as  now.  Most  of  the  work  had  to  be  done 
by  horses.  Yet  it  was  done,  and  many  will  recollect  that,  on  the 
first  attempt,  it  was  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  before  the  edition 
was  issued.  That  part  of  State  Street  near  the  Atlas  office  was 
crowded  for  hours  by  people  waiting  for  the  news. 

Eastburn,  having  the  city  printing  on  his  hands,  felt  constrained 
to  dispose  of  his  interest  in  the  Atlas  to  Haughton,  who  then  car- 
ried on  the  establishment  alone.  He  continued  his  enterprise,  and 
run  expresses  on  all  important  occasions.  Once,  in  1840,  when 
Pennsylvania  went  for  Harrison  by  a  majority  of  only  343  in  an  ag- 
gregate popular  vote  of  287,693  votes,  an  express  conveying  this 
important  political  intelligence  was  run  from  Philadelphia  to  the 
Atlas  office.  The  presidential  election  was  not  then  held  through- 
out the  United  States  on  one  and  the  same  day.  That  year  it  oc- 
curred in  Pennsylvania  on  the  3oth  of  October,  and  in  New  York, 
in  Massachusetts,  indeed  in  all  the  New  England  States,  on  the  2d, 
3d,  and  4th  of  November.  In  that  excited  and  uproarious  Hard- 
Cider  Campaign, 

"  For  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too," 

the  influence  of  the   result  in  Pennsylvania  was  deemed  of  the 
deepest  importance.     Hence  the  express,  and 
"Van,  Van,  was  a  used-up  man." 


392  Journalism  in  America. 

It  was  a  great  success  politically  as  well  as  journalistically,  and 
gave  quite  an  impulse  to  the  Atlas  at  that  period  with  the  Whig 
Party.  It  was  Haughton  who  withdrew  Webster  from  this  contest 
for  the  presidency  and  substituted  Harrison.  With  his  foresight  it 
became  necessary  for  the  Whigs  of  New  England  to  abandon  their 
idol.  Webster  at  first  could  not  see  the  necessity  of  the  move- 
ment. But  Haughton  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  prepared 
a  leading  article  indicating  this  course,  and  had  it  put  in  type.  In 
the  evening,  with  a  proof-sheet  in  his  hand,  he  rung  the  door-bell 
of  Mr.  Webster's  house  in  Summer  Street.  Imagine  the  interview. 
Mr.  W.  read  the  article,  and  it  appeared  in  the  Atlas  the  next  morn- 
ing. Webster  was  no  longer  a  candidate  for  the  presidency.  Expe- 
diency set  him  aside.  Harrison  was  the  next  president. 

Colonel  Schouler,  one  of  the  successors  of  Major  Haughton,  thus 
speaks  of  him  and  of  this  incident  with  Webster : 

The  man  who  best  grasped  the  whole  question,  had  the  courage  to  act,  and 
knew  when,  where,  and  how  to  strike,  was  Richard  Haughton,  the  editor  of  the 
Boston  Atlas.  He  was  a  warm  and  devoted  friend  of  Mr.  Webster,  and  had  sup- 
ported him  with  all  his  strength  in  the  preceding  canvass.  He  saw  there  was  no 
chance  for  Mr.  Webster's  nomination  at  the  Harrisburg  Convention,  that  the  race 
would  be  between  Mr.  Clay  and  General  Harrison,  and  that  a  great  part  of  Mr. 
Clay's  strength  in  the  Convention  would  be  found  in  states  that  never  had  given, 
and  never  would  give,  a  Whig  majority.  Many  of  Mr.Webster's  friends  in  Bos- 
ton, and  Mr.  Webster  himself,  held  that  his  chance  for  the  nomination  was  good. 
Major  Haughton  knew  better ;  and,  as  he  preferred  General  Harrison  to  Mr.  Clay, 
and  a  Whig  national  triumph  to  either  of  them,  he  decided  to  take  his  part  in  ad- 
vance. His  object  was  to  unite  the  friends  of  Mr.  Webster  and  of  Scott  with  the 
friends  of  Harrison,  and  thus  insure  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Clay  at  Harrisburg — not 
that  he  disliked  Clay,  but  he  believed  that  with  Mr.  Clay  as  the  Whig  candidate 
the  Whigs  would  be  beaten. 

Major  Haughton  was  in  the  prime  of  life — about  forty  years  old — of  medium 
stature,  with  a  handsome,  gentlemanly  face  and  figure  ;  he  wore  gold-bowed  spec- 
tacles, and  had  dark  curly  hair  ;  the  expression  of  his  countenance  was  pleasant, 
and  he  was,  in  fact,  a  genial,  warm-hearted  man.  He  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
and  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  ;  had  been  connected  with  the  New  York  Journal  of 
Commerce  as  assistant  editor  and  Washington  correspondent  before  he  assumed 
the  editorial  chair  of  the  Atlas.  He  possessed  that  rare  quality  in  a  leader  of  at- 
taching himself  to  young  men  of  the  best  talents,  of  infusing  a  portion  of  his  own 
spirit  and  enthusiasm  into  them,  and  making  them  subservient  to  his  purpose. 
He  encouraged  them  to  write  for  his  paper,  and  in  this  way  formed  around  him 
a  body-guard  of  the  young  and  aspiring  men  of  the  party.  The  "Atlas  Clique" 
became  a  by- word,  and  now,  almost  every  day,  some  of  the  old  members  of  "the 
clique"  pass  up  and  down  our  streets,  and  are  numbered  among  our  best  mer- 
chants and  lawyers.  Major  Haughton  was  not  a  ready  writer  himself,  but  he 
could  direct  others  how  to  write.  Nature  had  made  him  just  what  he  was — a 
splendid  editor  of  a  party  newspaper,  wise,  intelligent,  and  bold.  When  the  time 
came  to  speak  out,  he  did  not  hesitate. 

Major  Haughton  was  appointed  in  the  spring  of  1840  on  a  confidential  com- 
mission abroad  ;  a  day  or  two  afterwards  he  was  struck  with  apoplexy,  and  died 
in  his  room  in  the  Tremont  House,  literally  in  the  arms  of  Alfred  T.  Turner,  Esq., 
the  honored  and  respected  City  Auditor  of  Boston,  who  was  then  a  young  man 
employed  in  the  Atlas  office.  Major  Haughton  lived  and  died  a  bachelor.  His 
last  words  were,  "  I  am  going  to  the  Eternal  City." 

Few  of  our  active  Whigs,  now  living,  have  forgotten  the  leading  editorial  arti- 
cles which  appeared  in  the  Atlas  in  the  fall  of  1838,  upon  the  presidential  ques- 
tion. They  were  bold,  well-considered,  and  to  the  point.  They  were  written  in 


Samuel  Bowles,  of  Springfield,  in  Boston.     393 

part  by  Richard  Hildreth,  who  was  then  attached  to  the  Atlas,  and  who  afterwards 
gained  a  more  lasting  renown  as  the  author  of  one  of  our  best  histories  of  the 
United  States.  He  died  a  few  years  ago  in  Italy,  and  his  remains  lie  buried  in 
the  Protestant  grave-yard  in  Florence,  near  those  of  Theodore  Parker. 

The  position  taken  by  the  Atlas  was  that  General  Harrison  must  and  ought  to 
be  the  Whig  candidate  for  the  presidency.  He  represented  the  Democratic  ele- 
ment of  the  party,  as  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Webster  did  the  Aristocratic  and  Con- 
servative elements,  and  without  this  infusion  of  democracy  into  the  party — this 
"descending  from  the  forum  and  taking  the  people  by  the  hand" — we  could  not 
succeed.  We  could  have  a  respectable  party,  but  never  a  successful  one,  and  suc- 
cess was  a  legitimate  aim  of  any  party. 

After  Haughton  came  William  Hayden,  who  possessed  neither 
the  tact  nor  the  enterprise  of  his  predecessor.  He  was  a  respecta- 
ble editor,  but  not  a  pushing  one.  He  afterwards  became  City  Au- 
ditor, an  office  he  filled  for  a  number  of  years.  Dr.  Thomas  M. 
Brewer  was  an  associate  editor  with  Hayden.  About  this  period 
there  were  fourteen  daily  papers  printed  in  Modern  Athens.  One 
of  the  waifs  of  the  present  day  floating  through  the  newspapers 
gives  the  best  idea  of  the  number  of  the  Press  of  that  city  at  that 
time.  It  is  this: 

In  1846  there  were  fourteen  daily  papers  in  Boston,  and  now  (1871),  after  a 
lapse  of  twenty-five  years,  the  number  has  decreased  to  eight.  Some  of  the  old 
fourteen  were  short-lived  affairs,  but  most  of  them  might  have  maintained  their 
existence  to  the  present  time  by  judicious  management.  The  following  were  the 
names  of  the  papers  and  their  editors  :  American  Traveller,  F.  Andrews  and  G. 
Punchard ;  American  Eagle,  George  W.  Tyler ;  Courier,  Buckingham  and  Foster ; 
Advertiser,  Nathan  Hale ;  Journal,  Sleeper  and  Rogers ;  Whig,  Richard  J.  At- 
well ;  Post,  Greene  and  Beals  ;  Transcript,  Button  and  Wentworth  ;  Atlas,  Hay- 
den and  Brewer ;  Bee,  C.  J.  Howland  ;  Mail,  J.  W.  Bradley ;  Star,  Streeter  and 
Corliss  ;  Sun,  Smith  and  Byram. 

William  Schouler  became  part  proprietor  of  the  Atlas  in  1847. 
Schouler  for  six  years  previously  edited  the  Lowell  Courier  and 
Journal,  and  after  his  connection  with  the  Atlas  he  edited  the  Cin- 
cinnati Gazette. 

But  where  is  the  Atlas  now  ? 

There  were  too  many  papers  in  Boston.  Some  step  was  neces- 
sary to  reduce  the  number.  To  do  this,  an  enterprise  was  started 
that  promised  immensely  for  journalism  in  that  city.  Haughton 
was  dead.  Hayden,  and  Schouler,  and  Brewer  had  retired.  There 
were  several  papers  struggling  for  supremacy  and  bread,  such  as 
the  Atlas,  the  Bee,  and  the  Traveller. 

The  new  project  would  reduce  this  number  in  two  ways,  it  was 
expected — by  absorption  and  annihilation.  It  was  proposed  to  unite 
the  Atlas,  Bee,  and  Traveller  in  one  association,  based  on  the  plan 
of  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  with  Samuel  Bowles,  of  the  Springfield 
Republican,  as  editor  in  chief,  and  Richard  Worthington,  of  the  Trav- 
eller, as  business  manager,  to  publish  a  great  journal  worthy  of  the 
Hub  and  New  England.  The  design  was  carried  into  effect  in 
1857,  and  on  the  i3th  day  of  April  the  first  number  of  the  Boston 


394  Journalism  in  America. 

Daily  Traveller  was  issued.  It  was  made  tip  like  the  Tribune,  its 
ideas  were  of  the  Tribune  character,  and  it  looked  like  a  spoiled 
copy  of  the  Tribune.  It  was  amusing  to  see  Horace  Greeley  look 
over  the  first  number.  With  all  the  reputation  of  Bowles,  with  all 
his  journalistic  ability,  and  with  all  the  business  capacity  of  Worth- 
ington,  acquired  in  the  Advertiser  office  and  with  the  Traveller,  the 
enterprise  failed. 

Why?  Simply  because  Bowles's  newspaper  aspirations  had  reach- 
ed the  highest  standard  of  excellence  and  expensiveness  without 
the  means  or  the  field  to  carry  them  into  effect.  Simply  because 
Worthington,  who  understood  the  capacity  of  Boston  in  a  journalis- 
tic point  of  view,  knew  that  there  was  not  money  enough  in  all  the 
newspapers  of  that  city  combined  to  carry  on  the  new  paper  to  a 
paying  success  on  the  plan  adopted.  Simply  because,  with  two  such 
antagonistic  interests  in  its  management,  no  enterprise  could  suc- 
ceed. It  therefore  failed,  and  Bowles,  full  of  vigor  and  full  of  vim, 
fell  back  on  his  first  love,  the  Springfield  Republican,  by  which  he 
had  made  a  fortune  and  a  reputation;  and  Worthington,  full  of  faith, 
fell  back  on  his  early  hope,  the  old  Traveller,  where  he  has  since 
made  fame  and  fortune  by  his  tact  and  pluck,  and  prints,  every 
evening,  a  first-rate  paper,  with  the  latest  news,  at  four  cents  per 
copy. 

So  the  Atlas,  renowned  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  Whig  Party 
for  its  power  as  a  journal  in  New  England,  passed  away ;  but  its 
founder,  John  H.  Eastburn,  full  of  years,  full  of  anecdote,  full  of 
money,  full  of  genial  good  humor,  round  and  rotund,  still  stands,  on 
pleasant  days,  in  his  doorway  at  the  head  of  State  Street. 

One  of  the  most  prosperous  papers  in  Boston  is  the  Boston  Daily 
Journal.  It  was  -established  in  1833.  Its  original  publishers  were 
Ford  and  Damrell.  Its  editor  was  John  S.  Sleeper.  It  struggled 
along  for  several  years  with  indifferent  success.  Indeed,  in  1837, 
its  financial  condition  was  such  that  Mr.  Damrell  deemed  it  his 
duty  to  withdraw  from  the  concern.  In  1841  the  paper  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Sleeper,  Dix,  and  Rogers.  One  or  two  of  these  three 
owners  infused  some  life  and  energy  into  the  establishment,  which 
soon  began  to  tell  upon  the  best  side  of  its  financial  exhibit  and  in 
its  reading  columns. 

Sleeper  was  the  editor.  He  was  called  Captain  Sleeper.  He 
wrote  a  series,  of  sea  tales  over  the  signature  of  Hawser  Martingale, 
which  increased  the  circulation  of  the  Journal,  and  added  interest 
to  its  pages.  Boston  has  always  been  a  famous  sea-port  town.  Its 
boys  are  full  of  love  for  ships  and  the  sea,  and  for  those  who  go 
"  down  to  the  sea  in  ships."  These  tales  suited  them,  and  made 
the  paper  publishing  them  the  popular  journal  with  them.  So  the 


The  Boston  Evening  Journal.  395 

boys  and  the  paper  grew  up  together  as  warm  friends.  It  was  the 
Mercantile  Journal  with  them. 

But  Sleeper  was  not  a  man  of  enterprise  in  the  modern  sense  of 
that  word.  Hawser  Martingale  was  not  an  express  rider.  It  took 
a  hurricane  to  call  him  on  deck.  .  Rogers  and  Dix  had  the  vim  of  the 
establishment.  When  one  of  its  present  editors,  Mr.  Stockwell,  was 
a  reporter,  he  once  suggested  to  Captain  Sleeper  that  he  could  run 
out  to  Brighton  and  make  a  brief  report  of  a  speech  that  Daniel 
Webster  was  to  deliver  in  that  town.  Captain  Sleeper,  pushing  his 
spectacles  back  over  his  forehead,  said,  "Well,  no,  I  guess  not,  Mr. 
Stockwell ;  somebody  will  send  us  in  something  about  it  within  two 
or  three  days."  .  . 

It  had  one  of  those  necessary  appendages  to  a  prosperous  jour- 
nal, an  energetic  business  manager,  in  Charles  O.  Rogers,  a  son  of 
the  publisher  of  the  National  ALgis,  in  which  office  he  took  his  first 
lessons  in  the  art  of  printing  and  in  the  science  of  journalism. 
After  years  of  tact  and. labor,  he  did  so  much  towards  building  up 
the  paper  that  he  became  the  chief  owner  of  the  establishment ;  and 
when  he  died  in  1869,  it  was  found  that,  in  leaving  a  property  val- 
ued at  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars,  he  deserved  the  reputation  he 
had  obtained  for  skill  and  ability. 

In  1852  a  California  Journal  was  issued,  and  boasted  of  the  lar- 
gest circulation  of  that  edition  of  any  of  the  kind  in  the  country, 
and  these  California  editions  were  a  feature  in  those  days  of  the 
Sullivans,  and  Gregorys,  and  other  Pacific  news  agents.  It  was 
when  the  Atlantic  furnished  the  Pacific  with  its  newspapers — when 
the  New  York  Herald  sent  out  10,000  copies  by  each  monthly 
steamer,  the  New  York  Tribune  nearly  as  many,  and  the  New  Or- 
leans Delta  8000.  San  Francisco  and  the  mines  were  then  merely 
colonies  of  New  England,  New  York,  and  the  West. 

The  Journal  is  now  managed  by  an  association.  Its  chief  editor 
is  Stephen  N.  Stockwell,  who  has  been  connected  with  the  paper 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  more.  He  commenced  as  a  phono- 
graphic reporter,  and  through  his  skill,  energy,  and  ability  he  kept 
the  Journal  up  to  the  highest  point  of  excellence  in  all  important 
speeches  and  trials,  not  allowing  the  New  York  papers  to  have  any 
advantage  in  his  own  bailiwick,  when  he  had  his  own  way.  Webster 
and  Chbate  praised  him.  This  was  the  ribbon  of  the  legion  cFhon- 
neur  to  a  stenographer  of  Boston.  One  of  the  other  editors  was 
James  A.  Dix,  who  twenty-five  years  ago  looked  after  the  marine 
news  department — an  important  department  in  all  commercial  news- 
papers, and  deemed  especially  so  in  Boston,  where  Harry  Blake 
achieved  renown  in  this  peculiar  journalistic  science.  Yet  another 
editor,  W.  W.  Clapp,  son  of  the  Clapp  who  started  the  Daily  Advcr- 


396  Journalism  in  America. 

User,  and  whose  fame  comes  from  the  Saturday  Evening  Gazette,  in 
the  title  of  which,  years  and  years  ago,  it  repeated,  and,  therefore, 
had  faith  in  the  prediction,  of  circling  the  world  with  the  electric 
wire.  It  published  weekly,  long  before  the  introduction  of  the  tele- 
graph, a  neat  little  portrait  of  the  first  telegraph  operator,  Puck.  It 
pinned  its  faith  to  its  motto,  "  I'll  put  a  girdle  around  about  the 
earth  in  forty  minutes."  Such  a  man  ought  to  make  a  journalist  of 
the  modern  type,  and  in  this  telegraphic  age. 

There  are  other  papers  of  talent  and  tact  in  Boston.  Several  are 
of  recent  origin.  The  Herald  has  done  well  since  the  days  of  the 
sedate  William  B.  English.  Ex-Postmaster  Bailey  managed  it  skill- 
fully and  made  a  fortune.  Its  present  conductors  keep  up  its  char- 
acter and  reputation.  Then  there  are  the  News  and  Times,  and  on 
the  4th  of  March,  1872,  the  Globe  was  inaugurated.  It  is  a  double 
•sheet,  made  up  in  the  style,  somewhat,  of  the  New  York  papers, 
with  a  touch  here  and  there  of  Boston  in  its  general  appearance. 
It  is  the  only  "double  sheet"  printed  in  that  city.  It  will  need 
vigor,  independence,  and  money  to  make  it  what  it  should  be. 


The  Anti- Masonic  Party.  397 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
ANTI-MASONRY  AND  NULLIFICATION. 

THURLOW  WEED  AND  THE  ALBANY  EVENING  JOURNAL. — THE  ANTI-MASON- 
IC PARTY. — WHO  WROTE  THE  JUNIUS  LETTERS? — THE  ROORBACK  HOAX. 
— THE  NASHVILLE  UNION. — THE  CHARLESTON  (S.C.)  MERCURY. — THE 
CHIEF  ORGAN  OF  THE  NULLIFIERS  AND  SECESSIONISTS. — MORE  DUELS. — 
NICE  POINTS  OF  HONOR. — THE  CODE. — THE  "INDEPENDENCE"  OF  THE 
PRESS. 

NEARLY  all  the  leading  journals  of  this  period,  being  party  papers, 
were  established  in  the  midst  of  great  political  excitements,  or  for 
the  purpose  of  creating  a  political  division,  or  to  represent  a  new 
faction.  The  Albany  Evening  Journal  came  into  existence  in  this 
way  as  the  organ  of  the  Anti-Masons  in  the  Empire  State.  Another 
paper,  named  the  Albany  Journal,  as  an  organ  of  this  party,  was  is- 
sued in  1825  by  a  son  of  Hezekiah  Niles,  of  Niks' s  Register,  but  it 
passed  out  of  existence  before  the  Evening  Journal  made  its  appear- 
ance. Solomon  Southwick,  a  name  known  to  our  readers  for  his 
brilliant  and  disastrous  journalistic  career,  published  the  National 
Monitor  in  1828  and  '9,  in  the  interest  of  the  Anti-Masons,  and  be- 
came their  candidate  for  governor  in  1828.  But  it  was  not  till  1830 
that  the  Anti-Masonic  party  became  formidable  as  a  national  as 
well  as  a  state  organization,  and  it  was  in  that  year  that  the  Evening 
Journal  was  established,  absorbing  the  Monitor  in  its  publication. 
Thurlow  Weed  and  Henry  Dana  Ward  were  the  publishers  of  the 
new  paper. 

Thurlow  Weed  was  editor  of  the  Norwich  (N.Y.)  Journal  in  1817. 
Shortly  after  he  issued  an  opposition  paper,  named  the  Republican 
Agriculturist,  in  the  interest  of  De  Witt  Clinton.  In  1825  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Legislature,  where  he  met  William  H.  Seward, 
and  attached  himself,  in  those  days  of  political  excitement,  to  the 
Anti-Masonic  party.  In  1830  he  appeared  in  Albany  as  editor  of 
the  Evening  Journal,  the  leading  organ  of  that  party. 

It  has  been  stated  that  he  was  a  drummer-boy  in  1812.  No  doubt, 
if  he  had  occupied  that  position,  he  would  have  performed  his  part 
at  reveille ;  and  when  ridiculed  for  this  by  his  opponents,  he  could 
have  answered,  as  the  rich  merchant,  William  Gray,  retorted,  when 
told  that  he  had  been  nothing  but  a  drummer-boy,  "What !  a  drum- 
mer-boy !  and  did  you  ever  hear  me  drum  ?"  asked  Mr.  Gray.  "  Yes, 


398  Journalism  in  America. 

I  have,"  confidently  answered  his  would-be  tormentor.  "  Well,  well, 
didn't  I  drum  well  ?"  retorted  the  independent  merchant  But  Weed 
had  not  been  a  drummer-boy  in  the  War  of  1812,  but  he  had  been  a 
cabin-boy  on  board  of  a  splendid  North  River  sloop,  where  he  un- 
doubtedly acquired  the  rudiments  of  Salt  River  navigation,  so  nec- 
essary, sometimes,  in  political  life. 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  eleven  papers  published  in  New  York 
in  1830,  when  the  Evening  Journal  was  established,  thirty-two  were 
Anti-Masonic  organs.  The  Journal  made  the  thirty-third.  This 
party  obtained  its  popular  existence  in  1827  with  the  mysterious 
disappearance  of  William  Morgan  in  the  previous  year,  after  he  had 
threatened  to  publish  a  pamphlet  disclosing  the  secrets  of  masonry. 
It  grew  in  popular  favor  with  the  increase  of  popular  excitement 
caused  by  that  curious  event.  It  was,  like  the  Know  Nothing  party, 
a  political  sensation,  to  bring  all  the  elements  in  opposition  to  the 
Democracy  into  one  party,  and  could  only  exist  for  a  time  and  for  a 
special  purpose.  It  became  an  organized  state  party  in  1830,  and 
nominated  Francis  Granger,  who  had  previously  been  on  the  Adams 
ticket,  for  governor,  and  gave  him  120,361  votes  against  128,842, 
which  the  Democrats  polled  for  E.  T.Throop.  Such  men  as  William 
H.  Seward,  John  C. Spencer,  Albert  H.Tracy,  and  Millard  Fillmore 
were  Anti-Masonic  members  of  the  Legislature  at  this  period  of  our 
political  history.  William  Wirt,  the  distinguished  lawyer  of  Virginia, 
was  the  national  representative  of  the  party,  and  obtained  the  elec- 
toral vote  of  Vermont  in  1832.  John  C.  Spencer,  with  his  original 
and  brilliant  mind,  wrote  for  the  Journal,  and  aided  in  its  becoming 
a  leading  and  influential  paper.  This  was  the  real  beginning  of  the 
political  career  of  Thurlow  Weed  and  William  H.  Seward,  electing 
the  latter  Governor  of  New  York  in  1838,  and  culminating  with  the 
administration  of  Andrew  Johnson  and  a  trip  around  the  world. 

After  Weed  assumed  the  editorial  management  of  the  Evening 
Journal  he  never  held  office,  but  devoted  all  his  energies  to  the  la- 
bor of  putting  others  in  and  out  of  office — a  sort  of  Wanvick.  His 
intimacy  with  William  H.  Seward  commenced  in  the  Legislature  in 
1830,  when  both  were  members,  one  in  the  Senate  and  the  other  in 
the  House.  Then  came  into  existence  the  well-known  firm  of  Sew- 
ard and  Weed.  After  the  latter  had  secured  the  services  of  Horace 
Greeley,  in  1839-40,  to  edit  the  Log  Cabin,  in  the  famous  and  hilar- 
ious campaign  for  William  Henry  Harrison,  the  name  of  the  firm 
was  changed  to  Seward,  Weed,  &  Co.,  which  was  dissolved  by  mu- 
tual consent  in  1856  by  the  retirement  of  the  junior  partner.  No 
two  men  ever  worked  so  well  and  harmoniously  together,  one  be- 
fore and  the  other  behind  the  scenes,  from  1830,  when  one  was 
state  senator  and  the  other  an  editor,  as  Seward  and  Weed. 


Thurlow  Weed  and  the  Albany  Journal.      399 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  Mr. Weed  has  never  held  any  other  office 
since  1830  than  that  of  state  printer.  He  has  had  plenty  of  offices 
and  opportunities  within  his  grasp.  It  is  fair  to  suppose  that  he 
might  have  been  governor,  senator,  and  vice-president.  These 
nominations  were  offered  to  him  and  refused.  When  talked  of  for 
the  United  States  Senate,  he  said  : 

Looking  back  through  the  long  vista  of  time  that  has  elapsed — nearly  forty 
years — since  a  responsible  and  delicate  political  duty  devolved  upon  us,  it  is 
much  less  a  matter  of  surprise  that  we  are  surrounded,  in  our  own  party,  with  en- 
emies, than  that,  amidst  the  disappointments  and  jealousies  incident  to  the  expe- 
rience of  all  parties,  we  retain  so  much  of  its  regard.  When  it  is  supposed  that 
an  individual  exercises  influence  in  the  councils  and  conventions  of  his  party — 
where,  of  necessity,  the  aspirations  of  hundreds  are  disappointed — nothing  but  an 
abiding  faith  among  the  people,  in  that  individual's  judgment  and  unselfishness, 
can  sustain  him.  All  men  err,  but  if  a  politician,  whom  the  people  trusts,  endeav- 
ors to  do  right,  they  find  it  out  and  stand  by  him. 

The  Evening  Journal,  in  the  warmly-contested  presidential  cam- 
paign of  1844,  published  what  purported  to  be  an  extract  of  a  tour 
through  the  South  in  1836  by  a  traveler  named  Roorback.  It  pre- 
tended to  describe  scenes  in  the  Southwest.  Among  other  things, 
it  stated  that  a  party  of  slaves  had  been  torn  from  the  places  where 
they  were  born  and  sold  at  auction.  "  Forty-three  of  these  unfortu- 
nate beings  had  been  purchased,  I  was  informed,"  said  the  account, 
"of  the  Hon.  J.  K.  Polk,  the  present  Speaker  .of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, the  marks  of  the  branding-iron,  with  the  initials  of  his 
name,  on  their  shoulders  distinguishing  them  from  the  rest." 

It  appeared  that  an  extract  from  Featherstonhaugh's  Tour  in 
1834  was  made,  and  the  above  extract  incorporated  with  his  de- 
scription of  what  he  saw,  and  the  whole  accredited  to  another  trav- 
eler, who  was  called  Roorback.  The  story  went  the  rounds  of  the 
Whig  Press,  in  order  to  defeat  the  chances  of  Folk's  flection  to  the 
presidency.  The  extract  was  alleged  to  have  been  made  from 
"  Roorback's  Tour  through  the  Western  and  Southern  States  in 
1835."  The  statement  produced  a  great  sensation,  but  the  affair 
was  soon  exposed  by  the  Albany  Argus,  and  the  Journal  made  an 
effort  to  relieve  itself  of  any  responsibility  in  the  hoax  in  the  follow- 
ing manner : 

The  Albany  Argus  of  this  morning  charges  the  Evening  Journal  \v\\h  fabrica- 
ting from  the  whole  cloth  the  extract  published  in  this  paper  on  Monday  last 
from  "  Roorback's  Tour  through  the  Southern  and  Western  States  in  1836." 
This  charge  is  utterly  and  unqualifiedly  false.  The  extract  in  question  was  taken, 
precisely  as  it  appeared  in  the  Journal,  from  an  exchange  paper,  and  was  publish- 
ed by  us  without  a  doubt  of  its  genuineness. 

The  hoax  had  its  origin,  it  was  stated,  in  this  way :  Some  one 
made  the  interpolation  in  the  extract,  and  sent  it  to  the  editor  of 
the  Ithaca  Chronicle,  a  Whig  paper,  to  see  if  the  manager  of  that  pa- 
per, "moral  and  religious  as  he  was  allowed  to  be,  would  not,  equal- 


4OO  Journalism  in  America. 

ly  with  others,  publish  any  falsehood,  however  gross,  if  he  could 
thereby  effect  a  political  object !"  Wholly  ignorant  of  the  fraud, 
the  editor  published  the  extract.  It  was  then  transferred  to  the 
Albany  Patriot.  Thence  it  made  its  appearance  in  the  Evening 
Journal,  and  became  a  feature  of  the  campaign.  With  Thurlow 
Weed's  indorsement,  it  had  wide-spread  circulation  before  the  truth 
of  the  story  could  be  told. 

The  New  York  Herald  made  Weed  the  subject  of  many  newspa- 
per squibs  ;  that  he  kept  the  slate  of  Governor  Seward,  containing 
the  names  of  all  the  office-seekers  of  the  Whig  Party,  and  dubbed 
him  State  Barber.  These  squibs  made  a  Warwick  of  him,  and  in- 
fluential with  that  class  of  politicians,  and  gave  the  Evening  Jour- 
nal, outside  of  Albany,  a  name  and  a  fame  it  would  not  have  other- 
wise obtained.  Although  closely  allied  with  Mr.  Seward  in  his  cru- 
sade against  slavery,  Mr.  Weed  was  not  fanatical  on  the  "irrepressi- 
ble conflict"  of  the  two  races.  When  Helper's  famous  work  was 
published,  his  name  appeared  as  aiding  in  its  publication.  This  is 
what  he  said  on  the  subject : 

WASHINGTON,  Dec.  7, 1859. 

DEAR  SIR, — Our  brief  conversation  this  morning  confirmed  an  impression  long 
resting  on  my  mind  that  the  sentiments  and  opinions  of  Republican  editors  are 
greatly  misunderstood.  This  misapprehension  results,  I  suppose,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  we  are  only  known  to  the  Southern  people  through  journals  po- 
litically interested  in  misrepresenting  us.  The  opinions  we  express  upon  existing 
questions  go  to  the  South  garbled  and  perverted. 

During  the  forty  years  of  my  editorial  life,  though  ever  opposed  in  sentiment 
and  sympathy  to  slavery,  I  have  never  cherished  a  feeling  or  uttered  a  sentiment 
intended  to  affect  injuriously  the  property,  the  rights,  or  the  safety  of  the  citizens 
of  the  slaveholding  States. 

In  the  lifetime  of  the  Whig  Party  my  affinities  and  associations  were  stronger 
with  Southern  than  with  Northern  statesmen.  Clay,  Mangum, Williams  (N.  C.), 
Preston,  Clayton,  Crittenden,  etc.,  of  the  early,  with  Bell,  Botts,  Stanly,  Rayner, 
Morehead,  etc.,  of  the  later  schools,  were  the  men  whom  I  "delighted  to  honor." 
But  during  all  that  period  I  was  just  as  persistently  stigmatized  as  an  Abolition- 
ist by  the  Democratic  Press  as  are  Republicans  at  the  present  day. 

I  read  Mr.  Helper's  book  hastily  soon  after  its  appearance,  As  the  work  of  a 
Southern  man,  addressed  to  Southern  people,  I  thought  it  calculated  to  assist  in 
forming  public  sentiment  upon  the  relative  value  and  effect  of  free  and  slave  la- 
bor. Not  finding  for  several  months  refutation  or  denials  of  its  general  accura- 
cy, when  called  upon  for  aid  to  publish  a  large  edition  of  a  "Compend,"  I  con- 
tributed $100.  Had  I  known,  as  is  now  asserted,  that  this  "Compend"  would 
counsel  a  severance  of  the  business,  social,  and  religious  relations  existing  be- 
tween slaveholding  and  non-slaveholding  citizens,  or  that  the  book  itself,  as  is 
also  asserted,  invites  or  countenances  servile  insurrection,  I  certainly  should  have 
withheld  both  my  approval  and  my  money,  for  my  opposition  to  slavery  rejects 
all  such  teachings. 

Evidence  too  clear  and  conclusive  to  admit  of  doubt  or  denial  satisfies  me  that 
the  slavery  agitation,  which  we  all  deplore,  owes  its  existence  to  the  repeal  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  followed  by  a  determination  to  extend  slavery  into  Kansas. 
But  I  would  not  return  aggression  for  aggression,  nor  attempt  to  right  a  wrong 
by  doing  wrong.  With  slavery,  as  it  exists  in  the  States,  we  have  no  right  to  in- 
terfere. Northern  men  who  invade  a  Southern  State  either  to  run  off  slaves  or 
excite  insurrection,  deserve  the  punishment  they  receive.  Our  common  safety 
depends  upon  maintaining  the  "  supremacy  of  the  laws."  To  preserve  the  Union 
we  must  obey  the  Constitution.  Very  truly  yours,  THURLOW  WEED. 


Authorship  of  Junius.  401 

With  others,  Weed  has  taken  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the 
authorship  of  Junius's  Letters.  Since  their  publication  in  the  Pub- 
lic Advertiser  of  London,  they  have  been  considered  of  so  much  im- 
portance to  journalism  and  the  freedom  of  the  Press  every  where, 
that  any  new  light  shed  on  their  authorship  is  read  with  pleasure. 
We  therefore  append  Weed's  testimony  in  clearing  up  this  wonder- 
ful mystery : 

JUNIUS — THE  FRANCIS   PAPERS. 

In  the  spring  of  1862  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  John  Taylor,  the  author  of  Ju- 
nizis  Identified,  informed  me  to  the  effect  that  that  gentleman  was  preparing  for 
the  press  some  papers  of  Sir  Philip  Francis,  which  would  be  conclusive  as  to  the 
authorship  of  the  celebrated  letters  ;  and  a  letter  dated  from  London,  May  12,  in 
the  same  year,  from  Mr.  Thurlow  Weed  to  the  Albany  (U.  S.)  Evening  Journal, 
stated  that  "before  the  present  year  expires  all  doubt  or  question  as  to  the  au- 
thorship of  the  'Junius  Letters'  will  be  removed."  Since  then  both  Mr.  Taylor 
and  his  friend  have  died,  and,  although  the  subject  is  still  of  much  interest,  I  have 
neither  seen  nor  heard  any  thing  further  relative  to  either  Mr.  Taylor's  Francis 
Papers  or  the  evidence  (which,  perhaps,  may  be  the  same)  to  which  Mr.  Weed 
alluded.  Perhaps  the  editor  or  some  reader  of  "  N.  &  Q."  will  be  kind  enough 
to  say  in  what  position  the  matter  now  stands.  ERIC. 

VILLE  MARIE,  Canada. 

[The  late  Mr.  Joseph  Parkes,  who  had  purchased  The  Francis  Papers,  and  also  the  original 
"  Letters  of  Junius  addressed  to  Woodfall,"  had  been  for  some  years  preparing  for  publication  a 
Life  of  Sir  Philip  Francis,  and  in  which,  in  his  opinion,  would  be  found  conclusive  evidence  of 
the  identity  of  "  Francis  and  Junius."  The  work  was,  however,  far  from  complete  at  the  time  of 
Mr.  Parkes's  death ;  and  although  we  believe  the  whole  of  the  papers  have  since  been  submitted 
to  the  examination  of  one  eminently  qualified  to  do  justice  to  them,  we  are  not  aware  that  there 
is  any  prospect  of  their  being  published  just  at  present.] 

The  American  consul  at  Frankfort,  in  Germany,  inclosed  the  foregoing  .items 
to  me.  The  note  of  the  editor  of  the  "  N.  &  Q.,"  appended  to  the  communication 
of  "  Eric,"  furnishes  the  information  sought  for  by  that  inquiry. 

In  1862,  the  late  Mr.  Joseph  Parkes,  a  gentleman  of  large  and  various  informa- 
tion, informed  me  that  he  had  been  for  several  years  devoting  his  intervals  of  ex- 
emption from  official  duties  (as  Tax  Commissioner)  to  a  Life  of  Sir  Philip  Fran- 
cis, and  that  his  researches  would  result  in  disproving  the  confident  assertion  of 
"Junius,"  in  one  of  his  private  letters  to  Woodfall,  "that  he  was  the  sole  deposi- 
tary of  his  own  secret,"  and  that  it  would  "die  with  him." 

The  subject  was  one  which  had  interested  me  much  at  a  period  when  "  Junius" 
was  read  more  generally  and  with  greater  interest  than  exists  now.  The  ques- 
tion as  to  who  "Junius"  was  engaged  the  attention  of  authors  and  editors.  I 
had,  forty  years  ago,  entered  with  much  zeal  into  that  controversy.  Finding  me 
thus  sympathetic  and  familiar  with  the  subject,  Mr.  Parkes  invited  me  to  his  apart- 
ments at  Staple  Inn,  Holburn,  and  submitted  his  manuscripts  to  my  perusal. 
There  I  passed  many  charmed  hours.  The  materials  for  his  work  were  not  only 
ample,  but  conclusive.  They  established  beyond  a  doubt,  or  a  cavil,  or  a  perad- 
venture,  that  Sir  Philip  Francis  was  the  author  of  the  Letters  of  Junius. 

Twice  during  these  readings,  in  company  with  Mr.  Parkes,  I  visited  the  then 
venerable  and  since  departed  John  Taylor,  author  of  Junius  Identified,  first  pub- 
lished nearly  fifty  years  ago.  Mr.  Taylor  had  intended  to  avail  himself  of  subse- 
quent and  cumulative  evidence,  but,  on  account  of  his  advanced  age,  had  cheerful- 
ly committed  the  whole  question  to  Mr.  Parkes.  These  breakfast  conversations 
with  Mr.  Taylor  were  exceedingly  interesting.  His  bachelor  life,  like  that  of 
Charles  Lamb,  was  solaced  by  an  aged  maiden  sister.  He  had  formerly  known 
most  of  the  literary  celebrities  of  the  last  years  of  the  past  and  the  first  years  of 
the  present  century,  and  gave  us  pleasant  recollections  of  their  personal  charac- 
ters and  habits.  % 

Only  a  few  weeks  before  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Parkes  he  informed  me  that 
he  expected  to  get  his  life  of  Sir  Philip  Francis  to  press  the  then  ensuing  autumn, 
and,  in  pursuance  of  a  previous  understanding,  I  was  to  arrange  for  its  republica- 

Cc 


4O2  Journalism  in  America. 

tion  here.  Since  his  death  I  have  heard  nothing  further  about  it.  The  research- 
es had  all  been  accomplished,  and  the  work  had  progressed  so  far  toward  its  com- 
pletion that  no  difficulty  existed,  nor  was  any  such  delay  necessary.  I  had  ex- 
pected and  hoped  that  Miss  Bessie  Parkes,  the  gifted  daughter  of  my  old  and 
cherished  friend  (already  a  distinguished  and  disciplined  writer),  would  complete 
and  publish  the  unfinished  work  of  her  honored  father — a  work  on  which  he  had 
bestowed  years  of  toil,  and  to  the  publication  of  which  he  looked  forward  with 
confidence,  in  an  appreciative  and  approving  popular  sense  of  its  value,  for  his  re- 
ward. T.  W. 

Mr.  Weed  finally  severed  his  connection  with  the  Evening  Jour- 
nals 1862,  and  traveled  in  Europe  for  the  government  and  for  his 
health.  On  his  return  in  1867,  he  edited  the  Commercial  Advertiser 
for  a  while,  but  was  soon  after  compelled  to  retire  from  that  concern 
in  consequence  of  continued  ill  health  and  increasing  years ;  and 
now,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  or  six,  he  is  engaged  in  writing  his 
reminiscences  of  politicians  and  statesmen.  Mr.  Weed  is  a  genial 
man,  full  of  anecdotes,  with  a  homely,  rural  manner  that  is  rather 
captivating,  and  a  heart  full  of  generous  impulses.  When  it  was 
known  that  his  old  political  antagonist,  Edwin  Croswell,  of  the  Ar- 
gus, had  met  with  misfortune,  he  quietly  and  unostentatiously  ob- 
tained a  large  subscription  from  old  political  friends  and  enemies, 
which  he  had  conveyed  to  Mr.  C.  in  a  manner  so  touching  and 
agreeable  as  to  annihilate  all  previous  animosities,  and  in  this  way 
the  path  to  the  grave  of  that  once  powerful  journalist  was  made 
smooth  and  pleasant. 

The  Nashville  Union  was  established  March  30,  1835.  It  was 
printed  by  George  James  Harris  in  1837,  and  edited  by  Samuel 
M'Laughlin.  Mr.  Harris  had  been  foreman  in  the  office  of  the 
Boston  Post,  and  afterwards  publisher  of  the  New  Bedford  Gazette. 
It  was  not  long  after  his  appearance  in  Nashville  that  he  became 
involved  in  a  difficulty  with  Ephraim  H.  Foster,  Jr.,  son  of  Sena- 
tor Foster,  of  Tennessee,  growing  out  of  the  editorials  of  the  Union 
against  the  senator.  Harris  received  a  pistol-shot  on  this  occasion 
which  passed  through  his  right  arm,  through  his  right  breast,  up 
through  the  passage  between  the  two  lower  jaws,  coming  out  of  the 
left  cheek.  In  spite  of  the  desperate  nature  of  these  wounds,  Har- 
ris recovered,  and  was  sent  on  a  Tobacco  Mission  to  Austria  by 
President  Tyler,  and  afterwards  made  a  Purser  of  the  Navy  by 
President  Polk  in  the  year  1844.  After  this  encounter  between 
Harris  and  Foster,  Major  John  P.  Heiss,  who  had  served  his  time 
with  General  Simon  Cameron,  of  Pennsylvania,  became  one  of  the 
publishers  of  the  Union.  M'Laughlin  continued  its  editor  till  the 
elevation  of  Mr.  Polk  to  the  presidency,  when  he  was  appointed 
Register  of  the  Land  Office  in  Washington,  and  Heiss  became  the 
publisher  of  the  official  organ — the  Union.  Thus  the  President  lib- 
erally provided  for  the  attaches  of  his  home  organ,  even  transferring 


The  Chief  Organ  of  Nullification.  403 

its  name  to  the  national  capital.  The  title  of  the  paper  is  now  the 
Nashville  Union  and  American. 

The  Charleston  (S.  C.}  Mercury,  always  ably  edited,  always  neatly 
printed,  always  an  oracle,  was  one  of  the  marked  papers  of  the  na- 
tion in  the  editorial  rooms  of  other  journals,  and  in  the  opinion  of 
politicians  north,  east,  west,  and  south.  Why  ?  It  was  the  chief 
organ  of  the  Nullifiers  of  South  Carolina  in  1832,  and  of  the  ultra 
Secessionists  of  the  South,  culminating  in  the  events  of  1861-5.  It 
was,  through  its  long  life,  a  paper  of  remarkable  ability,  and  not 
surpassed  by  any  other  Southern  newspaper  in  the  support  of  its 
peculiar  political  views.  It  paid  more  attention  to  itg  political  hobby 
than  to  news,  and  on  the  one  idea  of  the  necessity  of  slavery  to  the 
planting  interest  it  was  speciously  brilliant  and  tenacious.  All  the 
Haynes,  the  M'Duffies,  the  Barnwells,  the  Rhetts,  the  Calhouns,  the 
Hammonds,  the  Hamiltons,  the  Tabers,  contributed  to  its  columns. 
It  gave  the  key-note  to  the  other  newspapers  of  the  South  on  the 
vital  interests  of  that  section  from  the  nullification  of  1832  to  the 
terrible  climax  in  the  rebellion  of  1861-5. 

The  Mercury  belonged  to  the  chivalric  school  of  journalism.  It 
believed  in  the  code  of  honor.  The  argument  of  the  pistol  at  ten 
paces  was,  in  all  personal  grievances,  the  last  resort.  Some  of  the 
affairs  have  been  serious  and  tragical,  while  others  resulted  harm- 
lessly and  humorously.  There  was  one  in  1856,  the  details  of  which 
will  be  read  with  interest  and  edification  even  in  1872,  and  even 
after  the  greater  duel  between  the  North  and  South  has  settled  and 
reconstructed  the  long-pent-up  troubles  of  our  brethren  of  the  South. 

There  was  a  meeting  in  September,  1856,  resulting  fatally,  be- 
tween W.  R.  Taber,  Jr.,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Mercury,  and  Ed- 
ward Magrath,  brother  of  Judge  A.  G.  Magrath.  The  history  of  the 
affair  is  detailed  by  Mr.  John  Cunningham,  one  of  the  seconds,  and 
is  a  very  curious  narrative.  Apart  from  its  connection  with  jour- 
nalism, it  is  peculiarly  instructive  in  the  nice  points  and  precise 
punctilio  in  matters  affecting  personal  interviews  of  this  kind  on  the 
field.  After  a  few  preliminary  observations,  Mr.  Cunningham  said  : 

The  duel  occurred  on  the  afternoon  of  Monday,  the  2gth  of  September.  I  had 
left  Charleston  for  Virginia  on  the  evening  of  the  i6th,  and  returned  to  it  on  Sat- 
urday morning,  the  27th.  In  the  mean  time,  the  first  two  articles,  signed  "A 
Nullifier,"  against  Judge  A.  G.  Magrath,  had  appeared  in  the  Mercury — the  third 
was  on  Monday.  I  first  saw  and  read  them  on  the  day  of  my  return.  Mr.  Taber 
and  I  met  in  the  forenoon  of  that  day,  when  he  showed  me  the  challenges  from 
Mr.  Ed.  Magrath  to  himself  and  Mr.  Heart  as  editors  of  the  Mercury,  announced 
his  intention  to  become  the  first  responsible  party,  and  desired  me  immediately  to 
take  charge  of  the  matter  as  his  friend.  Expressing  at  once  my  hearty  readiness 
ever  to  serve  him,  and  acknowledging  the  claims  which  in  every  way  he  had  upon 
me,  I  yet  earnestly  requested  him,  in  the  fullness  of  our  intimacy  as  friends,  to  ex- 
cuse me,  as  I  was  myself  a  candidate  for  Congress,  from  counseling  him  in  a  dif- 
ficulty pertaining  to  one  of  my  opponents,  and  with  whom  I  had  had  obliging  re- 


404  Journalism  in  America. 

lations.  To  this  he  assented,  upon  the  agreement  that  I  would  serve  him  on  the 
field  in  the  event  of  a  hostile  meeting.  In  the  course  of  that  forenoon  a  few  of 
us  were  in  the  Mercury  office,  and  the  whole  matter  was  freely  conversed  upon, 
preliminary  to  the  momentarily  expected  coming  in  of  one  or  more  advising  friends, 
whose  counsels  had  been  requested.  Mr.  Taber  was  not  only  much  annoyed  by 
the  insulting  language  contained  in  the  challenge,  but  evidently  was  aroused  by 
an  impression  that  an  imputation  had  been  thrown  out  that  he  would  avoid  re- 
sponsibility. He  announced  his  fixed  purpose  to  fight,  and  to  do  so  apart  from 
all  considerations  affecting  the  position  of  Mr.  Edmund  Rhett  as  the  author  and 
publisher  of  the  articles.  I  urged  him,  if  such  was  his  intent,  to  state  fully  in  his 
note  of  acceptance  his  own  case  and  position.  Previous  to  the  full  assembling  of 
his  friends  I  left  him,  and  proceeded  to  Sullivan's  Island,  where  I  was  residing 
during  the  yellow-fever  season,  by  the  one  o'clock  ferry-boat.  On  parting  with 
him,  I  said,  in  substance,  and  in  accordance  with  my  whole  previous  conversations 
with  him,  that  upon  one  point  I  would  give  him  positive  advice,  that  on  that  point 
my  opinion  was  absolute,  and  it  was  that  Mr.  Ed.  Magrath's  hostile  note  should  be 
returned  to  him  through  the  hand  of  whoever  was  to  bear  his  correspondence, 
because  of  its  clearly  offensive  language,  inadmissible  in  such  connection  under 
every  rule  and  courtesy  recognized  in  such  cases,  and  that  an  intimation  should 
be  given  to  Mr.  Magrath  that  none  but  a  respectful  cartel  would  be  entertained. 
I  expressed  the  opinion  that  a  gentleman  was  not  bound  to  treat  as  insult  any 
offensive  language  in  a  challenge,  but,  on  the  contrary,  that  it  was  his  duty,  on  ac- 
count of  it,  to  return  the  note  containing  a  demand  thus  couched.  I  charged  him 
not  to  delay,  neglect,  or  disregard  this  his  first  duty  and  true  step.  *  *  *  * 

The  first  exchange  of  shots  took  place  a  few  minutes  after  half  past  4  P.M.  I 
did  not  then  ask  Mr.  James  Conner,  the  acting  friend  of  Ed.  Magrath,  Esq.,  who 
was  the  challenging  party,  whether  his  principal  was  satisfied.  This  inquiry 
would  have  conformed  to  the  usual  practice,  and  there  is  no  limitation,  established 
either  by  written  codes  or  the  custom  of  gentlemen,  upon  the  number  of  shots 
which  the  party  seeking  satisfaction  may  require.  But,  regarding  the  meeting  as 
in  the  nature  of  a  cross  demand,  and  the  claims  of  Mr.  Taber  to  redress  for  the 
insulting  language  of  the  challenge,  I  only  intimated  to  Mr.  Conner  that  we  were 
ready  to  load  in  continuation  of  the  duel,  but  at  the  same  time  I  suggested  that 
if  propositions  for  settlement  were  to  be  made,  or  their  terms  discussed,  it  had 
better  be  then.  In  response,  Mr.  Conner  proposed,  as  the  terms  of  adjustment, 
that  Mr. Taber  should  repudiate  or  disclaim  the  articles  signed  "A  Nullifier," 
and  apologize  for  their  publication.  ****** 

I  rejected  his  proposition,  and  a  second  exchange  of  shots  took  place  within 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes  after  the  first.  At  this  stage  I  deemed  the  attitude  of  par- 
ties to  each  other  to  be  changed,  and  entertained  the  conviction  that  the  affair 
should,  if  possible,  and  consistent  with  honorable  obligations,  be  settled.  The 
double  exchange  of  shots  had  at  least  met  all  the  technical  requirement  of  their 
cross  demands.  I  have  long  held,  and  it  has  been  known  to  many,  and  although 
without  the  authority  of  precedent,  that  an  exchange  of  shots  would  be  deemed, 
ipso  facto,  satisfaction  on  a  mere  point  of  honor,  and  where  there  was  no  direct 
wrong  or  insult  between  the  parties.  With  these  views  I  addressed  myself,  and 
I  aver  it  before  God  and  man,  with  all  my  mind  and  heart,  to  the  adjustment  of 
the  difficulty.  Looking  to  an  adjustment,  Mr.  Conner  and  I  earnestly  discussed 
all  the  facts  and  possible  terms.  We  differed,  each  evidently  looking  at  the 
whole  case  from  variant  points  of  view ;  he  deeming  Mr.  Taber  to  have  been 
throughout  a  wanton  aggressor  upon  the  brother  (Judge  A.  G.  Magrath)  of  his 
principal,  and  that  he  was  bound  to  disclaim  and  apologize  for  such,  his  assumed 
aggressions,  and  I,  that  Mr.  Taber  had  assumed  no  connection  with  the  articles 
of"  A  Nullifier  ;"  that  as  editor  of  the  Mercury  he  had  the  right  to  publish  them, 
they  being  in  relation  to  a  candidate  for  political  position  and  office ;  that  he  was 
on  the  ground,  and  had  been  called  there  only  in  the  character  of  editor  of  the 
Mercury  ;  that  as  such  he  was  there  maintaining  the  liberty  and  independence  of 
the  Press ;  that  as  such  he  had  had  insult,  in  addition  to  the  challenge,  put  upon 
him ;  that,  therefore,  he  could  not  comply  with  the  terms  required,  and  that  no 
terms  could  be  acceded  to  by  him  which  were  not  coupled  with  a  disclaimer  by 
Mr.  Ed.  Magrath  of  the  offensive  language  of  his  challenge.  ****** 
I  told  Mr.  Conner  that  I  spoke  no  longer  as  a  mere  second,  but  as  a  man,  and 


The  Taber  and  Magrath  Duel.  405 

that  I  had  but  urged  my  real  convictions.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  acted  and  con- 
ferred only  together  and  alone.  Finding  that  we  could  not  agree,  and  when  we 
were  about  to  separate,  I  expressed  a  wish,  as  I  had  observed  that  he  consulted 
with  some  invited  gentlemen  on  the  ground,  to  know  who  were  his  advising  friends, 
and  to  explain  to  and  confer  with  them  on  my  views.  He  replied  that  they  were 
Messrs.  J.  B.  Campbell,  J.  J.  Pettigrew,  and  J.  H.  Wilson,  and  went  from  me  to  pre- 
sent my  request  to  them.  He  returned,  declining  to  accede  to  it — I  presume  by 
their  concurrence  or  direction.  At  this  moment  Dr.  Bellinger  advanced  to  us 
and  expressed  a  desire  to  intervene  between  the  parties.  He  urged  that  as  there 
had  been  two  exchanges  of  shots,  and  each  party  had  had  sufficient  chances  at 
each  other,  the  difficulty  should  be  adjusted  and  terminated.  His  intervention 
was  cordially  accepted  ;  and  as  I  understood  Dr.  Bellinger  to  make,  by  his  re- 
marks, the  proposition  that  there  should  be  a  mutual  declaration  of  satisfaction, 
in  view  of  two  exchanges  of  shots,  I  intimated  my  assent  to  it.  ****** 
The  basis  of  the  discussion  on  both  sides  was  as  I  have  previously  stated.  At 
length  I  succeeded,  as  I  thought,  in  turning  their  views  in  the  direction  of  the 
written  propositions  which  I  made  on  the  field.  At  least,  finding  discussion  would 
be  uselessly  prolonged,  I  offered  those  propositions  as  the  best  and  all  that  I  could 
do ;  and  with  the  concurrence  of  Mr.  Conner,  I  reduced  them  on  the  spot  into 
writing,  and  to  the  effect  that,  as  simultaneous  declarations,  Mr.  Taber  disclaim 
the  intent,  as  editor  of  the  Mercury,  to  have  made  by  the  publication  of  the  arti- 
cles an  attack  on  the  private  character  of  Judge  Magrath,  and  Mr.  Ed.  Magrath 
disclaim  the  intent  to  insult  Mr.  Taber  by  the  language  of  his  challenge.  I  would 
here  state  that  in  every  previous  instance  where  terms  of  adjustment  were  pro- 
posed by  either  side,  Mr.  Conner  and  Dr.  Bellinger  insisted  that  those  on  the  part 
of  Mr.  Taber  should  be  the  condition  of  those  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Magrath.  To 
this  I  steadily  objected,  on  the  ground  that  gentlemen  seeking  to  place  themselves 
in  their  true  positions  should  declare  those  positions  independently  of,  yet  simul- 
taneously with  each  other,  and  the  other  mode  was  either  distrustful  or  humiliating. 

Mr.  Conner  carried  my  propositions  to  his  group  of  friends  for  advisement. 
After  a  time  Mr.  Conner  returned  to  me,  bringing,  as  the  sine  qua  non  of  their 
acceptance,  the  proposition  that  Mr.  Taber  should  also  express  regret  for  the  pub- 
lication of  the  articles.  Mild  and  harmless  as  it  may  seem,  it  was  too  palpable  to 
me  that  it  amounted  not  only  to  an  identification  of  Mr.  Taber  with  the  whole 
responsibility  for  those  articles,  but  as  a  disclaimer  of  and  apology  for  them.  It 
would  have  been  a  stultification  of  him  as  an  editor,  and  a  humiliation  of  him  as 
a  man,  and  so  I  stated  to  Mr.  Conner.  I  not  only  rejected  it,  but  regarded  it  as 
the  index  to  the  whole  meaning  of  that  hostile  meeting.  It  must  rest  on  the  head 
of  those  or  him  who  made  it. 

I  then  inquired  of  Mr.  Conner  whether  I  must  proceed  to  load  for  another  shot, 
and  he  bowed  his  head  in  assent  and  requirement. 

Near  an  hour  had  been  consumed  after  the  second  shot  in  discussion,  and  the 
third  shot  took  place  with  its  fatal  result. 

********* 

It  is  material  to  note  the  following  : 

1.  That  Mr.  Heart,  co-editor  of  the  Mercury,  had  also  been  challenged,  and  had 
accepted. 

2.  That  satisfaction  in  behalf  of  the  Mercury,  although  to  be  deemed  a  unity, 
was  to  be  rendered  by  Mr.  Taber  or  Mr.  Heart,  or  both  ;  and  that,  if  rendered  com- 
plete, in  entirety,  by  Mr.  Taber,  Mr.  Heart  should  not  be  called  upon ;  if  not,  Mr. 
Heart  could  be. 

3.  That  Mr.  Heart's  meeting  had  been  appointed  at  the  same  ground,  at  a  time 
immediately  following  that  of  Mr.  Taber,  and  that  he  was  actually  at  the  place 
long  before  the  third  shot,  waiting  to  respond  in  satisfaction. 

I  can  now  give  my  reasons  for  not  withdrawing  Mr.  Taber,  and  not  declining  a 
third  shot. 

1.  I  was  satisfied  that  Mr.  Taber  would  not  have  been  willing. 

2.  I  would  have  assumed  a  responsibility  contrary  to  all  precedent,  in  face  of 
the  demand  of  the  challenging  party.     I  might  have  assumed  it  in  despite  of  these 
considerations,  but  for  the  reason, 

3.  That  if  Mr.  Taber  had  been  withdrawn,  the  other  party  could  have  insisted, 
on  the  pretext  of  a  failure  of  satisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  Mercury,  upon  Mr. 


406  Journalism  in  America. 

Heart  taking  his  place  and  making  it  complete.  If  Mr.  Heart,  in  such  event,  had 
fallen,  what  would  have  been  the  position  of  my  friend  and  myself?  Mr.  Taber 
had  assumed  to  render  satisfaction  in  full,  and  nothing  but  the  admission  of  his 
opponent  or  the  decree  of  an  intervention  could  have  availed. 

It  is  but  justice  to  Mr.  Edmund  Rhett,  Jr.,  who  promptly  avowed  himself  the 
author  of  the  article  signed  "A  Nullifier,"  and  who  instantly  endeavored  to  pre- 
vent the  duel  by  challenging  Judge  Magrath  with  that  object,  to  state  that  Mr.  Ta- 
ber's  meeting  with  Mr.  Ed.  Magrath  took  place  on  grounds  entirely  distinct  from 
his,  had  no  reference  to  his  position,  and  could  not  have  been  arrested  by  his  ac- 
tion. I  therefore  refused  to  permit  him  to  be  on  the  field,  and  would  not  have 
suffered  his  interference.  He  was,  however,  near  it,  ready  to  interpose  and  as- 
sume all  responsibility,  in  the  event  Judge  Magrath  had  appeared  and  intervened. 

Thus  the  death  of  Mr.  Taber  prevented  two  other  duels  between 
parties  already  on  the  ground,  and  "  the  liberty  and  independence 
of  the  Press"  was  vindicated  ! 

Now  we  have  another  affair  which  occurred  only  three  months 
after  that  between  Messrs.  Taber  and  Magrath,  and  in  which  a 
member  of  the  Rhett  family  challenged  the  editor  of  the  Charleston 
(S.  C.)  Standard 'for  a  communication  furnished  by  one  of  the  actors 
in  the  previous  tragedy,  and,  in  a  word,  for  precisely  the  same  rea- 
son. These  two  journalistic  affairs  were  so  curious  in  their  causes 
and  effects  as  to  make  us  sometimes  wonder  at  the  eccentricities 
of  man.  We  give  the  correspondence  between  Alfred  Rhett  and 
L.  W.  Spratt,  of  the  Standard: 

THE   INSULT  AND  THE  DEMAND  FOR  REPARATION. 

Tuesday  Evening,  Jan.  6, 1857. 

SIR, — You  thought  proper  to  publish  in  your  paper  of  the  2yth  of  November  a 
communication,  in  which  I  was  gratuitously  and  unjustly  assailed  by  Dr.  Bellin- 
ger, who,  in  the  very  piece,  declared  that  he  was  not  responsible  under  the  laws 
of  honor,  and  argued  that  editors  of  newspapers  -were  more  accountable  for  what 
they  published  than  the  -writers  of  their  articles.  In  deference  to  the  prevailing 
sentiment  of  the  community  against  further  strife,  and  in  hope  that  you  also  would 
forbear  additional  wrong,  I  let  this  pass,  and  published  an  explanation  and  de- 
fense, in  which  I  denied  the  facts  as  false  inferences  alleged  against  me.  You 
also  published  in  a  subsequent  communication,  on  the  ist  of  January,  from  the 
same  irresponsible  source,  a  reiteration  of  the  offensive  and  insulting  imputations 
previously  made  against  me,  with  additional  remarks  more  offensive  than  any  al- 
ready published,  and  this  in  the  teeth  of  my  published  statement.  You  have  thus 
made'  yourself  responsible  for  the  articles,  and  have  left  me  no  other  alternative 
than  to  meet  the  responsibility  you  have  assumed.  I  am  under  the  necessity  of 
requesting  that  you  make  a  suitable  amende  to  me  for  the  injury  you  have  done 
me.  Your  obedient  servant,  ALFRED  RHETT. 

L.  W.  SPRATT,  Esq. 

WHAT  IS  WANTED? 

CHARLESTON,  Jan.  7, 1857. 

SIR, — Your  note  of  the  6th  instant  was  handed  to  me  by  Mr. ,  and  has 

received  the  earliest  attention  consistent  with  my  engagements.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear, from  the  tenor  of  your  note,  what  atonement  it  is  in  my  power  to  render 
you.  If  it  will  consist  in  disclaiming  any  purpose  on  -my  part  of  wounding  your 
feelings,  or  of  injuring  your  character,  you  will  confer  a  favor  by  stating  the  terms 
in  which  such  a  disclaimer  would  be  agreeable,  and  I  can  scarcely  apprehend  the 
possibility  of  not  being  able  to  make  it  in  accordance  with  your  wishes. 

Respectfully  yours,  L.W.  SPRATT. 

ALFRED  RHETT,  Esq. 

THE  ATONEMENT   REQUIRED. 

CHARLESTON,  Jan.  8,  1837. 
SIR, — I  take  pleasure  in  expressing  my  gratification  at  your  disposition  to  dis- 


The  End  of  the  Charleston  Mercury.         407 

claim  any  purpose  of  wounding  my  feelings  or  injuring  my  character  by  the  pub- 
lication of  the  communications  alluded  to  in  my  note.  You  desire  me  to  state 
what  atonement  or  disclaimer  would  be  agreeable.  I  can  but  presume  that  your 
reflection  has  shown  you  that,  in  publishing  the  articles  of  Dr.  Bellinger,  in  view 
of  "his  declared  non-amenability,  and  of  my  being  a  private  citizen,  and  of  the  fact 
that  I  had  n.ot  assailed  him  through  your  columns,  you  have  inflicted,  in  fact,  a 
wound  upon  my'  feelings  and  an  injury  upon  my  character,  and  that  you  have 
become  unavoidably  responsible  for  this  wrong.  Your  candor  will  therefore,  no 
doubt,  induce  you  to  perceive  the  wrong,  and  to  express  regret  for  the  conse- 
quences which  have  ensued  from  your  acts. 

Respectfully  yours,  ALFRED  RHETT. 

To  L.W.  SPRATT,  Esq. 

THE  AMENDE. 

CHARLESTON,  Jan.  8, 1857. 

SIR, — Your  note  of  to-day  has  been  received.  In  permitting  the  appearance, 
in  the  columns  of  the  Standard,  of  the  articles  referred  to,  I  certainly  had  no  in- 
tention to  injure  or  to  offend  any  one  ;  and  I  readily  acknowledge  my  regret  that 
any  wound  was  thereby  occasioned  to  your  feelings,  or  any  injury  to  your  charac- 
ter. Respectfully  yours,  L.  W.  SPRATT. 

ALFRED  RHETT,  Esq. 

SATISFACTORY. 

CHARLESTON,  Jan.  8, 1857. 

L.  W.  SPRATT,  ESQ. — SIR, — It  gives  me  pleasure  to  state  that  your  note  of  to- 
day has  been  received,  and  is  satisfactory. 

Very  respectfully,  ALFRED  RHETT. 

But  the  days  of  duels  are  rapidly  passing  away,  and  the  days  of 
the  Mercury  have  been  numbered.  Its  career  is  at  an  end.  It 
ceased  to  exist  in  November,  1868.  Ninety-one  volumes  of  the  pa- 
per had  been  published,  fuller  of  the  brilliant  sophistries  of  the 
South  than  can  be  found  any  where  else.  Messrs.  R.  B.  Rhett,  Jr., 
and  Brother,  with  Roswell  T.  Logan  for  an  assistant,  were  its  last 
Editors  and  conductors.  Why  its  publication  should  have  been  sus- 
pended is  a  mystery,  when  we  take  into  view  the  following  announce- 
ments, which  appeared  in  the  Mercury  in  August,  1868,  and  which 
seemed  to  be  standing  notices  in  that  remarkable  paper : 

THE  CHARLESTON  MERCURY  HAS  NOW  A  LARGER  BONA  FIDE  COUNTRY  CIR- 
CULATION THAN  ANY  OTHER  PAPER  PUBLISHED  IN  CHARLESTON. 

THE  CHARLESTON  MERCURY  HAS  THE  LARGEST  NUMBER  OF  PERMANENT  AN- 
NUAL AND  SEMI-ANNUAL  SUBSCRIBERS  OF  ANY  JOURNAL  IN  SOUTH  CAROLINA. 

What  are  reminiscences  ?  The  records  of  the  past.  The  Mer- 
cury of  March  26, 1832,  contained  this  notice  : 

MARK! 

Monday,  March  19,  1832. 

The  Senate  of  the  U.  States,  by  a  vote  of  23  to  i%,five  majority,  adopted  Mr. 
Clay's  proposition  to  remodel  and  aggravate  the  tariff. 
ARE  WE  READY? 

TOCSIN. 

In  his  valedictory  in  1868,  Editor  Rhett,  in  lamentations  over  the 
result  of  the  fruitless  efforts  of  the  leaders  of  the  South,  declared  his 
intention  "  to  take  his  place  among  her  ruined  children — better  so 
than  to  be  the  proudest  and  most  honored  of  her  successful  enemies 
— and  to  wait,  hoping,  praying,  expecting  the  bright  coming  of  her 
final  deliverance,  the  independence  and  prosperity  of  the  South." 

Sic  transit  gloria  mundi. 


THE  FIFTH  EPOCH. 


1832—1835. 

JOURNALISM  IN  A  TRANSITION  STATE. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  NEWSPAPER  REVOLUTION. 

SIZE  OF  NEWSPAPERS  IN  1832. — WASTE  OF  SPACE. — SMALLER  PAPERS. — THE 
NEW  YORK  GLOBE. — JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT. — THE  PENNSYLVANIAN. — 
THE  HOYT,  VAN  BUREN,  AND  BENNETT  CORRESPONDENCE. — BLAIR'S  OPIN- 
ION OF  BENNETT. — OPPOSITION  OF  POLITICIANS.  —  INCOMING  OF  THE  IN- 
DEPENDENT PRESS. — SEWARD,  WEED,  AND  GREELEY. 

IT  was  now  necessary  to  have  a  revolution  in  the  Press.  Those 
in  existence  were  too  large,  and  too  much  under  the  influence  and 
control  of  politics.  Something  new  was  needed.  Something  fresh 
and  vigorous. 

Newspapers,  beginning  with  the  News-Letter  in  1704,  on  sheets  8 
by  12  inches  in  size,  run  up,  with  the  Journal  of  Commerce  and  Courier 
and Enquirer 'in  1827,  to  24  by  35  inches ;  and  these  comparatively 
large  papers,  in  their  competition,  as  we  have  shown,  increased 
their  dimensions  to  35  by  58^  inches  in  1853.  Size  seemed  to  have 
absorbed  most  of  the  other  qualities  that  make  up  a' first-class  jour- 
nal. Such  large  folio  sheets,  when  we  consider  their  form,  circula- 
tion, and  advertising  patronage,  were  beyond  the  legitimate  require- 
ments of  newspapers  at  that  time.  Space  for  advertisements  in  the 
"  blanket  sheets"  was  not  only  sold  at  very  low  rates,  but  was  thrown 
away.  Their  publishers  were  compelled  to  allow  as  many  lines  as 
a  grasping  advertiser  chose  to  take  for  $32  per  year  or  $40,  includ- 
ing the  daily  paper.  Many  advertisements  would  appear  day  after 
day  till  long  after  they  had  accomplished  their  object.  One  or 
more  pages  would  thus  frequently  become  old  or  stereotyped  mat- 
ter, continually  staring  the  reader  in  the  face,  and  appearing  worse 
even  than  a  thrice-told  tale.  It  was  admitted  that  these  stale  busi- 
ness notices  seriously  damaged  the  fresh  advertisements,  and  the 
newspapers  generally,  as  a  matter  of  course,  with  nothing  but  poli- 
tics besides,  and  without  a  new  idea,  became  heavy  and  uninterest- 
ing when  compared  with  the  vigorous  sheets  of  the  present  day. 


James  Gordon  Bennett  and  the  Globe.        409 

It  was  necessary  to  change  all  this.  But  how  ?  It  required  time, 
money,  courage,  tact,  persistency,  talent,  industry,  and  enterprise  to 
effect  a  revolution.  Were  they  to  be  had?  All  these  elements, 
barring  the  main  one — money,  began  to  develop  themselves  in  1832 
or  a  little  earlier.  Smaller  and  cheaper,  and  more  independent  pa- 
pers, with  fresh  matter,  fresh  arrangements,  and  fresh  ideas,  began 
to  be  thought  of  and  projected.  With  what  result  ? 

On  the  zgth  of  October,  1832,  about  the  time  Emile  de  Girardin 
was  making  arrangements  to  start  La  Presse,  at  half  price,  in  Paris, 
there  was  issued  in  New  York  City  an  evening  paper  called  the 
New  York  Globe.  Its  size  was  12  by  17 — half  that  of  the  ten  dol- 
lar papers,  or  "  respectable  sixpennies"  then  in  existence.  Its  price 
was  eight  dollars,  which  was  also  a  reduction  in  the  right  direction, 
but  not  sufficient.  Its  prospectus,  as  it  appeared  in  the  first  num- 
ber, intelligently  tells  its  own  story,  and  is  a  concise  and  curious 
history  in  itself : 

TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

I  publish  this  evening,  at  No.  20  William  Street,  the  first  number  of  a  new  daily 
journal  called  the  New  York  Globe,  price  eight  dollars  a  year.  Early  arrange- 
ments will  be  made  to  issue  a  weekly  and  a  semi-weekly  paper  from  the  same 
office. 

Since  my  withdrawal  in  August  last  from  the  Cotirier  and  Enquirer,  I  have 
been  taking  measures  for  the  establishment  of  a  new  paper,  but  unavoidable  ob- 
stacles have  hitherto  prevented  its  appearance.  I  am  now  in  the  field,  sword  in 
hand,  with  unfurled  banner,  resolved  to  aid  the  great  cause  of  Jackson  and  De- 
mocracy— the  Union  of  the  States,  and  the  rights  of  the  States.  My  politics  are 
well  known.  I  was  one  of  the  first  in  this  state  to  put  the  names  of  Jackson  and 
Van  Buren  before  the  people  in  1827 — I  fought  through  the  great  conflict  of  1828, 
and  again  in  June,  1829, 1  was  the  first  to  bring  the  name  of  our  venerable  Presi- 
dent up  for  a  re-election.  I  have  always  supported  the  principles  and  nomina- 
tions of  the  Democratic  Party,  and  shall  continue  in  that  course.  Opposed  to 
nullification,  I  adhere  to  Jefferson's  doctrines  of  State  Rights — eqtial  legislation — 
economy  in  public  expenditures — reduction  of  unnecessary  taxes — and  the  advance- 
ment of  human  liberty  and  human  happiness. 

Up  to  the  next  election,  politics  will  be  the  staple  article  of  the  Globe ;  but  aft- 
er that  event  I  shall  give  it  all  the  variety  which  makes  a  daily  paper  the  welcome 
visiter  of  the  tea-table  or  counting-room.  And  if  industry,  experience,  and  resolu- 
tion are  any  warrant  for  success,  I  entertain  no  doubt  that,  in  less  than  two  years, 
I  shall  count,  without  affidavits,  at  leastyfo£  thousand  good,  subscribers  to  the  New 
York  Globe. 

A  word  on  the  size  of  my  paper.  For  years  past  the  public  has  been  cloyed  with 
immense  sheets — bunglingly  made  up — without  concert  of  action  or  individuality 
of  character — the  reservoirs  of  crude  thoughts  from  different  persons  who  were  con- 
tinually knocking  their  heads  against  each  other,  without  knocking  any  thing  re- 
*qiarkably  good  out  of  them.  I  have  avoided  this  inconvenience.  I  shall  give  my 
readers  the  cream  of  foreign  and  domestic  events.  My  sheet  is  moderate  in  size, 
but  neat  and  manageable,  printed  on  fine  paper  and  with  beautiful  type.  When 
an  overflow  of  patronage  shall  demand  more  room,  as  it  soon  will,  I  may  enlarge 
a  little,  but  I  shall  avoid,  as  I  would  a  pestilence,  those  enormous  sheets — the  pine 
barrens  of  intelligence  and  taste,  which  have  been  undoubtedly  sent  into  the  world 
as  a  punishment  for  its  growing  wickedness. 

In  taking  my  position  as  the  editor  of  a  daily  paper  in  this  community,  I  am  no 
new  recruit — no  undisciplined  soldier.  I  have  acted  in  this  capacity  for  twelve 
years  past,  eight  of  which  I  have  been  associated  with  the  National  Advocate,  the 
New  York  Enquirer,  and  latterly  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  all  of  this  city.  I 


4io  Journalism  in  America. 

have  hitherto  labored  for  the  reputation  and  profit  of  others  ;  I  am  now  embark- 
ed on  my  own  account — on  my  own  responsibility.  In  coming  before  this  com- 
munity I  do  not  feel  therefore  as  a  stranger  thrown  among  new  faces.  Though 
personally  unknown  to  many  newspaper  readers,  I  stand  before  them  as  an  ac- 
quaintance— a  friend — an  intimate.  I  feel  myself  connected  with  New  York  by 
that  captivating  species  of  relationship — that  delightful  community  of  thought  and 
sentiment  which  exists  between  an  industrious  and  moral  editor,  and  a  numerous 
and  encouraging  body  of  readers.  With  these  remarks  I  commit  my  bark  to  the 
breeze.  JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT. 

New  York,  October  29, 1832. 

This  paper  failed.  More  correctly  speaking,  it  was  suspended. 
The  idea,  not  the  name,  remained.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the 
"  small  papers,"  the  pioneer  of  the  "  Penny  Press,"  the  precursor  of 
the  "  Independent  Press,"  but  it  did  not  then  succeed.  Why  ?  In 
its  general  scope  it  was  a  political  journal,  yet  its  contents  indicated 
a  more  comprehensive  purpose,  and  exhibited  touches  of  that  pe- 
culiarity and  originality  which  afterwards  so  fully  characterized  the 
leading  journal  of  the  Independent  Press  of  the  country.  It  was, 
indeed,  the  prospectus  of  this  new  class  of  journalism.  But  why  did 
it  fail?  Simply  because,  locally  and  politically,  it  was  started  one 
year  too  early.  It  was,  however,  the  intellectual  entering  wedge. 
When  the  New  York  Hotel,  in  Broadway,  near  Eighth  Street,  was 
finished,  it  was  leased  to  Captain  Jo.  Comstock.  He  was  known  to 
fame,  liked  by  every  one,  and  knew  how  to  keep  a  first-class  hotel, 
but  he  succumbed  after  losing  largely  in  the  enterprise.  Within 
six  months  his  chef '  de  cuisine  was  placed  in  charge,  and  he  made  a 
fortune  in  a  few  years,  retiring  with  a  stable  full  of  race-horses. 
Hiram  Cranston,  of  Rockaway,  succeeded  him,  made  another  for- 
tune, and  drove  four-in-hand  through  Central  Park.  "  Will  you  tell 
me,  captain,"  inquired  a  sanguine  friend  of  Comstock  one  day, 
"why  you  gave  up  the  New  York  Hotel?"  "Certainly,"  replied 
the  portly  and  pleasant  captain ;  "  I  opened  the  house  just  one  year 
too  early."  Such  was  the  case.  It  was  opened  too  soon.  If  he 
had  delayed  that  event  twelve  short  months  he  would  have  been  in 
full  possession  when  the  tide  of  the  metropolis,  which  had  just  set 
up  Broadway,  was  "  at  its  flood,"  and  he  would  have  been  led  "  on 
to  fortune."  So  it  was  with  the  Globe.  It  was  started  too  soon :  as 
in  all  revolutions  and  change,  however,  there  had  to  be  a  beginning. 
It  was  what  the  public  wanted,  but  it  was  hampered  with  party  pol- 
itics, and  its  proprietor,  although  he  knew  how  to  edit  and  manage 
a  newspaper,  was  unable,  without  capital,  to  perfect  his  plans  and 
bide  his  time.  With  the  Globe  as  with  the  New  York  Hotel,  the 
"  up  town  movement"  in  journalism  had  not  commenced,  but  it  was 
close  upon  the  heels  of  that  interesting  event. 

Apart  from  all  other  causes  and  considerations,  the  political  ele- 
ment was  vehemently  opposed  to  new  papers,  and  especially  to  new 
papers  with  ideas  and  opinions  of  their  own.  Every  newspaper  writer 


The  Albany  Regency  on  Newspapers.         411 

and  every  printer  in  the  United  States  had  been  educated  for  half 
a  century  in  the  belief  that  no  journal  of  any  respectability  could 
be  established  without  the  consent  of  politicians  and  the  pecuniary 
aid  of  party.  It  was  particularly  so  during  Jackson's  second  term 
and  Van  Buren's  administration.  It  was  so,  indeed,  with  both  par- 
ties. "  To  the  victor  belongs  the  spoils"  was  the  motto  of  the  Al- 
bany Regency,  and  it  had  been  fully  adopted  in  Washington.  "Un- 
der which  king,  Benzonian  ?  Speak  or  die  !"  Thus  with  the  Globe. 
When  it  showed  any  symptoms  of  independence  it  was  deemed  nec- 
essary to  stop  its  supplies  and  crush  it  out.  When  its  editor  after- 
wards took  charge  of  the  Pennsylvanian,  another  political  paper,  in 
Philadelphia,  fortunately  for  improved  and  enterprising  journalism, 
the  same  occurred  there.  All  the  correspondence  of  Martin  Van 
Buren,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jesse  Hoyt,  Abijah  Mann,  Jr.,  and 
others,  show  this  feeling  in  the  strongest  light.  In  one  of  his  notes 
to  Jesse  Hoyt,  written  in  1829,  Mr.  Bennett  makes  the  following  cu- 
rious disclosures  on  this  point : 

ALBANY,  zoth  July,  1829. 

DEAR  SIR, — Since  I  arrived  here  I  have  seen  our  friends  in  the  Argus  office 
and  State  department — I  mean  Major  Flagg,  Mr.  Wright,  and  Mr.  Croswell.  They 
are  very  friendly,  but  they  say  they  have  heard  little  of  our  local  matters  in  New 
York  consequent  on  the  sale  of  the  Enquirer,  with  the  exception  of  a  passing  re- 
mark from  Mr.  Cambreleng  as  he  passed  through  here  a  few  weeks  ago.  *  *  * 
They  told  me  to-day  that  if  the  party  had  the  control  of  the  political  course  of  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer,  it  would  be  more  eligible  than  a  new  paper.  This  they 
think  could  be  done  by  placing  an  editor  there  under  the  auspices  of  the  General 
Committee — an  editor  who  would  take  care  of  the  interests  of  the  party  and  its 
friends.  They  are  afraid  that  the  political  patronage  is  not  sufficient  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  new  paper,  and  they  are  of  opinion  that  a  journal  which  now  enjoys  all 
such  patronage  as  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  ought  to  give  up  its  columns  to  a  po- 
litical editor  appointed  by  the  General  Committee. 

How  would  such  a  plan  work  now  with  such  journals  as  the 
Times,  Tribune,  Herald,  or  with  the  Evening  Post,  each  with  an  edi- 
tor selected  by  a  political  clique  in  Albany  or  Washington,  or  a 
General  Committee  ? 

•  Again,  writing  from  Philadelphia  on  the  i3th  of  June,  1833,  he 
said: 

DEAR  HOYT— *  ******* 

John  Mumford  has  been  aided  to  the  extent  of  $40,000.  With  a  fourth  of  that 
sum  I  would  have  done  twice  as  much — soberly  and  with  some  decency  too. 

I  should  be  sorry  to  be  compelled  to  believe  that  my  friends  in  New  York 

should  bestow  their  friendship  more  effectually  upon  a fellow  than  me, 

who  certainly  has  some  pretensions  to  decency. , 

I  am  sorry  to  speak  harshly  of  any  body,  but  really  I  think  there  is  something 
like  ingratitude  in  the  way  I  have  been  treated. 

I  want  no  favor  that  I  can  not  repay. 

I  want  no  aid  that  is  not  perfectly  safe. 

Yours,  etc.,  J.  GORDON  BENNETT. 

The  John  Mumford  mentioned  in  this  letter  was  editor  of  the 
New  York  Standard,  which  was,  at  that  time,  supported  almost  en- 


412  Journalism  in  America. 

tirely  by  the  party,  and  it  received  all  sorts  of  aid  and  comfort  from 
Washington. 

Another  letter  was  sent,  five  or  six  weeks  later,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy : 

PHILADELPHIA,  July  zjth,  1833. 

DEAR  HOYT, — I  have  written  to  Van  Buren  to-day  about  the  old  affair.  I 
must  have  a  loan  of  $2500  for  a  couple  of  years  from  some  quarter.  I  can't  get 
on  without  it ;  and  if  the  common  friends  of  our  cause — those  I  have  been  work- 
ing for  for  eight  years — can  not  do  it,  I  must  look  for  it  somewhere  else.  My 
business  here  is  doing  very  well,  and  the  money  would  be  perfectly  safe  in  two 
years.  You  see  already  the  effect  produced  in  Pennsylvania — we  can  have  the 
state  ;  but,  if  our  friends  won't  lay  aside  their  heartlessness,  why,  we'll  go  to  the 
devil — that  is  all. 

There  is  no  man  who  will  go  further  with  friends  than  I  will — who  will  sacrifice 
more — who  will  work  harder.  You  know  it  very  well. 

I  must  be  perfectly  independent  of  the  little  sections  in  this  city,  who  would  hurry 
me  into  their  small  courses,  at  the  risk  of  the  main  object. 

Kendall  leaves  Washington  to-morrow  on  his  tour  of  Bank  inspection.  Let 
me  hear  from  you.  Yours,  etc.,  JAS.  GORDON  BENNETT. 

The  italics  are  ours,  as  indicative  of  the  spirit  which  governed  the 
writer  as  an  editor  at  that  time,  and  which  has  characterized  the 
Herald  since  its  first  issue.  But  here  is  the  sequel : 

MR.  HOYT  TO  MR.  BENNETT. 

August  16,  1833. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — I  have  not  answered  yours  of  the  3d  for  various  reasons. 
Among  other  reasons,  I  was  quite  too  much  provoked  with  you.  It  appears,  at 
the  moment  I  was  trying  to  favor  you,  the  Pennsylvanian  was  taking  such  a 
course  as  calculated  to  thwart  all  my  efforts.  There  are  but  very  few  of  our 
people,  comparatively,  that  see  your  paper,  and  they  have  to  look  for  its  charac- 
ter to  the  party  papers  here.  And  what  does  the  Post  and  Standard  say  of  it  ? 
I  am  not  going  to  set  myself  up  as  the  judge  to  decide  who  and  which  is  the  ag- 
gressor, but  I  admit  that  an  intelligent  newspaper,  edited  any  where  in  this  coun- 
try, ought  to  have  known  that  the  Northern  Banner  and  the  Doylestown  Democrat 
are  papers  substantially  hostile  to  the  administration ;  but,  because  it  was  not 
known  to  some  of  our  "  corps  editorial,"  it  was  no  reason  why  you  should  quarrel 
with  all  of  us — by  which  I  mean  all  the  prominent  Jackson  papers,  from  the  Argiis 
down.  There  is  a  wonderful  coincidence  between  the  course  the  Pennsylvanian 
threatens  to  take  and  that  taken  by  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  when  it  first  began 
to  secede  from  the  Jackson  ranks.  It  began,  you  will  recollect,  by  assailing  what 
was  called  the  "  Money  Changers."  You  are  about  to  commence  "  No.  I,  New 
York  Stockjobbing,  etc.,  etc.,  and  certain  expresses  in  the  fall  of  1832."  This 
has  all  been  published  in  the  opposition  papers,  and  they  did  not  make  much  of 
it,  and,  therefore,  I  should  doubt  whether  a  bona  fide  Jackson  paper  could  do  bet- 
ter with  it.  If  this  was  intended  for  Mumford,  I  could  tell  you  reasons  for  letting 
him  alone  ;  if  for  Mr.  Hone,  there  are  similar  reasons  ;  but  as  he  is  no  friend  of 
mine,  I  speak  only  from  general  principles — there  is  nothing  to  be  gained  by  it ; 
it  mends  nobody's  principles,  or  improves  the  morals  of  any  one,  but  rather 
helps  your  enemies  in  their  efforts  to  satisfy  others  that  you  are  not "  a  reliable 
man,"  as  the  phrase  is.  The  Post,  this  afternoon,  no  doubt  will  call  you  hard 
names  for  associating  "  vinegar"  with  the  complacent  countenance  of  my  excellent 
and  amiable — ay,  amiable  friend  Croswell.  Dr.  Holland,  of  the  Standard,  will  re- 
write the  same  idea  for  to-morrow  morning.  All  this  is  quite  ridiculous  on  all 
sides,  but  you  will  perceive  it  is  the  worst  for  you  here,  because  the  people  read 
but  one  side,  and  that  is  the  side  against  you. 

I  suppose  you  think  it  is  time  to  have  the  moral  of  my  tale,  and  it  is  this,  that  I 
can  get  no  one  to  join  me  in  rendering  any  aid,  and  my  means  alone  are  wholly 
inadequate  to  render  you  any  relief,  and  what  I  have  written  you  is  but  the  es- 
sence of  the  arguments  that  have  met  me  at  every  turn. 


The  Chrysalis  of  Modern  Journalism.        4 1 3 

You  have  heard  me  talk  to  Webb  by  the  hour  of  the  folly  of  his  being  on  the 
face  of  the  record  a  friend  of  Mr.  Van  Buren's,  and,  at  the  same  time,  attacking  his 
most  firm  and  consistent  friend,  viz.,  the  editor  of  t\\z  Argus  ;  and  you  stand  in 
almost  the  same  attitude,  and  there  are  many  here  who  believe  that  your  friend- 
ship will  end  as  Mr.  Webb's  has.  I  will  do  you  the  justice  to  say  that  I  believe 
no  such  thing,  but  at  the  same  time  I  will  exercise  the  frankness  to  say  that  the 
course  of  your  paper  lays  you  open  to  the  suspicion.  I  know  enough  of  affairs  to 
know  that  you  had  high  authority  for  the  ground  you  have  taken  on  the  Deposit 
Question,  and  I  thought  you  managed  the  subject  well  for  the  meridian  you  are  in. 
I  was  told  by  a  person  a  day  or  two  since  that  you  would  be  aided  from  another 
quarter ;  I  could  not  learn  how.  But  you  ought  not  to  expect  my  friend  at  the 
North  to  do  any  thing,  not  that  he  has  an  indisposition  to  do  what  is  right,  or  that 
he  would  not  serve  a  friend,  but  he  is  in  the  attitude  that  requires  the  most  fastid- 
ious reserve.  The  people  are  jealous  of  the  public  press,  and  the  moment  it  is 
attempted  to  be  controlled,  its  usefulness  is  not  only  destroyed,  but  he  who  would 
gain  public  fav*or  through  its  columns  is  quite  sure  to  fail.  I  am  satisfied  the 
press  has  lost  some  portion  of  its  hold  upon  public  confidence  ;  recent  develop- 
ments have  had  a  tendency  to  satisfy  the  people  that  its  conductors,  or  many  of 
them  at  least,  are  as  negotiable  as  a  promissory  note.  This  impression  can  only 
be  removed  by  a  firm  adherence  to  principle  in  adversity  as  well  as  prosperity.  I 
can,  my  dear  sir,  only  say,  as  I  have  before  said  to  you,  be  patient,  "  love  them 
who  persecute  you."  You  have  a  great  field  before  you,  and  it  is  impossible  but 
you  will  succeed  if  you  are,  as  I  think  you  to  be,  honest,  intelligent,  and  indus- 
trious. Yours  truly,  J.  HOYT. 

In  reply  to  this  letter  Mr.  Bennett  said  : 

PHILADELPHIA,  August  i6th,  1833. 

DEAR  HOYT, — Your  letter  amuses  me.  The  only  point  of  consequence  is  that 
conveying  the  refusal.  This  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  deadly  hostility  which  vou 
all  have  entertained  towards  me.  It  explains,  too,  the  course  of  the  Standard  and 
Post  in  their  aggressions  upon  me  ever  since  I  came  to  Philadelphia.  The  name 
for  such  a  feeling  in  the  breasts  of  those  I  have  only  served  and  aided  at  my  own 
cost  and  my  own  sacrifice  puzzles  me  beyond  example.  I  can  account  for  it  in  no 
other  way  than  the  simple  fact  that  I  happen  to  have  been  born  in  another  country. 
I  must  put  up  with  it  as  well  as  I  can.  ******  The  assaults  of  the 
Post  and  Standard  I  shall  put  down  like  the  grass  that  grows.  I  shall  carry  the  war 
into  Africa,  and  "cursed be  he  who  cries  hold,  enough."  Neither  Mr. Van  Buren 
and  the  Argus,  nor  any  of  their  true  friends,  will  or  can  have  any  fellow  feeling 
with  the  men — the  stockjobbers — who  for  the  last  two  years  have  been  trying  to 
destroy  my  character  and  reputation.  ******  I  will  endeavor  to 
do  the  best  I  can  to  get  along.  I  will  go  among  my  personal  friends,  who  are 
unshackled  as  to  politics  or  banks,  and  who  will  leave  me  free  to  act  as  a  man  of 
honor  and  principle.  So,  my  dear  Hoyt,  do  not  lose  your  sleep  on  my  account. 
I  am  certain  of  YOUR  friendship,  whatever  the  others  may  say  or  do.  I  fear  noth- 
ing in  the  shape  of  man,  devil,  or  newspaper  ;  I  can  row  my  own  boat,  and  if  the 
Post  and  Standard  don't  get  out  of  my  way,  they  must  sink  me — that  is  all.  If  I 
adhere  to  the  same  principles,  and  run  hereafter  as  I  have  done  heretofore,  and 
which  I  mean  to  do,  recollect  it  is  not  so  much  that  "  I  love  my  persecutors"  as 
that  I  regard  my  own  honor  and  reputation.  Your  lighting  up  poor  Webb  like 
a  fat  tallow  candle  at  one  end,  and  holding  him  out  as  a  beacon-light  to  frighten 
me,  only  makes  me  smile.  Webb  is  a  gentleman  in  private  life,  a  good-hearted 
fellow,  honorable  in  all  his  private  transactions  as  I  have  found  him,  but  in  politics 
and  newspapers  a  perfect  child — a  boy.  You  will  never  find  the  Pennsylvania^ 
going  the  career  of  the  C.  &  E.  That  suspicion  answers  as  a  good  excuse  to  those 
who  have  resolved  beforehand  to  do  me  all  the  injury  they  can,  but  it  will  answer 
for  nothing  else.  I  am,  dear  Hoyt,  yours  truly, 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT. 

The  war  was  indeed  carried  int<D  Africa,  and  vigorously  continued 
for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  result  is  before  the  jour- 
nalistic world.  Mifflin,  Parry,  and  Bennett,  as  publishers  of  the 


414  Journalism  in  America. 

Pennsylvanian,  dissolved  partnership  in  December,  1833,  and  Mr. 
Bennett  gave  up  the  editorial  management  of  that  and  all  other 
party  papers  forever.  He  returned  to  the  metropolis,  and  made 
arrangements,  under  great  difficulties  and  obstacles,  for  the  publica- 
tion of  the  New  York  Herald  on  purely  journalistic  principles,  which 
have  made  it  a  wonderful  and  permanent  success. 

After  the  excitement  is  over,  and  most  of  the  characters  have 
passed  away,  what  does  one  of  the  chief  actors  in  these  political 
scenes  say  of  the  play  ?  In  a  conversation  with  a  correspondent 
of  the  Herald  in  1870,  Mr.  Blair,  the  old  editor  of  the  Washington 
Globe,  thus  oddly  and  pleasantly  speaks  of  Mr.  Bennett  and  his 
course  in  that  sensational  period  of  our  political  history  : 

I  knew  Mr.  Bennett  during  the  administration  of  Jackson,  while  I  was  editing 
the  Globe.  Mr.  Bennett  had  a  desire  to  join  his  fortunes  with  mine  in  the  Globe 
enterprise  ;  but  I  told  him  two  such  great  men  as  he  and  I  would  be  too  great  a 
weight  for  such  a  small  vessel  as  the  Globe,  and  that  we  might  swamp  it.  I  ad- 
vised him  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  which  he  would  find  to  be  a  Boeotia.  There  he 
would  find  a  splendid  field  for  his  talents  and  genius.  He  went  there  and  estab- 
lished a  paper,  but  at  one  time  the  weight  of  Jackson's  administration  was  thrown 
against  it  and  it  was  crushed.  A  few  years  ago,  when  I  visited  Mr.  Bennett,  he 
reminded  me  of  this  circumstance,  and  I  said  to  him,  "  It  is  the  best  thing  that 
ever  happened  you,  and  you  ought  to  thank  General  Jackson  and  me  for  it ;  for 
was  it  not  the  cause  of  driving  you  to  New  York,  where  you  started  the  Herald, 
and  have  built  up  the  greatest  newspaper  enterprise  ?  Now,  sir,  you  are  higher 
than  the  highest  senator  on  earth."  I  have  followed  Mr.  Bennett's  course  with  a 
great  deal  of  interest,  and  we  have  always  been  good  friends,  though  sometimes 
he  gives  me  a  rap  in  his  paper. 

Such  was  the  position  of  the  Press  throughout  the  country  at  this 
period  of  its  history.  It  was  bound  to  party.  It  was  fettered  in 
every  way.  It  was  the  slave  of  the  two  political  oligarchies.  It  was 
necessary,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Albany  Regency,  that  every  pa- 
per should  have  "  an  editor  who  would  take  care  of  the  interests  of 
the  party  and  its  friends."  If  any  further  evidence  of  this  sort  is 
wanted,  our  readers  will  find  it  in  the  "Recollections  of  a  Busy  Life" 
of  Horace  Greeley,  published  in  1868,  in  which  he  describes,  with 
refreshing  naivete,  the  famous  political  firm  of  Seward,  Weed,  and 
Greeley,  and  the  causes  of  its  dissolution,  which,  we  are  happy  to 
say,  made  the  Tribune,  although  still  a  party  paper,  a  more  indepen- 
dent and  a  more  successful  journal.  Seward  and  Weed  finally  re- 
tired to  private  life  in  1869,  leaving  Greeley  alone  in  his  glory  as  a 
journalist,  and  as  a  political  traveler  reading  the  unreliable  guide- 
posts  on  the  road  to  the  White  House. 

This  political  element,  which  was  afterwards  joined  by  the  finan- 
cial and  religious  elements,  was  powerful  in  1832,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  after  in  its  opposition  to  the  Cheap  Cash  Press.  The  cru- 
sade against  it,  the  moral  war  of  1840,  the  threats,  the  personal  as- 
saults, the  attempts  at  assassination,  and  the  libel  suits  which  rap- 


The  Transition.  415 


idly  followed  each  other,  were  episodes  of  no  small  proportions  in 
the  history  of  modern  journalism.  But  time,  with  energy  and  per- 
severance, creating  a  revolution  with  the  reading  public,  swept  away 
all  this  rubbish  and  all  these  obstacles.  In  1833  and  '34  the  "  Penny 
Press"  was  an  accomplished  fact,  and  in  1835  the  "  Independent 
Press"  was  organized,  and  has  since  become  a  permanent  and  over- 
shadowing institution  in  America. 


4i 6  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 
THE  PENNY  PRESS. 

WHERE  DID  IT  ORIGINATE? — THE  CENT  OF  PHILADELPHIA. — THE  MORNING 
POST  OF  NEW  YORK. — DR.  HORATIO  D.  SHEPARD  AND  HORACE  GREELEY. 
—  THE  NEW  YORK  SUN. — SPEECH  OF  THE  ORIGINATOR.  —  THE  MOON 
HOAX. — RICHARD  ADAMS  LOCKE. — ENTERPRISE  OF  THE  SUN. — OPINION  OF 
A  "BLANKET  SHEET"  ON  THE  CHEAP  PRESS. — THE  CITIZEN  AND  MlLES 

O'REILLY. 

THE  Penny  Press  of  America  dates  from  1833.  There  were 
small  and  cheap  papers  published  in  Boston  and  Philadelphia  be- 
fore and  about  that  time.  The  Bostonian  was  one.  The  Cent,  in 
Philadelphia,  was  another.  The  latter  was  issued  by  Christopher 
C.  Cornwell  in  1830.  These  and  all  similar  adventures  were  not 
permanent.  Most  of  them  were  issued  by  printers  when  they  had 
nothing  else  to  do.  Still  they  belonged  to  the  class  of  cheap  pa- 
pers. The  idea  came  from  the  Illustrated  Penny  Magazine,  issued 
in  London  in  1830,  which  was  imported  and  sold  in  large  quanti- 
ties in  New  York  and  other  cities,  thus  creating  a  taste  for  cheap 
literature  in  this  country. 

There  were  low-priced  papers  in  England  as  early  as  1706.  The 
Orange  Postman  was  established  then,  and  sold  for  one  cent.  It 
was  the  Father  of  the  Penny  Press.  Newspapers  in  this  country 
run  into  subscription  papers  at  a  fixed  price  per  year,  and  deliver- 
ed to  subscribers  by  mail  or  by  regularly  paid  carriers  employed  by 
the  newspaper  publishers.  Before  the  time  of  L'Estrange,  in  Lon- 
don, in  1665,  there  were  newsboys  and  newswomen,  as  in  New  York, 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Chicago  now.  They  were  condemned  by 
L'Estrange  in  the  Intelligencer.  He,  indeed,  refused  to  employ  them 
to  sell  his  paper.  In  New  York,  newspapers  were  sold  in  places 
where  the  people  mostly  congregated  in  1765;  but  the  Press  be- 
came, in  the  course  of  time,  "  blanket  sheets"  and  "  respectable  six- 
pennies,"  mammoth  folios  of  ridiculous  dignity  and  limited  circula- 
tion. Stone,  and  Webb,  and  Bryant,  and  Hale,  and  Hallock,  and 
others,  all  over  the  country,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  L'Estrange, 
would  only  sell  their  "  wares"  over  the  counter,  or  deliver  them  by 
their  regular  carriers ;  and  as  late  as  1850,  as  sensible  and  as  prac- 
tical a  journalist  as  he  was  considered  to  be,  Gerard  Hallock  boast- 
ed of  an  "increase  of  daily  circulation  of  five  hundred"  in  one  year, 


The  First  Penny  Newspaper.  417 

which  were  ordered,  he  said  with  much  unction, "  without  solicita- 
tion in  a  single  instance."  This,  too,  when  the  entire  circulation  of 
the  Journal  of  Commerce  was  only  4500,  in  a  city  with  a  population 
of  over  half  a  million  of  active  people.  While  the  Sun,  Herald, 
Tribune,  and  Times,  established  five  to  fifteen  years  later  than  the 
Journal  of  Commerce,  run  their  circulation  up  to  twenty,  thirty,  for- 
ty, and  sixty  thousand  each  in  the  same  year,  and  to  a  much  higher 
figure  since  then,  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  on  its  old  system  of 
credit  and  carriers,  is  probably  very  little  higher  now  than  in  1850. 
But  it  is  the  last  of  the  blanket  sheets — the  only  paper  of  its  class 
in  existence  in  the  metropolis. 

The  Morning  Post  was  the  first  penny  paper  of  any  pretensions 
in  the  United  States.  It  was  started  on  New-Year's  Day,  1833, 
as  a  two-cent  paper,  by  Dr.  Horatio  David  Shepard,  with  Horace 
Greeley  and  Francis  V.  Story  as  partners,  printers,  and  publishers. 
With  two  hundred  dollars  capital,  and  a  credit  so  doubtful  that  it 
would  pass  only  at  one  place  for  $40  for  type,  the  Post  was  issued, 
but  the  price  was  too  high,  in  the  unprepared  state  of  the  public 
mind,  for  the  article  offered  for  sale.  According  to  Greeley's  recol- 
lections of  the  enterprise,  its  capital  and  credit  in  brains  was  no 
larger  than  in  money.  Its  circulation  reached  two  or  three  hun- 
dred. After  one  week's  trial,  with  the  exhaustion  of  the  capital,  the 
original  idea  of  Dr.  Shepard,  his  dream  of  the  previous  year  1832 
was  attempted,  and  the  price  reduced  to  one  cent ;  but  it  was  too 
late.  The  concern  was  in  debt ;  it  had  no  mental  resources  to  fall 
back  upon,  and,  after  the  expiration  of  twenty-one  days  from  the  is- 
sue of  the  first  number,  the  Morning  Post  ceased  to  exist. 

This  experiment,  however,  was  the  seed  of  the  Cheap  Press.  It 
had  taken  root.  On  Tuesday,  the  3d  of  September,  in  the  same 
year  1833,  the  first  number  of  the  Sun  was  issued  by  Benjamin  H. 
Day,  a  printer,  who  had  previously  been  connected  with  the  Free 
Enquirer,  the  organ  of  Frances  Wright  and  Robert  Dale  Owen.  It 
became  a  permanent  institution.  Its  motto  with  its  first  number 
was  "  E  Pluribus  Unum,"  which  was  displayed  on  a  modest-looking 
spread  eagle.  "  It  shines  for  all"  afterwards  became  its  brilliant 
emblem.  Its  prospectus  was  brief  and  business-like  • 

PUBLISHED  DAILY, 
AT  222  WILLIAM  STREET        ---..--        BENJ.  H.  DAY,  PRINTER. 

The  object  of  this  paper  is  to  lay  before  the  public,  at  a  price  within  the  means 
of  every  one,  ALL  THE  NEWS  OF  THE  DAY,  and  at  the  same  time  afford  an  advan- 
tageous medium  for  advertising.  The  sheet  will  be  enlarged  as  soon  as  the  in- 
crease of  advertisements  requires  it,  the  price  remaining  the  same. 

Yearly  advertisers  (without  the  paper),  Thirty  Dollars  per  annum.  Casual  ad- 
vertising at  the  usual  prices  charged  by  the  city  papers. 

2^=  Subscriptions  will  be  received,  if  paid  in  advance,  at  the  rate  of  three  dol- 
lars per  annum. 

DD 


4i 8  Journalism  in  America. 

The  origin  of  the  Sun  has  been  told  several  times,  and  different- 
ly each  time.  It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Day  can  give  the  truest  ver- 
sion of  its  start  in  the  world.  In  a  speech  at  a  dinner  in  1851  to 
Colonel  R.  M.  Hoe,  the  inventor  of  the  famous  "  lightning  press," 
the  originator  of  this  pioneer  penny  paper  said  : 

It  is  true  I  originated  the  Sun,  the  first  penny  newspaper  in  America,  and,  as 
far  as  I  have  known,  the  first  in  the  world.  But  I  have  always  considered  the 
circumstance  as  more  the  result  of  accident  than  any  superior  sagacity  of  mine. 
It  was  in  1832  that  I  projected  the  enterprise,  during  the  first  cholera,  when  my 
business  as  a  job  printer  scarcely  afforded  a  living.  I  must  say  I  had  very  little 
faith  in  its  success  at  that  time,  and  from  various  causes  it  was  put  off.  In  Au- 
gust, 1833, 1  finally  made  up  my  mind  to  venture  the  experiment,  and  I  issued  the 
first  number  of  the  Sun  September  3.  It  is  not  necessary  to  speak  of  the  won- 
derful success  of  the  paper.  At  the  end  of  three  years,  the  difficulty  of  striking 
off  the  large  edition  on  a  double  cylinder  press  in  the  time  usually  allowed  to 
daily  newspapers  was  very  great.  In  1835  I  introduced  steam  power,  now  so 
necessary  an  appendage  to  almost  every  newspaper  office.  At  that  time  all  the 
Napier  presses  in  the  city  were  turned  by  crank-men,  and  as  the  Sun  was  the 
only  daily  newspaper  of  large  circulation,  so  it  seemed  to  be  the  only  establish- 
ment where  steam  was  really  indispensable.  But  even  this  great  aid  to  the  speed 
of  the  Napier  machines  did  not  keep  up  with  the  increasing  circulation  of  the  Sun. 
Constant  and  vexatious  complaints  of  the  late  delivery  of  the  paper  could  not  be 
avoided  up  to  the  time  that  I  left  the  establishment,  and  I  suppose  these  com- 
plaints continued  until  my  friend  here,  the  worthy  guest  in  honor  of  whom  we 
have  assembled  this  evening,  came  forward  with  his  great  invention  of  setting 
types  upon  a  cylinder,  the  success  of  which,  I  doubt  not,  has  brought  gladness  to 
the  hearts  of  a  multitude  of  newspaper  men.  Mr.  President,  it  is  really  not  in  my 
power  to  express  sufficient  admiration  of  the  energy  and  genius  which  has  brought 
about  so  stupendous  an  improvement,  and  I  trust  some  more  able  voice  than  mine 
will  do  more  justice  to  the  merits  of  Colonel  Hoe's  wonderful  invention,  from 
which,  I  doubt  not,  will  date  an  important  era  in  the  art  of  printing. 

One  cent  continued  to  be  its  price  per  copy  for  thirty  years,  or 
till  the  recent  rebellion,  when,  every  thing  advancing  to  so  high  a 
point,  the  Sun  was  doubled  in  price,  and  it  will  probably  never 
again  be  a  penny  paper.  Its  first  editor  was  named  Benton.  Not 
fully  coming  up  to  the  mark,  George  W.  Wisner  was  engaged.  He 
was  an  improvement.  He  was  limited  to  local  matters,  and,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  spirit  of  the  Penny  Press  in  its  infancy,  he  relied 
largely  on  police  reports  and  the  coarse  humor  of  the  police  courts 
for  interesting  matter  for  his  columns.  Wisner,  according  to  the 
traditions  of  the  printing-offices,  was  an  intelligent,  reliable  man. 
After  a  year  or  two  he  removed  to  the  West,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  one  of  the  new  cities  of  America. 

The  Sun,  its  first  number,  with  a  circulation  of  three  hundred, 
was  made  up  of  twelve  columns,  each  ten  inches  long.  Of  these, 
four  columns  were  of  advertisements ;  one  column  embraced  a 
"  New  York  Bank-note  Table,"  with  "  Barker's  Ex."  quoted  "  uncer.," 
which  was,  we  believe,  the  late  venerable  Jacob  Barker's  Bank ; 
there  was  one  column  of  poetry,  "A  Noon  Scene,"  which  scene  was 
laid  in  the  country,  on  the  meadows  and  in  the  woods,  and  not  in 
Wall  Street,  among  the  excited  bulls  and  bears  of  that  day  and  that 


The  First  Number  of  the  Sun.  419 

hour;  two  columns  were  given  to  anecdotes  and  a  short  story;  a 
quarter  of  a  column  to  the  arrivals  and  clearances  of  vessels  on  the 
previous  day,  and  the  remainder  was  devoted  to  police  and  miscel- 
laneous items. 

Two  lines  indicated  that  Mexico  was  in  as  disturbed  a  condition 
as  she  is  now,  and  that  the  troops  of  Montezuma  had  to  leave  San 
Luis  Potosi  in  consequence  of  the  cholera.  One  item  stated  that 
New  York  City  was  "  nearly  full  of  strangers  from  all  parts  of  this 
country  and  Europe."  There  were  four  advertisements  of  "situa- 
tions" and  "  servants"  wanted.  Now  the  Herald  has  a  page  or  two 
of  such  advertisements.  Mail-stages  then  run  between  Boston  and 
Lynn,  and  one  was  robbed  of  $13,000.  One  thousand  dollars  re- 
ward was  offered  in  the  Sun  for  the  thieves  and  money.  Another 
paragraph  described  the  indignation  of  the  passengers  on  one  of  the 
Hartford  steamers,  compelling  the  captain  to  land  the  obnoxious 
Rev.  Ephraim  K.  Avery,  of  Sarah  Maria  Cornell  notoriety,  at  Mid- 
dletown.  J.  Bleecker  &  Sons  then  sold  real  estate  at  auction.  An- 
other generation  of  the  same  family,  A.  J.  Bleecker  &  Sons,  now  do 
the  same  thing,  and  largely  too.  The  steam-boat  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin, Captain  E.  S.  Bunker,  then  carried  passengers  "  round  the 
Point"  between  Providence  and  New  York ;  the  Commerce,  Cap- 
tain R.  H.  Fitch,  run  between  Albany  and  New  York ;  and  the 
"  splendid  low-pressure  steam-boat  Water  Witch,  Captain  Vander- 
bilt,"  did  the  same,  and  "through  by  daylight,"  between  Hartford 
and  New  York  :  passage  one  dollar.  Where  are  Bunker  and  Fitch 
now  ?  Where  is  Vanderbilt  ?  On  "  low  pressure"  or  "  high  pressure  ?" 

What  recollections  these  old  papers  bring  up  to  one's  mind! 
What  a  picture  of  the  past!  Then  E.  K.  Collins  advertised  "the 
very  fast-sailing  coppered  ship  Nashville."  Were  the  "lines"  of 
the  swift  ocean  steamers  Pacific  and  Baltic,  with  their  nine  days'  run 
across  the  Atlantic,  then  on  his  mind  ?  The  sixth  annual  fair  of  the 
American  Institute  was  announced  for  the  i5th  of  October,  to  be 
held  at  Masonic  Hall,  then  opposite  the  old  City  Hospital,  just 
above  the  City  Hall  Park,  on  Broadway.  Of  the  ten  managers  men- 
tioned not  one  is  probably  left,  but  the  Institute  still  lives,  with  Hor- 
ace Greeley  as  one  of  its  bright  lights.  John  A.  Dix  was  then  Sec- 
retary of  State  of  New  York,  as  appears  by  an  advertisement  giving 
notice  of  the  annual  state  election. 

Such  was  the  first  number  of  the  first  permanently  established 
penny  paper  in  New  York  or  in  the  United  States.  It  was  evident 
that  the  publisher  was  not  a  journalist  in  the  present  acceptation  of 
that  comprehensive  term.  But  he  made  no  promises,  and  made  no 
improvements  except  in  fuller  reports  of  local  events  and  in  the 
size  of  his  paper,  which  was  increased  to  make  room  for  the  busi- 


420  Journalism  in  America. 

ness  notices  of  the  new  class  of  advertisers  created  by  this  new 
class  of  journals.  There  were  no  editorials  of  any  kind  in  the  ear- 
ly numbers  ;  no  opinion  given  ;  no  financial  reports  or  stock  sales  ; 
no  commercial  reviews  or  market  items.  But  this  paper  lived  to 
assist  in  the  great  revolution  of  the  Press  in  this  country  and  in 
France,  and  ultimately  throughout  the  world ;  and  it  still  lives.  It 
helped  to  make  newspaper  readers.  With  increase  of  means  it  be- 
came more  enterprising.  When  two  months  old  it  boasted  of  a 
daily  circulation  of  two  thousand,  and  of  eight  thousand  on  the  ist 
of  January,  1835. 

Shortly  after  this  period,  when  the  paper  was  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Benjamin  H.  Day,  Moses  Yale  Beach,  and  Richard  Adams 
Locke,  there  was  a  curious  psychological  and  legal  episode  in  its 
history.  It  then  became  the  property  of  Moses  Yale  Beach,  who 
was  a  connection  of  its  originator,  and  had  been  the  clerk  of  the  es- 
tablishment ;  and  by  him  and  his  sons  it  was  skillfully,  energetical- 
ly, and  successfully  managed  from  1837  to  1860,  when  it  was  pur- 
chased for  the  round  sum  of  $100,000  in  gold  by  a  wealthy  relig- 
ious young  gentleman  of  Philadelphia,  who  entered  the  field  of  jour- 
nalism for  the  purpose  of  making  a  daily  newspaper  useful  as  a  daily 
lay  preacher  to  the  poorer  classes  of  the  metropolis  for  their  moral 
and  religious  education  and  reformation.  In  this  laudable  object 
he  was  assisted  by  the  experience  and  ability  of  William  C.  Conant 
.as  editor.  On  the  failure  of  this  praiseworthy  experiment,  after  a 
trial,  we  believe,  of  twelve  months,  the  establishment  reverted  to 
Moses  S.  Beach,  who  had  previously  succeeded  his  father.  Assist- 
ed by  his  younger  brother  Joseph,  he  carried  on  the  paper  till  late 
in  1868,  when  it  was  again  sold,  and  Charles  A.  Dana  and  his  asso- 
ciates, of  one  wing  of  the  Republican  Party  in  New  York,  became 
the  purchasers.  They  paid,  it  is  said,  $175,000  in  paper  for  the  es- 
tablishment, its  name,  its  subscribers,  its  advertisers,  its  good  will, 
and  its  reputation.  Its  cheapness  sent  it  extensively  among  the 
mechanics  of  the  metropolis,  each  with  a  vote,  and  hence  it  was  con- 
sidered of  great  value  to  a  party  to  secure  its  columns,  its  influence, 
and  its  support.  Its  circulation  was  large,  running  up,  at  one  time, 
as  high  as  65,000  daily,  and  in  the  number  of  sheets  printed  it  was 
ahead  of  every  other  New  York  journal  except  the  Herald. 

The  Beaches  did  not  pretend  to  great  intellectual  superiority. 
They  were  enterprising  in  getting  news,  and  run  all  sorts  of  ex- 
presses. It  was  the  effort  and  ambition  of  the  Sun  at  one  time  to 
beat  the  Herald  in  the  acquisition  of  late  intelligence ;  and  the  ri- 
valry between  the  two  establishments  was  great,  and  sometimes 
amusing  and  expensive.  Tact,  sometimes,  was  superior  to  money. 
On  one  occasion  two  expresses  were  arranged  to  bring  the  Euro- 


Enterprise  of  the  Cheap  Press.  421 

pean  news  from  Boston  to  New  York — one  to  run  over  the  Nor- 
wich and  Worcester  road  for  the  Sun,  and  the  other  to  run  over 
the  Providence  and  Stonington  road  for  the  Herald.  The  Cunard 
steamer  made  a  longer  passage  than  usual,  and  was  not  tele- 
graphed at  Boston  till  early  Saturday  morning.  The  Herald  was 
not  then  published  on  Sundays,  and  the  Sun  never  issued  a  regular 
edition  on  that  day.  If  the  expresses  were  run  they  would  reach 
New  York  about  midnight  on  Saturday.  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
The  agent  of  the  Herald  determined  not  to  run  his  express,  but  he 
was  anxious  for  the  Sun  to  enjoy  the  luxury.  So  he  made  his  ar- 
rangements, with  locomotive  fired  up,  to  start  the  moment  the  news 
reached  his  hands.  The  wide-awake  agent  of  the  Sun  was  not  to 
be  beaten.  He  was  watchful.  The  moment  the  Cunarder  touched 
the  wharf  at  East  Boston  he  started  with  the  news  for  the  Worcester 
depot.  John  Gilpin's  time  was  beaten  through  the  streets  of  Bos- 
ton as  easily  as  Bonner's  team  now  beats  all  others  on  Harlem  Lane. 
On  the  panting  and  puffing  locomotive  jumped  the  indefatigable 
man  of  the  Sun,  and  with  one  shrill  whistle  he  was  off  for  New 
York.  The  agent  of  the  Herald,  as  soon  as  his  plucky  companion 
was  out  of  sight  and  going  off  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  a  minute,  had 
his  locomotive  run  into  the  engine-house  and  cooled  off.  He  then 
went  down  to  the  office  of  the  Mail,  published  in  State  Street  by 
Purdy  and  Bradley,  and  quietly  got  out  the  news  and  had  it  printed 
on  extra  sheets,  with  the  New  York  Herald  head.  He  took  several 
thousand  by  one  train  that  afternoon,  and  sent  as  many  by  a  mes- 
senger by  the  other  regular  line.  They  reached  New  York  about 
six  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and  the  extras  were  immediately  sold 
to  the  newsboys.  Meanwhile  the  Sun  express  had  made  splendid 
time  from  city  to  city,  and  there  was  great  commotion  in  the  Sun 
office.  All  was  bright  and  watchful,  but  quiet  at  the  Herald  estab- 
lishment. There  was  no  news  there.  "  The  Herald  is  beaten  !" 
gleefully  exclaimed  the  happy  fellows  in  the  Sun  building.  But,  to 
their  bewilderment,  about  six  o'clock  they  heard  the  cry, "  'Ere's  the 
Extra  'EraldJ  Important  news  from  Europe !"  under  their  very 
windows.  It  was  too  late  :  the  Sun  was  eclipsed  that  morning. 

Thousands  and  thousands  of  dollars  were  spent  in  these  delight- 
ful contests.  Some  of  this  money  was  apparently  thrown  away,  but 
none  was  in  reality  wasted.  It  assisted  in  the  great  development 
of  newspaper  enterprise,  which  has  become  a  leading  characteristic 
of  the  American  Press.  When  the  Sun  "  beat"  its  news  rival,  its 
rays  on  the  next  day  were  gorgeous  indeed ;  but  frequently  the  Sun 
did  not  "  shine  for  all ;"  then  the  glad  tidings  were  heralded  by  its 
neighbor.  Justice,  however,  requires  us  to  say  that  the  Sun  and 
the  Beaches  did  surprisingly  well,  and  did  not  hide  their  light  un- 
der a  bushel. 


422  Journalism  in  America. 

We  have  wandered  a  little  from  the  regular  order  of  events.  Let 
us  return  to  our  lambs.  What  is  very  curious  in  newspaper  annals, 
a  hoax,  a  spurt  in  intellectual  enterprise,  did  as  much  for  the  Sun 
as  any  of  its  other  or  later  efforts.  It  was  the  only  really  brilliant 
thing  that  emanated  from  its  brain  in  its  early  days,  and  it  gave  the 
paper  its  real  start  in  life,  and  a  world-wide  notoriety.  It  was  the 
famous  "  Moon  Hoax."  This  was  in  1835.  I*  purported  to  be  an 
account  of  some  wonderful  discoveries  of  Sir  John  F.  W.  Herschel, 
made  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  taken  from  a  "  Supplement  of  the 
Edinburg  Philosophical  Journal."  It  was  a  great  success.  Every 
body  was  moon-struck.  Indeed,  it  seemed  as  if  the  man  in  the 
moon  was  seen  at  last  and  fully  described.  According  to  this  ac- 
count, Herschel's  new  telescope  developed  every  thing  in  the  moon. 
It  was  apparently  one  of  the  most  remarkable  discoveries  made 
since  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  the  placing  of  "  the  lesser  light 
to  rule  the  night"  in  "the  firmament  of  the  heaven."  One  paper, 
the  New  York  Daily  Advertiser,  a  "  respectable  sixpenny,"  said  that 
"  Sir  John  has  added  a  stock  of  knowledge  to  the  present  age  that 
will  immortalize  his  name,  and  place  it  high  on  the  page  of  sci- 
ence." Another  paper,  the  Albany  Advertiser,  read  "with  unspeak- 
able emotions  of  pleasure  and  astonishment  an  article  from  the  last 
Edinburg  Scientific  Journal  containing  an  account  of  the  recent  dis- 
coveries of  Sir  John  Herschel  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope."  Others 
claimed  to  have  received  the  news  as  early  as  the  "  small  cheap  pa- 
per" did,  and  would  publish  it  immediately.  Savans  in  science,  and 
the  learned  pundits  of  newspapers  in  religion  and  in  politics,  were 
all  deceived.  Who  deceived  them  ?  Who  wrote  the  account  ? 

There  was  a  bright,  intelligent  young  Englishman  connected  with 
the  Press  at  that  time  named  Richard  Adams  Locke.  He  was  pleas- 
ant and  genial,  modest  and  unpretentious.  He  had  been  a  reporter 
on  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  He  had  become  the  editor  of  the  Sun, 
and  was  afterwards  editor  of  the  New  Era  with  Joseph  Price.  One 
day  he  made  these  wonderful  "  Discoveries  in  the  Moon,"  and  Wrote 
out  the  details.  Appending  the  name  of  the  Edinlurg  Philosophical 
Journal  as  authority,  he  published  the  account  as  a  piece  of  inter- 
esting news.  That  morning  he  waked  up  famous.  Nothing  in  fic- 
tion exceeded  the  interest  these  pretended  discoveries  created  in 
the  public  mind  for  a  few  days,  when  the  New  York  Herald  pricked 
the  bubble. 

This  extraordinary  production,  in  its  effect  on  the  public,  has 
since  been  equaled  by  "  The  Man  without  a  Country,"  written  by 
the  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  and  published  in  the  Atlantic  Month- 
ly, with  this  difference  :  one  was  intended  as  a  hoax,  while  the  oth- 
er, prepared  in  the  midst  of  our  rebellion,  was  intended  to  show  the 


The  Moon  Hoax  of  the  Sun.  423 

utter  despair  of  a  human  being  without  a  country ;  but  the  two  ac- 
counts were  written  with  so  much  skill,  and  were  so  full  of  imagi- 
nary truth,  with  incidents  so  graphically  described,  that  in  both  in- 
stances the  world  read  and  believed.  When  the  moon  is  explored, 
the  truth  Of  Locke's  description  of  its  inhabitants  and  topography 
will  be  fully  tested.  Hale's  description  has  already  passed  the  or- 
deal. There  are  cases  as  sad  in  reality  as  Philip  Nolan's  was  in 
imagination. 

When  Samuel  Swartwout,  the  bluff  old  Collector  of  the  Port  of 
New  York  in  the  exciting  days  of  Jackson's  and  Van  Buren's  ad- 
ministrations, suddenly  left  for  Europe  in  the  Great  Western  in  1838 
as  a  "  stupendous  defaulter"  to  the  government,  he  became  a  "  man 
without  a  country."  He  had  assisted  every  body,  bought  lands  in 
Texas,  speculated,  and  was  a  general  friend  to  mankind.  But  he 
slipped,  and  was  an  exile.  He  wandered  upon  the  face  of  Europe, 
and,  with  the  pride  of  position  crushed  within  him,  "  there  were 
none  so  poor  as  to  do  him  reverence."  One  day  a  citizen  of  New 
York,  a  friend  of  the  collector  in  his  palmy  days,  then  traveling  in 
Europe,  met  Swartwout  on  a  steamer  on  the  Rhine.  Mournfully 
and  thoughtfully  he  was  sitting  alone,  his  giant  figure  bowed  down 
with  sadness,  and  shame,  and  sorrow.  Approaching  him,  the  gen- 
tleman, as  of  old,  held  out  his  hand.  Swartwout  looked  up,  and  in 
a  moment  was  in  tears.  "  You  don't  know  what  it  is  to  be  an  exile," 
said  Swartwout.  "  Not  to.  be  able  to  return  home  is  terrible,  sir — 
terrible.  No  one  can  realize  the  feeling  in  imagination."  After  a 
brief  conversation,  Swartwout  added,  "If  I  were  at  home  I  could  in 
time  arrange  my  affairs  with  the  government."  On  the  return  of 
this  gentleman  to  New  York,  he  talked  the  matter  over  with  Swart- 
wout's  old  friends  and  the  government,  and  it  was  finally  arranged 
that  he  should  return.  Texas  became  a  state,  her  lands  increased 
in  value,  and  the  result  was,  as  we  have  seen  it  stated,  that  not  a 
cent  was  lost  by  this  "  stupendous  defaulter,"  who  for  so  many 
months  suffered  the  mental  pangs  of  "a  man  without  a  country." 

Several  months  after  the  appearance  of  Mr.  Hale's  narrative  in 
the  Atlantic  Monthly,  and  when  the  fate  of  Philip  Nolan  had  ex- 
cited the  commiseration  of  every  one,  a  parcel  was  received  at  the 
office  of  the  New  York  Herald  from  Mazatlan,  Mexico.  On  opening 
it,  Mr.  Bennett  found  a  letter  from  General  Don  Domingo  Gorcuiria, 
once  of  the  famous  Cuban  Junta,  afterwards  with  William  Walker, 
"  the  gray-eyed  man  of  destiny,"  in  Nicaragua,  and  in  his  renewed 
efforts  to  obtain  the  independence  of  Cuba  in  1870,  was  captured  by 
the  Spaniards,  and,  after  a  mock  trial,  garroted  in  Havana.  This 
note  stated  that  the  writer  had  read  the  sketch  of  the  "  Man  without 
a  Country"  with  unalloyed  interest ;  that  shortly  after,  in  looking 


424  Journalism  in  America. 

over  the  archives  of  Mazatlan,  his  eye  fell  upon  a  list  of  thirty./?//#z«- 
teros,  names  of  men  who  had,  in  1806,  we  believe,  attached  themselves 
to  Aaron  Burr's  well-known  expedition,  and  that,  on  the  arrest  of 
Burr  and  the  fracture  of  his  schemes,  had  drifted  into  Mexico,  where 
they  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  authorities.  To  Gorcuiria's 
astonishment,  the  name  of  Philip  Nolan  headed  the  list.  He  had 
the  document  copied  and  forwarded  to  Mr.  Bennett,  of  the  Herald, 
as  a  curiosity.  Our  impression  is  that  it  was  afterwards  sent  to  the 
editor  of  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  discov- 
eries in  the  moon  made  in  1835  by  Locke  will  yet  be  as  fully  veri- 
fied as  the  existence  of  Hale's  hero  has  been  by  the  patriotic  Gor- 
cuiria. 

But  this  is  a  digression.  Our  chapter  is  on  the  Penny  Press. 
•  The  success  of  the  Sun  "  fired  the  hearts"  of  several  enterprising 
and  intelligent  printers.  Swain,  Abell,  Simmons,  Stanley,  Lynde, 
Lincoln,  Evans,  Drane,  Anderson,  Smith,  and  others,  felt  the  influ- 
ence of  Day's  enterprise.  Other  penny  papers  were  started  in  Bos- 
ton, Baltimore,  and  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  in  New  York.  Some 
thrived  for  a  while  and  died.  Three  or  four  lived,  and  made  large 
fortunes  for  their  indefatigable  projectors  and  proprietors. 

Shortly  after  the  appearance  of  the  Sun,  the  New  York  Daily  Bee 
was  established  by  John  Lemuel  Kingsley,  but  it  did  not  long  sur- 
vive the  perils  of  the  early  Penny  Press.  It  was  revived,  however, 
by  the  same  publisher  in  1836,  but  again  succumbed.  We  believe 
Mr.  Kingsley  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to  improved  modes  of 
stereotyping  newspaper  forms,  which  in  a  few  years  began  to  be  a 
desideratum  to  journalists  of  the  new  and  more  energetic  class. 

The  New  York  Transcript  came  next  in  chronological  order. 
Three  excellent  and  clever  compositors,  Wm.  J.  Stanley,  Willoughby 
Lynde,  and  Billings  Hayward,  were  its  publishers.  It  made  its  ap- 
pearance in  1834,  and  in  one  year  it  had  a  circulation  as  large  as 
that  of  the  Sun.  William  H.  Attree,  then  a  compositor  with  Con- 
ner &  Cooke,  type-founders,  became  its  police  reporter,  Willoughby 
Lynde  its  paragraphist  as  well  as  one  of  its  printers,  and  Dr.  Greene 
its  editor.  Attree  was  full  of  broad,  coarse  humor,  and  gave  graphic 
local  reports.  The  paper  promised  to  eclipse  the  Sun;  but  Attree 
went  to  Texas,  and  Lynde  died,  and  the  vitality  of  the  concern  was 
gone.  On  the  24th  of  July,  1839,  the  Transcript  was  dead,  and  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century  after  this,  Billings  Hayward,  one  of  its  pro- 
prietors, was  employed  in  the  composition  rooms  of  the  Herald  in- 
stead of  taking  his  daily  drive  over  the  Bloomingdale  Road  and 
through  the  Central  Park  as  one  of  the  journalistic  millionaires  of 
New  York. 

The  Man  appeared  next.-     It  was  published  by  George  H.  Evans 


A  "Blanket  Sheet"  on  the  Cheap  Press.       425 

in  1834.  It  was  more  directly  the  organ  of  the  mechanics  than 
any  of  its  predecessors.  They  were  simply  local  news  reporters. 
Evans's  aspirations  were  higher.  He  had  published  the  Working- 
man's  Advocate  for  several  years,  and  was  radically  progressive  in 
his  ideas,  but  had  not  quite  reached  the  point  of  perfection  of 
Prudhomme.  Both  Lynde  and  Stanley,  of  the  Transcript,  had  been 
connected  with  him  as  printers  and  publishers  of  \h&  Advocate;  and 
they  had  also  published  an  evening  paper,  the  New  York  Daily  Sen- 
tinel, in  1830,  '31,  and  '32,  a  paper  which  had  previously  been  edited 
and  published  by  James  Gordon  Brooks  and  Edward  V.  Sparhawk. 
P>ans  carried  it  on  alone  in  1833.  In  1834  he  started  the  Man, 
with  the  Working-marts  Advocate  as  its  weekly  issue.  It  became  a 
radical  political  paper,  and  was  published  a  year  or  two. 

Thus  the  Cheap  Press  sprung  into  existence,  and  since  1833  over 
a  hundred  one  and  two  cent  daily  papers  have  been  started  in  New 
York  City  alone.  Where  are  they  now  ?  These  cheap  papers  did 
not  make  any  decided  impression  on  the  public  mind,  or  excite  the 
jealousy  or  attract  the  attention  of  the  larger  papers  till  1835.. 
The  establishment  of  the  Herald  in  that  year  began  a  new  era  in 
their  career.  On  the  2Qth  of  June,  1835,  one  of  the  "blanket 
sheets,"  the  journal  of  Commerce,  always  the  most  liberal  of  that 
class  of  papers,  with  commendable  fairness  and  honesty  thus  truth- 
fully and  philosophically  described  the  Penny  Press  of  that  day : 

PENNY   PAPERS. 

It  is  but  three  or  four  years  since  the  first  Penny  Paper  was  established.  Now 
there  are  half  a  dozen  or  more  of  them  in  this  city,  with  an  aggregate  circulation 
of  twenty  or  thirty  thousand,  and  perhaps  more.  These  issues  exceed  those  of 
the  large  papers,  and,  for  aught  we  see,  they  are  conducted  with  as  much  talent, 
and  in  point  of  moral  character  we  think  candidly  they  are  superior  to  their  six- 
penny contemporaries.  By  observing  the  course  of  these  papers,  we  have  been 
led  to  regard  them  as  quite  an  accession  to  the  moral  and  intellectual  machinery 
among  us.  The  number  of  newspaper  readers  is  probably  doubled  by  their  in- 
fluence, and  they  circulate  as  pioneers  among  those  classes  who  have  suffered 
greatly  from  want  of  general  intelligence.  Let  all  classes  of  the  community  but 
read,  and  they  will  think,  and  almost,  of  course,  will  become  less  entirely  the  dupes 
of  designing  individuals.  There  is  hardly  any  thing  which  his  Holiness  of  Rome 
has  more  reason  to  be  afraid  of  than  the  Penny  Papers.  Those  who  have  read 
them  will,  as  a  natural  consequence,  come  more  or  less  to  the  commission  of  the 
execrable  offense  of  forming  opinions  for  themselves.  But  for  the  subserviency 
which,  from  the  nature  of  their  circulation,  they  are  compelled  to  exercise  towards 
Trades  Unions  and  such  like  humbug  affairs,  we  see  not  why  the  effect  of  the 
little  papers  should  not  be  almost  wholly  good.  They  are  less  partisan  in  politics 
than  the  large  papers,  and  more  decidedly  American,  with  one  or  two  exceptions. 
The  manner  in  which  their  pecuniary  affairs  are  conducted  shows  how  much  may 
come  of  small  details.  They  are  circulated  on  the  London  plan,  the  editors  and 
publishers  doing  no  more  than  to  convplete  the  manufacture  of  the  papers,  when 
they  are  sold  to  the  newsmen  or  carriers  at  67  cents  per  100.  The  carriers  dis- 
tribute the  papers,  and  on  Saturday  collect  from  each  subscriber  six  cents,  so  that 
for  each  call  their  net  income  to  the  carriers  is  but  one  third  of  a  cent.  We  wish 
our  penny  associates  all  success,  hoping  that  they  will  grow  wise,  good,  and  great, 
until  they  make  every  sixpenny  paper  ashamed  that  tells  a  lie,  or  betrays  its  coun- 
try for  the  sake  of  party,  or  does  a,ny  other  base  thing. 


426  Journalism  in  America. 

There  was  only  one  paper,  we  think,  that  was  ever  regularly  pub- 
lished in  New  York  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  these  Penny  Papers ; 
that  paper  was  the  Citizen.  It  was  the  organ  of  the  Citizens'  Asso- 
ciation, at  the  head  of  which  is  Peter  Cooper.  It  was  the  object 
and  purpose  of  this  association  to  reform  the  abuses  of  the  public 
authorities  of  the  metropolis.  Its  members  were  rich  and  public- 
spirited,  and  what  they  had  in  view  was  commendable  and  praise- 
worthy. No  doubt  the  city  needed,  and  always  will  need,  looking 
after,  as  the  frightful  exposures  of  the  Times  in  1871  fully  proved. 
But  none  of  the  newspapers  in  existence  at  that  time  were  of  any 
use  to  these  reformers.  None  of  the  editors  would  trust  them.  In 
order  to  enlighten  the  people  under  these  circumstances,  and  show 
where  the  trouble  was,  they  published  the  Citizen,  and  had  it  distrib- 
uted gratuitously.  When  Hercules  undertook  his  stupendous  jobs, 
he  had  no  newspaper  to  help  him ;  but  Hercules  did  not  live  in 
New  York,  and  printing  had  not  been  discovered.  Peter  Cooper,  the 
modern  Hercules,  and  his  associates,  needed  an  organ.  But  Amer- 
icans have  an  idea  that  if  any  thing  is  worth  having,  it  is  worth  pay- 
ing for ;  hence  no  one  would  read  a  paper  that  was  regularly  served 
to  them  for  nothing.  The  Citizen  was  too  cheap.  It,  therefore,  had 
no  influence.  It  was  used  for  wrapping-paper.  After  a  while,  and 
after  the  war,  Charles  G.  Halpine,  so  familiarly  known  as  Miles 
O'Reilly,  was  induced  to  take  hold  of  the  concern  and  write  for  the 
paper.  Speaking  of  the  enterprise  to  a  friend,  he  said  it  was  a  free 
paper — given  away — or  rather  thrown  away.  "  What  do  you  think 
of  the  plan  ?  What  shall  I  do  with  it  ?"  asked  Miles.  "  Don't  give 
away  another  copy.  Don't  throw  away  your  brains,  my  dear  boy. 
Sell  your  paper,  if  you  only  sell  three  copies,  and  you  will  have  three 
readers  at  any  rate,"  was  the  reply.  Two  cents  per  copy  were  after- 
wards charged  for  the  Citizen,  and  Miles  O'Reilly's  contributions 
made  it  known  and  read.  Thomas  M'Elrath,  formerly  of  the  Trib- 
une, managed  its  business  affairs  for  a  while  for  the  brilliant  Halpine, 
who  was  as  innocent  and  as  ignorant  as  a  babe  in  such  matters.  It 
was  afterwards,  with  the  Round  Table,  owned  by  Robert  B.  Roose- 
velt, M.  C.  from  New  York. 

Many  of  the  papers  issued  after  the  Sun,  such  as  ih&Iferald,  Trib- 
une, Times,  and  World  in  New  York,  began  at  one  cent ;  but  as  they 
expanded  and  increased  in  circulation,  enterprise,  and  ability,  they 
advanced  their  price  and  their  value.  These  journals  thus  passed 
the  transition  state,  and  became  permanent  and  powerful  institu- 
tions. They  have  educated  the  present  race  of  journalists,  and  as 
these  modern  men  of  the  Press  increase  in  number  and  ability  the 
old  party  papers  cease  to  exist,  and  more  able,  more  independent, 
and  more  influential  journals  take  their  place.  This  process,  which 


The  Revolution.  427 


really  commenced  in  1829  and  '30,  is  still  going  on  in  all  parts  of 
the  country. 

In  the  origin  of  the  Cheap'  Press  its  owners  were  mostly  printers. 
They  were  practical  men.  They  had  worked  in  the  old  party  news- 
paper offices,  and  had  had  their  joke  and  their  moral  over  the  arti- 
cles they  had  put  in  type.  This  was  their  journalistic  experience. 
They  had  no  very  comprehensive  ideas  of  newspapers.  New  ideas 
did  not  often  appear  where  they  worked.  They  knew  that  local 
news  was  always  interesting.  Village  gossip  had  taught  them  this. 
They  saw  in  the  coffee-houses,  bar-rooms,  theatres,  hotels,  boarding- 
houses,  and  streets  that  politics  and  local  affairs  were  the  staples 
of  conversation.  Politics  had  sustained  the  old  Party  Press  and  had 
become  a  tyranny.  It  was  not,  therefore,  considered  safe,  in  a  busi- 
ness point  of  view,  to  meddle  with  the  exciting  element.  So  the 
Cheap  Press  commenced  with  local  matters,  with  small-talk,  with 
items  from  exchange  papers,  and  with  advertisements.  Beyond 
these,  in  their  early  life,  they  had  no  enterprise.  Want  of  money, 
too,  made  all  things  difficult.  But  journalists  with  brains  and  bold- 
ness were  making  their  appearance,  and  meanwhile  the  small  pa- 
pers were  performing  their  part  in  the  revolution.  Young  writers 
and  reporters,  with  active  minds,  educated  as  newspaper  politicians 
and  statesmen,  began  to  get  restive  on  the  old  party  papers  and 
under  selfish  dictation.  They  were  seeking  a  change  and  a  chance 
for  expansion,  and  we  have  seen  the  result  in  the  establishment  of 
the  Independent  Press  in  1835,  and,  with  enlarged  views  and  more 
comprehensive  ideas,  becoming,  in  the  future,  the  great  palladium  of 
the  people. 

The  Penny  Paper,  therefore,  marks  an  important  epoch  in  jour- 
nalism ;  and  thus  the  News-Letter  as  the  pioneer  of  newspapers  in 
America,  the  Sun  as  the  pioneer  of  the  Penny  Press,  and  the  Her- 
ald as  the  pioneer  of  the  Independent  Press,  form  remarkable  eras 
in  the  intellectual  development  of  the  United  States,  and  are  a 
study  for  the  philosopher  and  historian. 


THE  SIXTH  EPOCH. 


1835—1872. 

THE    INDEPENDENT    PRESS. 

CHAPTER   XXVII. 
THE   NEW   YORK   HERALD. 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  SENIOR. —  How  HE  STARTED  THE  HERALD.  —  IT 
CAME  WITH  STEAM-BOATS  AND  RAILROADS. — ORIGIN  OF  THE  MONEY  AR- 
TICLES.— NEWS  AGENCIES  AND  NEWS  COMPANIES. — OCEAN  STEAM  NAVI- 
GATION.— THE  EXTRADITION  TREATY. — THE  CASH  SYSTEM. — SAM.  HOUS- 
TON AND  TEXAS.  —  AMOS  KENDALL  AND  NICHOLAS  BIDDLE.  —  PERSONAL 
ASSAULTS. — ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  WAR  MAPS. — THE  RELIGIOUS  ANNIVER- 
SARY MEETINGS. — OPPOSITION  OF  THE  CLERGY. — HARBOR  NEWS  ARRANGE- 
MENTS.— VISIT  TO  EUROPE. — EUROPEAN  CORRESPONDENCE. — THE  HARRI- 
SON HARD-CIDER  CAMPAIGN. 

"  Is  it  true  that  five  hundred  dollars  started  the  New  York  Her- 
ald ?> 

This  question  has  often  been  asked.  It  is  evident  that  this  cap- 
ital alone  could  not  have  accomplished  such  a  result.  But  five 
hundred  dollars,  in  the  condition  of  the  Press  at  that  time,  with  the 
tact,  experience,  ability,  and  vigor  of  previous  years  of  persistent 
industry  and  application,  achieved  this  important  work.  With  all 
these  mental  and  physical  elements  in  full  strength,  however,  it 
would  now  require  a  cash  capital  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  establish  a  newspaper  that  could  successfully  compete  with  the 
leading  journals  which  are  published  to-day  in  the  metropolis.  In- 
deed, without  any  extra  effort  in  the  expenditure  of  money  in  news- 
paper enterprise,  such  a  capital  as  that  even  would  hardly  suffice 
for  the  purpose  of  fairly  and  hopefully  entering  the  lists  in  New 
York  City  against  the  wealthy  and  well-organized  journals  in  full 
prosperity  there.  One  paper  of  that  city,  which  ranks  as  the  fourth 
or  fifth  in  circulation  and  advertisements,  sunk  over  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  reaching  a  permanent  position ;  and  in  regard 
to  the  value  of  a  leading  newspaper,  several  offers  have  been  made 
for  the  purchase  of  the  Herald,  ranging  from  one  to  two  millions  of 
dollars. 

The  question,  therefore,  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  was  a 
pertinent  one. 


The  Initial  Number  of  the  Herald.          429 

With  a  nominal  cash  capital  of  five  hundred  dollars  the  New 
York  Herald  was  established,  and  the  Independent  Press  inaugu- 
rated. But  the  real  capital  of  the  concern  was  in  the  brains  of  its 
founder.  With  twelve  or  fifteen  years  of  active  application  and 
close  observation  in  manners,  politics,  and  society  in  New  York, 
Albany,  and  Washington,  and  in  the  newspaper  offices  of  the 
Charleston  (S.  C.)  Courier,  the  National  Advocate,  the  Sunday  Cou- 
rier, the  New  York  Enquirer,  the  Morning  Courier  and  Enquirer,  the 
New  York  Globe,  and  the  Pennsylvanian,  as  reporter,  correspondent, 
assistant  editor,  editor,  and  owner,  he  was  prepared  for  such  a  paper 
as  the  New  York  Herald.  Journalism  had  become  a  science  with 
him,  and  this  science  he  applied  in  building  up  the  greatest  news- 
paper establishment  in  the  world. 

On.  Wednesday  morning,  the  6th  of  May,  1835,  the  initial  number 
of  the  Morning  Herald  was  issued  by  James  Gordon  Bennett  &  Co. 
from  the  basement  room  of  No.  20  Wall  Street,  New  York.  Auto- 
biographically  the  editor,  in  1845,  thus  described  the  process  through 
which  he  passed  in  reaching  this  point  in  his  career.  This  sketch 
was  brought  out  by  the  publication  of  the  Mackenzie  pamphlet  con- 
taining the  famous  Jesse  Hoyt  correspondence  : 

I  commenced  my  connection  with  the  newspaper  press  of  New  York  in  the 
year  1824.  From  that  period  to  1827  or  1828  I  had  no  particular  predilection  or 
fancy  for  political  matters.  I  wrote,  and  reported,  and  furnished  articles  for  sev- 
eral papers  with  which  I  was  connected,  but  it  was  not  till  1828  or  1829  that  I 
became  intimately  associated  with  the  movements  of  the  Van  Buren  or  Jackson 
Party  of  that  day,  and  that  connection  was  effected  without  any  violation  of 
principle — without  any  improper  conduct — without  any  thing  disreputable  to  my- 
self as  a  man  of  independence  and  honorable  feeling.  The  letters  published  by 
Mackenzie  refer  to  two  periods  of  my  life — the  first  embracing  my  connection 
with  the  Van  Buren  Party  in  1829,  when  I  was  negotiating  an  arrangement  with 
Webb  in  relation  to  a  position  with  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  I  consulted  and 
compared  notes,  and  looked  on  all  these  matters  with  Hoyt  and  his  associates, 
nor  was  there  any  thing  improper  or  unbecoming  in  any  of  these  sayings  and  do- 
ings. I  became  connected  with  the  Courier  during  that  year,  1829,  and  my  con- 
nection with  it  continued  till  1832,  when  I  abandoned  it  in  consequence  of  its 
abandonment  of  General  Jackson  and  his  administration.  I  then  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Pennsylvanian  there,  and  commenced 
a  movement  for  the  purpose  of  elevating  Mr. Van  Buren  to  the  succession  after 
General  Jackson's  second  term.  In  all  these  movements  and  matters  I  was  open, 
aboveboard,  frank,  without  any  reservation  or  equivocation.  In  my  newspaper 
operations  in  Philadelphia  I  wanted  a  loan  of  some  money,  and  I  very  naturally 
turned  my  attention  to  the  friends  I  had  left  in  New  York,  whose  cause  I  was  ad- 
vocating, and  who  sympathized  with  my  movements.  Hence  the  correspondence 
that  took  place  between  Jesse  Hoyt  and  myself,  and  hence,  after  a  time,  the  is- 
sue of  it  as  there  seen,  which  ended  without  effecting  any  thing  at  all.  My  own 
personal  friends,  however,  supplied  me  with  the  funds,  which  were  repaid  at  the 
proper  time,  and  I  still  went  on  supporting  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  his  cause  in  Penn- 
sylvania. It  is,  of  course,  very  easily  explained  why  Mr.  Van  Buren  and  his 
friends,  knowing  that  they  had  treated  me  very  badly,  could  not  conceive  how  I 
could  entertain  any  feeling  of  friendship  for  them,  and  they  very  meanly  and  se- 
cretly went  to  work  to  create  a  difficulty  with  me  in  Philadelphia,  and  ultimately 
to  produce  an  explosion  between  my  partners  and  myself,  which  ended  my  con- 
nection with  that  paper,  and  also  my  connection  with  the  Van  Buren  Party. 


430  Journalism  in  America. 

When  I  first  entered  Tammany  Hall,  I  entered  it  as  an  enthusiast  studying  hu- 
man nature,  as  a  young  man  would  enter  a  new  country,  full  of  interest,  and  deriving 
advantage  from  every  movement  and  every  sight.  I  kept  a  diary  during  the  whole 
period  of  my  connection  with  that  party,  and  the  sentiments  therein  recorded,  just 
as  they  occurred  to  me,  still  remain,  and  are  the  very  sentiments  which  I  enter- 
tain at  this  moment.  I  found  out  the  hollow-heartedness  and  humbuggery  of 
these  political  associations  and  political  men ;  but  yet  I  was  so  fascinated  with 
the  hairbreadth  escapes  and  adventures  that  I  could  not  disconnect  myself  from 
it  until  the  revulsion  took  place  between  me  and  my  partners  in  Philadelphia. 
After  that  period  I  regained  my  liberty  and  independence  completely ;  and  a  for- 
tunate thing  it  was  for  my  prosperity  that  Van  Buren  and  his  men  did  behave  so 
meanly  and  so  contemptibly  towards  me  in  the  year  1833.  I  then  returned  to 
New  York,  started  the  Herald  with  the  knowledge  I  had  of  men  and  matters 
throughout  the  country,  and  have  been  successful  ever  since. 

What  was  the  condition  of  journalism  in  New  York  City  and  in 
the  United  States  at  this  period,  when  a  new  era  was  to  open  for 
newspapers  and  newspaper  enterprise  ? 

There  were  seven  large  morning  papers  called  "  sixpenny  sheets;" 
four  evening  papers  of  the  same  character  and  price ;  and  four 
small  cheap  papers,  known  as  the  "  Penny  Press,"  issued  in  the 
metropolis  on  the  ist  of  Ma)',  1835.  We  append  their  names : 

SIXPENNY   MORNING   PAPERS. 

New  York  Gazette  and  General  Advertiser        -  John  Lang  &  Co. 
Mercantile  Advertiser  and  Neva  York  Advocate  Amos  Butler  &  Co. 
New  York  Daily  Advertiser    -  D wight,  Townsend  &  Co. 
Morning  Courier  and  New  York  Enquirer  -  James  Watson  Webb. 
New  York  Journal  of  Commerce     -        -        -  Hale  &  Hallock. 
The  New  York  Times          -  Holland,  Sanford  &  Davies. 
Business  Reporter  and  Merchants'1  and  Mechan- 
ics' Advertiser      -        -        -        -        -        -  H.  L.  Barnum. 

SIXPENNY  EVENING  PAPERS. 
New  York  Commercial  Advertiser   -        -        -     Francis  Hall  &  Co. 

The  Evening  Post Bryant,  Leggett  &  Co. 

New  York  American Charles  King. 

The  Evening  Star      -----.  Noah  &  Gill. 

SMALL  DAILY   OR   PENNY  PAPERS. 

The  Sun         -        -  ' Day  &  Wisner. 

The  Transcript Hayward,  Lynde  &  Stanley. 

The  Man George  H.  Evans. 

Theje/ersonian Childs  &  Devoe. 

What  was  the  circulation  of  these  fifteen  papers  at  that  time  ? 
What  was  the  circulation  of  the  daily  and  weekly  Press?  Here  is 
the  answer: 

NUMBER  AND   CIRCULATION   OF   NEWSPAPERS   IN   NEW  YORK  CITY  IN    1834-5. 
CI«M.  Number.  Copies  Printed. 

Daily 15          ....  9,300,000 

Semi-weekly    -                           n      -  1,716,000 

Weekly                                  -    31          ....  2,840,000 

Copies  printed  in  one  year — 1834-5          -        -  13,856,000 

Number  of  copies  of  all  newspapers  printed  in  the 

United  States  in  the  same  period      ....   95,000,000 

The  population  of  New  York  in  1835  was  270,089.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  United  States  was,  in  round  numbers,  15,000,000. 


Steam-boats  and  Railroads  as  News  Carriers.  431 

Only  one  paper  in  1835  circulated  6000  copies  daily.  All  the  oth- 
ers were  far  below  5000,  and  running  down  to  500.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  the  average  daily  circulation  of  the  "  sixpenny  sheets" 
was  1700  only. 

Let  us  look  at  the  situation  then. 

Steam-boats,  comparatively  few  in  number,  were  running  on  sev- 
eral of  our  rivers,  and  there  were  only  two  short  railroads,  one  in 
New  York,  and  the  other  in  South  Carolina.  It  was  not  till  1828 
that  the  first  locomotive  was  introduced  in  this  country,  and  then 
only  on  a  coal-mine  track.  Major  Horatio  Allen  acted  as  engineer 
on  this  occasion  on  the  Lackawanna  coal-mine  road.  No  other  at- 
tempt was  made  till  1831,  when  a  locomotive  called  the  John  Bull, 
and  an  engineer  named  John  Hampden,  were  imported  from  En- 
gland, and  run  with  a  small  train  from  Albany -to  Schenectady  over 
the  Mohawk  and  Hudson  Railroad.  Twelve  passengers,  including 
Thurlow  Weed,  who  represented  the  Press,  were  conveyed  on  this 
first  steam  passenger  train.  Newspapers  till  this  time  had  to  rely 
upon  the  old  stages,  coaches,  and  post-riders  for  the  distribution  of 
their  papers.  This  mode,  slow  and  slack,  was  described  a  short 
time  since  by  E.  P.Walton,  formerly  editor  of  the  Montpdlier  (Vt.) 
Watchman.  He  said  : 

The  post-riders  sent  out  by  the  printers  of  Vermont  to  distribute  their  news- 
papers were  the  pioneers  of  the  mail  routes.  I  remember  a  time  when  there  was 
but  one  mail  route  through  Central  Vermont,  while  the  counties  of  Washington, 
Orange,  Caledonia,  Orleans,  Lamoille,  and  part  of  Franklin,  Chittenden,  Addison, 
and  Windsor  were  supplied  by  post-riders  from  the  office  of  The  Vermont  Watch- 
man. In  February,  1784,  seven  years  before  Vermont  was  admitted  to  the  Union, 
the  General  Assembly  established  five  post-offices,  located  at  Bennington,  Rutland, 
Brattleboro,  Windsor,  and  Newbury.  Anthony  Haswell,  of  The  Vermont  Gazette, 
Bennington,  was  appointed  Postmaster  General,  and  the  newspaper  postmen  were 
the  mail-carriers.  In  July,  1787,  a  post-rider  was  sent  once  a  week  from  Benning- 
ton to  Lansingburg  and  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  in  January,  1788,  Daniel  Marsh  ad- 
vertised that  he  had  established  himself  as  "  post-rider  from  Clarendon  to  Onion 
River,  to  ride  once  a  fortnight."  At  Clarendon,  Mr.  Marsh,  of  course,  connected 
with  the  rider  from  Bennington  bringing  The  Vermont  Gazette.  It  is  worthy  of 
remark  that  "  the  price  of  the  papers  as  far  north  as  Brandon"  was  "four  bushels 
of  wheat  per  year  ;  one  bushel  of  which  to  be  lodged  at  the  time  of  subscribing, 
or  as  soon  after  as  possible."  Mr.  Marsh  delivered  papers  as  far  north  as  Jericho, 
where  the  price  ought  to  have  been  nearly  double  that  at  Brandon.  But  the  farm- 
ers could  not  afford  it.  Governor  Chittenden  on  one  occasion  had  700  bushels 
of  wheat  on  hand,  not  a  bushel  of  which  would  he  sell,  even  for  hard  cash,  as  he 
had  reserved  it  to  supply  the  people  at  a  time  of  need. 

Over  two  years  elapsed  after  the  opening  of  the  two  railroads 
mentioned  before  another  road  was  opened  to  newspapers  and  traf- 
fic. In  1833-4  regular  steam  trains  were  run  from  Charleston,  S.  C., 
to  Hamburg,  on  the  Savannah  River,  and  on  this  road  the  point  we 
make  was  clearly  demonstrated.  In  speaking  of  these  trains,  the 
directors  of  the  road,  on  the  6th  of  May,  1834,  stated  that  "the  com- 
pany now  sends  an  express  daily  from  one  commercial  city  to  an- 


432  Journalism  in  America. 

other,  distant  136  miles,  in  twelve  hours,  and  that  in  the  daytime. 
The  daily  papers  of  this  city  (Charleston)  are  sent  by  this  conveyance, 
but  merchants'  letters,  of  the  utmost  importance  to  them  in  business,  are 
not  less  than  two  days  going  under  contract."  Other  railroads  soon 
after  opened  rapid  communications  between  certain  points :  the  Bos- 
ton and  Providence,  the  Boston  and  Lowell,  and  the  Boston  and 
Worcester  in  1835  ;  the  Utica  and  Schenectady  in  1836 ;  the  Prov- 
idence and  Stonington,  and  Baltimore  and  Wilmington  in  1837  ;  the 
Worcester  and  Springfield  in  1839.  After  this  the  progress  was 
rapid,  but  this  was  the  condition  of  the  country  and  the  Press  in 
1835,  when  the  New  York  Herald  was  started  and  the  Independent 
Press  inaugurated.  The  Postmaster  General  reported  that  the  mails 
were  carried  by  steam-boats  and  over  railroads, 

In  1840  3,889,053  miles. 

In  1859 31,838,346   " 

Thus  this  new  class  of  papers  came  into  existence  with  steam- 
boats and  railroads.  With  these  great  and  rapidly  developing  phys- 
ical forces  as  powerful  assistants  as  distributors  of  news,  the  Morn- 
ing Herald,  as  it  was  then  called,  made  its  appearance. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Herald  was  neatly  printed  on  sheets  ten  by 
fourteen  inches  in  size.  Twelve  columns  of  reading  matter  and 
four  columns  of  advertisements  filled  this  number.  There  was  a 
population  within  the  radii  of  the  city  at  that  time  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy  thousand,  with  fifteen  daily  newspapers  printed  inside 
of  the  metropolitan  limits.  Now,  with  a  population  of  a  million, 
there  are  only  eighteen  daily  papers  published  there. 

The  editor  introduced  the  first  number  with  the  following  unique 
announcement  of  his  purposes  and  intentions.  It  was  his  declara- 
tion of  independence  and  the  platform  of  his  journalistic  principles. 
The  italics  are  ours  : 

James  Gordon  Bennett  &  Co.  commence  this  morning  the  publication  of  the 
MORNING  HERALD,  a  new  daily  paper,  price  $3  per  .year,  or  six  cents  per  week, 
advertising  at  the  ordinary  rates.  It  is  issued  from  the  publishing  office,  No.  20 
Wall  Street,  and  also  from  the  printing-office,  No.  34  Ann  Street,  3d  story,  at  both 
of  which  places  orders  will  be  thankfully  received. 

The  next  number  will  be  issued  on  Monday  morning — this  brief  suspension 
necessarily  taking  place  in  order  to  give  the  publishers  time  and  opportunity  to 
arrange  the  routes  of  carriers,  organize  a  general  system  of  distribution  for  the 
city,  and  allow  subscribers  and  patrons  to  furnish  correctly  their  names  and  resi- 
dences. It  will  then  be  resumed  and  regularly  continued. 

In  the  commencement  of  an  enterprise  of  the  present  kind  it  is  not  necessary 
to  say  much.  "  We  know,"  says  the  fair  Ophelia,  "  what  we  are,  but  know  not 
what  we  may  be."  Pledges  ana  promises,  in  these  enlightened  times,  are  not  ex- 
actly so  current  in  the  world  as  Safety-Fund  Notes,  or  even  the  U.  S.  Bank  bills. 
We  have  had  an  experience  of  nearly  fifteen  years  in  conducting  newspapers. 
On  that  score  we  can  not  surely  fail  in  knowing  atleast  how  to  build  up  a  repu- 
tation and  establishment  of  our  own.  In  debtits  of  this  kind  many  talk  of  princi- 
ple— political  principle — party  principle,  as  a  sort  of  steel-trap  to  catch  the  pub- 
lic. We  mean  to  be  perfectly  understood  on  this  point,  and  therefore  openly  dis- 


The  Expectations  of  James  Gordon  Bennett.   433 

claim  all  steel-traps,  all  principle,  as  it  is  called— all  party — all  politics.  Our  only 
guide  shall  be  good,  sound,  practical  common  sense,  applicable  to  the  business 
and  bosoms  of  men  engaged  in  every-day  life.  We  shall  support  no  party — be  the 
organ  of  no  faction  or  COTERIE,  and  care  nothing  for  any  election  or  any  candidate 
from  president  down  to  a  constable.  We  shall  endeavor  to  record  facts  on  every 
public  and  proper  subject,  stripped  of  verbiage  and  coloring,  with  comments  when 
suitable,  just,  independent,  fearless,  and  good-tempered.  If  the  Herald  wants  the 
mere  expansion  which  many  journals  possess,  we  shall  try  to  make  it  up  in  indus- 
try, good  taste,  brevity,  variety,  point,  piquancy,  and  cheapness.  It  is  equally  in- 
tended for  the  great  masses  of  the  community — the  merchant,  mechanic,  working 
people — the  private  family  as  well  as  the  public  hotel — the  journeyman  and  his 
employer — the  clerk  and  his  principal.  There  are  in  this  city  at  least  1 50,000  per- 
sons who  glance  over  one  or  more  newspapers  every  day.  Only  42,000  daily  sheets 
are  issued  to  supply  them.  We  have  plenty  of  room,  therefore,  without  jostling 
neighbors,  rivals,  or  friends,  to  pick  up  at  least  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  for  the 
HERALD,  and  leave  something  for  others  who  come  after  us.  By  furnishing  a  daily 
morning  paper  at  the  low  price  of  $3  a  year,  which  may  be  taken  for  any  shorter 
period  (for  a  week)  at  the  same  rate,  and  making  it  at  the  same  time  equal  to  any 
of  the  high-priced  papers  for  intelligence,  good  taste,  sagacity,  and  industry,  there 
is  not  a  person  in  the  city,  male  or  female,  that  may  not  be  able  to  say,  "  Well, 
I  have  got  a  paper  of  my  own  which  will  tell  me  all  about  what's  doing  in  the 
world.  I'm  busy  now,  but  I'll  put  it  in  my  pocket,  and  read  it  at  my  leisure." 

With  these  few  words  as  "  grace  before  meat,"  we  commit  ourselves  and  our 
cause  to  the  public,  with  perfect  confidence  in  our  own  capacity  to  publish  a  pa- 
per that  will  seldom  pall  on  the  appetite,  provided  we  receive  moderate  encourage- 
ment to  unfold  our  resources  and  purposes  in  the  columns  of  the  MORNING 
HERALD. 

On  the  nth  of  May,  after  the  short  suspension  mentioned,  the 
second  number  of  the  Morning  Herald  appeared.  The  editor  then 
promised  to  "give  a  correct  picture  of  the  world — in  Wall  Street — 
in  the  Exchange — in  the  Police-office — at  the  Theatre — in  the  Op- 
era— in  short,  wherever  human  nature  and  real  life  best  displays 
.their  freaks  and  vagaries."  This  promise,  like  the  famous  order  of 
General  Scott  to  turn  Cerro  Gordo  in  his  Mexican  campaign,  has 
been  fully  carried  out. 

Thus  originated  the  New  York  Herald. 

All  the  brain-work  of  the  new  paper  was  performed  by  its  editor. 
The  leading  articles,  the  police  reports,  the  literary  intelligence,  the 
pungent  paragraphs,  the  news  from  abroad  and  from  home,  the  ac- 
count-books, the  bills,  the  clerks'  duties  in  the  office,  were  all  writ- 
ten, prepared,  arranged,  made  out,  and  performed  by  Mr.  Bennett. 
The  columns  of  the  little  sheet  were  filled  with  the  peculiar  points, 
and  hits,  and  predictions  which  have  ever  since  characterized  the 
Herald.  In  one  of  the  first  numbers,  for  instance,  he  said, 

The  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  is  to  break  ground  in  a  few  days.  \Ve  hope 
they  will  break  nothing  else. 

Since  that  paragraph  was  written  the  Erie  Railroad  has  done  a 
vast  deal  more  than  simply  breaking  ground  for  its  roadway,  as  Jay 
Gould,  J.Fisk,  Jr.,  and  the  English  shareholders  can  amply  testify. 
Such  paragraphs  were  frequent  and  prophetic. 

Many  of  the  advertisements,  even,  were  written  by  the  editor  for 

E  E 


434  Journalism  in  America, 

the  advertisers.  He  did  not  indorse  them,  as  in  the  olden  time, 
when  the  editor  of  a  newspaper  was  printer  and  publisher  as  well 
as  writer.  Then  the  advertisements  would  read, "  I  want  a  cook- 
maid  for  a  merchant."  "  If  any  one  will  sell  a  free  estate,  within 
thirty  miles  of  London,  with  or  without  a  house,  to  the  value  of 
£100  the  year,  or  thereabouts,  I  can  help  to  a  customer."  "A  fair 
house  in  Eastcheap,  next  to  the  Flower-de-liz,  now  in  the  tenure  of  a 
smith,  with  a  fair  yard,  laid  with  freestone,  and  a  vault  underneath, 
with  a  cellar  under  the  shop  done  with  the  same  stone,  is  to  be 
sold :  I  have  the  disposal  of  it."  "  Mr.  D.  Rose,  chirurgeon  and 
man-midwife,  lives  at  the  first  brick  house  on  the  right  hand  in 
Gunyard,  Houndsditch,  near  Aldgate,  London.  I  have  known  him 
these  twenty  years."  It  would  scarcely  do  nowadays  for  the  edi- 
tor of  the  Herald  to  undertake,  with  the  present  pressure  of  adver- 
tisements, to  write  them,  and  indorse  them  too,  in  the  above  free  and 
easy  style. 

While  engaged  in  organizing  his  establishment,  he  did  not  lose 
sight  of  Wall  Street,  the  financial  centre  of  the  nation.  On  the  i  ith 
of  May,  in  his  second  number,  he  introduced  an  entirely  new  feature 
in  American  journalism — the  Money  Articles ;  and  these  articles, 
thus  originated  and  for  many  years  written  by  Mr.  Bennett,  became 
famous  throughout  the  commercial  and  financial  circles  of  Europe 
and  the  United  States,  and  the  public,  those  with  money  to  invest, 
as  well  as  the  bulls  and  bears,  have  derived  great  benefit  in  having 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  world  daily  spread  before  them.  These 
money  articles  were  irregularly  given  in  the  Herald  till  the  i3th  of 
June,  1835,  when  they  became  an  institution,  and  daily  made  their 
appearance,  growing  in  length  and  importance  with  time,  experi- 
ence, and  events.  Mr.  Bennett  had  made  political  economy  a 
study,  and  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  task  of  intelligently  describ- 
ing the  transactions  and  operations  in  the  financial  world.  On  one 
or  two  occasions  he  delivered  public  lectures  on  this  interesting  sci- 
ence in  the  old  chapel  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  which  stood 
on  the  corner  of  Ann  and  Nassau  Streets,  New  York  City. 

But  the  first  Wall  Street  Report — what  was  it  ?  Here  it  is,  taken 
from  the  Herald  of  Monday,  May  n,  1835  : 

MONEY   MARKET. 

Stocks  are  somewhat  shaken  since  the  late  arrivals.  The  winding  up  of  three 
or  four  U.  S.  Branch  Banks  makes  dealers  pause  as  to  the  future  operations  of 
the  money  market.  On  Saturday  railroads  started  two  or  three  per  cent. 

New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Boston,  are  all  on  the  qui  vive  about  stocks. 
Speculation  in  this  article  was  never  so  flourishing.  The  rise  is  greatest  in  fancy 
stocks  or  new  banks,  such  as  Morris  Canal — Baltimore  Canton  Company — Ken- 
tucky Northern  Bank — and  especially  certain  railroads. 

What  is  the  cause  of  these  movements  ?  How  long  will  they  last  ?  Who  will 
be  losers  ?  Who  the  winners  ? 


Origin  of  the  Money  Articles. 


435 


This  uncommon  rise  in  the  stock  market  is  not  produced  by  accident.  A  se- 
cret confederacy  of  our  large  capitalists  in  the  commercial  cities,  availing  them- 
selves of  the  political  and  commercial  events  of  the  times,  could  easily  produce 
the  speculation  that  has  astonished  the  world  during  the  last  three  months.  It  is 
a  universal  law  of  trade  that  if  an  article  is  made  scarce  it  will  rise,  if  plenty  it 
will  fall.  A  dozen  large  capitalists,  controlling  twenty  or  thirty  principal  banks 
in  the  chief  cities,  can  make  money  plenty  or  scarce  just  as  they  choose.  When 
money  is  scarce  stocks  of  all  kinds  fall.  The  confederates  buy  in  at  low  prices ; 
loan  money  to  the  merchants  also  at  2  or  3  per  cent,  per  month.  This  is  one  op- 
eration. The  next  movement  is  to  set  on  foot  the  machinery  to  raise  stocks, 
which  can  be  effected  by  permitting  the  banks  to  loan  money  liberally  to  the 
merchants  at  large.  Stocks  then  will  begin  to  rise  slowly  at  first,  but  faster  and 
faster  as  the  speculators  lead  the  way.  When  the  confederates  have  got  rid  of  all 
their  fancy  stocks  at  high  prices  to  merchants,  small  dealers,  or  any  body  not  in 
the  secret,  then  they  begin  secretly  to  prepare  for  a  fall.  This  is  done  by  a  gen- 
eral and  simultaneous  curtailment  of  discounts  by  the  Banks,  which  soon  knocks 
down  stocks,  ruins  thousands,  and  raises  the  value  of  money  to  2  or  3  per  cent, 
per  month,  thus  furnishing  always,  either  falling  or  rising,  the  knowing  ones  an 
opportunity  to  make  at  least  30  per  cent,  on  their  capital  all  the  year  round. 

This  is  truth,  and  we  seriously  advise  young  merchants  and  dealers  to  be  care- 
ful. Who  can  tell  but  at  this  very  moment  two  dozen  large  moneyed  men  in  our 
commercial  cities  have  not  already  appointed  the  very  week,  day,  even  the  hour, 
when  a  new  movement  will  commence,  which  will  knock  down  stocks  20  to  40 
per  cent,  a  month  ?  When  the  April  weather  is  particularly  sweet  and  soft,  look 
out  for  a  storm  the  next  day. 

There  were  no  stock  sales  given  till  the  i4th  of  May.  On  the 
previous  day  there  had  been  a  fall  of  2  to  4  per  cent,  on  some  de- 
scription of  fancy  stocks  in  Wall  Street,  "  the  railroads  especially." 
We  append  the  sales  of  that  day  for  the  operators  of  to-day  to  look 
over  and  compare  with  the  stock  and  bond  sales  nowadays.  What 
a  change  in  names,  and  kinds,  and  amounts !  Harlem  Railroad 
then  extended  to  Harlem  River  only.  But  here  is  the  Wall  Street 
curiosity : 

SALES  AT  THE  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  MAY   13,  1835. 

25  shares  United  States  Bank 


160 
40 
50 

100 

450 

2OO 
310 
550 
100 
200 
51 

5° 

IOO 

45° 

15° 

5° 

10 

20 

30 

5° 

15° 

40 


Union  Bank 
Union  Bank 
Butchers'  and  Drovers'  Bank  - 
Delaware  and  Hudson 
Delaware  and  Hudson     - 
Delaware  and  Hudson 
Harlem  Railroad  Company 
Harlem  Railroad  Company 
Harlem  Railroad  Company     - 
Harlem  Railroad  Company 
Dry  Dock  Bank      - 
Dry  Dock  Bank  ... 

Ohio  Life  and  Trust  Company 
Ohio  Life  and  Trust  Company 
Ohio  Life  and  Trust  Company 
Ocean  Insurance  Company 
American  Marine    - 
American  Marine         ... 
Jersey  Railroad       ... 
State  Marine  Insurance  Company 
Jackson  Marine       - 
Washington  Marine  Insurance     - 


126 

112$- 
1  1  2$ 


1  06 

105* 

105* 


15° 
149* 


126 

\1$l 

15° 
150 

149!- 

120 
8? 

no 

965 


436  Journalism  in  America. 


300  sh: 
no 

ires  Farmers'  Loan       - 
East  River  Insurance 

time 

122^ 

99 

25 

Manhattan  Gas  Company 

. 

I29J 

50 

Manhattan  Gas  Company 

on  time 

130 

15° 

Mohawk  Railroad  Company     - 

- 

126 

500 

Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad 

opening 

128 

35° 

Utica  and  Schenectady  Railroad 

opening 

128* 

250 

Jamaica  Railroad         ... 

- 

119 

On  the  23d  of  July,  1835,  the  Herald  stated  that  it  was  "the  only 
paper  in  the  city  which  gives  authentic  and  correct  daily  reports  of 
Wall  Street  operations,  stocks,  and  the  money  market." 

This  was  the  beginning.  Approaching  the  financial  crisis  of 
1837  these  money  articles  became  more  interesting  and  valuable, 
and  in  going  through  that  terrible  revulsion  the  greatest  opposition 
was  manifested  in  financial  circles  to  their  publication  ;  but  Mr. 
Bennett  persevered,  and  made  them  one  of  the  chief  features  of  the 
Herald.  They  were  entirely  written  by  him  till  1838.  All  the  facts 
he  gathered  in  person  by  daily  visits  to  Wall  Street.  After  that 
period,  other  duties  claiming  his  attention,  he  employed  an  assistant, 
and  sent  him  to  the  street  for  facts,  and  on  these  facts,  thus  collected 
and  detailed  to  him,  he  daily  dictated  the  articles  for  several  years. 
By  this  personal  superintendence  he  gradually  educated  those  who 
afterwards  wrote  the  articles.  He  never  speculated,  never  bought 
a  share  of  any  thing  to  sell  again,  and  never  allowed  himself  to  be 
influenced  in  any  way  in  the  tone  or  matter  of  his  Wall  Street  Re- 
ports. It  is  well  known  that  the  course  of  the  Herald  in  regard  to 
operations  in  Wall  Street  led  to  many  threats  and  two  or  three  per- 
sonal assaults,  one  or  two  with  Webb  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer. 
But  in  the  course  of  time,  these  money  articles,  more  and  more  ap- 
preciated, gave  the  Herald  a  high  character,  and  compelled  all  the 
other  journals  to  devote  some  attention  to  this  important  subject, 
and  now  no  newspaper  is  without  its  financial  department  and  its 
financial  editor.  Mr.  Thomas  Clarke,  who  was  afterwards  Treasurer 
of  the  first  Morse  Telegraph  Company  between  Boston  and  New 
York,  one  day  saw  an  advertisement  for  the  back  files  of  the  New 
York  Herald.  He  had  purchased  and  saved  the  paper  daily  from 
its  first  number.  His  attic  was  "  full  of  them,  and  in  his  wife's  way 
at  every  house-cleaning."  He  called  upon  the  advertiser  and  said 
he  had  the  desired  article.  This  was  in  1845  or  '4-6-  "What  do 
you  ask  for  them  ?"  asked  the  advertiser.  "  I  don't  exactly  know, 
but  I  should  say  sixpence  a  copy  would  be  about  right,"  replied  Mr. 
Clarke.  *  Send  them  down,  and  I  will  give  you  a  check  for  the 
amount,"  said  the  advertiser.  Clarke  was  astounded.  He  went 
home,  counted  the  papers,  had  them  carted  to  the  gentleman's  office, 
and  received  about  $200  cash.  "  Now,"  said  Mr.  Clarke  to  the  pur- 
chaser, "  I  would  like  to  know  what  you  want  of  those  papers  at  two 


Origin  of  the  News  Companies.  437 

or  three  times  their  original  cost?"  "We  have  purchased  them," 
answered  the  advertiser,  "  for  a  Hamburg  banker.  He  sent  over  to 
us  to  buy  a  complete  file  of  the  Herald  for  its  money  articles,  and 
we  are  glad  to  have  secured  them  so  easily." 

The  articles  became  quite  celebrated,  and  several  claimed  their 
authorship.  On  the  death  of  Theron  Rudd,  it  was  stated  in  the 
obituary  notices  that  he  was  "  the  originator  of  the  famous  money 
articles  of  the  New  York  Herald."  Mr.  Rudd  had  been  one  of  the 
editors  of  the  New  Era,  and  was  never  in  any  way  or  shape  con- 
nected with  the  Herald,  and  never  wrote  the  money  articles  of  that 
paper.  Bankers,  and  brokers,  and  financial  writers  have  claimed 
the  credit  of  not  only  writing,  but  of  originating  them.  This  be- 
longs exclusively  to  Mr.  Bennett.  Very  curiously,  on  the  day  when 
the  above  was  written,  the  Herald  of  February  20,  1869,  was  re- 
ceived, containing  an  editorial  article  on  speculations  in  Wall  Street, 
from  which  we  make  the  following  very  appropriate  extract : 

There  is  particularly  one  instrumentality  in  some  cases,  we  fear,  accessory  to 
the  swindling  of  the  sharpers.  This  is  the  financial  column.  The  financial  edi- 
tors of  the  several  journals  are  much  howled  over  on  the  street,  and  the  opinion 
prevails  that  in  order  to  set  this  or  that  stock  all  right  in  public  estimation  it  is 
only  necessary  to  hand  a  certain  number  of  shares  to  the  gentlemen  whose  duty 
it  is  to  write  for  the  various  papers  respectively  a  true  history  of  the  daily  occur- 
rences in  that  financial  centre.  It  is  assumed,  either  on  general  principles  or  on 
special  experiences,  that  these  gentlemen,  caring  more  for  their  own  interests 
than  for  the  interests  of  the  public,  will  not  hesitate  to  deceive  the  readers  they 
are  employed  to  enlighten  in  order  that  they  may  pocket  part  of  the  money  thus 
extorted  from  they  know  not  whom.  In  such  hands  the  financial  report  becomes 
a  dangerous  machine  ;  but  it  must  not  be  in  such  hands,  for  it  is  capable  of  being 
a  great  benefit  to  the  public.  The  daily  financial  report  was  begun  by  us  when  we 
started  the  Herald.  We  made  it  personally.  Getting  through  that  part  of  our  va- 
ried labors  that  could  be  done  at  an  early  hour,  we  went  to  Wall  Street,  saw  for 
ourselves  what  was  in  progress  there,  and  returned  with  our  report  sketched  out 
in  fragmentary  fly  leaves  of  letters  or  other  handy  scraps  of  paper.  We  told  the 
truth,  for  we  were  in  the  interest  of  the  public  ;  and  the  truth  of  that  locality  was 
not  complimentary  in  those  days  any  more  than  it  would  be  now.  War  was  made 
upon  us  right  and  left  by  the  men  whose  little  games  were  spoiled  whenever  the 
public  came  to  know  what  they  were  at ;  and,  strangest  of  all  things  for  a  war 
originating  in  that  quarter,  it  was  a  "moral  war."  We  lived  through  it,  how- 
ever. 

Compelled  to  delegate  our  labor  in  the  preparation  of  a  financial  report,  we 
have  always  meant  and  still  mean  to  keep  that  report  as  honest  as  it  was  in  its 
origin  ;  to  constitute  it  a  legitimate  and  exact  record  of  what  is  honestly  done  in 
Wall  Street,  and  an  exposure — a  laying  bare  to  the  eyes  of  the  public  of  what  is 
dishonestly  done  there.  We  will  compound  none  of  the  villainies  with  the  fel- 
lows who  trade  on  public  credulity  to  abuse  public  confidence.  One  journal  shall 
tell  what  Wall  Street  really  is  and  what  is  done  there. 

On  the  3oth  of  May,  the  increased  demand  for  the  Herald  in- 
duced its  proprietor  to  advertise  for  twelve  to  twenty  more  car- 
riers. He  then  made  arrangements  to  extend  its  circulation  in  New- 
ark, Paterson,  Albany,  Troy,  Hudson,  Poughkeepsie,  Providence,  and 
Philadelphia,  as  suburbs  of  New  York,  thus  introducing  a  new  plan 
of  distributing  papers,  which  has  since  grown  up  to  be  an  immense 


438  Journalism  in  America. 

business.  This  mode  of  distribution  led  to  the  formation,  ist,  of 
large  individual  agencies  like  Stringer,  Burgess  &  Townsend,  Wm. 
Taylor,  Redding  &  Co.,  Wm.  Zeiber,  Alexander  Williams  &  Co., 
and,  2d,  of  incorporated  associations,  which  have  swelled  into  im- 
mense companies,  and  are  now  known  as  the  American  News  Com- 
pany, New  England  News  Company,  New  York  News  Company, 
Western  News  Company,  and  St.  Louis  Book  and  News  Company. 
Through  these  establishments  millions  of  Tribunes,  Heralds,  Ledg- 
ers, Harpers,  Frank  Leslies,  True  Flags,  Godeys,  Atlantic  Monthly s, 
Every  Saturdays,  Worlds,  Suns,  Travellers,  annually  pass  to  subscri- 
bers and  readers  in  every  corner  of  the  Union,  and  all  with  the  most 
clock-like  regularity  and  certainty. 

There  is  an  account,  in  the  Herald  of  June  30, 1835,  of  the  ar- 
rival of  an  English  police  officer — "  a  second  Vidocq" — in  pursuit 
of  a  runaway  from  the  British  dominions  with  a  large  sum  of  money. 
The  robber  was  captured,  but  could  not  be  detained.  There  was 
then  no  treaty  with  England  for  the  extradition  of  such  characters. 
In  a  conversation  with  this  English  Vidocq,  he  was  asked, 

"  Is  there  no  mode  of  satisfying  the  demands  of  justice  ?" 

"  None  that  I  know  of,"  answered  John  Bull. 

"  Could  not  a  treaty  be  agreed  upon  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  by  which  the  Police  Department  of  one  nation 
might  aid  and  assist  the  Police  Department  of  the  other  in  ferret- 
ing out  rogues  and  discovering  cheats  ?" 

The  English  detective  paused  a  moment,  and  said, "  It  might." 

"  Why,  then,  can't  it  be  done  ?  Why  should  not  the  Vidocqs  and 
old  Hayses  of  each  country  reciprocate  each  other's  courtesies  ?" 

"  There  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not,"  replied  the  officer. 

"  Will  Mr.  Forsyth,  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Washington,"  con- 
tinued the  Herald,  "  please  put  on  his  spectacles  and  read  this  arti- 
cle, from  beginning  to  end,  twice  over?"  But  no  effect  was  pro- 
duced at  that  time  on  Mr.  Forsyth  or  any  other  statesman  in  Wash- 
ington. When  Lord  Ashburton,  however,  came  over  in  1842  on  a 
special  mission  to  settle  the  Northeastern  Boundary  dispute,  he  and 
Mr. Webster  put  their  heads  together,  "  read  this  article  over  twice," 
and  made  the  Extradition  Treaty,  the  more  comprehensive  provis- 
ions of  which  have  since  been  incorporated,  with  highly  beneficial 
results,  in  treaties  with  nearly  all  the  nations  of  the  world.  So 
much  for  auxiliary  newspaper  statesmanship. 

On  the  i2th  of  August,  1835,  the  office,  type,  presses,  books,  and 
papers  of  the  Herald  were  destroyed  by  fire.  All  disappeared  in 
flames.  Owing  to  this  calamity,  there  was  a  suspension  of  the  pub- 
lication of  the  paper  for  nineteen  days.  On  the  3ist  of  August  it 
reappeared.  It  was  now  called  The  Herald,  and  owned,  edited, 


Second  Epoch  of  the  Herald.  439 

and  published  by  James  Gordon  Bennett  alone.     This  was  its  sec- 
ond epoch.     Its  editor  thus  heralded  his  reappearance : 

We  are  again  in  the  field,  larger,  livelier,  better,  prettier,  saucier,  and  more  in- 
dependent than  ever.  The  Ann  Street  conflagration  consumed  types,  presses, 
manuscripts,  paper,  some  bad  poetry,  subscription  books — all  the  outward  mate- 
rial appearance  of  the  Herald,  but  its  soul  was  saved — its  spirit  as  exuberant  as 
ever.  From  the  past  we  augur  well  for  the  future.  In  the  first  six  weeks  of  its 
existence,  the  Herald  reached  nearly  the  extraordinary  circulation  of  seven  thou- 
sand per  day,  and  a  corresponding  amount  of  advertising  patronage.  We  start- 
ed then  to  reach  a  daily  issue  of  twenty  thousand  in  a  period  of  six  or  nine  months 
— we  restart  now  to  rise  to  twenty-five  thousand  daily  circulation  before  we  stop. 
This  is  no  astronomical  dream — no  Herschel  discovery  in  the  moon.  It  can  be 
done,  and  if  industry,  attention,  resolution,  and  perseverance  can  accomplish  the 
feat  under  the  encouraging  smiles  of  a  kind  public,  the  Herald  shall  do  it.  We 
are  organizing  on  a  better  footing  than  formerly — have  it  entirely  under  our  own 
control,  and  have  arranged  our  carriers  and  routes  in  such  a  way  that,  as  we  think, 
a  week  will  make  us  go  like  a  piece  of  ingenious  clock-work. 

In  other  respects  we  trust  we  shall  please  the  public.  Avoiding  the  dirt  of 
party  politics,  we  shall  yet  freely  and  candidly  express  our  opinion  on  every  pub- 
lic question  and  public  man.  We  mean  also  to  procure  intelligent  correspond- 
ents in  London,  Paris,  and  Washington,  and  measures  are  already  adopted  for 
that  purpose.  In  every  species  of  nervs  the  Herald  will  be  one  of  the  earliest  of  the 
early.  Our  Wall  Street  reports,  which  were  so  highly  approved  by  every  business 
man  in  the  city,  and  copied  extensively  throughout  the  country,  we  shall  enlarge 
and  improve  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  former  Herald,  from  its  large  circula- 
tion among  business  people  down  town  (being  larger  in  that  respect  than  any  pa- 
per in  the  city),  had  a  very  rapid  increase  of  advertising  patronage.  We  expect 
that  the  renovated  Herald  will  far  outstrip  its  predecessor.  Our  position  at  202 
Broadway  is  admirably  central — more  so  than  even  in  Wall  Street.  Several  mer- 
chants and  auctioneers  are  preparing  to  advertise  in  the  Herald.  They  are  be- 
ginning to  find  out  that  a  brief  advertisement  in  our  sheet  is  seen  and  read  by  six 
times  as  many  as  it  would  be  in  the  dull  prosaics  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

On  the  whole,  and  "  to  conclude,"  as  Dogberry  did  not  say,  we  bid  our  former 
kind  friends  and  patrons  a  hearty,  a  cheerful,  and  pleasant  good  morning ;  and  we 
hope  that  while  we  give  them  a  regular  call  to  have  a  little  chat  over  their  coffee 
and  muffins,  we  may  often  see  them  at  202  Broadway  when  they  have  any  small 
thing  to  do,  cheap  and  good,  in  the  advertising  line,  or  any  hint  or  curious  piece 
of  information  to  communicate  to  the  public,  barring  always  discoveries  in  as- 
tronomy, which  our  friends  of  the  Sim  monopolize. 

Thus  started  the  Herald  on  its  second  race,  and  from  this  start 
it  has  become,  under  the  sole  guidance  of  one  man,  the  establish- 
ment it  is  to-day.  It  took  hold  of  every  subject  interesting  to  the 
people.  Its  advertising  columns,  as  well  as  its  news  and  editorial 
columns,  showed  the  vitality  of  the  concern.  It  had  its  daily  hits 
at  the  Abolitionists  as  well  as  at  Fanny  Wright  and  Robert  Dale 
Owen.  It  enlightened  the  public  on  morals,  religion,  politics,  as  it 
has  since  more  comprehensively  done. 

Among  the  novel  advertisements  we  find  the  following  in  the 
Herald  of  August  31, 1835.  I*  is  curious  after  reading  Greeley's 
American  Conflict,  and  looking  at  the  social  condition  of  Charles- 
ton on  the  close  of  Grant's  first  term  : 

SUPPRESSED  NEWSPAPERS,  ETC.,  AT  CHARLESTON. 

Those  persons  who  are  desirous  of  examining  the  character  of  the  publications 
issued  by  the  American  Anti-Slavery  Society,  and  forming  a  correct  judgment  of 
them,  can  receive  copies  gratuitously  on  application  at  the  society's  office,  No. 


440  Journalism  in  America. 

144  Nassau  Street.  Those  destroyed  at  Charleston  were  principally  the  news- 
paper called  the  Emancipator  for  August ;  together  with  the  Anti-Slavery  Rec- 
ord No.  7,  and  Slaves'  Friend  No.  3.  It  is  possible  that  there  were  a  few  of  the 
newspaper  entitled  Hitman  Rights  for  July.  It  is  deemed  proper  to  say  that  no 
publications  have  been  sent  into  the  Slave  States,  within  the  knowledge  of  the 
committee,  except  to  respectable  free  citizens  ;  and  that  nothing  will  be  found  in 
them  contrary  to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States,  or  inconsistent 
with  the  character  of  good  citizens,  or  designed  to  excite  insurrection  among  the 
Southern  slaves. 

They  address,  not  the  slave,  but  his  master.  And  in  employing  the  Press  and 
the  U.  S.  Mail  to  address  the  understanding  and  conscience  of  their  fellow-citi- 
zens who  hold  slaves,  they  conceive  that  they  are  but  exercising  one  of  the  most 
sacred  rights  which  the  Constitution  has  solemnly  guaranteed  to  every  citizen. 
At  the  same  time  they  declare  that  they  by  no  means  intend  to  press  their  publi- 
cations upon  any  gentlemen  who  signify  that  it  is  not  their  wish  to  receive  them. 
Those  who  are  not  disposed  to  pay  the  postage,  and  read  or  circulate  our  publi- 
cations, are  requested  to  return  the  copy  first  received,  with  their  name  and  post- 
office  address  legibly  written  upon  them. 

By  order  of  the  committee,  R.  G.  WILLIAMS, 

Pub.  Agent  Am.  A.  S.  Society. 

"  One  of  the  grandest  enterprises  which  the  year  1835  has  brought 
forth,"  said  the  Herald,  in  October  of  that  year,  was  that  proposed 
by  one  of  the  old  packet  captains,  Nathaniel  Cobb,  of  the  old  Black 
Ball  Line.  It  was  a  line  of  steam-ships  to  run  between  New  York 
and  Liverpool.  Application  was  made  to  the  Legislature  for  a 
charter,  and  the  passage  across  the  Atlantic  was  to  be  reduced  to 
fourteen  days.  The  Herald  urged  the  scheme  upon  the  public  with 
great  spirit,  but  the  English  anticipated  America  by  sending  over 
the  Sirius  and  Great  Western  early  in  the  spring  of  1838.  Success- 
fully navigating  the  Atlantic  with  steam  was  then,  in  the  estimation 
of  Dionysius  Lardner,  as  much  a  problem  as  the  laying  of  a  tele- 
graph cable  from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland  was,  with  many  men  of 
science,  in  1865. 

Indicative  of  the  progress  thus  made  early  in  the  revolution  in 
journalism,  the  Herald,  on  the  3ist  of  October,  1835,  stated  that  the 
aggregate  circulation  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  Journal  of  Com- 
merce, Gazette,  Daily  Advertiser,  Times,  and  Mercantile  Advertiser,  the 
"  respectable  sixpenny  papers,"  on  the  previous  day  was  twelve 
thousand  and  five  hundred,  while  that  of  the  three  "  penny  papers," 
the  Sun,  Transcript,  and  Herald,  was  twenty-eight  thousand  and  five 
hundred.  With  this  fact  in  view,  Mr.  Bennett  made  the  following 
prediction  on  the  loth  of  the  next  month : 

Penny  papers  are  rapidly  increasing  throughout  the  country.  Yesterday  we 
received  a  new  one  from  Mobile,  Alabama,  called  the  Transcript.  In  all  the 
large  cities  there  exists  not  a  doubt  but  the  large  papers  will  sink  down  in  a  few 
years  to  mere  Prices  Current  and  Shipping  Lists.  They  are  good  for  nothing 
else.  All  the  wit,  the  humor,  the  business,  the  life  of  society  are  found  in  the 
penny  papers. 

These  small  papers,  independent  of  politics,  and  cheap  in  price, 
were  thus  rapidly  taking  the  place  of  the  large  partisan  sheets. 
They  were  starting  up  every  where.  The  Times,  Herald,  Mail  in 


The  Cash  System.  441 

Boston,  the  Sun  and  Clipper  in  Baltimore,  the  Transcript,  Sun,  and 
Public  Ledger  in  Philadelphia,  were  established. '  Politicians  endeav- 
ored to  take  advantage  of  this  novelty  in  journalism,  but  there  was 
no  permanency  to  a  political  penny  paper  per  se.  It  lived  only 
while  the  party  contributions  lasted.  Hence,  of  the  long  lists  of 
small  papers  commenced  all  over  the  country,  the  names  of  two  or 
three  only  remain.  Large  sums  of  money  were  wasted  by  politicians 
in  these  enterprises,  but  the  result  shows  that  they  could  not  control 
the  principle  underlying  the  independent  character  of  this  new  class 
of  papers. 

On  the  loth  of  March,  1836,  Mr.  Bennett,  fully  appreciating  his 
new  position  in  journalism,  and  with  that  instinct  and  foresight  in 
public  matters  for  which  he  has  been  remarkable,  enlarged  his  pa- 
per, and  in  announcing  the  fact  and  his  future  intentions,  which  have 
been  so  amply  carried  out,  said, 

********* 

In  a  city  of  this  kind  there  is  no  limit  to  enterprise,  no  bounds  to  the  results 
of  industry,  capacity,  and  talent.  I  began  the  Herald  last  year  without  capital 
and  without  friends.  Every  body  laughed  and  jeered  at  the  idea  of  my  succeed- 
ing. "Bennett,  you  are  a  fool" — "  Bennett,  you  are  a  blockhead."  By  effort, 
economy,  and  determination  I  have  got  a  firm  footing,  mastered  all  opposition, 
and  begin  this  day  a  new  movement  in  newspaper  enterprise  which  will  astonish 
some  persons  before  I  shall  have  completed  it.  The  public  are  with  me.  They 
feel  my  independence — they  acknowledge  my  honesty — and,  better  than  all,  they 
crowd  in  their  advertisements.  Without  the  aid  of  $52,725  from  any  bank,  I  am 
now  in  a  position  to  carry  rapidly  all  my  own  ideas  of  newspaper  enterprise  into 
effect.  I  never  deal  or  dealt  in  stocks— never  bought  or  sold  a  dollar's  worth,  al- 
though I  have  studied  that  science  for  years.  Hence  my  Wall  Street  reports  are 
relied  upon,  because  the  public  believe  I  have  no  private  reason  to  deceive  them. 

This  statement  is  thus  confirmed  by  a  paragraph  which  appeared 
in  the  New  York  Times  on  the  3oth  of  March,  1871,  thirty-five  years 
after  the  above  extract  was  published  in  the  Herald: 

We  find  it  stated  in  the  Chicago  Times  that  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  the 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Herald,  is  worth  a  fortune  often  millions  of  dollars. 
How  true  this  may  be  the  public  have  no  precise  means  of  knowing,  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Bennett  is  a  very  rich  man.  The  profits  of  the  Herald 
alone  must  be  half  a  million  yearly,  which  would  make  the  value  of  that  estab- 
lishment somewhere  from  four  to  five  millions  ;  and  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  Bennett 
must  have  large  investments  elsewhere,  both  in  real  estate  and  other  property. 
This  handsome  competence  has  all  been  accumulated  in  the  management  of  a 
newspaper,  for  it  is  believed  that  the  editor  of  the  Herald  has  never  strayed  from 
his  proper  occupation  to  engage  in  outside  speculations  of  any  sort.  He  has 
never  been  connected  with  jobs  either  in  state  or  national  politics  ;  he  has  never 
sworn  allegiance  to  any  party ;  and  he  has  built  up  the  great  newspaper  which  he 
controls  solely  by  his  own  genius,  courage,  and  pertinacity.  As  a  newspaper 
writer,  he  is  perhaps  more  truly  a  man  of  genius  than  any  other  who  has  risen  to 
distinction  in  this  country.  His  mind  is  characterized  by  originality  of  thought 
and  wit  in  equal  proportions  ;  and  he  has  always  appreciated  the  value  of  news. 
These  elements — independence,  originality,  wit,  courage,  and  news — have  made 
the  success  of  the  Herald ;  and  this  success  there  is  now  nobody  to  dispute. 

The  "  cash  system"  in  the  publication  of  newspapers  was  intro- 
duced by  Mr.  Bennett  on  the  establishment  of  the  Herald,  and  it 


442  Journalisi»  in  America. 

has  saved  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  nay,  millions,  to  the 
Press  of  this  country  who  have  adopted  the  same  system.  The 
most  reckless  credit  was  in  vogue  till  then.  Horace  Greeley,  in  the 
brief  period  of  the  publication  of  the  New  Yorker  in  1835,  lost 
$10,000  in  bad  debts  for  subscriptions  alone.  The  Courier  and 
Enquirer  probably  lost,  during  its  career  of  forty  years,  half  a  million 
dollars  in  unpaid  subscriptions  and  advertisements.  One  of  the 
Western  papers  lately  offered  $30,000  of  such  debts  for  $30  cash. 
Thomas  Ritchie,  of  the  Richmond  Enquirer,  after  publishing  his  pa- 
per for  forty  years,  stated  that  the  debts  due  him  on  his  books 
amounted  to  $150,000.  Other  instances  are  given  in  these  pages. 
It  is  probable  that  the  average  loss  of  all  the  papers  conducted  on 
the  credit  system  has  been  fully  twenty-five  per  cent.  Inaugurating 
the  cash  system,  which  Mr.  Bennett  has  persisted  in,  the  Herald 
loses  nothing.  There  are  no  bad  debts.  Not  an  advertisement  is 
inserted  for  a  longer  period  than  agreed  upon  and  paid  for.  Not  a 
paper  leaves  the  office  beyond  its  term  of  subscription.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  establishment  is,  therefore,  not  only  greatly  simplified, 
but  there  is  no  loss  ;  and  on  each  Saturday  night  Mr.  Bennett  knows 
precisely  where  he  financially  stands.  This  cash  system  is  now 
very  generally  adopted.  Charles  King,  of  the  New  York  American, 
a  paper  which  belonged  to  the  strictly  aristocratic  and  financial  cir- 
cles of  the  metropolis,  was  the  first  of  the  old  class  of  journals  to 
see  the  handwriting  on  the  wall.  In  April,  1843,  he  made  the  fol- 
lowing announcement  : 

CASH  PRICES. 

TO   THE   READERS   OF  THE   NEW  YORK   AMERICAN. 

In  conformity  with  the  times,  and  with  the  urgent  request  of  many  of  our  old 
subscribers,  we  have  determined,  on  and  after  the  first  day  of  May  next,  to  reduce 
the  price  of  the  New  York  American,  and  to  issue  it  for  CASH  only. 

The  paper  will  be  continued  on  its  old  footing  as  to  size,  and  it  will  be  conduct- 
ed as  heretofore,  with  all  the  ability  and  undivided  attention  of  its  editor.  *  * 
****** 

The  terms  on  which  the  New  York  American  will  be  issued  on  and  after  the  ist 
of  May,  1843,  will  be,  for  the  daily  paper,  Two  CENTS  each  copy,  or  Twelve 
Cents  per  week,  to  be  paid  to  the  carriers ;  or  Six  Dollars  per  annum,  to  be  paid 
in  advance  at  the  office. 

Ten  persons  (residing  out  of  the  city)  clubbing  together,  and  ordering  not  less 
than  ten  copies  of  the  daily  paper  sent  to  one  address,  will  receive  the  same  for 
FIVE  DOLLARS  per  annum  each  copy,  so  long  as  the  number  does  not  go  below 
ten. 

Newsmen  in  large  cities  will  be  supplied  on  accommodating  terms. 

****.***** 

Newsboys  will  be  supplied  at  the  usual  rate. 

Those  who  were  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  Metropolitan 
Press  were  greatly  astonished  on  reading  this  announcement.  Its 
editor  was  a  son  of  Rufus  King,  was  brother  to  James  G.  King,  of 
Prime,  Ward  &  King,  the  bankers  of  that  period,  and  was  consider- 


Sam.  Houston  and  James  Gordon  Bennett.    443 

ed  an  elegant  gentleman  of  the  old  school.  Such  papers  as  the 
American,  Courier  and  Enquirer,  Evening  Post,  and  Commercial  Ad- 
vertiser had  always  treated  the  Sun,  Herald,  Transcript,  New.  Era, 
and  Plebeian  with  the  utmost  contempt.  One  and  two  cent  papers 
and  the  ragged  newsboys  were  with  them  synonymous  terms  with 
vulgarity  and  scurrility.  But  revolutions  in  newspapers  as  well  as 
in  nations  will  take  place.  The  world  moves  on.  Hence  the  above 
manifesto.  It  came  too  late,  however,  to  save  the  American.  Mr. 
King  was  a  scholar  and  a  finished  writer,  but  he  was  not  a  man 
with  broad  enough  views  and  sufficient  enterprise  to  make  a  suc- 
cessful newspaper.  He  was  too  slow.  He  could  write  a  good  edi- 
torial article  and  a  neat  paragraph,  but  he  did  not  know  how  to 
make  a  good  newspaper.  After  a  short  struggle  with  the  energetic 
Penny  Press  the  American  crept  into  the  office  of  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer,  and  Mr.  King  became  associate  editor  with  Colonel  Webb 
till  called  to  preside  over  the  destinies  of  Columbia  College. 

The  independence  of  Texas  was  a  subject  of  great  interest  in 
1836,  and  the  Herald  became  one  of  its  strongest  advocates.  All 
its  hopes  and  predictions  were  verified  by  the  brilliant  victory  of 
General  Sam.  Houston  at  San  Jacinto.  When  Houston  was  in  New 
York  in  1833-4  on  his  way  to  Texas,  he  met  the  future  editor  of  the 
Herald  on  the  street.  They  were  old  acquaintances  in  Washington. 
"  How  are  you,  Bennett  ?"  said  the  general.  "  You  are  the  man  I 
want  to  see.  I  am  going  to  Texas,  and  I  want  you  to  go  with  me, 
start  a  paper  there,  and  we'll  build  up  a  great  republic.  Will  you 
go  ?"  It  happened  to  be  the  case  at  that  time  that  Mr.  Bennett's 
business  engagements  detained  him  in  New  York.  Houston  went 
to  Texas  and  made  a  republic  at  San  Jacinto,  and  Bennett  remain- 
ed at  home  and  made  the  Herald  at  New  York.  In  1851,  when 
Dr.  Anson  Jones,  the  last  President  of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  was  in 
New  York,  he  called  at  the  office  of  the  Herald.  The  above  inci- 
dent was  mentioned  to  him.  "Ah !"  said  he,  "  Texas  was  the  place 
for  Houston,  and  New  York  for  Bennett ;  Texas  would  have  been 
too  small  for  Bennett." 

On  the  i  yth  of  August,  1836,  the  price  of  the  Herald  was  raised 
to  two  cents.  Such  was  the  furore  of  the  public  for  the  paper  at 
that  time,  in  consequence  of  its  originality,  its  vim,  its  .contents,  so 
rare  and  so  far  above  the  dull  monotony  of  the  larger  papers,  that 
the  newsboys  and  news  dealers  charged  two  cents  per  copy  every 
where.  Mr.  Bennett,  therefore,  made  a  financial  calculation,  with 
the  following  result,  of  how  much  the  public  were  paying,  and  how 
much  he  was  getting  of  their  money.  His  summing  up  of  the  case 
was  curious : 


444  Journalism  in  America. 

Daily  circulation  of  the  Herald 20,000 

Receipts  per  day,  at  one  cent,  33  per  cent,  off  $133-34 

Receipts  per  day,  at  two  cents,  25  per  cent,  off  -         -         -  300.00 

Difference  in  my  favor  per  day 166.66 

Difference,  clear,  a  week 999-96 

"With  this  sum,"  continues  the  arithmetical  editor,  "I  shall  be 
enabled  to  carry  into  effect  prodigious  improvements,  and  to  make 
the  Herald  the  greatest,  best,  and  most  profitable  paper  that  ever 
appeared  in  this  country." 

While  the  Herald  was  expanding,  the  editor's  enthusiasm  and  in- 
dependence pushed  him  into  personal  difficulties  with  some  of  his 
contemporaries.  While  many  abused  him  in  round  terms  in  the 
columns  of  their  journals,  Colonel  James  Wa*tson  Webb,  of  the  Cou- 
rier and  Enquirer,  and  Dr.  P.  S.  Townsend,  of  the  Evening  Star,  came 
in  direct  personal  collision  with  Mr.  Bennett  in  Wall  Street.  Those 
with  Colonel  Webb  grew  out  of  alleged  stock  speculations  of  the 
colonel  in  connection  with  Henry  Lynch,  and  the  allusions  in  the 
Herald  to  the  United  States  Bank.  These  scenes  produced  gredt 
excitement  at  the  time.  But  no  threats,  assaults,  torpedoes,  or  in- 
timidations of  any  kind  affected  the  editor  of  the  Herald.  He  had 
marked  out  his  line  of  policy,  and  persistently  pursued  it  to  the  end. 

In  November,  1836,  a  desperate  assault  was  made  on  Mr.  Bennett 
in  his  office  by  Thomas  Hamblin,  manager  of  the  Bowery  Theatre. 
There  had  been  a  difficulty  and  a  separation  between  Hamblin  and 
his  wife.  Theatrically,  the  matter  was  made  a  public  one.  The 
Herald  espoused  the  cause  of  Mrs.  Hamblin.  When  the  Bowery 
Theatre  was  destroyed  by  fire,  an  effort  was  made  to  give  Hamblin  a 
complimentary  benefit.  This  the  Herald  opposed  in  the  strongest 
terms  in  a  series  of  effective  articles.  They  produced  such  an  im- 
pression on  the  public  mind  that  the  benefit  was  a  comparative  fail- 
ure. Shortly  after  there  was  a  dinner-party  of  a  dozen  of  Hamblin's 
friends  at  the  rooms  of  Jared  W.  Bell,  near  the  Herald  office.  Bell 
was  the  publisher  of  the  New  Era.  While  at  this  dinner  it  was  ar- 
ranged, in  the  excitement  of  the  occasion,  to  assault  Mr.  Bennett  in 
his  office.  It  was  asserted  that  it  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  Hamblin 
and  some  of  his  friends  to  break  the  right  arm  of  the  editor.  Whether 
or  not  this  be  true,  it  was  evident  that  the  manager  intended  some 
mischief.  He  was  a  large  and  powerful  man.  Accompanied  by 
three  or  four  friends,  he  entered  the  newspaper  office  through  a 
back  passage  unawares,  and  commenced  a  furious  assault  on  the 
editor.  The  police  and  others  interfered,  and  prevented  serious 
consequences.  This  affair  was  afterwards  more  thoroughly  elucida- 
ted in  the  following  letter  from  an  ex-editor  of  the  New  Era : 


The  Weekly  Herald.  445 

JOSEPH   PRICE  TO  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  HERALD. 

New  Times  Office,  i7th  November,  1837. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — I  was  anxious  to  respond  to  your  appel  of  this  morning  respect- 
ing the  dinner  at  Mr.  Bell's,  but  my  associate  in  the  New  Times  objects  to  its  be- 
ing mentioned  in  the  paper,  and  as  we  each  exercise  a  positive  veto  upon  any 
production  of  either,  I  can  not  enforce  its  publication,  and  write  directly  to  you 
instead  of  the  other  channel. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  to  you,  however,  that,  to  the  best  of  my  recollec- 
tion, it  was  Mr.  Hamblin  who  demonstrated  to  General  Morris  the  anatomical 
experiment  to  which  you  refer.  I  have  seen  Mr.  H.  this  morning,  and  he  admits 
the  fact.  They  were  both  of  them  very  much  excited  on  the  occasion,  but  I  am 
convinced  that  the  subsequent  affair  would  never  have  taken  place  if  Mr.  Elythe 
had  not  arrived.  Mr.  Bell  and  myself  acted  as  pacificators. 

Mr.  Hamblin  expressed  his  wishes  to  me  most  earnestly,  about  half  an  hour  ago, 
that  the  subject  should  not  be  again  alluded  to,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  I 
think  it  would  be  the  preferable  course.  General  Morris  expresses  his  regret  at 
every  stage  of  the  business,  and  deprecates  most  emphatically  any  revival  of  the 
affair.  Very  truly  yours,  JOSEPH  PRICE. 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  Esq. 

There  were  lawsuits,  and  cards,  and  explanations,  and  corre- 
spondence subsequent  to  this  desperate  affair,  and  finally  the  whole 
matter  was  settled  by  time,  which  is  so  potent  in  sponging  off  the 
animosities  of  life. 

The  Weekly  Herald  was  issued  in  December,  1836,  and  with  it  was 
inaugurated  the  summaries  of  news  which  the  editor  afterwards  in- 
troduced in  his  daily  issue,  to  the  great  advantage  of  the  active  bus- 
iness public,  who  desired  to  have  all  the  news,  every  morning,  com- 
prehensively epitomized,  to  read  at  a  glance,  leaving  the  details  to 
be  read  at  more  leisure  moments.  Nearly  all  the  newspapers  have 
since  adopted  this  plan,  and  the  Herald  has  abandoned  it.  This 
was  not  the  beginning  of  weekly  newspapers,  but  it  gave  impulse  to 
that  kind  of  publication  which  has  since  become  so  extensive  and 
widely  circulated.  Then  an  edition  of  three  thousand  was  consid- 
ered large.  Out  of  this  acorn  has  grown  the  Ledger,  with  its  three 
hundred  thousand  circulation,  the  New  York  Weekly,  the  Weekly 
Tribune,  Leslie's  and  Harpers'  Weekly  Illustrated  papers,  with  their 
enormous  issue.  Weekly  publications  of  mere  news,  however,  have 
since  lost  their  position,  in  consequence  of  the  telegraph,  and  have 
ceased  to  command  large  circulations.  When  news  was  conveyed 
from  one  point  to  another  by  steam,  thousands  of  newspaper  readers 
in  the  interior  towns  willingly  waited  for  the  arrival  of  their  weekly 
paper,  but  in  this  telegraphic  age  the  daily  newspaper  has  taken  the 
place  of  the  weekly,  and  the  more  political,  agricultural,  religious, 
literary,  and  illustrated  hebdomadaries  have  taken  the  place  of  the 
news  weeklies. 

More  extensive  arrangements  were  made  in  1837.  News-boats 
were  purchased  and  ship-news  establishments  organized.  This  in- 
creased the  war  between  the  small  papers  and  the  blanket  sheets. 
"Have  you  noticed  the  Herald  lately  ?"  asked  a  merchant  one  morn- 


446  Journalism  in  America. 

ing  of  a  Wall-Street  editor  in  the  Tontine  Restaurant.  "  Yes,"  said 
the  editor,  "  I  see  that  Bennett  is  .making  an  effort."  "Well,"  con- 
tinued the  merchant,  "  my  opinion  is  that  this  Herald  is  bound  to 
shine.  If  it  goes  on  as  it  has  begun,  his  paper  will  be  the  newspa- 
per of  New  York.  Mark  that !"  "  Nonsense,"  answered  the  editor ; 
"you  will  see  how  we  will  beat  him.  Wait  and  see."  Of  all  the 
large  papers  then  in  existence,  seven  in  number,  the  Journal  of 
Commerce  and  Express  are  the  only  ones  remaining,  and  the  latter 
has  adapted  itself  to  the  new  class  of  journals. 

The  Canadian  Rebellion  of  1838  brought  out  the  journalistic  re- 
sources of  the  Herald.  On  this  exciting  occasion,  while  the  news 
was  given  promptly,  a  new  feature  in  newspapers  was  introduced,  or 
reintroduced,  which  has  since,  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  in  the  wars 
in  Europe,  and  in  the  late  Rebellion,  been  carried  out  extensively 
and  advantageously  to  the  public,  the  press,  and  the  art  of  engrav- 
ing. The  "seat  of  war"  was  then  on  Navy  Island,  just  below  the 
Falls  of  Niagara.  The  Herald,  on  the  $th  of  January,  1838,  pub- 
lished a  very  clear  map  of  that  strategic  point  of  the  rebels.  That 
was  the  beginning  of  the  "  war  maps"  in  this  age,  which  have  done 
so  much  in  the  last  thirty  years  to  illustrate  the  most  important 
events  in  the  world,  and  to  give  the  public,  at  a  very  cheap  rate,  a 
vast  deal  of  useful  geographical  knowledge. 

With  the  organization  of  the  ship-news  establishment  and  the  aid 
of  the  Sandy  Hook  pilot-boats,  the  Herald  began  its  real  career  as 
a  great  newspaper.  These  were  the  early  days  of  news  excitement 
among  the  new  class  of  journals  of  New  York.  Nearly  all  of  the  Eu- 
ropean news  received  then  by  sailing  packets  first  appeared  in  the 
Herald.  Its  fleet  of  pilot-boats  became  known  as  the  Teaser,  the 
Celeste,  the  Tom  Boxer,  but  the  Teaser  was  the  famous  name  in 
every  newspaper  office.  The  packet  ships  were  boarded  off  Mon- 
tauk  Point,  where  the  messengers  would  land  and  proceed  to  New 
York  by  locomotive.  They  would  arrive  at  the  Herald  office  cov- 
ered with  perspiration  and  glory.  "  News-boats,  nay,  steam-boats  I 
can  afford  to  get  to  pick  up  news,"  said  Bennett,  Sr.,  in  1837.  News- 
boats  he  had  in  1838,  and  steam  news  yachts  were  introduced  by 
Mr.  Bennett,  Jr.,  in  1868. 

The  crusade  of  the  other  journals  against  the  Cheap  Press  be- 
came more  intense  in  1838.  The  Herald\&A  enlarged  its  commer- 
cial reports,  and  devoted  more  space  to  the  material  interests  of  the 
country.  Its  commercial  advertisements  were  increasing.  It  had 
extended  its  correspondence  to  important  points.  It  had  enlarged 
its  facilities  for  obtaining  news  from  Albany  and  Washington.  It 
commenced  to  give  important  speeches  of  such  men  as  Henry  Clay, 
Daniel  Webster,  and  John  C.  Calhoun,  in  full,  issuing  double  sheets 


Amos  Kendall  and  the  United  States  Bank.  447 

to  accomplish  this  purpose — the  first  double  sheet  making  its  ap- 
pearance on  the  1 5th  of  March,  1838.  It  then  gave  the  evidence 
in  the  famous  Phoenix  Bank  case  exclusively,  which  finally  forced 
the  other  papers  into  the  same  line  of  enterprise.  It  printed  daily 
slips  of  news,  which  were  gratuitously  sent  by  Amos  Kendall's  ex- 
press mail  to  the  newspapers  in  the  interior  one  mail  in  advance  of 
their  regular  transmission  in  the  regular  issue  of  the  Herald.  These 
slips  were  equal  in  value  to  the  telegraphic  news  dispatches  of  the 
present  day,  and  all  the  papers  of  the  country  which  exchanged  with 
the  Herald  were  thus  daily  placed  in  the  earliest  possession  of  news. 
Hundreds  of  instances  of  the  advantageous  effect  of  this  enterprise 
were  to  be  seen  in  the  Press  all  over  the  land. 

It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Bennett  was  better  acquainted  with  the 
public  and  private  movements  affecting  the  great  contest  between 
General  Jackson  and  the  United  States  Bank  than  any  other  editor 
in  the  country.  He  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  New  York  Cotmer 
and  Enquirer  at  the  beginning  of  that  memorable  conflict,  and  left 
that  paper  when  General  Webb  abandoned  the  Democratic  Party 
on  the  Bank  Question.  He  was  then  editor  of  the  Pennsylvanian 
during  the  exciting  scenes  preceding  the  removal  of  the  deposits  in 
the  fall  of  1833,  and  was  in  constant  correspondence  with  Secreta- 
ries Ingham,  M'Lane,  and  Duane,  and  Amos  Kendall,  whose  special 
duty  it  was  to  "  sound  the  State  Banks"  on  the  subject,  and  in  social 
relations  with  Nicholas  Biddle,  the  president  of  the  mother  bank.. 
The  events  of  that  important  period,  so  full  of  excitement  and  im- 
aginary peril  to  the  nation,  have  passed  into  history,  and  most  of 
the  leading  actors  engaged  in  the  struggle  have  passed  to  that 
bourne  where  politics  have  ceased  to  trouble  them.  It  was  an  era 
in  which  the  participants  and  eye-witnesses  now  living  will  never 
forget.  Here  is  one  of  Amos  Kendall's  letters  to  Mr.  Bennett  on 
the  removal  of  the  deposits.  It  shows  the  character  of  the  writer, 
and  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  performed  his  part  of  the 
work : 

AMOS  KENDALL  TO  JAMES  GORDON   BENNETT. 

BALTIMORE,  sist  July,  1833. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  felt  a  strong  inclination  to  drop  you  a  line  when  you  announced 
that  the  deposits  would  not  be  removed,  and  I  can  give  no  good  reason,  perhaps, 
why  I  did  not  follow  its  bent.  I  was  sorry  to  see  the  article,  although  I  have  no 
doubt  you  have  the  information  in  a  shape  much  more  authentic  than  the  usual 
on  dits  of  the  day.  I  do  not  wish  to  know  through  what  channel  it  comes,  because 
it  might  make  me  think  less  of  some  one  of  my  fellow-men  than  I  now  do ;  but 
he  who  originated  it  knew  that  the  President  had  come  to  no  such  decision.  If 
there  are  men  who  expect  to  take  the  government  out  of  the  President's  hands, 
and,  in  confidence  of  their  power  to  do  so,  caused  this  communication  to  be  made, 
they  may  find  themselves  mistaken,  as  many  a  wise  man  has  been  before.  It 
would  have  been  at  least  prudent  to  have  examined  a  little  more  carefully  the 
foundation  of  their  own  power  before  they  caused  their  desires  to  be  announced. 
Andrew  Jackson,  and  nobody  else,  is  President  of  the  United  States,  and,  whatev- 


448  Journalism  in  America. 

er  others  may  say,  the  course  of  his  administration  can  not  be  fixed  on  so  impor- 
tant a  point  contrary  to  his  opinions,  wishes,  and  will. 

Do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  do  not  blame  you.  What  mysterious  channel 
of  communication  exists  between  the  Treasury  and  the  Bank,  I  know  not ;  but 
sure  it  is  that  the  directors  of  the  U.  S.  Bank  know  what  is  passing  in  that  de- 
partment better  than  the  President  does.  Do  not  think  I  suspect  the  secretary. 
Though  very  wrong  in  some  of  his  opinions,  and  I  fear  too  timid  for  the  times,  I 
believe  him  to  be  an  honest  and  honorable  man — too  honest  to  guard  with  suffi- 
cient caution  against  some  who  have  sought  to  draw  forth  his  opinions  for  sinis- 
ter purposes. 

They  talk  of  a  Kitchen  Cabinet,  etc.  There  are  a  few  of  us  who  have  always 
agreed  with  the  President  in  relation  to  the  Bank  and  other  essential  points  of 
policy,  and  therefore  they  charge  us  with  having  an  influence  over  him  !  Fools  ! ! 
They  can  not  beat  the  President  out  of  his  long-cherished  opinions,  and  his  firm- 
ness they  charge  to  our  influence  !  How  complimentary  to  the  President !  If 
they  could  do  what  they  say  we  prevent,  the  President  would,  in  truth,  be  what  he 
is  falsely  represented  to  be — a  man  without  independent  opinion  or  action. 

But  he  is  always  Andrew  Jackson.  So  highly  do  I  think  of  his  capacity,  pa- 
triotism, and  virtue,  that  I  value  myself  more  highly  since  finding  that  my  views 
on  so  many  subjects  correspond  with  his.  Yes,  and  I  will  risk  all  of  fortune,  of 
hope,  even  life  itself,  in  aiding  him  to  carry  his  great  designs  into  effect.  Who 
would  not  be  proud  to  aid  a  man  so  bold,  so  good,  so  devoted  to  liberty  and  his 
country  ? 

But  I  am  turning  enthusiast. 

I  came  here  on  Sunday  evening,  and  have  been  cautiously  sounding  the  State 
Banks.  The  prospect  is  that  I  shall  accomplish  more  than  I  expected.  There 
will  be  no  difficulty  in  making  arrangements  here,  unless  it  be  in  choosing  be- 
tween several  sound  institutions. 

Probably  I  shall  not  leave  here  until  Saturday.     Your  city  will  be  for  me  the 
most  difficult  point.     I  shall  want  your  most  prudent  counsels  when  I  get  there. 
With  high  respect,  your  friend,  AMOS  KENDALL. 

J.  G.  BENNETT,  Esq. 

No  two  men  were  more  abused  and  vilified,  during  this  stupendous 
politico-financial  contest,  than  Andrew  Jackson  and  Nicholas  Bid- 
die.  No  political  campaign  was  ever  more  violently  and  ruthlessly 
fought  in  this  country  than  the  one  on  the  rechartering  of  the  United 
States  Bank.  The  Whig  Press  were  unstinted  in  their  attacks  on 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Democratic  Press  were 
for  the  utter  annihilation  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  Bank. 
They  bore  these  assaults  with  wonderful  equanimity.  There  is  an 
interesting  anecdote  of  the  temper  of  Jackson  while  under  this  ter- 
rible fire  from  the  Whig  Press.  It  was  related  in  the  Pennsylva- 
nian  : 

A  revolution  in  Poland  occurred  about  the  time  that  Jackson  was  waging  a  war 
with  the  United  States  Bank  in  this  country.  The  Emperor  Nicholas  treated  the 
unfortunate  Poles  with  extraordinary  severity,  and  was  terribly  and  justly  scored 
for  it  by  the  Press  of  this  country.  About  the  same  time  the  Whig  Press  was 
heaping  all  sorts  of  abuse  upon  General  Jackson  for  opposing  the  recharter  of 
the  United  States  Bank. 

The  Russian  minister,  then  at  Washington,  was  greatly  annoyed  by  the  abuse 
of  his  emperor  and  master.  He  determined  to  appeal  to  the  government  to  have 
the  evil  remedied,  and  collected  from  the  miscellaneous  press  a  numerous  array 
of  articles  bearing  down  very  strongly  on  Nicholas,  showed  them  to  the  Secretary 
of  State,  and  demanded  that  this  abuse  should  cease,  or  he  would  hold  the  gov- 
ernment responsible,  and  the  peaceful  relations  of  the  two  nations  would  be  inter- 
rupted. The  Secretary  of  State  in  vain  attempted  to  explain  to  him  the  freedom 
of  the  Press,  and  that  the  American  government  had  no  more  power  over  it  upon 


Nicholas  Biddle  to  James  Gordon  Bennett.    449 

such  subjects  than  Nicholas  himself.     The  Russian  minister  regarded  this  as  a 
mere  subterfuge,  and  grew  very  angry. 

He  finally  concluded  to  appeal  to  General  Jackson  himself  upon  the  subject, 
and,  producing  his  collection  of  newspaper  denunciations,  laid  his  grievances  be- 
fore the  old  hero.  General  Jackson  heard  him  patiently,  and  after  he  was  through, 
pleasantly  complimented  him  on  his  industry  in  searching  the  papers  ;  but,  said 
he,  "  Look  over  them  again,  and  if  you  do  not  find  that  I  am  called  tyrant,  rascal, 
fool,  and  all  sorts  of  foul  names,  ten  times  for  every  mention  of  Nicholas's  name, 
I  will  have  the  thing  stopped  at  once."  This  sort  of  reasoning  threw  a  new  flood 
of  light  upon  the  mind  of  the  Russian  minister.  He  then  comprehended  what 
the  freedom  of  the  Press  meant  in  this  country,  and  really  perceived  that  Jackson 
could  not  be  expected  to  stop  the  Press  from  abusing  Nicholas,  when  it  was  every 
day  boldly  assailing  him.  He  accordingly  dropped  the  subject. 

There  was  this  difference  in  this  Bank  War  in  the  position  of  the 
two  presidents.  Jackson  took  the  responsibility  of  his  acts,  and  in 
history  they  speak  for  themselves.  Biddle,  without  the  gigantic 
political  power  of  his  great  antagonist,  was  obliged  to  assume  the 
responsibility  of  not  only  his  own  acts,  but  those  of  his  board  of  di- 
rectors, whether  right  or  wrong.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  has 
been  misjudged  and  misrepresented  in  consequence  of  the  peculiar 
position  in  which  he  was  placed,  regardless  of  his  own  mature  finan- 
cial and  commercial  views.  Of  course  he  was  a  Whig  in  principle 
and  a  decided  Bank  man  ;  but  the  enormous  speculations  in  cotton, 
and  the  fearful  expansions  and  contractions  of  credits  were  not  his 
act  alone,  but,  as  the  head  of  the  United  States  Bank,  controlled  by 
directors,  as  well  as  by  a  president,  he  had  to  bear  all  the  discredit, 
as  well  as  all  the  honor  that  the  people  chose  to  mete  out  to  him  in 
those  days  of  political  phrensy  and  excitement.  All  the  Biddies 
were  highly  honorable  men  ;  Jackson,  in  the  height  of  the  war,  pub- 
licly and  frankly  admitted  this ;  and  nothing  more  clearly  indicates 
the  feelings  of  Nicholas  Biddle,  in  his  position  as  chief  of  the  great 
institution  which  Jackson  crushed  as  a"  national  bank,  than  the  fol- 
lowing note,  which  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Bennett  in  1839,  after  the  excit- 
ing financial  conflict  had  ceased  : 

NICHOLAS  BIDDLE  TO  JAMES  GORDON   BENNETT. 

PHILADELPHIA,  March  29,  1839. 

DEAR  SIR, — You  have  often  expressed  an  interest  in  my  proceedings,  and  I 
therefore  inclose  a  copy  of  some  correspondence  in  the  Bank.  Being  anxious 
that  the  measure  may  be  understood  on  both  sides  of  the  water,  I  could  wish  you 
to  treat  it  as  a  matter  entirely  personal — as  the  ordinary  case  of  a  servant  worn 
out  who  wishes  to  retire.  Such,  I  assure  you,  is  the  fact.  My  health  is  begin- 
ning to  break  under  the  severe  work  to  which  I  am  condemned,  and  I  wish  ex- 
ercise and  quiet ;  for  the  salary  of  $8000  a  year  is  really  no  compensation  for  the 
labor.  If,  therefore,  you  thought  well  of  it,  I  could  wish  that  you  would  present 
that  view  of  the  subject.  To  mention  the  fact,  express,  if  you  feel,  regret  on  pub- 
lic grounds,  but  that,  after  such  severe  labor,  you  are  not  surprised  at  my  retiring. 
This  will  prevent  the  exaggeration  and  the  misconstruction  to  which  every  thing 
connected  with  the  Bank  is  exposed. 

And  now,  if  I  get  fair  possession  of  my  leisure,  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  at  your 
next  visit,  and  in  the  mean  while  remain  very  truly  yours,  N.  BIDDLE. 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  Esq.,  New  York. 

N.B. — I  can  not  procure  the  copy  of  the  letters  in  time,  but  you  will  see  them 

FF 


450  Journalism  in  America. 

in  our  papers.    They  are  merely  my  letter  asking  for  repose  after  20  years'  serv- 
ice, now  that  the  wars  were  over,  and  the  kind  answer  of  the  directors. 

The  follies  of  the  times  were  illustrated  in  the  Herald  in  1838. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  pictorial  papers.  A  map  of  the  burnt 
district  and  a  view  of  the  old  Merchants'  Exchange  were  given  in 
1835.  The  scenes  at  the  polls  and  in  Wall  Street  were  graphically 
pictured  in  1838.  These,  with  war  maps  of  Canada,  were  the  ear- 
liest illustrations.  Wood  engraving  was  then  in  a  very  imperfect 
state  in  New  York.  There  were  very  few  engravers.  Its  contem- 
poraries ridiculed  these  efforts  of  the  Herald.  The  famous  Boz  Ball, 
at  the  Park  Theatre,  was  described  with  twelve  excellent  illustra- 
tions. On  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  General  Jackson  in  New  York 
in  June,  1845,  that  paper  gave  a  pictorial  view  of  the  procession,  oc- 
cupying one  page.  It  was  admirably  done,  considering  the  state  of 
the  art  of  wood  engraving,  but  the  Albany  Evening  Journal,  and 
others,  endeavored  to  demolish  this  enterprise  of  the  Herald  by  the 
statement  that  this  picture  had  already  done  duty  at  Victoria's  cor- 
onation, General  Harrison's  funeral,  and  the  Croton  Water  Celebra- 
tion !  The  engraver  came  to  the  rescue  with  the  following  note  on 
the  subject: 

NEW  YORK,  June  28,  1845. 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  ESQ.,  Editor  of  the  Herald : 

SIR, — I  perceive  that  several  of  the  city  papers,  and  some  out  of  it,  from  mo- 
tives best  understood  by  their  editors,  have  indulged  in  some  unjust  remarks  re- 
specting the  wood-cuts  which  appeared  in  your  columns  illustrating  the  funeral  of 
General  Jackson.  As  the  engraver  who  executed  them,  I  consider  it  due  to  you 
as  well  as  myself  to  say  fully  and  explicitly  that  they  never  appeared  before  in  any 
newspaper,  magazine,  or  book  published  in  this  country  or  any  other,  but  that  they 
were  executed  at  my  place  of  business,  in  Nassau  Street,  nor  were  they  ever  out 
of  my  possession  until  they  appeared  in  the  Herald.  One  editor,  in  his  knowl- 
edge, has  even  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  they  originally  appeared  in  the  London 
Illustrated  News  at  the  time  of  the  coronation  of  Queen  Victoria,  seven  or  eight 
years  ago,  when  any  one  that  knows  any  thing  at  all  of  the  progress  of  wood  en- 
graving is  aware  that  that  pictorial  has  been  published  but  about  three  years !  I 
reiterate,  the  Herald  is  the  only  paper  the  cuts  ever  appeared  in,  nor  were  they 
completely  finished  until  after  the  funeral  procession  had  taken  place.  One  edi- 
tor having  remarked  that  they  were  the  work  of  no  "  native"  rather  sneeringly, 
allow  me  to  say  that  I  was  born  in  this  city,  where  I  hope  to  remain,  and  execute, 
with  satisfaction,  all  orders  the  public  may  place  in  my  hands. 

Your  most  obedient  servant,  THOMAS  W.  STRONG, 

Publisher  and  Wood  Engraver. 

When  the  little  steamer  Sirius  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  anchored 
off  the  Battery,  in  New  York  Harbor,  early  oh  the  beautiful  morning 
of  April  23d,  1838,  followed  a  few  hours  after  by  the  Great  West- 
ern, not  only  New  York,  but  the  whole  country,  was  thrown  into  a 
delirium  of  excitement.  All  the  newspapers  partook  of  the  popular 
sensation.  It  was  only  equaled  by  the  laying  of  the  Atlantic  Cable 
in  1866.  The  Neu>  York  Herald  was  buoyant  on  the  topic.  Its 
editor  immediately  seized  the  opportunity  to  enlarge  his  enterprise. 
On  the  ist  of  May  he  left  New  York,  on  the  return  trip  of  the  Sir- 


News  Arrangements  in  Eiirope.  451 

ius,  to  make  extensive  arrangements  for  correspondence  from  the 
news  centres  of  Europe.  Very  few  letters  had  previously  appeared 
in  any  of  the  American  papers  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
Robert  Walsh,  of  the  National  Gazette,  and  Nathaniel  Carter,  of  the 
Statesman,  had  been  correspondents.  Nathaniel  P.  Willis,  the  poet, 
had  written  to  the  New  York  Mirror ;  James  Brooks,  now  of  the  Ex- 
press, sent  his  notes  afoot  to  \h&  Portland  Advertiser.  O.  P.  Q.  had 
become  well-known  by  his  letters  to  the  New  York  Daily  Advertiser. 
R.  Shelton  M'Kenzie,  now  of  the  Philadelphia  Press,  had  sent  some 
pleasant  gossipy  correspondence  to  Noah's  Evening  Star.  But  there 
had  been  no  organized  European  correspondence,  such  as  the  lead- 
ing Press — the  New  York  Times,  Tribune,  Herald,  and  World — now  re- 
ceives at  an  enormous  annual  expense.  Europe  was  not  then  known 
in  detail.  Mr.  Bennett,  as  we  have  stated,  was  a  passenger  on  the 
Sirius  on  her  first  return  trip  in  May,  1838,  to  initiate  this  enterprise, 
and  thus,  with  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  successful  steam  navi- 
gation on  the  Atlantic  by  the  arrival  of  this  pioneer  ocean  steamer, 
this  important  department  of  a  newspaper  was  to  be  perfected. 
Now,  Europe  and  European  politics  are  much  better  known  in  the 
offices  of  the  New  York  Herald,  Philadelphia  Press,  Chicago  Tribune, 
Boston  Traveller,  and  New  Orleans  Picayune,  than  American  affairs 
are  in  that  of  the  London  Times,  or  the  Journal  des  Debats  of  Paris, 
or  the  Independance  Beige  of  Brussels.  With  the  increase  of  steam- 
ship lines  the  European  arrangements  of  the  Herald  were  improved 
and  enlarged,  the  celebrated  Dionysius  Lardner  at  one  time  having 
charge  of  the  bureau  in  Paris. 

The  Atlantic  steamers,  the  Sirius,  Great  Western,  Royal  William, 
Liverpool,  and  British  Queen,  gave  the  New  York  papers  opportu- 
nities to  exhibit  their  enterprise  in  their  own  harbor.  News  schoon- 
ers were  of  little  use  with  steam-ships.  They  became  obsolete. 
Swift  row-boats  and  light  sail-boats  were  the  best.  These  little 
skimmers  of  the  sea  could  meet  the  steamers  below  Quarantine, 
and  while  the  inspection  of  the  Health  Officer  was  going  on,  these 
would  run  to  the  city  and  have  the  news  issued  in  extras  before  a 
passenger  landed.  Scenes  of  great  excitement  would  occur  on  these 
occasions.  No  Oxford,  or  Cambridge,  or  Harvard,  or  Gale  regatta 
excelled  the  contests  of  the  ship-news  collectors  of  New  York.  One 
of  the  scenes  is  thus  described  in  the  Herald  of  May  i8th,  1840  : 

The  way  in  which  we  walk  into  the  whole  combined  Press  of  New  York,  in 
newspaper  enterprise  and  energy,  is,  as  they  say  in  the  West,  "a  caution."  We 
will  here  describe  our  last  effort — that  on  the  arrival  of  the  British  Queen,  as  per- 
formed by  our  beautiful  boat,  the  Fanny  Ellsler,  on  Saturday  morning. 

On  Friday  night  last,  at  12,  Commodore  Martin,  our  high  admiral,  was  quietly 
asleep  on  a  delicious  hard  board,  in  the  log  cabin  or  boat-house  of  Dr.  Doane,  at 
the  Quarantine  Ground,  Staten  Island.  On  each  side  of  him  were  his  men,  also 
in  the  same  state  of  tranquillity.  At  the  wharf,  under  the  window,  lay  our  beau- 


452  Journalism  in  America. 

tiful  new  boat,  called  the  Fanny  Ellsler — cool  and  quiet,  yet  trembling  on  the  top 
of  the  moonlit  waves  like  a  bird  ready  to  shoot  into  the  eternal  blue  of  the  heav- 
ens at  a  moment. 

They  were  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  British  Queen,  momentarily  expected. 

On  a  sudden,  at  half  past  12,  the  voice  of  a  big  gun  was  heard  booming  up  the 
harbor  like  the  voice  of  distant  thunder.  The  cry  was  raised  outside  the  log 
cabin,  "  The  Queen  is  coming,"  "  the  Queen  is  coming."  Martin — half  asleep, 
half  dreaming — was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant ;  rubbing  his  eyes  and  clapping  his 
hat  on  his  head,  he  looked  down  the  harbor  towards  the  Narrows.  A  big  bright 
blue  light  went  up  to  heaven  and  almost  dazzled  the  brilliant  moon.  "  Rouse, 
boys,  rouse  !  the  Queen  is  coming  ;  there's  her  blue  light." 

In  another  moment,  Martin,  with  his  two  men,  were  in  the  Fanny  Ellsler — sail 
set,  oars  splashing,  and  dashing  over  the  bright  wave  down  to  the  Narrows.  The 
moonlight  was  most  brilliant,  and  the  shores  of  Staten  and  Long  Islands  were  al- 
most as  bright  as  day.  As  the  lovely  Fanny  skimmed  like  a  swan  over  the  sil- 
very wave,  another  boat,  clumsy  and  heavy,  like  a  tub,  came  sneaking  and  swear- 
ing after  her.  It  was  the  news-boat  of  the  Wall-Street  Press,  called  the  "  Dot- 
and-go-one." 

The  beautiful  Fanny  kept  her  watery  way,  and  in  ten  minutes  time  was,  as  a 
certain  prince  now  is,  under  the  lee  of  the  magnificent  British  Queen. 

"  Steam-ship  ahoy  !"  cried  Martin. 

"Ay,  ay,"  responded  the  gallant  Captain  Roberts. 

"The  Fanny  Ellsler,"  roared  Martin. 

"  The  what  ?" 

"  The  Herald,"  responded  Martin. 

"  Oh — stop  her,"  cried  Captain  Roberts  to  his  engineer — "  throw  him  a  line." 

Martin  clinched  the  line,  and  in  an  instant  was  on  the  deck  of  the  Queen. 

"Martin,  is  that  you?"  said  Captain  Roberts.  "  How  in  the  devil  do  you  al- 
ways beat  ?" 

"  By  working  harder  than  my  competitors — the  way  you  beat,  captain — where's 
your  private  bag  ?" 

"  Here  are  your  papers,"  replied  the  captain. 

By  this  time  the  news-boat  of  the  Wall-Street  Press,  "  Dot-and-go-one,"  came 
alongside,  after  a  great  deal  of  puffing  and  blowing.  In  a  few  minutes  the  steam- 
er was  at  the  Quarantine  Ground.  Here  she  stopped  for  the  physician.  Martin, 
with  the  private  bag  for  the  consignees,  jumped  aboard  the  Fanny  Ellsler,  and 
started  for  the  city,  "  Dot-and-go-one"  having  started  a  little  ahead ;  but  it  was 
no  go. 

"  Rouse  up,  Fanny,"  cried  Martin,  coaxing  his  boat  —  "  courage,  Fanny  —  stir 
up,  my  angel  of  a  skiff!" 

In  a  few  minutes  Fanny,  skimming  over  the  bright  blue  waters,  and  seeming 
to  feel  the  words  of  her  commander,  passed  "Dot-and-go-one"  almost  without  an 
effort,  and  with  a  sort  of  gentle  smile  on  the  figure-head  which  adorns  her  prow. 

Martin  whistled  and  gayly  cheered  his  lovely  skiff — "  Skim  along,  Fanny — skim 
along,  my  lovely  angel !  Don't  you  see  the  big  bright  moon  and  the  seven  stars 
looking  down  upon  you,  and  betting  a  thousand  acres  of  the  blue  heaven  that  you 
will  beat  ?  Skim  along,  Fanny — skim  along,  love  !" 

Fanny  did  skim  along.  She  shot  past  the  Wall  Street  tub,  and  reached  White- 
hall at  half  past  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning.  ' 

Martin  jumped  ashore,  rushed  up  Broadway,  down  to  21  Ann  Street,  and  found 
the  lights  burning  brightly  at  the  Herald  office.  In  five  minutes  all  the  editors, 
writers,  printers,  pressmen  were  in  motion.  The  immense  daily  edition  of  the 
Herald  was  about  one  fourth  worked  off  when  the  news  arrived.  The  press  was 
stopped— the  announcement  made  :  this  was  the  second  edition.  In  two  hours 
it  was  stopped  again,  and  three  columns  of  news  put  in  and  sent  by  the  various 
mails :  this  was  the  third  edition.  In  another  two  hours  six  columns  were  put 
in  :  this  was  the  fourth  edition — also  sent  by  the  mails.  By  this  means  we  sent 
the  news  all  over  the  country — New  England,  Canada,  the  South  and  West,  one 
day  in  advance  of  every  other  paper  in  New  York. 

This  is  the  way  in  which  we  are  producing  a  revolution  in  the  New  York  Press. 
The  Fanny  Ellsler  is  a  beauty  of  a  skiff.  If  you  want  to  see  her,  go  to  Whitehall 
at  sunrise  any  morning,  or  to  the  Park  this  evening. 


The  Anniversary  Reports  of  the  Herald.      453 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1839  that  the  Herald  undertook  to  report 
the  proceedings  of  the  religious  anniversary  meetings  annually  held 
in  New  York  City.  These  large  religious  societies  had  met  in  that 
city  for  years,  but  their  doings,  so  far  as  the  public  were  concerned, 
were  only  to  be  found  in  their  annual  reports,  printed  by  the  socie- 
ties, of  limited  circulation,  and  which  gave  the  public  only  the  finan- 
cial exhibit  of  each.  Editorial  articles  in  the  few  religious  newspa- 
pers of  the  day,  and  a  brief  paragraph  or  two  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  most  prominent  of  the  societies,  appeared  in  the  secular  jour- 
nals. Nothing  of  the  audiences,  nothing  of  the  spirit  of  these  meet- 
ings, could  be  found  any  where.  Millions  of  dollars  had  been  con- 
tributed and  expended,  and  only  a  few  knew  what  good  the  money 
had  accomplished.  Opening  the  columns  of  a  widely-circulated 
daily  paper  to  this  new  matter  for  public  perusal  and  public  thought 
was  a  novel  and  useful  enterprise.  But,  strangely  enough,  it  excited 
the  jealousy  of  the  clergy,  the  religious  Press,  and  the  opposition  of 
the  old  class  of  inactive  journals.  The  Herald 'was  denounced  from 
rostrum,  pulpit,  and  editorial  chair.  All  tended  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  great  purpose  in  view.  Year  after  year  the  proceed- 
ings of  these  religious  meetings  were  fully  and  faithfully  reported. 
They  aided  so  materially  in  attracting  crowds  to  the  meetings,  and 
in  increasing  the  contributions,  that  they  in  a  few  years  became 
wonderfully  popular,  and  all  the  newspapers  entered  the  lists  in 
competition,  and  instead  of  the  proceedings  being  known  by  only 
those  who  could  get  into  the  buildings  where  the  meetings  were 
held,  they  were  spread  before  hundreds  of  thousands  scattered 
throughout  the  country.  In  this  coup  de  journal  the  editor  of  the 
Herald  was  frightfully  abused  by  men  and  women,  who  afterwards 
bitterly  complained  if  reporters  were  not  sent  to  the  meetings  of  the 
societies  to  which  they  belonged.  So  goes  the  world.  The  revo- 
lution thus  effected  in  the  Press  is  probably  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable in  its  history,  and  Mr.  Bennett,  no  doubt,  in  the  enjoyment 
of  his  otium  cum  dignitate,  often  thought  of  the  great  contests  he  had 
had  with  the  clergy  and  the  lay  members  of  the  mammoth  religious 
societies,  and  laughed  over  the  many  amusing  and  edifying  scenes 
of  Anniversary  Week  in  New  York  ;  and  the  fact  that  he  finally  saw 
the  success  and  popularity  of  his  plan  of  reporting  these  peculiar 
meetings  must  have  been  one  of  the  gratifications  of  his  professional 
career. 

Spreading  the  leading  sermons,  preached  on  Sunday  to  a  few 
hundreds  in  the  churches,  before  a  large  audience  of  thousands, 
was  a  part  of  the  plan.  This  idea  was  carried  into  effect  in  1844, 
but  the  reports  did  not  appear  till  Tuesday.  Now  the  Herald  of 
each  Monday  devotes  one  and  two  pages  to  the  important  sermons 


454  Journalism  in  America. 


preached  on  the  previous  day,  not  only  in  New  York,  but  in  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  Washington,  Cincinnati,  and  even  in  Dublin  and  in 
London !  Thus  Archbishop  M'Closky,  or  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  or 
Mr.  Spurgeon  preaches  a  sermon  to  one  or  two  thousand  people. 
The  next  morning  these  preachers  appear  before  another  audience 
of  half  a  million — not  of  Catholics  or  Congregationalists  alone,  but 
to  an  audience  of  Jew  and  Gentile,  Episcopalian  and  Unitarian, 
Universalist  and  Orthodox,  infidel  and  believer,  of  all  shades  of 
opinions — to  an  audience,  indeed,  that  would  crowd  all  the  cathedrals 
of  the  world  if  they  were  thrown  into  one  vast  edifice  or  amphithea- 
tre. The  New  York  Times  and  several  other  papers  have  adopted 
this  plan  of  giving  sermons,  and  the  cause  of  religion  gains  thereby. 
Such  men  as  Beecher  and  Hepworth  are  charmed  to  have  their  ser- 
mons thus  published.  They  are  delighted  to  have  their  ideas  thus 
spread  before  the  world.  One  day,  said  the  Congregationalist,  an 
orthodox  clergyman  was  asked  what  religious  newspaper  he  took. 
"  None,"  he  replied.  "  Then  how  do  you  keep  posted  on  Church 
matters  ?"  continued  his  friend.  "  By  reading  the  religious  intelli- 
gence in  the  Herald"  was  his  reply. 

The  Rev.  David  Mitchell,  in  a  recent  discourse  in  New  York, 
thus  spoke  of  the  Press  and  Pulpit : 

Several  newspapers,  but  more  prominently  than  any  other  the  New  York  Her- 
ald, treated  their  readers  on  Monday  mornings  to  synopses  of  many  of  the  ser- 
mons of  the  previous  day.  It  was  such  a  new  and  striking  feature  that  even  the 
Saturday  Review  had  an  editorial  on  it,  commending  the  practice  to  the  Press  of 
Great  Britain.  Some  time  ago  a  strong  point  was  made  by  one  Robertson,  in 
Glasgow,  who  had  been  charged  by  the  Session  for  breaking  the  Sabbath  in  that 
he  had  followed  his  usual  avocation  of  compositor  on  that  day.  Robertson  retali- 
ated that  some  of  the  clergy  sent  their  manuscript  of  sermons  on  Sunday  nights 
to  be  noticed  the  following  day.  In  this  highly  favored  city  of  New  York  the 
clergy  did  not  need  to  resort  to  such  practices.  Reporters  were  every  where 
photographing  our  preachers.  No  one  can  read  these  reports  without  feeling 
that  the  preacher's  occupation  is  not  gone.  It  is  an  acknowledgment  on  the  part 
of  the  Press  of  the  power  and  value  of  pulpit  instruction. 

But  here  and  there  a  clergyman  with  a  high  reputation  objects 
to  this  increase  in  the  size  of  his  audience.  There  are  contrasts  in 
all  phases  of  life.  One  of  the  reporters  of  the  Herald,  several  years 
ago,  visited  the  Calvary  Church,  on  the  Fourth  Avenue,  to  report  a 
sermon  of  Dr.  Hawks.  When  Dr.  H.  rose  he  saw  the  reporter,  with 
his  note-book  before  him,  ready  for  service.  He  stopped,  beckoned 
to  the  stenographer,  and  said  that  he  did  not  wish  his  sermon  re- 
ported ;  that  he  wrote  it  for  his  own  audience,  and  not  for  the  news- 
papers; and  if  the  reporter  attempted  to  take  notes,  he  should  refuse 
to  preach.  There  were  eight  hundred  persons  present.  The  Her- 
ald at  that  time  had  three  hundred  thousand  daily  readers ! 

That  hilarious,  noisy,  Hard-Cider  campaign,  resulting  in  the  over- 
throw of  the  Democracy  after  the  financial  revulsion  of  1837,  was 


The  Hard-Cider  Campaign  of  1840.          455 

carried  on  in  the  early  days  of  the  Cheap  Press,  and  was  the  first 
presidential  election  after  the  starting  of  the  Herald.  Then  its  edi- 
tor, in  assisting  Harrison  into  the  White  House  in  1840,  wrote  out 
popular  descriptions  of  Harrison's  military  operations,  and  especial- 
ly of  the  siege  of  Fort  Meigs,  which  produced  considerable  effect 
on  the  public  mind  in  that  bubbling,  uproarious  age  of  politics,  and 
swelled  the  vote  for  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler,  and  sent  Van  Buren  into 
retirement  at  Kinderhook,  which  was  probably  a  dividend  due  the 
latter  for  what  he  refused  to  do  for  the  editor  in  1832  and  '3. 


456  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
MORE  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  HERALD. 

THE  GREAT  MORAL  WAR. — TREMENDOUS  STRUGGLE  BETWEEN  THE  OLD  AND 
NEW  CLASS  OF  JOURNALS. — THE  CURIOUS  RESULT. — JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 
— ATTEMPTED  ASSASSINATION. — AN  INFERNAL  MACHINE. — NEW  MODE  OF 
ADVERTISING.  —  INTERESTING  INCIDENTS.  —  THE  MEXICAN  WAR. — OVER- 
LAND EXPRESSES. — LIBEL  SUITS. — THE  POLICY  OF  THE  HERALD. — OBITU- 
ARY NOTICES. — CURIOUS  INCIDENT  WITH  SIR  HENRY  BULWER. —  STYLE 
OF  EDITORIALS. — THE  GREAT  REBELLION. — THE  HERALD  WAR  CORRE- 
SPONDENTS.— NEWS  FROM  THE  SOUTH. — LETTER  FROM  SECRETARY  STAN- 
TON. — THE  FRENCH  MISSION. — WHAT  DID  PIERCE,  BUCHANAN,  AND  LIN- 
COLN DO? — JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT,  JR. — WONDERFUL  ENTERPRISE  IN 
EUROPE  AND  AFRICA. — THE  ANGLO-ABYSSINIAN  EXPEDITION. — THE  NEWS 
STEAM  YACHTS. — THE  HERALD  EXPLORING  EXPEDITIONS  IN  AFRICA. 

ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  newspaper  wars  broke  out 
in  May,  1840.  It  was  declared  by  the  Wall-Street  Press,  aided  by 
a  few  disappointed  small  papers  of  New  York,  and  several  of,  the 
leading  Whig  papers  in  Albany,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Balti- 
more, against  the  New  York  Herald.  Nearly  every  paper  in  the 
country,  Whig,  Democratic,  and  neutral,  became  engaged  on  one  side 
or  the  other  before  there  was  a  truce.  Several  novelists,  magazine 
writers,  lecturers,  and  newspapers  of  England  were  pressed  into  the 
service.  It  was  an  extraordinary  intellectual  combat.  Nothing  like 
it  has  ever  occurred  in  the  history  of  literature  or  journalism. 

Anterior  to  the  establishment  of  the  Herald  in  1835,  most  of  the 
papers  were  party  prints.  Their  policy  was  dictated  by  party.  They 
were  sustained  by  party,  or  crushed  by  party.  There  was  scarcely 
an  exception  till  the  Herald  appeared.  Its  editor  had  served  his 
time  on  party  papers.  He  had  gained  his  knowledge  of  politicians 
in  the  offices  of  political  newspapers.  The  Democratic  leaders  had 
endeavored  to  use  him  as  they  had  all  other  journalists.  He  had 
become  disgusted  with  the  manufacture  of  candidates  and  of  great 
men.  With  his  experience  he  determined  to  set  up  a  party  of  his 
own — the  people's  party — and  with  this  in  view  he  started  the  Her- 
ald. Very  curiously,  the  issue  and  success  of  this  independent  paper 
aroused  four  powerful  interests  against  its  editor :  the  politicians, 
the  clergy,  the  stock  brokers,  and  the  managers  of  the  old  newspa- 
pers. His  political  and  financial  articles  and  squibs  in  1835,  '6>  ar)d 
'7  led  to  a  skirmish  or  two  in  the  latter  year.  His  continued  bold- 
ness and  success  in  1838  and  '9  brought  on  the  general  war  of  1840. 


The  Alliance  against  the  Herald.  457 

It  was  organized  by  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  but  it  opened  with  a 
shot  from  the  Signal,  a  small  evening  paper  edited  by  Park  Benja- 
min, and  published  in  New  York. 

According  to  the  reports  current  at  the  time,  Park  Benjamin,  un- 
der the  inspiration  of  General  Webb,  arranged  the  preliminary  de- 
tails of  the  campaign.  After  the  Signal  gun  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer, the  Journal  of  Commerce,  the  Evening  Star,  the  American,  the 
Express,  the  Evening  Post,  and  the  Commercial  Advertiser  wheeled 
into  line,  and  discharged  broadsides  that  would  have  utterly  anni- 
hilated any  other  establishment.  The  war  lasted  several  months, 
and  in  that  time  the  attacks  were  vehement,  virulent,  violent,  vigor- 
ous, and  incessant.  Advertisers  were  first  coaxed,  and  then  threat- 
ened, to  induce  them  to  withdraw  their  patronage.  Hotel  proprie- 
tors were  called  upon  to  exclude  the  Herald,  and  all  connected  with 
it,  from  their  houses.  Subscribers  and  readers  were  denounced  as 
impious  and  immoral  if  they  read  the  paper.  No  stone  was  left 
unturned  to  crush  out  journal  and  editor.  Some  of  the  incidents 
connected  with  this  "  moral  war,"  as  it  was  called,  were  very  amus- 
ing and  very  instructive. 

"You  must  take  the  Herald  off  your  files,"  said  a  couple  of  mer- 
chants to  the  manager  of  Gilpin's  Exchange  Reading-room  in  New 
York. 

The  manager  looked  up  with  some  surprise. 

"  You  must,  or  we  will  withdraw  our  names,"  repeated  the  sub- 
scribers. 

Much  embarrassed  with  this  interference,  in  the  absence  of  Mr. 
Gilpin,  the  manager  felt  constrained  to  obey  these  potential  charac- 
ters, and  removed  the  Herald.  Shortly  after  a  gentleman  came  up, 
and,  missing  the  paper,  asked,  "Where's  the  Herald?"  Another  and 
another  appeared,  till  a  dozen  gathered  around  the  empty  file.  The 
manager  told  his  story  :  "Well,"  said  these  gentlemen,  "if  you  don't 
restore  the  Herald  at  once,  we  will  withdraw  our  names.  We  will 
not  be  dictated  to  by  Webb,  or  Noah,  or  any  other  man  or  set  cf 
men  what  we  shall  read." 

So  the  Herald  went  back  on  to  the  files  again. 

Mr.  Edward  K.  Collins,  the  enterprising  merchant  of  New  York, 
who  afterwards  established  the  famous  line  of  ocean  steamers  bear- 
ing his  name,  was  sitting  at  his  desk  in  South  Street  one  bright, 
beautiful  day  early  in  June,  in  1840,  when  three  well-known  politi- 
cian and  merchants  entered  his  office. 

"  We  have  called,  Mr.  Collins,"  said  this  self-constituted  commit- 
tee, "in  regard  to  your  advertisements  in  the  Herald.  You  are 
aware,  Mr.  Collins — " 

"Yes,  yes,"  replied  Mr.  Collins,  in  his  quick,  decided  tone,  "yes, 


45 8  Journalism  in  America. 

yes,  I  understand.  Charles,"  calling  to  a  clerk  in  another  room, 
"  how  many  advertisements  have  we  in  the  Herald  this  morning  ?" 

"  Three,  sir,"  answered  the  polite  Charles. 

"  Three — yes,  yes.  Well,  Charles,  put  in  three  more  to-morrow 
morning."  Then  turning  to  the  committee,  he  said,  "That  is  my 
answer,  gentlemen.  Good  morning." 

This  same  committee  called  upon  Mr.  John  I.  Boyd,  an  old  and 
much-respected  merchant,  a  quiet  gentleman  who  minded  his  own 
business  and  never  meddled  with  the  affairs  of  his  neighbors.  After 
explaining  to  Mr.  Boyd  the  bad  character  of  the  Herald,  a  paper 
which  he  had  read  from  its  first  number,  they  asked  him  to  withdraw 
his  advertisements.  Mr.  Boyd  patiently  heard  them  through,  and 
said,  "Gentlemen,  when  I  find  I  can  not  attend  to  my  own  business, 
I  will  send  for  you  to  aid  me."  They  left. 

Such  efforts  as  these  were  made  every  where,  and  in  every  nook 
and  corner.  The  managers  of  theatres  were  threatened  with  the 
vengeance  of  the  other  papers  if  they  advertised  in  the  Herald. 
These  were  Simpson,  of  the  Park  Theatre,  Niblo,  of  Niblo's  Garden, 
Mitchell,  of  the  Olympic,  Thorne,  of  the  Chatham,  Dinneford,  of  the 
Franklin,  Hamblin,  of  the  Bowery,  and  one  or  two  others.  Of  all 
these  Hamblin  was  the  only  one  to  withdraw,  and  partly  from  old 
grievances  of  his  own.  Some  of  the  incidents  which  occurred  with 
these  managers  in  this  affair  were  very  droll  and  funny.  One  will 
suffice.  The  New  York  Corsair  of  July  2d,  1840,  related  the  par- 
ticulars of  this  one  so  neatly  that  we  are  induced  to  give  it  in  full  : 

MR.  SNOWDEN,  PRINTER  OF  THE  COURIER,  VS.  MR.  THORNE,  MANAGER  OF  THE 

CHATHAM. 

The  following  ludicrous  story  is  going  the  rounds  of  the  city,  and  creating  con- 
siderable laughter  at  the  expense  of  Mr.  Snowden,  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer. 
We  do  not  vouch  for  its  truth,  but  if  true,  Mr.  Snowden  has  no  fair  reason  to  ob- 
ject to  people's  merriment ;  and  if  not,  he  owes  it  to  himself  to  come  out  with  a 
public  contradiction.  Mr.  Snowden,  through  his  connection  with  the  Courier,  has 
monopolized  the  printing  of  the  whole,  or  nearly  the  whole,  of  the  large  theatrical 
show-bills,  which,  it  is  said — we  trust  without  foundation — that  he  levies  as  a  sort 
of  black  mail  by  refusing  to  notice  any  theatrical  establishment  in  the  city  where- 
of the  managers  had  not  given  him  all  the  printing.  However  this  may  be,  a  few 
days  since  Mr. Thorne,  of  the  Chatham  Theatre,  went  into  Wall  street  to  trans- 
act some  business  with  Mr.  Snowden,  when  the  latter  asked  him  if  he  had  given 
up  advertising  in  the  Herald.  "  I  have  not,"  replied  Mr.T.  "  Then,"  said  Mr. 
Snowden,  "  you  must  do  so  at  once."  "  Must  do  so !  By  what  compulsion  must 
I  ?"  inquired  the  manager.  "  By  my  compulsion,  and  that  of  the  public  Press," 
answered  Mr.  Snowden ;  "  for,  if  you  don't  withdraw  your  advertisement  from  the 
Herald,  the  Courier  won't  notice  the  Chatham,  and  I  won't  print  your  show-bills  !" 
"  Well,"  said  Mr.Thorne,  "  I  presume  you  will  give  me  a  day  of  grace  to  consid- 
er." "  Why,  I  don't  mind,"  answered  Mr.  Snowden.  So  the  manager  made  him 
a  polite  bow  and  vanished. 

Mr.Thorne  might  then  be  seen  wending  his  way  along  Wall  Street  in  what  an 
immoral  sixpenny  paper  might  call  "  a  devil  of  a  pucker"— or  else  in  a  devil  of  a 
passion.  His  hands  and  arms  were  thrust  almost  up  to  the  elbows  in  his  breeches 
pockets  ;  his  hat  was  jammed  over  his  eyes,  and  he  kicked  the  paving-stones  be- 
fore him  in  such  a  fashion  that  it  was  very  evident  he  was  meditating  the  pleasure 
he  would  derive  from  kicking  something  else,  which  would  have  a  less  awful  ef- 


The  Progress  of  the  War.  459 

feet  on  his  corns.  Nor  is  his  paroxysm  to  be  wondered  at,  for  his  republican 
spirit  rebelled  at  the  idea  of  being  dictated  to.  At  the  same  time,  he  knew  he 
could  not  do  without  the  show-bills,  and  labored  under  the  impression  that  Snow- 
den  was  the  only  man  in  the  city  who  could  print  them.  Suddenly,  however,  and 
just  as  he  was  in  .a  fair  way  for  exploding  with  internal  combustion,  he  remem- 
bered having  heard  of  Applegate's  Mammoth  Printing-press  in  Ann  Street.  So 
away  he  posted,  and  asked  Mr.  A.  if  he  could  print  bills  of  such  and  such  size. 
"Certainly,  sir,  and  four  times  the  size,  if  necessary,"  replied  that  individual.  "My 
dear  boy,"  returned  Thorne,  heaving  a  long,  long  sigh,  "you  were  born  to  be  my 
deliverer."  And  then,  having  ascertained  that  his  "deliverer"  could  do  any  sort 
of  printing  under  the  sun,  and  at  prices  that  no  one  could  grumble  at,  he  made  an 
arrangement  with  him  for  the  printing  of  the  Chatham  bills  from  that  day  forward, 
through  all  time,  and  went  his  way  rejoicing. 

The  next  day  Mr.Thorne  went  down  to  Mr.  Stiowden's.  "  Well,  Mr.T.,"  said 
Mr.  S.,  looking  pretty  big,  as  he  mostly  does,  "  have  you  made  up  your  mind  about 
that  little  matter  ?"  "  I  have,"  said  Mr.T.  "And  I  suppose  you  intend  to  with- 
draw your  advertisement  from  the  Herald?"  "  No,  I'm  hanged  if  I  do."  "  Then 
I  won't  do  your  printing  for  you."  "  Can't  be  helped — I  must  go  elsewhere." 
This  going  elsewhere,  however,  was  just  the  thing  of  all  others  that  Mr.  Snowden 
didn't  want,  for  he  profited  about  thirty  dollars  a  week  by  the  job ;  so,  after  frown- 
ing a  little,  and  fidgeting  a  great  deal,  and  biting  his  upper  lip,  and  looking  as  if 
he  was  wishing  himself  in  the  moon,  he  endeavored  to  calm  down  his  agitated 
countenance  into  an  air  of  excessive  patronage,  and  said,  "  Well,  had  it  been  any 
one  else,  he  should  never  have  another  type  stuck  for  him  in  my  office  ;  but  seeing 
that  it's  you  that's  in  it,  Mr.Thorne,  I'll  go  on  with  the  printing."  "  You  must 
not  do  any  such  outrage  to  your  feelings  on  my  account,"  returned  Thorne,  "  es- 
pecially as  I  have  already  made  an  arrangement  with  Applegate  !"  And,  having 
thus  delivered  himself,  he  made  himself  scarce,  for  he  didn't  chance  to  have  his 
smelling-bottle  about  him,  and  he  perceived  that  poor  Mr.  Snowden  was  deeply 
affected,  and  might  stand  in  want  of  some  such  delicate  attentions. 

Remarks. — This  spirit  of  dictation  will  never  be  submitted  to  in  such  a  com- 
munity as  ours.  It  is  not  probable  that  Mr.Thorne  set  any  amazing  value  upon 
his  advertisements  in  the  Herald,  but  he  did  upon  his  own  liberty  to  do  as  he 
pleased — and  acted  accordingly.  We  need  scarcely  add  that  he  acted  like  a  man. 

Thus  this  remarkable  war  went  on  in  the  newspapers,  in  society, 
in  the  theatres,  on  the  railroads,  in  hotels,  in  bank  parlors,  in  public 
reading-rooms,  on  steam-boats,  and  on  the  street  corners.  All  sorts 
of  influences  were  brought  to  bear  against  the  New  York  Herald. 
The  incidents  already  narrated  show  the  inside  efforts  to  accom- 
plish the  prime  object  in  view.  The  vituperation  of  the  press  was 
terrible.  The  strongest  language  was  used  to  bring  Mr.  Bennett  and 
his  paper  down  to  the  lowest  level.  We  will  add  a  few  of  the  epi- 
thets used  on  this  occasion : 

BY  PARK  BENJAMIN,  IN  THE  SIGNAL. 

"  Scoundrel  pen,"  "Obscene  vagabond,"  "  Infamous  blasphemer,"  "Loathsome 


ess  oaiaeraasn,    "insunci  01  oruies,    •  iviass  01  irasn,      \j 

'  Murdered  reputation,"  "  Fiendish  lies,"  "  Venal  wretch,"  ^.^v.  „... —  ~ ~ 

chief,"  "Cursed,"  "Daring  Infidel,"  "Monstrous  lies,"  "Infamous  Scotchman," 
"  Foreign  vagabond,"  "  Polluted  wretch,"  "  Habitual  liar,"  "  Licentious,"  "  Prince 
of  darkness,"  "  Infamous  journal,"  "  Veteran  blackguard,"  "  Contemptible  libel- 
ler," "  Lying  slang  and  abuse,"  "  Scurrilous,"  "  Caitiff,"  "  Monster,"  "  Foul  jaws," 
"Black-hearted,"  "Dirt,"  "Ass,"  "Gallows,"  "Rogue,"  "Ribaldry." 

BY   M.   M.  NOAH,  IN^  THE   EVENING   STAR. 

"Rascal,"  "Rogue,"  "Cheat,"  "Licentious,"  "Infamous,"  "Lies,"  "Vile," 


460  Journalism  in  America, 

"  Nuisance,"  "  Outrage,"  "  Common  bandit,"  "  Dungeon,"  "  Scaffold,"  "  Prowl- 
ing," "Pollution,"  "Demoralize,"  "Contaminate,"  "Slander,"  "Libel,"  "Vi- 
cious," "  Depraved  appetite,"  "  Drummed  out,"  "  Not  live  an  hour,"  "  False," 
"  Inquisition,"  "Torture,"  "Villain,"  "Turkey-buzzard,"  "Falsehood,"  "Hum- 
bug." 

BY  JAMES  WATSON  WEBB,  IN  THE  COURIER  AND  ENQUIRER. 
"  Unprincipled  conductor,"  "  Grossly  slanderous,"  "  Vulgar  attacks,"  "  Pollute 
our  sheet,"  "Wretch,"  "Blasphemy,"  "Obscenity,"  "Cell  at  Sing  Sing,v  "  Per- 
sonally offensive,"  "Fulsome  praise,"  "Disgusting  attacks,"  "  Dastardly  assaults," 
"Reckless  depravity,"  "Unprincipled  adventurer,"  "Moral  pestilence,"  "Infa- 
mous," "  Lowest  species  of  scurrility,"  "  Disgusting  obscenity,"  "  Revolting  blas- 
phemy," "Slanderous  abuse,"  "Moral  leprosy,"  "Insidious  poison,"  "Gloat," 
"Disreputable  sheet,"  "Disgu*ing  organ,"  "Worthless  sheet,"  "Horror  and 
disgust,"  "  Ribald  vehicle,"  "  Vile  sheet." 

Such  epithets  as  these  run  through  the  many  articles  published 
in  the  papers  which  had  combined  against  the  Herald.  These  are 
specimens,  and  we  give  them  to  show  the  strong  animus,  of  the  fight. 
With  such  a  crusade  'against  him,  the  wonder  is  how  the  Herald  or 
its  conductor  survived.  How  did  he  meet  them  ?  Amusingly  and 
philosophically.  Not  the  slightest  evidence  of  ill  temper  during  the 
entire  "war"  appeared  in  the  Herald.  One  day,  in  publishing  some 
European  news  in  advance  of  his  contemporaries,  he  would,  in  a 
humorous  article,  put  in  his  enterprise  in  answer  to  their  attacks. 
Then  he  announced  his  marriage.  Another  day  he  would  make  a 
contract  with  Hoe  &  Co.  for  a  new  cylinder  press.  Then  the  death 
of  one  of  the  "  allies,"  the  old  Gazette,  for  want  of  patronage,  was 
heralded.  The  enlargement  of  the  Herald 'was  the  next  reply.  So 
on.  Sandwiched  with  such  practical  answers,  he  would  throw  in  his 
small  shot — sharp  hits  at  Major  Noah,  Colonel  Webb,  Park  Ben- 
jamin, Charles  King,  David  Hale,  and  Colonel  Stone.  He  knew 
their  weak  points.  When  the  battle  raged  the  fiercest,  he  summed 
up  the  material  and  intellectual  strength  on  each  side  in  the  follow- 
ing curious  manner.  This  appeared  on  the  3d  of  June,  1840  : 

THE   FORCE   IN   THE  FIELD. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  many  of  our  readers  to  know  the  exact  circulation  of 
the  Press,  as  compared  with  our  own,  which  the  Wall  Street  Holy  Allies  bring 
into  the  field  to  put  down  the  Herald.  We  shall  here  state  them  from  undoubt- 
ed data  in  our  possession  : 

THE   HOLY    ALLIES.  THE  HEBALD. 

Name.  Circulation.  Circulation. 

Evening  Star  -         -         -         2,200 
*    Evening  Signal  -         -  600  Daily,  ) 

American  700  Weekly,  and  >  51,000        , 

Courier  and  Enquirer  4,2oo  Extra,  ) 

Journal  of  Commerce      -        3,100 

Express      ...  2,800 

Sun         ....       21,000 

News  --.-  450 

Mercury          ...         1,500 

Aggregate  circulation,    36,550  51,000 

36.550 

Herald  circulation  over  the  Allies    -  14,450 


The  Forces  in  the  Field.  461 

The  engineers,  sappers  and  miners,  which  attend  both  camps,  may  be  estima- 
ted as  follows : 

HOLY   ALLIES.  HERALD. 

Description.  Horse  Power.  Description.  Horse  Power. 

Lies        -         -         -  -     10  Energy         -         -  -         -     20 

Impudence         -         -          15  Sobriety  20 

Ignorance       -         -  -     20  Moral  Courage    -  -         -     25 

Hatred       -         -         -          15  Intellect  20 

Jealousy         -         -  -     15  Wit     -                  -  -         -     20 

Cash          ...          —  Poetry    -         -  -  •    ..-          20 

Credit    -         -         -  -    —  Virtue       .-'..--         -     20 

Virtue        ...         —  Cash      -        -    •  ;        -         20 

Horse  Power  -  -     75                Horse  Power  -        -  165 

This  is-  sufficient  reason  for  "Tray,  Blanche,  and  Sweetheart  to  snarl"  at  us ; 
but  it  gives  us  not  only  the  means  to  counteract  the  poison,  but  to  place  us  im- 
measurably on  the  "vantage  ground."  Accordingly,  the  accession  of  patronage 
of  every  kind,  since  the  war  began,  has  been  greater  than  we  ever  knew.  Sub- 
scribers and  advertisers  pour  in  from  all  quarters.  The  miserable  attempt  to  dic- 
tate to  the  community  against  their  own  senses  is  a  miserable  failure. 

Active  hostilities,  so  far  as  the  public  were  concerned,  ceased  aft- 
er a  few  months.  None  of  the  "  allies"  ever  recovered  their  lost 
ground.  Many  of  them  went  out  of  existence.  Only  two  or  three 
are  left  in  the  newspaper  world.  The  Herald  continued  on  its  ca- 
reer of  prosperity,  and  is  now  the  richest  establishment  in  the  coun- 
try. Its  class,  the  cash  independent  newspapers,  have  become  the 
ruling  power  in  the  land.  But  what  is  the  sequel,  personally,  of 
this  formidable  effort  to  crush  a  newspaper?  Major  Noah,  of  the 
Star,  had  commenced  two  libel  suits  in  1841-2  against  the  Herald. 
He  was  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Court  of  Sessions.  When  the 
cases  came  up  in  Oyer  and  Terminer  on  the  gth  of  February,  1842, 
John  A.  Morrell,  Esq.,  said  that 

Judge  Noah  had  arrived  in  New  York  the  day  before,  and  he  had  written  to 
and  received  an  answer  from  him  in  relation  to  a  nolle  prosequi  being  entered  on 
each  of  the  indictments ;  Judge  Noah  had  replied  that  he  was  perfectly  willing 
the  matter  should  take  that  course,  as  far  as  he  was  concerned,  and  that  Judge 
Noah  was  now  in  court,  connected  with  the  application. 

Judge  NOAH.  As  far  as  I  am  individually  concerned,  I  am  perfectly  willing 
that  a  nolle  prosequi  should  be  entered  in  these  cases.  Indeed,  from  the  first  I 
had  no  feeling  or  interest  in  this  matter.  It  was  first  brought  on,  as  I  understood, 
at  the  request  of  one  of  the  petit  jurors — he  made  the  complaint ;  and,  so  far  as 
I  am  concerned,  I  am  willing  to  have  it  settled  thus.  The  whole  affair  has  un- 
doubtedly arisen  out  of  a  long  editorial  quarrel,  in  which  violent  attacks  were 
made  on  both  sides,  and  perhaps  I  ought  to  say  that  I  think  that  the  balance  of 
aggression  was  on  my  side.  ****** 

District  Attorney  WHITING  then  stated  to  the  jury  the  circumstances  under 
which  the  indictments  were  found,  which,  he  remarked,  were  rather  extraordinary. 
*  *  *  *  And  we  have  now,  gentlemen,  the  singular  spectacle  of  one  of  the 
very  parties  complaining,  one  of  the  judges  said  to  be  libeled,  coming  into  court 
asking  for  a  nolle  prosequi  to  be  entered,  confessing  that  he  also  has  libeled  oth- 
ers considerably,  and  perhaps  at  that  business  he  has  done  the  most.  I  have  no 
disposition  to  find  fault  or  quarrel  with  this  opinion  of  the  judge  ;  he  ought  to 
know  best ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  I  have 
any  feeling  or  interest  in  pressing  this  matter ;  rather  the  reverse.  I  have  no 
wish  that  Mr.  Bennett  should  be  punished  for  this  matter,  or  that  it  should  be 
thought  that  the  District  Attorney  is  opposed  to  one  of  the  judges — to  have  a 
person  punished  for  an  alleged  offense,  when  one  of  the  judges  confesses  he  has 


462  Journalism  in  America. 

committed  the  most  of  those  offenses,  and  that  perhaps  he  began  the  battle,  and 
there  is  still  a  balance  of  abuse  due  to  him  yet.     ****** 

Judge  Noah,  in  1846,  notwithstanding  his  violent  articles  and  ac- 
tions against  the  Herald  and  its  editor,  even  originating  the  ridicu- 
lous charge  of  "  black  mail,"  applied  to  Mr.  Bennett,  on  the  eve  of 
his  departure  for  Europe,  through  a  mutual  friend,  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Herald  in  the  editor's  absence.  It  is  useless  to  say 
that  the  proposition  met  with  no  favor.  But,  in  face  of  this  confes- 
sion in  court,  and  this  application  to  renew  the  editorial  connection 
which  had  existed  between  these  two  journalists  twenty  years  pre- 
viously, what  prompted  him  to  enter  on  the  crusade  against  the 
Herald  in  1840  ? 

Another  point  indicating  the  same  curious  change  in  sentiment, 
but  in  a  stronger  light,  when  we  consider  the  peculiar  personal  re- 
lations of  the  parties,  is  in  the  opinion  expressed  in.  1851  or  1852 
by  General  Webb. 

One  day  an  attache  of  the  Herald  was  introduced  to  General  W. 
in  the  office  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  It  was  shortly  after  his 
return  from  Austria.  "  Of  the  Herald?"  said  Webb.  "  Yes,  gener- 
al," replied  the  attache,  "  your  favorite  paper,  I  believe."  "  Well, 
well,"  continued  Webb,  "  Mr.  Bennett  deserves  the  highest  credit  for 
the  energy  and  skill  he  has  shown  in  building  up  his  paper.  Wher- 
ever I  happened  to  be  in  Europe,  and  asked  for  an  American  news- 
paper, the  Herald  was  invariably  brought  to  me — never  my  own 
paper." 

Another  instance,  in  these  subsequent  relations,  was  in  the  per- 
sonal application  of  David  Hale  to  Mr.  Bennett,  after  the  enterprise 
of  the  latter  had  so  distinctly  made  its  mark,  to  unite  the  news  ar- 
rangements of  the  Journal  of  Commerce  with  those  of  the  Herald, 
leading  to  years  of  entente  cordiale  between  those  establishments. 

There  is  yet  another  case  in  point  exhibiting  the  marvelousy?;/rt/<? 
of  this  unparalleled  and  unprecedented  war  against  the  Herald.  On 
one  occasion,  when  the  Herald\i^  published  some  important  news 
exclusively,  Park  Benjamin  drove  up  to  a  gentleman  then  connect- 
ed with  the  Herald,  and,  after  a  few  other  remarks,  said,  "  The  Her- 
ald is  a  great  paper  this  morning.  Seeing  you,  I  could  not  resist 
the  impulse  of  giving  you  my  opinion  of  the  wonderful  enterprise 
and  ability  of  Mr.  Bennett  as  a  journalist.  It  is  really  marvelous  ; 
and  if  the  Herald  goes  on  at  this  rate,  it  will  completely  revolution- 
ize the  Press  of  the  country." 

It  required  time  for  the  logic  of  events  to  work  out  this  result. 
Such  an  organization  as  that  in  opposition  to  the  Herald  could  not 
be  dissolved  at  once.  Amour  propre  forbid  it.  General  Webb, 
Charles  King,  and  Colonel  Stone  kept  up  the  fire  for  some  time. 


The  Close  of  the  War.  463 

In  1842,  these  editors,  in  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  American,  and 
Commercial  Advertiser,  severely  criticised  the  result  of  the  libel-suits 
of  Major  Noah.  But  gradually  the  asperities  of  bitter  war  wore  off, 
and  in  the  intercourse  of  the  Associated  Press  there  was  almost  al- 
ways pleasant  feelings  and  a  few  bon  mots.  Before  this  period, 
however,  the  epitaphs  of  the  Signal,  the  Evening  Star,  the  American, 
the  News,  and  many  others,  had  been  prepared  for  the  cemetery, , 
and  since  then  these  mortuary  inscriptions  have  become  dust  and 
blown  away.  We  now  rescue  their  names  from  oblivion. 

No  great  newspaper  can  always  be  praised.  Its  conduct  can  not 
please  every  one.  Abuse  is  the  lapidary  of  journalism.  If  its  old 
opponents  subside  or  die,  others  rise  up  full  of  criticism  and  fight. 
Murillo  and  Shakspeare  had  their  critics.  Opinion  is  not  infalli- 
ble. Successful  enterprise  begets  envy.  Attractive  subjects  are 
always  sought  by  magazine  writers.  Hence  neither  the  Herald,  nor 
any  other  leading  and  successful  newspaper,  is  to  sip  honey  from 
every  flower.  After  the  close  of  the  general  war  on  the  Herald  in 
this  country,  the  Foreign  Quarterly  and  Westminster  Review  took  up 
the  subject  of  the  Press  in  America,  and  the  Herald 'was  the  princi- 
pal object  of  attack.  This  was  in  1842  and;43.  It  seemed  as  if, 
in  the  extensive  field  of  operations  in  the  war  of  1840,  the  fact  of 
the  cessation  of  hostilities  around  headquarters  had  not  reached  the 
outskirts,  and  a  regiment  here  and  there  still  kept  up  the  fight.  The 
Foreign  Quarterly  followed  in  the  wake  of  Charles  Dickens,  and  de- 
nounced the  newspapers  of  the  United  States  in  the  strongest  terms, 
and  without  stint;  but  the  Westminster  Review  occupied  a  more  lib- 
eral and  independent  position,  and  carefully  examined  files  of  the 
Herald  to  understand  its  character.  After  this  investigation  the 
Review  gave  the  Herald  the  credit  of  much  enterprise  in  the  early 
publication  of  important  news,  of  the  excellence  and  copiousness  of 
its  commercial  intelligence,  and  correctly  stated  that  the  reason  of 
the  enmity  against  the  paper  arose  from  its  cheapness  and  conse- 
quent "  circulation  of  more  than  twice  the  number  of  copies  issued 
of  any  other  daily  paper." 

In  the  articles  in  the  Foreign  Quarterly  in  1843,  and  in  the  review 
of  the  Herald in  the  North  American  Review  in  1866,  extracts  were 
given  to  show  the  character  of  the  Press  of  the  United  States. 
Those  from  the  Herald,  amusing,  slashing,  piquant,  incisive,  and 
full  of  wit  and  sarcasm,  having  their  point  for  local  effect,  like  the 
neat  paragraphs  and  hits  in  Punch,  were  understood  and  appreci- 
ated by  the  two  or  three  hundred  thousand  readers  at  the  time  of 
their  publication,  but  no  more  comprehended  by  these  reviewers 
than  are  the  mere  local  hits  of  Charivari  in  Paris,  or  of  Punch 
in  London,  of  last  month,  would  be  understood  or  appreciated  in 


464  Journalism  in  America. 

Alaska,  if  those  funny  papers  ever  reach  that  sealed  country.  Any 
one  carefully  reading  those  articles  from  the  Herald,  especially 
about  the  Pope  and  Van  Buren,  must  see  the  point,  and  smile  even 
now.  But,  taken  out  of  their  time  and  place,  and  inserted  separate- 
ly in  a  review  for  a  special  purpose,  is  like  taking  a  single  ejacula- 
tion from  a  fervent  prayer,  and  accusing  its  utterer  of  profanity. 

"Art  preservative  of  all  art"  gives  a  very  neat  and  true  idea  of 
the  value  of  a  newspaper  conducted  by  men  of  taste  and  culture. 
They  have  it  in  their  power  to  do  more  than  any  other  class  or  pro- 
fession in  developing  the  genius  of  a  nation  in  art  or  in  song,  in 
politics  or  in  trade.  How  many  men  and  women  of  mind  and 
merit  have  been  encouraged,  brought  out,  assisted,  developed,  by 
newspapers.  Indeed,  editors  are  the  grand  Board  of  Examination 
of  the  world,  and  give  out  their  rewards  of  merit  to  each  candidate 
as  he  or  she  passes  the  ordeal  before  this  universal  school  commit- 
tee. Often  has  this  fact  occurred  to  us,  been  seen  and  appreciated 
by  artists  and  statesmen,  actors  and  students,  artisans  and  scholars, 
and  here  is  an  instance,  one  of  a  thousand,  in  a  note  from  John 
Howard  Payne  to  the  editor  of  the  Herald,  which  speaks  well  for 
the  generous  impulses1  of  the  author  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home." 

WASHINGTON.July  22,  1849. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — I  venture  to  ask  a  favor  from  you,  and  I  trust  it  is  not  of  a 
nature  which  a  gallant  and  generous  man  can  quarrel  with,  as  it  is  to  serve  a 
lady,  and  one  of  worth,  and  who  can  be  substantially  benefited  by  some  help  from 
the  Press.  To  come  to  the  point.  I  wish  to  get  you  to  insert  the  annexed  par- 
agraph— or  something  to  the  same  effect  in  your  own  words — about  Miss  F 's 

pictures  ;  but  I  only  wish  it  in  case  you  can  give  the  notice  as  editorial,  because 
it  is  only  in  that  shape  that  it  can  do  service.  You  may  take  my  word  for  her 
fully  meriting  the  best  that  any  one  may  say.  I  have  got  a  number  of  sitters  for 
her  here,  thus  enabling  her  to  raise  for  herself  friends,  money,  and  reputation. 

She  has  been  invited  as  an  inmate  to  the  house  of  Mr.  R ,  where  they  are  all 

charmed  with  her  and  her  works.  I  think  a  proper  lift,  now,  in  New  York,  may 
gain  her,  on  her  return  thither,  a  fair  start  to  a  regular  and  permanent  course  of 
profitable  employ.  ****** 

Ever  faithfully  yours,  JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE. 

The  Herald  was  not  destined  to  live  in  peace.  With  the  Native 
American  excitement  in  New  York  in  1844,  the  editor  of  that  pa- 
per was  severely  handled  by  Archbishop  Hughes,  the  distinguished 
Catholic  prelate  of  the  Metropolitan  District.  The  School  Question 
had  been  agitated,  and  created  no  little  excitement  in  Protestant  and 
Catholic  circles,  and  \h^  journal  of  Commerce,  Commercial  Advertiser, 
and  Herald  entered  into  the  sensational  controversy  with  some  en- 
thusiasm. But  the  popular  course  of  Mr.  Bennett  aroused  the  con- 
troversial archbishop.  In  a  series  of  letters,  addressed  to  Colonel 
Stone,  of  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  he  denounced  Mr.  Bennett,  by 
name,  in  no  measured  terms.  It  was  almost  an  excommunication 
from  the  Church.  The  editor  replied  good-naturedly,  speaking  of 
the  early  days  of  the  archbishop  as  a  gardener  raising  cabbages, 


An  Infernal  Machine.  465 

but  still  keeping  the  main  question,  relative  to  the  Bible  and  the 
School,  always  and  strongly  in  view.  These  letters  provoked  dis- 
cussion, and  aided  in  the  increase  of  the  circulation  of  the  Herald. 
They  produced  n'o  other  effect.  Yet  in  1865,  the  Daily  News,  twenty- 
one  years  after  they  were  written,  and  when  all  the  surrounding  cir- 
cumstances were  forgotten,  republished  them  in  all  their  length  and 
breadth,  to  punish  the  Herald  for  a  few  hits  at  the  Hon.  Benjamin 
Wood! 

The  most  diabolical  attempt  to  destroy  the  Herald  was  made  in 
1852.  It  was  not  by  any  combination  of  newspapers  to  write  Mr. 
Bennett  out  of  journalism,  or  by  any  effort  of  any  prelate  to  send 
him  to  perdition  through  a  series  of  letters.  It  was  to  have  been 
done  by  an  infernal  machine,  or  torpedo,  ingeniously  contrived,  so 
that  the  editor  might  be  his  own  executioner. 

On  the  i8th  of  October,  1852,  between  8  and  9  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  a  parcel  was  left  at  the  office  of  the  Herald  by  a  short, 
stout  man,  muffled  in  a  cloak,  who  drove  to  the  office  door  in  a 
hack.  The  parcel  was  cylindrical  in  form,  six  inches  in  length, 
wrapped  in  common  brown  paper,  tied  with  green  ribbon,  and  se- 
curely sealed  with  red  wax,  bearing  the  impression  of  a  cent.  It  bore 
this  direction  : 

FOR 

JAMES  GORDON  BENNETT, 

PROPRIETOR  AND  EDITOR, 
OFFICE  N.W.  CORNER  OF  FULTON  AND  NASSAU  STREETS. 
PRIVATE,  AND  WITH  CARE. 

.  This  address  had  been  clipped  from  a  copy  of  the  Herald  and 
pasted  on  a  piece  of  white  paper,  which  was  secured  to  the  outer 
envelope  with  sealing-wax  impressed  with  an  American  half  dime. 
The  "  private,  with  care,"  were  badly  printed  with  a  pen.  Over  the 
direction,  and  on  the  brown  paper,  were  these  words  : 

NATIVE  SILVER  AND  COPPER  ORE  FROM  THE  CUBA  MOUNTAINS,  WITH 
LETTER  INSIDE  THE  Box. 

Tied  to  the  parcel  was  an  enameled  card  with  this  inscription : 

SENOR  V.  ALCAZOR, 

OF  CUBA. 

FOR  MR.  BENNETT, 
WHO  WILL  CALL  ON  HIS  RETURN  TO  THE  ClTY. 

When  this  outside  wrapper  was  taken  off  by  Mr.  Bennett,  a  small 
pasteboard  box  appeared,  resembling  those  used  by  shirt-dealers 
for  collars.  On  the  side  of  the  box  was  a  strip  of  foolscap  paper, 
on  which  was  printed  with  a  pen,  in  red  ink,  these  words : 

Go 


466  Journalism  in  America. 

SPECIMENS  AND  PRIVATE  DOCUMENTS, 
FROM  THE  INTERIOR  OF  HAVANA. 

FOR  MR.  BENNETT  (only).  v 

SHOULD  HE  BE  OUT  OF  TOWN,  KEEP  FOR  HIM. 

Island  of  Cuba,  September,  1852. 

This  box  was  handed  to  Mr.  Bennett,  in  a  few  minutes  after  its  re- 
ceipt, by  one  of  his  clerks.  He  made  two  attempts  to  take  off  the 
lid.  Not  succeeding,  he  passed  it  to  an  assistant  editor  by  whose 
desk  Mr.  Bennett  was  standing.  This  gentleman  then  attempted  to 
pry  off  the  cover  with  a  pair  of  scissors.  In  doing  so,  some  black 
powder  fell  on  to  a  sheet  of  white  paper  on  his  desk.  It  looked 
more  like  gunpowder  than  silver  or  copper  ore.  Throwing  some 
of  it  into  the  grate,  it  exploded.  There  were  no  more  efforts  made 
that  night  to  open  the  box.  It  was  a  suspected  article. 

The  next  morning  the  mysterious  box  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  Alfred  E.  Baker,  afterwards  Fire  Marshal,  James  Leonard,  after- 
wards Inspector  of  Police,  and  Robert  Bowyer,  three  of  the  best  de- 
tective officers  of  New  York.  They  put  it  in  a  pail  of  water  and 
gave  it  a  few  days'  soaking.  It  was  then  carefully  examined.  It 
proved  to  be  an  ingeniously  constructed  torpedo.  There  was  a 
circular  piece  of  pine  wood,  half  an  inch  thick,  inside,  supported  by 
four  light  pegs  fastened  in  the  bottom.  About  three  quarters  of  an 
inch  above  this  was  a  similar  one,  but  less  in  circumference.  This 
was  fastened  to  the  bottom  of  the  box  by  two  pieces  of  strong  cord 
running  through  holes  in  the  lower  wood.  Then  to  the  lid,  or  cover, 
was  secured  a  round  bunch  of  lucifer  matches,  the  igniting  part  rest- 
ing on  a  groove  in  the  upper  surface  of  the  middle  wheel,  or  parti- 
tion. This  groove  was  covered  with  sand-paper.  The  lid,  with  the 
bunch  of  matches  glued  to  it,  was  tied  down  by  the  cords  passing 
inside.  In  attempting  to  remove  the  lid,  the  expectation  was  that 
it  would  have  to  be  taken  off  by  turning  it  around.  In  doing  this, 
the  friction  end  of  the  matches  would  be  rubbed  over  the  sand-pa- 
per and  instantly  ignite.  The  box  was  filled  with  fine  rifle  and  ful- 
minating powder.  Fortunately  for  Mr.  Bennett  and  his  assistant 
editor,  the  cords  which  secured  the  cover  were  a  little  loose,  and 
hence,  in  the  effort  to  remove  it,  the  end  of  the  matches  was  lifted 
from  the  sand-paper.  This  saved  their  lives.  The  machine  was  a 
diabolically  contrived  affair,  and  the  escape  of  these  gentlemen  was 
a  miraculous  one.  Although  the  name  of  the  constructor  and  sender 
of  this  infernal  machine  was  known,  yet  there  was  not  sufficient 
proof  to  warrant  his  arrest,  and  this  occurrence,  like  many  others, 
became  only  an  episode  in  the  epoch  of  journalism.  But  infernal 
machines  produced  no  effect  on  the  course  of  the  Herald.  Its  edi- 
tor went  on  as  if  no  torpedo  had  been  within  an  ace  of  blowing  him 
to  atoms. 


Newspaper  Style.  467 


Mr.  Bennett  introduced  a  new  style  of  writing.  It  was  fresh,  orig- 
inal, clear.  It  was  the  French  style,  with  an  infusion  of  the  dash  and 
vigor  of  the  young  Republic.  Our  journalists  had  previously  aped 
that  of  modern  England — solid,  argumentative,  heavy.  They  were 
the  solemn  communications  of  "  Honestus,"  "  Scaevola,"  "  Amer- 
icus,"  "Publius,"  "Scipio,"  written  by  veteran  politicians  and  retired 
statesmen  ;  the  antiquated  philosophy  of  one  age  turned  into  edi- 
torial articles  for  the  next.  To  comprehend  one,  the  series  must  be 
read.  But  Mr.  Bennett  changed  all  this  in  the  Herald.  He  made 
each  article  and  each  paragraph  tell  its  own  story.  Style  in  the 
English  papers  had  become  fixed  in  the  Addison,  Junius,  Swift,  Bol- 
ingbroke  standard.  "  Style  is  it  that  you  want  ?"  asked  Lord  Ox- 
ford. "  Oh,  go  and  look  in  the  newspapers  for  style." 

"Why  do  you  read  the  New  York  Herald?"  asked  a  gentleman 
of  one  of  the  European  ministers  in  Washington.  "  I  never  see  you 
with  any  other  American  paper." 

"  Because  I  understand  its  articles,"  replied  the  diplomat. 

The  French  journalist  largely  adopts  this  method  in  writing  for 
the  public.  Thus,  while  the  French  journal  is  not  a  newspaper  in 
its  details  of  news  and  in  its  enterprise,  it  is  thoroughly  one  in  its 
editorials.  Mr.  Bennett,  in  the  Herald,  combined  these  two  great 
journalistic  qualities,  and  hence  his  marvelous  success. 

In  order  to  fully  comprehend  the  party  journals  of  the  day,  it  was 
necessary  to  know  the  ins  and  outs,  and  the  platforms  and  policies 
of  parties.  No  one  leader  in  a  party  newspaper  was  clear  in  itself 
to  the  reader  not  conversant  with  the  party  politics  of  the  country. 
It  was  like  an  extract  from  a  book  without  context  or  sequence. 

One  day  the  Herald  published  a  very  strong  article  on  a  prize- 
fight that  had  just  taken  place  near  New  York.  It  happened  that, 
on  the  day  of  publication,  Tom  Hyer,  the  handsome  pugilist,  visited 
the  office.  It  was  thought  that  he  came  on  account  of  that  article, 
but  he  made  no  allusion  to  it  till  asked  if  he  had  read  it,  and  what 
he  thought  of  its  tone.  "  Well,"  said  Hyer,  "  I  suppose  you  meant 
to  be  hard  on  the  boys,  but  you  made  a  mistake.  Why,  do  you 
know,"  continued  he,  "  that  you  newspapers  can't  use  words  strong 
enough  to  make  the  boys  mad  ?  Did  you  ever  hear  them  talk  when 
angry  with  each  other  ?  Can  you  publish  the  slang  and  the  oaths 
they  use  ?  They  use  strong  language.  They  mean  business.  No 
paper  can  publish  what  they  say.  Your  article  is  milk  and  water. 
The  boys  won't  notice  it."  Thomas  Hyer  was  correct.  Such  is 
style  with  this  class  of  the  community. 

The  advertisements  in  the  Herald  increased  with  its  enterprise 
and  its  circulation.  It  had  been  the  custom  of  all  newspapers  in  the 
United  States  to  illustrate  the  business  notices  of  their  patrons  with 


468  Journalism  in  America. 

pictures  representing  the  character  of  the  advertisements — of  ships, 
race-horses,  houses,  stage-coaches,  railroad  trains,  dogs,  birds,  run- 
away apprentices  and  slaves  with  packs  on  their  backs,  wagons, 
steam-boats,  cattle,  and  the  Muses.  Typographically,  the  plan  was 
not  a  good  one.  In  a  business  point  of  view,  it  was  unfair  to  those 
not  represented  pictorially.  The  Herald  in  1847  omitted  all  cuts 
and  all  display.  All  advertisements  were  printed  in  the  same  style, 
but  neatly  and  systematically  arranged.  They  gave  a  thorough  bus- 
iness appearance  to  the  paper.  Since  then  no  pictures  have  ap- 
peared. There  has  been  no  typographic  splurge  for  one  to  the  in- 
jury of  another.  The  new  plan  worked  well  from  its  initiation,  and 
the  public  and  the  advertisers  were  alike  pleased.  Mr.  Bennett 
made  a  study  of  this  important  part  of  his  paper.  He  saw  that  it 
should  be  entirely  independent  of  the  news  and  editorial  depart- 
ments. There  should  be  no  favoritism.  There  should  be  no  de- 
pendence on  politicians,  cliques,  or  individuals.  In  this  way  the 
Herald  would  be  valuable  for  three  reasons  :  ist,  its  news ;  2d,  the 
independence  of  its  editorials ;  and,  3d,  its  advertisements,  forming 
an  interesting  and  attractive  feature  of  the  paper. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  1845  wrote  the  following  note  to 
the  Herald: 

NAVY  DEPARTMENT,  July  23,  1843. 

SIR, — You  will  be  pleased  to  copy  in  your  paper,  from  the  Union,  the  adver- 
tisement from  the  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  inviting  proposals  for  executing 
the  work,  etc.,  at  the  Navy  Yard,  Memphis,  Tennessee. 

I  am  respectfully  yours,  G.  BANCROFT. 

The  Publisher  of  the  New  York  Herald. 

This  advertisement  was  refused  insertion  for  several  reasons. 
One  was  because  the  Post-office  Department  had  acted  unfairly  in 
not  giving  the  "  list  of  letters  remaining  in  the  New  York  Post-office" 
to  the  paper  having  the  largest  circulation,  according  to  law,  and 
because  the  government  chose  to  fix  its  own  prices  for  the  payment 
of  such  a  service,  regardless  of  position,  readers,  or  circulation,  out- 
side of  party  circles.  Mr.  Bennett  held  to  the  opinion  that  it  was 
not  just  to  the  cooks  and  chambermaids  of  New  York  that  they 
should  be  compelled  to  pay  more  than  the  United  States  govern- 
ment for  their  advertisements.  When  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
afterwards  sent  an  advertisement  to  the  Herald,  that  paper,  on  the 
3oth  of  November,  1847,  said  : 

Mr.  Walker,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  has  published  a  long  advertisement  from 
his  department  in  the  Washington  Union,  giving  directions  to  a  number  of  news- 
papers to  copy  it,  and  send  their  bills  for  payment  to  Washington.  Among  the 
papers  to  whom  these  directions  are  addressed  is  the  New  York  Herald.  We 
thank  Mr.Walkcr  for  his  kind  intentions  in  offering  us  a  little  Treasury  pap,  but 
we  beg  leave  to  decline  the  dose.  It  is  not  worth  our  while  to  do  any  of  the  ad- 
vertising of  the  Treasury  Department,  or  any  other  department  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  we  now,  once  and  for  all,  declare  publicly  that  we  will  have  nothing  to 
do  with  any  printing  or  advertising  from  the  departments. 


Increase  of  Advertisements.  469 

This  was  followed  by  fresh  innovations  on  the  old  system  of  ad- 
vertising. Early  in  1847  no  advertisements  were  taken  for  over  two 
weeks'  insertion.  This  was  still  further  improved  upon.  On  the 
3oth  of  December  of  that  year  the  Herald  contained  this  announce- 
ment: 

On  the  first  of  January  we  shall  begin  a  new  system  of  taking  in  advertisements 
of  persons  publishing  in  the  columns  of  the  Herald.  On  and  after  that  day,  no 
advertisements  will  be  taken  for  more  than  one  day,  or  for  one  insertion,  payment 
to  be  made  at  the  delivery  of  it  over  the  counter. 

This  system  has  been  adhered  to  ever  since.  It  was  announced 
at  the  same  time  that  no  editorial  notices  of  advertisements  would 
be  given,  thus  placing  all  advertisers  on  an  equality,  and  showing 
no  preference  to  any  class,  company,  association,  corporation,  inter- 
est, or  individual.  What  is  the  result  ?  The  Herald  has  published 
as  many  as  sixty  solid  columns  of  advertisements  in  one  sheet.  This 
excellent  plan  is  now  becoming  the  plan  of  many  of  the  leading 
journals,  and  its  beneficial  results  in  fhe  Herald  will  cause  it  to  be 
generally  adopted  in  the  course  of  a  few  years. 

On  the  2ist  of  June,  1861,  the  London  Times  contained  this  an- 
nouncement : 

Our  impression  of  this  day  will  be  found  to  consist  of  twenty-four  pages,  the 
extraordinary  pressure  of  advertisements  having  compelled  us  to  add  an  extra 
sheet  to  our  already  ample  dimensions.  Fifty  years  ago  the  average  number  of 
advertisements  in  a  single  impression  was  about  a  hundred  and  fifty ;  to-day,  no 
less  than  fotir  thousand  advertisements  will  make  known  the  wants  of  the  com- 
munity throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  empire.  We  have  long  discon- 
tinued the  heading  of  "  Supplement"  to  the  second  sheet  of  the  Times,  and  have 
only  adopted  the  title  of  "  Extra  Sheet"  in  this  instance  to  attract  the  notice  of 
our  readers  to  this,  the  largest  production  that  has  ever  issued  from  the  Daily 
Press.  We  trust  it  will  not  be  too  large  for  "  a  constant  reader"  to  get  through 
within  the  compass  of  this,  the  longest  day  in  the  year. 

This  was  the  wonderful  result  after  a  prosperous  and  unexampled 
existence  in  England  of  sixty-six  years.  It  mentions  its  condition 
fifty  years  previously,  and  contrasts  its  size  and  the  number  of  ad- 
vertisements with  that  period.  But  what  do  we  see  in  America  ? 
On  the  i3th  of  April,  1869,  the  New  York  Herald  appeared  as  a 
quadruple  sheet  from  the  same  cause,  a  pressure  of  advertisements, 
and  the  fact  is  thus  chronicled  by  the  Seneca  (Kansas)  Courier  of 
the  22d  of  the  same  month  : 

The  New  York  Herald  of  April  13  is  now  before  us,  and  in  many  res'pects  is 
the  greatest  newspaper  in  the  world.  It  is  certainly  the  most  enterprising 
and  largest  in  the  United  States.  The  copy  now  before  us  is  a  quadruple  sheet, 
forty-six  by  sixty-eight  inches,  containing  eight  columns  of  editorial,  thirty-eight 
columns  of  news,  and  fifty  columns  of  advertisements — in  all,  ninety-six  columns. 
The  cost  of  type-setting  alone  is  enormous,  the  Herald  being  the  only  paper  in 
the  world  that  sets  every  portion  new  every  day — advertisements  and  all.  To 
print  the  single  issue  now  before  us  requires  the  setting  up  of  360,000  ems  Agate, 
343,000  ems  Nonpareil,  and  46,550  ems  Minion — 849,550  ems  in  all — and  the  con- 
sumption of  over  eleven  tons  of  paper.  The  type-setting  and  proof-reading  alone 
cost  full  $600  for  a  single  day.  Enormous  as  these  figures  are,  they  give  but  lit- 


470  Journalism  in  America. 

tie  idea  of  the  aggregate  expense  of  publication.  Ocean  telegrams  at  $2  20  per 
word ;  telegrams  from  all  parts  of  the  American  continent ;  correspondents  in  all 
parts  of  the  world ;  a  corps  of  editors  at  the  home  office,  and  two  distinct  corps 
of  correspondents  at  Washington,  have  all  to  be  paid  at  highest  rates.  It  is  thus 
easily  seen  why  every  body  reads  the  Herald. 

If  the  Herald  were  alluding  to  this  result,  it  could  only  go  back 
thirty-four  years  to  its  first  number,  in  order  to  make  any  compari- 
son indicative  of  its  marvelous  success — more  extraordinary  and 
astonishing  than  that  of  the  London  Times,  if  we  take  the  difference 
in  time  and  population  into  consideration.  Other  journals  in  the 
United  States — in  Philadelphia  and  in  Boston,  and  at  the  West,  in 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  San  Francisco,  show  results  equal- 
ly wonderful  when  we  look  at  the  size  of  the  respective  places  of 
publication. 

The  advertisements  of  the  Herald  are  a  feature.  They  are  fresh 
every  day.  It  is  intended,  by  its  system,  that  they  should  be.  Its 
proprietor  would  prefer  to  have  every  business  notice  freshly  writ- 
ten daily.  On  this  plan  the  advertisements  form  the  most  interest- 
ing and  practical  "  city  news."  They  are  the  hopes,  the  thoughts, 
the  joys,  the  plans,  the  shames,  the  losses,  the  mishaps,  .the  fortunes, 
the  pleasures,  the  miseries,  the  politics,  and  the  religion  of  the  peo- 
ple. Each  advertiser  is  therefore  a  reporter — a  sort  of  "  penny-a- 
liner,"  he  paying  the  penny.  What  a  picture  of  the  metropolis  one 
day's  advertisements  in  the  Herald  presents  to  mankind ! 

On  the  yth  of  May,  1871,  the  day  after  its  thirty-sixth  anniver- 
sary, there  was  a  quadruple  sheet,  and  its  regular  "  directory  for  ad- 
vertisers" showed  the  following  different  kinds  or  classes  of  adver- 
tisers : 

DIRECTORY  FOR  ADVERTISERS. 

AMUSEMENTS— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  columns. 

ASTROLOGY — SECOND  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

BILLIARDS— FOURTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

BOARD  AND  LODGING  WANTED— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

BOARDERS  WANTED— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Second,  third,  fourth,  and  fifth 
columns. 

BROOKLYN  BOARD— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

BROOKLYN  REAL  ESTATE  FOR  SALE— FOURTH  PAGE— First  and  sec- 
ond columns. 

BUSINESS  OPPORTUNITIES— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

BUSINESS  NOTICES— NINTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

CITY  REAL  ESTATE  FOR  SALE— FOURTH  PAGE— First  column. 

CLERKS  AND  SALESMEN— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 

CLOTHING— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

COACHMEN  AND  GARDENERS— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Third  and  Fourth 
columns. 

COAL  AND  WOOD — FOURTEENTH  PAGE — Second  column. 

COASTWISE  STEAM-SHIPS— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

COPARTNERSHIPS— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

COUNTRY  BOARD— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Fifth  and  sixth  columns. 

DANCING  ACADEMIES— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 

DENTISTRY— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 


The  Herald  Directory  for  Advertisers.        471 

DRY  GOODS— FIRST  PAGE — Second,  third,  fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  columns,  and 
SECOND  PAGE — First,  second,  third,  and  fourth  columns. 

DWELLING  HOUSES  TO  LET,  FURNISHED  AND  UNFURNISHED 
— THIRD  PAGE — First  and  second  columns. 

EUROPEAN  STEAM-SHIPS— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

EUROPE — FOURTEENTH  PAGE — Third  column. 

EYES  AND  EARS— SECOND  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

EXCURSIONS— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

FINANCIAL— FIRST  PAGE— Second  column. 

FINE  ARTS — FOURTEENTH  PAGE — Second  column. 

FOR  SALE— SECOND  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

FURNISHED  ROOMS  AND  APARTMENTS  TO  LET— THIRD  PAGE— 
Second,  third,  and  fourth  columns. 

FURNITURE— FOURTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

FRENCH  ADVERTISEMENTS— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

HELP  WANTED— MALES— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

HELP  WANTED— FEMALES— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Second  and  third  col- 
umns. 

HORSES,  CARRIAGES,  ETC.— THIRD  PAGE— Fourth,  fifth,  and  sixth  columns. 

HOTELS— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

HOUSES,  ROOMS,  ETC.,  WANTED— SECOND  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

INSTRUCTION— SECOND  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

JERSEY  CITY,  HOBOKEN,  HUDSON  CITY,  AND  BERGEN  REAL  ES- 
TATE FOR  SALE— FOURTH  PAGE— Second  column.     . 

LEGAL  NOTICES— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 

LOAN  OFFICES— THIRD  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

LOST  AND  FOUND— FIRST  PAGE— First  column. 

MACHINERY— SECOND  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

MARBLE  MANTELS— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 

MATRIMONIAL— FOURTEENTH  PAGE — Third  column. 

MEDICAL — FOURTEENTH  PAGE — Third  column. 

MILLINERY  AND  DRESSMAKING— SECOND  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

MILITARY — FIFTEENTH  PAGE — Fourth  column. 

MISCELLANEOUS  ADVERTISEMENTS.  — TWELFTH  PAGE  — Fifth  and 
sixth  columns. 

MISCELLANEOUS— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Second  column. 

MUSICAL — FOURTEENTH  PAGE — Third  column. 

NEW  PUBLICATIONS— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Second  column. 

PERSONAL— FIRST  PAGE— First  column. 

PIANO-FORTES— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

PROPOSALS — SIXTEENTH  PAGE — Sixth  column. 

PROPERTY  OUT  OF  THE  CITY  FOR  SALE  OR  TO  RENT— FOURTH 
PAGE — Second,  third,  and  fourth  columns. 

REAL  ESTATE  TO  EXCHANGE— FOURTH  PAGE— Fourth  and  fifth  columns. 

REAL  ESTATE  WANTED— FOURTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

RELIGIOUS  NOTICES— SECOND  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

REMOVALS— FOURTH  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

RESTAURANTS— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Second  column. 

REWARDS — FIRST  PAGE — First  and  second  columns. 

SALES  AT  AUCTION— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— First  and  second  columns. 

SITUATIONS  WANTED— FEMALES— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— First  and  sec- 
ond columns. 

SITUATIONS  WANTED— MALES— FIFTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 

SPECIAL  NOTICES— SECOND  PAGE— Fifth  and  sixth  columns. 

SPORTING  DOGS,  BIRDS,  ETC.— THIRD  PAGE— Fourth  column. 

STALLIONS— THIRD  PAGE — Fourth  column. 

SUMMER  RESORTS— SIXTEENTH  PAGE— Sixth  column. 

THE  TRADES — FIFTEENTH  PAGE — Fourth  column. 

THE  TURF— THIRD  PAGE— Fifth  column. 

TO  LET  FOR  BUSINESS  PURPOSES— THIRD  PAGE— First  column. 

TRAVELERS'  GUIDE — FIFTEENTH  PAGE — Sixth  column. 

UNFURNISHED  ROOMS  AND  APARTMENTS  TO  LET— THIRD  PAGE 
— Fourth  column. 


472  Journalism  in  America. 

WANTED  TO  PURCHASE— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 
WINES,  LIQUORS,  ETC.— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Second  column. 
YACHTS,  STEAM-BOATS,  ETC.— FOURTEENTH  PAGE— Third  column. 

All  advertisements  are  curious.  Each  one  has  its  story.  In 
looking  over  old  files  of  newspapers,  advertisements  are  read  with 
more  interest  than  any  other  part  of  the  paper.  They  are  pictures 
of  the  times — Meissoniers  in  printing  ink.  The  most  curious  column 
of  this  part  of  the  Herald  are  the  "  personal"  advertisements.  Will 
these  attract  as  much  attention  a  century  hence  as  the  few  business 
notices  of  the  News-Letter,  Spy,  and  Courant  of  the  last  century  ? 
Take  the  "  personals"  of  the  Herald  of  any  day,  and  they  will  set 
one  to  thinking.  So  will  similar  advertisements  in  the  London 
Times.  We  have  taken  at  random  the  following  notices  under  this 
head  that  appeared  in  the  Herald  of  April  21,  1871 : 

PERSONAL. 

ANY  INFORMATION  OF  MISS  ELLEN  AGNETTE  JOHANNES- 
sen,  who  came  to  New  York  City  in  1852  from  Gromstad,  Norway.     She  is 
the  daughter  of  P.  Johannessen,  schoolmaster  of  Gromstad  in  1843.     Information 
of  her  will  be  thankfully  received  and  reasonably  rewarded  by  addressing  G.  M. 
JOHANNESSEN,  Post-office,  Jackson,  Tenn. 

A— LAURA  — COUPE  — HAVE  SECURED  THE  BOX  FOR  THE 
.  Grande  Duchesse  Ball  at  the  Central  Park  Garden  next  Tuesday  evening. 
Get  the  ladies  ready  and  come  up.  LAWRENCE. 

ALBANY  — FRIDAY  AFTERNOON,  I4TH.  —  THE  LADY  FROM 
the  East,  taking  a  drawing-room  car  West,  raised  the  window  and  received 
the  Herald  with  writing  on  to  notice  "  Personals"  certain  date.  Your  acquaint- 
ance would  be  dearly  prized.  The  gentleman  earnestly  entreats  you  to  send  ad- 
dress and  grant  a  correspondence.  Address  HOMER  HIGHLAND,  Box  230, 
New  York  Herald  Office. 


A 


ND  THINE  EYES  ARE  NOT  HIDDEN.     YES ! 

VIS-A-VIS. 


A  H.  HUMPHREY  ARRIVED  IN  TOWN  YESTERDAY,  IT  IS  PRE- 
_/\,  sumed  sick.  Any  one  knowing  of  his  whereabouts  will  confer  a  favor  on 
his  friends  by  addressing  G.  S.  HUMPHREY,  547  Broadway. 

EN— SECURE  FIVE  PARQUET  SEATS  FOR  NEWCOMB  &  AR- 
lington's  Minstrel  matinee  Saturday.     Will  be  over  at  i. 

BROOKLYN. 


B 


IN  THE  GOODS  OF  MALTILDA  DERINZY,  DECEASED.— IF  WIL- 
liam  Richards  Derinzy,  Esq.,  formerly  of  Clobernon  Hall,  in  the  county  of  Wex- 
ford,  then  of  Fredericksburg,  in  the  State  or  Province  of  Virginia,  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  lastly  supposed  to  have  resided  about  the  years  1846  and 
1847  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  in  said  States,  apply  to  the  undersigned,  he  will  hear 
of  something  to  his  advantage.  Dated  this  24th  day  of  March,  1871.  TENCH 
&  REYNOLDS,  Solicitors,  57  Lower  Dominick  Street,  Dublin. 

INFORMATION  WANTED— OF  ANNE  GEAR.    SHE  IS  SUPPOSED 
to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.Y.,  or  Danville,  Conn.     She 
is  14  years  and  6  months  old.     Any  information  of  her  will  be  thankfully  received 
by  her  father,  T.  J.  GEAR,  at  592  Third  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

INFORMATION  WANTED— BY  JOSEPH  H.  DEERY,  NO.  10  WHITE 
Street,  New  York,  of  John  Smith,  or  J.  Arlington  Smith,  native  of  Kells,  Ire- 
land.    He  had  served  in  some  New  York  volunteer  company  during  the  war. 


The  Personal  Advertisements.  473 

When  last  heard  from  was  studying  medicine  in  New  York.     His  brother  Wil- 
liam has  died  in  the  South,  leaving  a  considerable  amount  of  money. 

INFORMATION  WANTED— OF  CHRISTOPHER  DELMAR,  OF  THE 
parish  of  Miltown,  county  Westmea'th,  Ireland,  by  his  sister  Mary.    When  last 
heard  from  was  in  Chicago,  111.     Any  information  concerning  him  will  be  thank- 
fully received  by  MARY  DELMAR,  at  43  West  Thirty-fourth  Street,  New  York. 
N.  B. — All  expenses  will  be  paid. 

T  F  THE  HACKMAN  WHO  TOOK  TWO  TRUNKS  FROM  IN  FRONT 
|_   of  the  Summit  Hotel,  in  the  Bowery,  on  Friday,  the  I4th  inst.,  will  send  his 
address  to  Box  424  Rahway,  N.  J.,  he  will  be  liberally  rewarded. 

AUD  — WILL  NOT    BE   PRUDENT   FOR   ME   TO   WRITE.      I 
want  to  see  you  ever  so  much.  LITTLE  FRIEND. 


M 


STRAYED  — ON   MONDAY  MORNING   LAST,  AFTER  LEAVING 
the  cars  at  Yonkers, "  Old  Man  Banquo."    His  eyesight  being  bad.it  is  feared 
that  he  has  met  with  foul  play  while  examining  the  lines  of  a  paper  boat.     Any 
information  regarding  him  will  be  thankfully  received  by  his  disconsolate  chum, 
Captain  HARRIS,  People's  Line. 


V 


ENUS.— FRIDAY,  AT  3;  SATURDAY,  AT  11  AND  3. 

JUPITER. 


WILL  THE  LADY  IN  BROWN  DRESS  THAT  LEFT  STAGE  AT 
Canal  Street  about  6  P.  M.  on  Wednesday,  and  went  to  Brandreth  House, 
and  afterwards  noticed  gentleman  passing  through  the  hall  and  down  stairs,  please 
send  address,  in  strict  confidence,  to  S.  T.  H.,  Herald  office  ? 

WANTED    TO    ADOPT  — A   GOOD    HEALTHY   CHILD,   FROM 
nine  months  to  five  years  old,  where  it  will  find  a  good  home.    Must  have 
blue  eyes.     Address  ALDEN,  Herald  office. 

WILL— PLEASE  CALL  AT  STATION  A,  SPRING  STREET,  FOR 
letter  addressed  to  yourself.  M.  D.,  New  Haven. 


I 


"LIKE  BIRDIE.' 


401 


—9  A.M. 


These  personal  advertisements  in  newspapers  of  large  and  com- 
prehensive circulation  have  been  of  great  value  in  various  ways. 
Friends  and  separated  families  living  at  the  North  and  South  during 
the  rebellion  of  1861-65  communicated  their  welfare,  sickness,  and 
movements  to  each  other  through  this  medium  in  the  New  York 
Herald.  These  were  copied  in  the  Southern  papers.  The  same 
mode  was  adopted  during  the  war  between  France  and  Germany  in 
1870-71.  The  French  exiles  in  London  communicated  to  their 
friends  and  relatives  in  Paris  and  elsewhere  through  the  London 
Times.  "We  are  safe,"  in  the  Herald  of  1865,  and  "Tout  va  bien" 
in  the  Times  of  1870,  were  each  an  item  of  intelligence  giving  great 
joy  around  two  or  three  firesides  in  those  critical  periods  of  the 
world's  history. 

During  the  siege  of  Paris  the  Times  was  sent  into  that  city  by 
carrier  pigeons !  That  paper  of  the  31  st  of  January,  1871,  described 
the  wonderful  way  this  was  accomplished : 


474  Journalism  in  America. 

Attempts  to  establish  a  ready  communication  between  the  beleaguered  inhab- 
itants in  Paris  and  their  relatives  and  friends  beyond  the  German  lines  have  given 
rise  to  many  contrivances  which  are  not  unlikely  to  make  a  new  era  in  the  his- 
tory both  of  aeronautics  and  photography.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the 
ingenious  device  by  which  the  matter  of  two  whole  pages  of  the  Times  has  been 
transmitted  from  London  to  Paris.  This  has  been  accomplished  by  photography. 
Those  pages  of  the  paper  which  contained  communications  to  relatives  in  Paris 
were  photographed  with  great  care  by  the  London  Stereoscopic  and  Photographic 
Company  on  pieces  of  thin  and  almost  transparent  paper  about  an  inch  and  a 
half  in  length  by  an  inch  in  width.  On  these  impressions  there  could  be  seen  by 
the  naked  eye  only  two  legible  words,  "  The  Times,"  and  six  narrow  brown  bands, 
representing  the  six  columns  of  printed  matter  forming  a  page  of  the  newspaper. 
Under  the  microscope,  however,  the  brown  spaces  became  legible,  and  every  line 
of  the  newspaper  was  found  to  have  been  distinctly  copied,  and  with  the  greatest 
clearness.  The  photographs  were  sent  to  Bordeaux  for  transmission  thence  by 
carrier-pigeon  to  Paris.  When  received  there  they  were  magnified  by  the  aid  of . 
the  magic  lantern  to  a  large  size,  and  thrown  upon  a  screen.  A  staff  of  clerks 
immediately  transcribed  the  messages  and  sent  them  off  to  the  places  indicated  by 
the  advertisers.  The  success  of  this  experiment  gives  rise  to  the  hope  that  the 
new  art  of  compressing  printed  matter  into  a  small  compass  will  not  stop  here. 
If  a  page  of  the  Times  can  be  compressed  into  a  space  little  larger  than  that  oc- 
cupied by  a  postage-stamp,  the  matter  of  an  octavo  volume  might  be  made  to 
cover  not  more  than  two  of  its  own  pages,  and  a  library  could  be  reduced  to  the 
dimensions  of  the  smallest  Prayer-book.  What  a  relief  it  would  be  to  the  learned 
persons  who  frequent  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum  if,  instead  of  having  to 
make  fatiguing  journeys  from  letter  A  to  letter  B  of  the  ponderous  catalogue  of 
books,  they  had  its  many  hundred  volumes  reduced  to  a  space  a  yard  square,  over 
which  a  microscope  could  be  hurriedly  passed.  Such  suggestions  are  now  occu- 
pying the  thoughts  of  photographers. 

Other  incidents  of  a  very  interesting  character  have  occurred  in 
connection  with  these  personal  advertisements.  Many  lost  relatives 
and  friends  have  been  found  by  means  of  these  brief  notices.  Wan- 
dering children  have  been  restored  to  their  parents  through  infor- 
mation thus  conveyed.  Divided  households  have  been  united  by 
one  line  under  this  head :  "All  is  forgiven.  Come  home."  Estates 
in  Europe  have  reached  rightful  heirs  by  a  short  "personal"  in  the 
Herald. 

One  morning  a  young  Scot  called  on  Mr.  Bennett  at  his  office  to 
relate  what  an  advertisement  had  accomplished  for  him.  He  left 
Scotland  several  years  previously,  and,  after  various  attempts  to  ob- 
tain a  situation,  he  had  settled  down  as  an  assistant  in  the  engine- 
room  of  one  of  the  steamers  on  Lake  Erie.  One  day,  on  reading  a 
copy  of  the  Herald  taken,  by  the  captain  of  the  steamer,  he  saw  his 
own  name  in  an  advertisement.  It  informed  him  that,  by  calling  at 
the  office  of  a  lawyer  in  New  York,  he  would  hear  of  something  to 
his  advantage.  He  started  for  that  city,  and  made  his  appearance 
before  the  lawyer  and  proved  his  identity,  and  "  now,"  said  the  young 
Scot,  "  you  are  the  second  person  I  have  called  upon ;  and  what  do 
you  suppose  the  lawyer  wanted  of  me  ?  Of  course  you  can't  tell. 
Well,  yesterday  I  felt  that  I  was  only  worth  my  daily  wages.  To- 
day I  am  a  rich  man.  Ari  uncle  of  mine  has  died  in  Scotland,  and 
I  am  heir  to  all  his  property.  It  amounts  to  .£175.000— one  estate 


Value  of  Personal  Advertisements.  475 

in  Scotland  and  one  in  England.  If  the  advertisement  had  not 
been  put  in  the  Herald  I  should  probably  have  continued  a  fireman 
on  board  of  a  steam-boat."  He  called  to  tell  Mr.  Bennett  the  inci- 
dent, and  to  invite  him  to  visit  him  at  his  "new-found  home." 

Another  incident  will  suffice  to  show  the  value  of  a  newspaper 
and  its  advertisements,  if  incidents  were  necessary  for  this  purpose. 

Several  years  ago,  in  the  spring  of  1852,  a  boy  in  rags  and  dirt, 
in  search  of  his  mother,  was  sent  to  the  office  of  the  Herald  as  a 
sort  of  National  Intelligencer  Office  by  a  benevolent  captain  of  one 
of  the  North  River  steamers. 

"  How  can  we  find  your  mother,  and  where  did  you  come  from  ?" 
asked  one  of  the  clerks. 

"  I  don't  know  where  she  is,"  sobbed  the  little  fellow.  "  I  left 
home  five  years  ago  to  live  on  an  uncle's  farm  in  Ohio.  He  has 
almost  worked  and  starved  me  to  death.  So  I  left  him,  and  have 
walked  part  of  the  way  home.  Several  conductors  and  the  captain 
of  the  steam-boat  have  been  kind  to  give  me  free  rides.  My  moth- 
er has  moved,  and  I  don't  know  where  to  find  her.  On  my  way  here 
I  lost  what  little  baggage  I  had." 

The  clerks  and  the  boys  of  the  Herald  immediately  became  in- 
terested in  the  lad.  They  took  him  under  their  protection,  provided 
him  with  his  meals  and  lodging,  and  had  the  following  advertisement 
inserted  in  the  Herald. 

INFORMATION  WANTED  OF  MRS.  E C ,  WHO  IS  SUP- 
posed  to  be  at  present  in  this  city,  and  married  a  second  time  to  some  person 
whose  name  is  unknown.  Her  son  Milton  has  returned  to  the  city  from  Ohio, 
where  he  was  sent  about  five  years  ago,  and  is  anxious  to  find  his  mother,  or  his 
uncles  Albert  and  Franklin,  who  are  also  in  the  city.  Any  information  of  the 
above  persons  will  be  received  at  the  desk  of  the  Herald  office,  and  the  residence 

of  the  boy,  M C ,  who  is  friendless  and  destitute,  in  the  absence  of  any 

knowledge  of  his  mother,  be  given. 

"  Now,"  said  the  clerks,  "  the  advertisement  will  go  in  to-morrow 
morning.  You  must  remain  in  the  office,  so  that  you  will  not  miss 
your  mother  if  she  comes." 

The  next  morning  he  was  there.  About  8  o'clock  a  lady  entered, 
and,  looking  around,  saw  the  lad  and  recognized  him  at  once.  The 
recognition  was  mutual.  With  the  exclamations  "  Mother !"  "  My 
boy !"  they  were  soon  in  each  other's  arms.  Of  clerks,  boys,  and 
strangers  present  there  was  not  a  dry  eye. 

The  mother  was  full  of  gratitude,  and,  leaving,  said  she  would  take 
him  to  her  home,  clean  him  up,  and  bring  him  back  in  order  to  show 
his  benefactors  what  a  splendid  boy  he  was.  She  did  so. 

"  Have  you  ever  received  any  return  for  the  large  expenditure  in 
time  and  money  in  erecting  your  Institute  ?"  asked  a  gentleman  one 
day  of  Mr.  Peter  Cooper,  in  a  Fourth  Avenue  car. 


476  Journalism  in  America. 

"  Oh  yes,"  replied  that  gentleman,  "  several.  It  is  only  the  other 
day,  in  one  of  these  cars,  a  young  man  in  uniform  came  to  me  and 
said, '  Mr.  Cooper,  I  have  been  desirous  of  speaking  to  you,  but  a 
want  of  confidence  in  myself  has  deterred  me  till  now.  I  was  a 
poor  boy,  without  any  prospects,  when  your  Institute  opened.  I  ap- 
plied for  admission,  learned  engineering,  the  rebellion  broke  out, 
and  now  I  am  an  assistant  engineer.  But  for  you,  Mr.  Cooper,  what 
would  have  become  of  me !' " 

"  That,"  said  Mr.  Cooper,  "  was  a  gratifying  return,  and  I  have  felt 
happier  ever  since  that  interview  in  the  car.  One  or  two  incidents 
of  this  kind  are  sufficient  compensation  to  me." 

On  a  smaller  scale,  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  the  attaches  of 
the  Herald,  in  the  scene  of  the  reunion  of  mother  and  son,  felt  them- 
selves more  than  compensated  for  the  trouble  they  had  taken  with 
the  stray  boy ;  and  "  one  or  two  incidents  of  this  kind"  show  that 
the  advertisements  of  a  paper  are  not  the  least  important  part  of 
such  an  institution. 

The  relations  of  Mexico  and  Texas  with  the  United  States  began 
to  assume  an  importance  in  1844,  and  news  from  those  republics 
was  read  with  no  little  interest.  To  meet  the  demand  for  such  in- 
telligence, Mr.  Bennett  arranged  an  overland  express  from  New  Or- 
leans, and  announced  the  fact  on  the  26th  of  December  of  that  year. 
The  arrangements  went  into  operation  in  January,  1845.  It  was 
the  first  express  of  the  kind  ever  run.  It  beat  the  great  Southern 
mail  from  New  Orleans  to  New  York  from  one  to  four  days.  Ob- 
structions of  all  sorts  were  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  success  of  this 
express  by  the  Post-office  authorities.  It  was  arranged  by  the  Her- 
ald and  the  New  Orleans  Crescent  City,  and  run  each  way.  So  inim- 
ical became  the  government  to  this  enterprise  that  Mr.  O'Callaghan, 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Crescent  City,  was  arrested  in  Georgia 
by  order  of  Postmaster  General  Wicliffe  for  a  violation  of  Post-office 
laws  !  The  Post-office  authorities  deemed  the  act  of  beating  the 
time  made  by  the  mails  an  illegal  one  !  Another  attempt  was  made 
by  the  Herald  in  May  to  improve  on  its  previous  arrangements. 
When  the  war  with  Mexico  broke  out  in  the  spring  of  1846,  these 
expresses  became  a  necessity.  Then,  in  connection  with  the  Balti- 
more Sun  and  the  Philadelphia  Ledger,  arrangements  were  made  to 
run  one  every  week,  or  every  day,  or  on  the  receipt  at  New  Orleans 
•of  important  news  from  the  seat  of  war.  These  arrangements  lasted 
during  the  war.  The  Herald  announced,  on  the  loth  of  April,  1847, 
that  four  expresses  from  different  parts  of  the  country  had  reached 
that  office  in  the  previous  twenty-four  hours.  On  the  nth  of  the 
same  month  it  published  the  following  paragraph : 


Discovery  of  Gold  in  California.  477 

THE  CAFfURE  OF  VERA  CRUZ  AND  THE  CASTLE  OF  SAN  JUAN   D*ULUA. 
Our  special  and  extraordinary  express,  which  we  had  arranged  for  some  time 
past  on  the  Southern  line  between  Philadelphia  and  New  Orleans,  arrived  at 
Philadelphia  yesterday  morning  at  8  o'clock,  when  the  news  which  it  brought 
was  transmitted  to  our  office  by  telegraph. 

The  Herald  oi  the  i3th  of  April  said  that  if  its  express  from  Mo- 
bile to  Montgomery  had  not  been  run,  the  intelligence  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Vera  Cruz  would  not  have  been  made  public  till  Monday, 
whereas  it  was  published  on  Saturday  morning. 

The  Journal  of  Commerce,  the  Sun,  and  Tribune  joined  the  Her- 
ald in  this  great  enterprise,  culminating  in  the  receipt  of  the  news 
of  the  operations  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Halls  of  the  Montezumas. 
It  was  thus  announced  on  the  2ist  of  October,  1847  : 

Our  readers  will  be  pleased  to  see  in  this  morning's  Herald 'the  long-looked-for 
intelligence  from  the  city  of  Mexico.  It  reached  New  Orleans  on  the  I3th  inst., 
and  was  brought  by  the  special  overland  express  for  the  New  York  Herald  and 
other  papers.  Owing  to  its  importance,  however,  our  special  messenger  was  in- 
structed to  bring  the  intelligence  to  the  government  at  Washington,  and  it  will 
at  once  have  general  circulation  throughout  the  country.  This  we  thought  due 
to  the  public. 

These  expresses  were  almost  the  last  of  their  kind.  The  mag- 
netic 'telegraph  wires  were  being  rapidly  stretched  over  the  country, 
and  horses,  and  locomotives,  and  carrier  pigeons  were  as  rapidly 
going  out  of  use.  They  are  now  only  necessary  to  run  to  telegraph 
stations. 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  California  immediately  after  the  close 
of  the  war  with  Mexico  gave  an  enormous  impulse  to  newspapers 
and  the  country.  The  Herald  had  its  share  in  this  wonderful  de- 
velopment. One  of  its  correspondents  was  Thomas  O.  Larkin,  who 
resided  on  the  west  coast  of  Mexico  as  navy  agent  and  United  States 
consul  at  Monterey.  Early  in  1848  he  sent  to  the  office  of  the 
Herald  a  small  pinch  of  gold-dust,  equal  in  quantity  to  a  moderate 
pinch  of  snuff,  with  a  statement  that  it  was  from  freshly-discovered 
mines  in  California.  This  gold  and  this  information  came  overland 
by  the  way  of  Mazatlan.  All  newspaper  offices  had  been  for  a 
number  of  years  more  or  less  afflicted  with  wonderful  discoveries 
of  rich  deposits  of  gold  in  Georgia,  Virginia,  and  North  Carolina  ; 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  editors  looked  with  suspicion  upon  all  such 
description  of  intelligence.  Although  every  confidence  was  placed 
in  any  statement  that  Mr.  Larkin  would  make,  the  sample  of  gold 
from  California  was  carefully  laid  on  the  table.  After  the  lapse  of 
weeks  other  letters  came  from  Mr.  L.,  confirming  his  first  reports, 
with  a  little  more  enthusiasm  thrown  into  his  statements  of  the 
magnificent  Dorado  that  had  been  found.  Thereupon  the  modest 
pinch  of  gold  was  brought  forward  and  again  examined.  It  was 
the  only  specimen  that  had  been  received  from  California. 


478  Journalism  in  America. 

11  Let  us  see,"  said  Mr.  Bennett,  "  if  this  be  gold.  If  it  be  the 
pure  article,  and  Mr.  Larkin's  statements  prove  correct,  we  are  on 
the  eve  of  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  events  of  the  age." 

The  pinch  of  dust  was  sent  to  an  experienced  assayer,  with  the 
following  result : 

REPORT  OF  AN  ASSAY  OF  CALIFORNIA  GOLD-DUST  RECENTLY  RECEIVED  BY  JAS. 
G.  BENNETT  FROM    MR.  T.  O.  LARKIN,  U.  STATES  CONSUL  AT  MONTEREY. 

NEW  YORK,  Dec.  8,  1848. 

MR.  BENNETT  : 

SIR, — I  have  assayed  the  portion  of  gold-dust,  or  metal,  from  California,  which 
you  sent  me,  and  the  result  shows  that  it  is  fully  equal  to  any  found  in  our  South- 
ern gold  mines. 

I  return  you  roj  grains  out  of  the  12  which  I  have  tested,  the  value  of  which 
is  45  cents.  It  is  2i£  carats  fine — within  half  a  carat  of  the  quality  of  English 
sovereigns  or  American  eagles,  and  is  almost  ready  to  go  to  the  Mint. 

The  finest  gold  metal  we  get  is  from  Africa,  which  is  22$  to  23  carats  fine.    In 
Virginia  we  have  mines  where  the  quality  of  the  gold  is  much  inferior,  some  of 
it  as  low  as  19  carats,  and  in  Georgia  the  mines  produce  it  nearly  22  carats  fine. 
The  gold  of  California  which  I  have  now  assayed  is  fully  equal  to  that  of  any, 
and  much  superior  to  some  produced  from  the  mines  in  our  Southern  States. 
Yours  respectfully,  JOHN  WARWICK, 

Smelter  and  Refiner,  1 7  John  Street. 

This  analysis  was  published.  The  letters  had  previously  ap- 
peared, and  created  a  commotion  in  the  community.  There  were 
no  steamers  then  on  the  Atlantic  or  the  Pacific  to  convey  passen- 
gers to  this  veritable  Dorado.  Other  means  had  to  be  adopted  to 
get  there.  The  first  batch  of  gold-hunters  were  so  eager  to  become 
millionaires  that  they  chartered  a  bark,  the  John  Benson,  which  left 
New  York  in  December,  1848,  for*  Chagres.  After  untold  troubles 
and  difficulties,  these  pioneers,  about  sixty  in  number,  reached  the 
mines  and  went  to  work.  Among  these  energetic  men  was  Jem 
Grant,  the  well-known  Herald  barber  of  Ann  Street,  who  not  only 
became  an  alderman  in  San  Francisco,  but  a  millionaire,  without 
shaving  any  one  in  that  state. 

Libel  suits  were  a  feature  of  the  Herald.  As  its  editor  grew  rich 
these  suits  increased.  They  were,  in  many  instances,  frivolous 
cases,  made  out  of  police  reports,  and  instituted  by  speculating  law- 
yers, who  carried  them  on  for  a  share  of  the  damages  obtained. 
'  Mr.  Bennett  employed  abundance  of  counsel,  and  fought  these  cases, 
in  the  general  interest  of  the  Press,  as  long  as  the  law  would  per- 
mit. He  did  more,  by  this  mode,  in  stopping  these  vexatious  suits 
than  by  all  the  changes  in  the  law  of  libel.  There  was  one  case, 
known  as  the  Opera  libel  suit,  that  lasted  for  years,  which  must 
have  cost  $10,000  or  $15,000,  and  became  really  a  cause  celebre. 
The  first  verdict  in  this  case  was  $10,000  in  1855.  There  were 
new  trials,  and  the  final  verdict  was  $6000,  which  appeared  to  be 
the  value  of  an  adverse  criticism. 

The  general  policy  of  the  Herald  was  based  on  these  six  points, 


The  General  Policy  of  the  Herald.  479 

which  it  has  powerfully  and  persistently  kept  in  view  from  its  first 
issue : 

First.  The  Constitution  and  prosperity  of  the  United  States  un- 
der all  circumstances. 

Second.  The  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

Third.  To  give  all  the  news,  freshly,  fully,  and  faithfully,  from  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

Fourth.  To  comment  clearly,  freely,  and  independently. on  the 
events  of  the  world  as  they  daily  developed  themselves. 

Fifth.  To  sustain  every  enterprise  that  would  elevate  the  human 
race,  and  unite  all  the  nations  in  commerce  and  civilization. 

Sixth.  To  make  the  Heralds  cosmopolitan  journal  par  excellence. 

On  these  cardinal  virtues  the  Herald  has  become  great  with  the 
greatness  of  the  nation,  and  prosperous  with  the  prosperity  of  the 
metropolis.  It  was  and  continues  to  be  an  excellent  platform.  All 
the  energies  of  its  editor  were  bent  on  subserving  these  points.  His 
efforts  were  appreciated  in  advertisements,  subscriptions,  news,  at- 
tentions, and  influence  ia  abundance.  On  the  ist  of  January,  1855, 
a  large,  mysterious-looking  box  was  sent  to  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel 
for  Mr.  Bennett.  He  looked  at  it  attentively  for  a  few  moments, 
and  declined  receiving  it.  That  looks  like  another  infernal  ma- 
chine on  a  large  scale.  He  could  not  decipher  the  signature  of  the 
note  accompanying  the  handsome  box.  But  the  hotel-keeper  as- 
sured him  that  it  was  all  right  by  bringing  down  one  of  the  firm  of 
Ball,  Black  &  Co.,  from  whose  establishment  it  came.  It  was  then 
opened,  and  found  to  contain  a  splendid  service  of  silver  plate,  con- 
sisting of  ten  pieces,  each  with  an  appropriate  inscription.  This  is 
the  chief  one  : 

PRESENTED 

TO 

JAMES    GORDON    BENNETT 

AS   A 

TESTIMONIAL 

To  the  Editor  of  the  truly  National  Newspaper  of  the  American  Republic ;  the 
firm  and  unwavering  Supporter  of  the  Constitution ;  the  Opponent  of  the 
Spoils  System  of  Government ;  the  ready  and  effective  Advocate  of  the  Rights 
of  the  People. 

New  York  City,  January,  1855. 

On  the  milk  pitcher — the  inscription  should  have  been  engraved 
on  the  hot-water  pitcher- — were  these  words  : 

PRESENTED  TO 
JAMES    GORDON    BENNETT, 

THE   MOST   ABUSED 
EDITOR    IN    AMERICA. 

The  Herald  has  been  accused  of  inconsistency  in  its  editorial 
course — that  it  would  contradict  to-day  what  it  said  yesterday. 


480  Journalism  in  America. 

What  is  a  daily  newspaper  but  a  reflex  of  the  previous  day  ?  Is  the 
world  to-day  what  it  was  half  a  century  ago  ?  Is  there  not  change 
every  where  ?  Look  at  the  United  States  as  they  were  on  the  i3th 
of  April,  1861,  and  then  as  they  were  on  the  same  day  in  1865.  Au 
jour  lejour,  the  motto  of  Girardin,  is  it  not  a  bad  one  for  a  news- 
paper ?  But  the  Herald  itself,  in  1868,  gave  the  best  answer  to  this 
silly  charge  : 

If  we  saw  a  party  pursuing  a  course  calculated  to  involve  the  country  in  civil 
war,  we  should  oppose  it  with  all  our  might ;  but  if  war  should  come  in  spite  of 
our  efforts,  and  the  integrity  of  the  country  were  threatened,  we  should  go  with 
the  very  party  we  had  opposed  to  save  the  life  of  the  nation.  And  this,  in  fact,  as 
is  well  known,  has  been  our  course.  The  Radical  Press  was  consistent  in  forcing 
civil  war  and  then  carrying  it  out,  and  the  Copperhead  Press  was  consistent  in 
opposing  the  interests  of  the  republic  after  war  commenced.  Which  was  most 
consistent  as  regards  the  welfare  of  the  country,  they  or  we,  under  the  circum- 
stances ?  Every  right-thinking  person  will  say  the  Herald  was  consistent  in  the 
proper  sense  of  the  word,  and  the  Party  Press  inconsistent. 

It  is  impossible,  in  a  work  like  this,  to  give  all  the  important 
points  of  a  leading  newspaper  like  the  Herald.  Its  treatment  of 
local  as  well  as  national  events  were  of  consequence  to  the  people, 
and  many  reforms  were  made  and  many  abuses  stopped  by  its  in- 
fluence, and  the  influence  of  other  journals  acting  in  common  with 
it.  On  the  election  of  General  Pierce  to  the  presidency  in  1852, 
General  Scott  ascribed  his  defeat  to  three  causes : 

i  st.  The  opposition  of  the  New  York  Herald. 

2d.  The 'mutiny  of  Mr.Webster  and  his  friends. 

3d.  The  coldness  of  Mr.  Fillmore  and  his  friends. 

The  Herald  killed  the  Taylor  cabinet  by  its  exposd  of  Crawford's 
Galphinism.  It  destroyed  the  American  Art  Union  with  a  few 
articles  and  squibs.  It  has  built  up  as  well  as  pulled  down.  No 
good  cause  was  without  its  support ;  no  bad  cause  without  its  de- 
nunciation. 

The  introduction  of  the  telegraph  was  its  great  theme.  Morse 
had  no  greater  friend  and  supporter  than  the  Herald.  It  felt  that 
with  the  electric  wire  a  new  impulse  would  be  given  to  the  country 
and  to  the  Press.  It  liberally  used  the  wires  from  the  first  flash 
over  them.  It  has  spent  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  in  tolls. 
One  of  the  probabilities  of  the  future  is  that  the  Herald,  as  well  as 
all  others,  will  have  all  its  news  come  by  telegraph — that  the  mails 
will  be  as  obsolete  as  stage  -  coaches.  But  the  Herald  has  been 
beaten  even  by  telegraph.  The  Tribune,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
Franco-German  war,  in  its  splendid  descriptions  of  the  battles  of 
Gravelotte  and  Sedan,  completely  eclipsed  its  rival,  and  obtained 
great  credit  for  its  success  and  energy.  This  competition  is  the 
soul  of  enterprise.  It  makes  such  papers  as  the  Herald,  Times,  Sun, 
World,  and  Tribune  the  great  journals  of  the  world.  One  defeat 


A  Curious  Incident.  481 

leads  to  a  dozen  victories,  and  the  public  gain  by  the  spirited  con- 
test. 

There  are  abundance  of  incidents  connected  with  newspaper  of- 
fices. The  Herald,  for  instance,  in  1850,  published  a  letter  from  the 
English  minister  at  Washington,  of  which  the  following  is  an  ex- 
tract : 

SIR  HENRY  L.  BULWER  TO  FREDERICK  CHATFIELD. 

WASHINGTON,  Feb.  26th,  1850. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  have  received  your  communications  up  to  the  3d  of  January  in- 
clusive. I  was  glad  to  hear  of  your  arrangement  with  the  Governor  of  Honduras, 
and  I  trust  that  you  will  thus  have  settled  the  question  of  claims  before  the  order 
for  evacuating  Tigre  Island  arrives.  ****** 

Neither  do  I  think  that  this  government  has  at  the  present  moment  the  views 
you  seem  inclined  to  credit  it  for.  It  is,  however,  a  -weak  government,  and,  being 
suspected  by  the  popular  party,  is  ever  afraid  of  seeming  in  favor  of  any  policy 
that  is  unpopular.  Thus,  though  its  intentions  may  be  trusted,  its  course  can  not 
be  relied  upon.  ****** 

I  am  again,  dear  sir,  yours  respectfully,  H.  L.  B. 

How  was  this  letter  obtained  ?  How  was  it  received  ?  It  was  a 
grievous  offense  in  diplomacy  for  a  foreign  minister  to  speak  in  this 
way  of  a  friendly  government,  still  Sir  Henry  did  not  receive  his 
passports  from  General  Taylor  as  Catacazy  did  from  General  Grant. 
But  how  did  this  letter  fall  into  the  columns  of  the  Herald?  A 
gentleman  traveling  from  the  interior  of  Honduras  to  Omoa,  on  his 
way  to  Havana,  found  by  the  road-side  portions  of  a  mail  which  had 
been  examined  and  rifled  by  robbers.  He  gathered  up  some  of  the 
letters,  among  which  was  the  above  free  and  easy  note.  It  was 
carried  to  Havana  and  shown  to  a  number  of  Spanish  merchants, 
and  obtained  by  the  correspondent  of  the  Herald  in  that  city.  It 
created  a  sensation  in  diplomatic  circles  in  Washington  and  Lon- 
don. Clayton  was  speechless  for  a  day.  What  did  Bulwer  say? 
Soon  after  its  publication  that  wily  diplomat  visited  New  York,  and 
stopped  at  the  Union  Place  Hotel.  Editor  Bennett  boarded  at 
the  same  popular  house.  Bulwer's  rooms  were  next  to  Bennett's. 
When  Bulwer  ascertained  this  fact,  he  went  to  the  proprietor  of  the 
hotel,  and  said,  "  My  rooms,  I  find,  adjoin  those  of  Mr.  Bennett,  of 
the  Herald.  Now  Bennett  is  a  queer  man  ;  he  lately,  in  some  mys- 
terious way,  got  hold  of  a  letter  of  mine  written  to  Central  America. 
It  may  possibly  happen  that  he  will  spirit  away  some  of  my  instruc- 
tions from  my  government,  and  I  therefore  wish  to  lock  them  up  in 
your  safe !"  Bulwer,  from  his  own  experience  in  such  matters  in 
Madrid,  had  become  suspicious,  and  this  did  not  satisfy  him.  In 
a  day  or  two.  he  had  these  precious  documents  sent  to  the  office  of 
the  British  consul ! 

There  is  no  one  feature  in  journalism  that  has  surprised  the  pub- 
lic more  than  the  marvelous  promptness  with  which  elaborate  bio- 
graphical sketches  of  the  distinguished  dead  are  published.  There 

HH 


482  Journalism  in  America. 

need  be  no  astonishment.  All  well-arranged  newspaper  offices  have 
such  matters  carefully  prepared.  "  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in 
death."  The  "  obituary"  library  of  the  Herald  is  quite  full.  When 
Burton,  the  comedian  and  manager,- was  on  his  death-bed  in  New 
York  several  years  ago,  a  sketch  of  his  life  and  career  as  an  actor 
was  prepared  in  that  office,  and  was  ready  for  publication.  Indeed, 
it  came  near  being  prematurely  published.  In  some  way  the  fact 
became  known  to  Burton.  He  sent  a  request  to  the  editor  that  he 
might  read  his  own  obituary  notice  before  he  died,  and  if  there  were 
any  mistakes  in  the  statements  he  would  correct  them  !  The  sketch 
was  sent  to  him  in  proof,  and  he  carefully  read  it,  making  one  or 
two  verbal  corrections,  and  returned  it  to  the  editor  with  his  thanks. 
He  died  a  day  or  two  after  this  singular  occurrence,  evidently  satis- 
fied with  his  record.  It  has  happened  several  times  that  statesmen 
and  other  distinguished  men  have  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  very 
flattering  notices  of  themselves  by  false  reports  of  their  deaths 
reaching  newspaper  offices  late  at  night.  Lord  Brougham  enjoyed 
this  felicity,  and  he  was  charmed  to  find  that  he  still  lived,  after  so 
many  splendid  eulogiums  had  been  passed  upon  his  character. 

There  were  constant  improvements  in  the  art  of  making  newspa- 
pers in  the  Herald  establishment.  Mr.  Bennett  devoted  his  whole 
time  and  thought  to  journalism.  He  was  a  walking  newspaper. 
After  he  started  the  Herald  the  success  of  his  journal  was  the  aim 
of  his  life.  Early  and  late  he  attended  to  his  business.  No  politi- 
cal office  had  any  attraction  for  him  :  to  increase  his  circulation  ;  to- 
improve  and  fill  his  advertising  columns  ;  to  obtain  the  best  cor- 
respondents ;  to  get  the  news  to  his  office  before  any  of  his  contem- 
poraries had  it,  were  his  ambition.  To  accomplish  these  points  he 
would  spare  no  expense. 

The  Rebellion  of  1861-5  gave  him  his  best  opportunity  to  show 
what  could  be  done  in  journalistic  enterprise.  Anticipating  trouble 
at  the  South,  he  had  dispatched  half  a  dozen  correspondents  to  the 
infected  districts,  and' when  the  signal  gun  was  fired  at  Fort  Sumter, 
these  correspondents  were  still  at  the  South,  and  surrounded  by  ex- 
cited crowds,  ready  to  hang  them  on  the  first  tree.  The  accounts 
of  their  narrow  escapes  were  intensely  graphic.  With  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  first  army  the  Herald  corps  of  army  and  navy  corre- 
spondents were  organized.  With  every  division  marched  a  young 
representative  of  that  establishment.  At  every  fight  one  of  its  cor- 
respondents was  an  eye-witness.  There  was  a  Herald  tent  and  a 
Herald  wagon  with  each  army  corps.  Other  journals  of  New  York, 
Cincinnati,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  Baltimore,  St.  Louis,  were 
also  extensively  represented,  but  the  Herald  is  taken  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  newspaper  enterprise  of  the  nation.  Horses  and  serv- 


The  Herald  and  the  Rebellion.  483 

ants  were  supplied  to  these  correspondents.  Their  outfits  were 
perfect.  Occasionally  a  representative  of  the  paper  was  made  a 
.prisoner.  His  wants  were  looked  after  while  in  the  hands  of  the 
rebels.  Of  the  details  of  a  battle  no  efforts  were  spared  to  get  the 
news  to  New  York.  Horses,  steam,  and  electricity  were  freely  used. 
No  history  of  the  war  will  be  complete  with  the  incidents  connected 
with  these  war  correspondents  omitted.  What  did  all  this  enter- 
prise cost  the  Herald  during  the  years  1861,  '62,  '63,  '64,  and  '65  ? 
Half  a  million  of  dollars  !  Yet  the  investment  was  a  splendidly  re- 
munerative one. 

Newspapers  passed  through  the  lines  of  the  several  armies.  No 
effort  was  spared  on  either  side  to  obtain  them.  While  nearly  ev- 
ery one  sought  these  papers  to  obtain  a  general  idea  of  the  state  of 
public  feeling  then  bubbling  up  in  hate  on  either  side,  the  soldier 
of  tact  and  the  journalist  of  experience  studied  them  for  the  mate- 
rial resources  of  each  in  the  pending  conflict.  While  Banks  pro- 
claimed the  necessity  of  calling  out  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  men 
at  once  to  the  field,  and  Sherman  was  declared  insane  because -he 
asked  for  two  hundred  thousand  men  for  the  invasion  of  the  South, 
most  of  the  leading  men  of  both  sides  sought  to  lessen  the  power 
and  resources  of  each  section,  and  felt  sure  of  the  superiority  of  his 
own  government.  Out  of  this  doubt  the  newspaper  was  the  guide. 

With  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  a  Southern  bureau  or  depart- 
ment was  established  in  the  office  of  the  Herald.  It  was  the  duty 
of  the  chief  of  this  bureau  to  collect  and  file  away  all  information, 
of  whatever  character,  that  came  from  the  South.  Of  the  instruc- 
tions issued  to  correspondents,  the  principal  one  was  to  obtain  reb- 
el newspapers.  Neither  trouble  nor  expense  were  to  be  spared  in 
their  acquisition.  Contrabands  and  deserters,  abandoned  camps 
and  villages,  were  searched  for  them.  Many  were  obtained,  and  are 
now  in  the  office  library  of  that  journal.  The  chief  of  this  bureau 
compiled  from  these  papers  lists  or  rosters  of  the  military  forces  of 
the  Secessionists.  Occasionally  these,  in  an  incomplete  form,  would 
be  published,  but  finally  a  very  full  roster  of  the  whole  rebel  army 
made  its  appearance  in  the  Herald.  When  a  copy  of  the  paper, 
with  this  wonderful  array  of  names  and  figures,  reached  Richmond, 
it  created  a  veritable  commotion  in  the  War  Office  in  that  capital. 
Several  of  the  clerks,  accused  of  furnishing  the  information,  were 
placed  under  arrest.  On  the  evening  of  its  appearance  in  New 
York,  one  of  the  attaches  of  the  Herald  rode  in  a  Fourth  Avenue 
car  with  Mr.  Geo.  M.  Snow,  of  the  Tribune,  as  a  fellow-passenger. 

"  If  any  thing  were  wanting,"  said  Snow  to  the  aforesaid  attache, 
"to  show  the  intimacy  between  the  rebels  in  Richmond  and  the  of- 
fice of  the  Herald  in  New  York,  the  list  of  the  rebel  army,  as  pub- 
lished this  morning,  is  that  thing." 


484  Journalism  in  America. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  the  Herald  attache. 

"  What  do  I  mean  ?  That  roster  of  the  rebel  army  could  only 
have  been  obtained  from  the  rebel  War  Office.  That  is  quite 
enough,  I  should  think,"  replied  Snow,  with  a  touch  of  professional 
jealousy. 

"Why,  Snow,  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  the  Herald  obtained 
that  list  direct  from  the  War  Department  in  Richmond  ?  That  in- 
formation was  wholly  made  up  from  advertisements  and  local  news 
paragraphs  of  the  Southern  newspapers  which  were  run  through  our 
lines." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Snow.  "  Don't  you  suppose  that  the  Tribune 
and  Times  could  have  done  the  same  thing  ?" 

"Let  us  know,"  said  the  Tribune  of  the  Qth  of  June,  1862,  "from 
what  source,  and  through  what  channels,  the  Zfenz/^has  twice  pro- 
cured for  publication  the  alleged  muster-rolls  of  the  rebel  armies. 
Let  us  see  by  what  means  the  Herald}\-3^>  been  repeatedly  supplied 
with  rebel  newspapers." 

It  is  fair  to  suppose  that  the  Herald  did  not  tell  the  Tribune  how 
these  papers  were  obtained. 

On  one  occasion  a  Union  prisoner  was  released  from  Libby,  where 
several  Herald  correspondents  were  confined.  This  soldier,  on  his 
arrival  in  New  York,  called  at  the  Herald,  cut  off  one  of  his  hollow 
military  buttons,  and  presented  it  to  the  editor.  "You  will  find  a 
letter  in  that,"  said  he.  On  taking  it  apart,  a  letter  was  found,  writ- 
ten on  tissue  paper,  describing  affairs  in  Richmond,  which  made 
three  quarters  of  a  column  in  the  Herald.  No  one  knew  how  that 
intelligence  reached  that  office. 

The  course  of  the  Herald  through  this  stupendous  struggle  was 
a  wise  and  patriotic  one.  It  was  appreciated  by  the  people,  by  the 
executive,  by  the  army,  and  by  the  navy.  The  following  letter  from 
Secretary  Stanton  to  the  editor  of  that  journal  indicated  the  value 
he  placed  upon  the  newspaper  as  one  of  the  most  available  and  in- 
fluential means  of  putting  the  vital  points  of  the  war  clearly  before 
the  masses  : 

WASHINGTON,  May  2, 1862. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  take  the  liberty  to  inclose  to  you  some  observations  respecting 
the  present  state  of  things  as  they  appear  to  me.  The  great  question  involved  in 
the  rebellion  has  always  seemed  to  me  in  a  great  measure  a  commercial  question, 
and  the  history  of  the  Federal  Union  shows  that  the  commercial  interest  was  one 
of  the  strongest  inducements  to  the  formation  of  the  government.  We  have  ex- 
perienced the  misfortune  of  the  dissolution  of  the  Union  in  our  commercial  inter- 
ests most  sensibly  (using  that  word  in  its  most  general  sense),  and  have  proved 
the  wisdom  of  the  framers  of  the  Constitution  by  our  loss  in  the  destruction  of 
their  work — a  wise  and  liberal  system  of  domestic  and  foreign  commerce.  To  the 
re-establishment  of  commercial  relations  I  look,  under  Providence,  for  the  resto- 
ration of  the  government,  and  that  work  I  regard,  in  a  great  measure,  accomplish- 
ed by  the  opening  of  the  ports  occupied  by  our  forces.  Of  course  I  consider  the 
destruction  of  the  enemy  at  Yorktown  and  Corinth  as  necessary  conditions. 


Mr.  Bennett  and  the  French  Mission.        485 

Holding  these  views,  I  think  the  public  mind  should  be  directed  to  this  state 
of  the  question,  and  therefore  venture  to  submit  it  to  you. 

Yours  truly,  EDWIN  M.  STANTON. 

But  this  was  only  one  of  the  many  indications,  pointing  to  the 
same  view,  of  the  importance  of  journals  in  the  administration  of 
the  government. 

The  French  mission  !  How  much  has  been  said  of  this  political 
bauble  !  When  Franklin  Pierce  was  elected  President,  after  a  spir- 
ited campaign,  in  which  the  Herald  accomplished  so  much  with  the 
people,  it  was  asserted  that  Mr.  Bennett  was  seeking  the  French 
mission  as  a  reward  for  his  services.  We  know  what  General 
Scott  thought  of  this  campaign.  Here  is  General  Pierce's  opinion : 

CONCORD,  N.  H.,  Nov.  30,  1852. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — Your  obliging  letter  of  October  25  should  have  been  answered 
before. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  kind  and  considerate,  under  the  circumstances, 
than  the  letters  both  of  Mr.  Bennett  and  yourself. 

It  is  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  that  I  have  not  been  insensible  to  the  vast 
influence  of  the  Herald  throughout  the  late  canvass.  Will  you  assure  Mr.  B., 
when  you  write  him,  that  I  appreciate  both  the  motive  and  the  ability,  and  at  the 
same  time  present  to  him  my  sincere  acknowledgments  ? 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  friend  and  servant,          FRANK.  PIERCE. 

This  was  Mr.  Bennett's  reward.  He  did  not  want  even  that. 
Well,  when  James  Buchanan  was  elected,  the  same  story  was  put  in 
circulation.  What  did  the  new  President  confer  on  the  Herald! 
Mr.  Buchanan  wrote  a  very  complimentary  letter  to.  Mr.  Bennett, 
and  that  was  all.  Not  so  much  even  as  that  was  expected.  Mean- 
while the  editor  made  one  or  two  visits  to  Europe  as  minister 
plenipotentiary  from  that  sovereign  power,  the  New  York  Herald. 
When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected  President  for  the  second  term, 
what  did  he  do?  What  was  his  opinion  of  a  leading  journalist? 
He  unreservedly  offered  this  great  prize — the  French  mission — to 
Mr.  Bennett,  and  with  what  result  ?  It  was  respectfully  and  posi- 
tively declined.  In  his  letter  to  the  President  the  editor  said  his 
editorial  mission  was  high  enough  and  honorable  enough  for  him ; 
that  he  could  do  more  good  in  the  Herald  than  in  France,  and  did 
not  want  office.  Thus  ended  all  the  talk  and  gossip  of  the  French 
mission. 

After  all  these  struggles  and  all  these  triumphs,  full  of  years  and 
full  of  honors,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Sr.,  somewhere  about  the  year 
1866,  inducted  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.,  into  the  mysteries  of 
journalism.  Impulsive  like  his  father,  as  energetic  and  as  fearless, 
he  assumed  the  management  of  the  Herald  with  great  vigor  and 
skill.  One  of  his  first  coups  was  the  Prusso-Austrian  war.  The 
cable  transmitted  the  whole  of  the  King  of  Prussia's  important 
speech  after  the  battle  of  Sadowa  and  peace  with  Austria,  costing 
in  tolls  $7000  in  gold. 


486  Journalism  in  America. 

But  one  of  his  most  wonderful  achievements  was  in  the  Anglo- 
Abyssinian  Expedition  of  1868.  He  sent  H.  M.  Stanley,  a  name 
now  famous,  as  a  special  correspondent  with  General  Napier  on 
that  memorable  and  victorious  march,  and  was  the  means,  through 
his  agents,  of  not  only  giving  the  result  of  that  important  military 
movement  to  the  Herald  first  of  all,  but  of  supplying  the  English 
government,  the  English  Press,  and  the  English  people  with  the 
news  in  advance  of  their  own  dispatches.  The  Times  and  other 
papers  in  London  handsomely  acknowledged  their  indebtedness  to 
the  American  journal  for  this  news  of  the  victory  of  their  own  army 
in  the  heart  of  Africa  ! 

The  London  Spectator  of  the  7th  of  March,  1868,  thus  spoke  of 
this  enterprise : 

If  old  John  Walter  were  alive,  what  would  he  say  ?  Here  is  the  Times,  which 
for  half  a  century  has  beaten  every  journal  in  Europe  in  energy  and  enterprise, 
actually  publishing  the  latest  news  of  a  British  expedition  per  favor  of  a  London 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald.  According  to  a  message  received  by 
that  gentleman  on  Wednesday,  and  apparently  ten  days  later  than  the  latest  of- 
ficial intelligence,  General  Napier  reached  Antalo  on  February  15,  was  to  meet 
the  "  Prince"  of  Tigre  on  the  2Oth,  and  was  then  to  press  on  to  Magdala,  fifteen 
marches  oif. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  journalism  equal  to  this  achieve- 
ment. 

The  steam  news  yachts,  splendid  little  water  locomotives,  were  in- 
troduced in  1867.  They  overshadowed  the  news  schooners  of  1834 
enormously.  With  these  steamers  the  Herald  has  perfected  its  ma- 
rine department.  With  them,  too,  the  Herald  has  been  of  infinite 
service  to  the  commercial  community  of  New  York.  These  steam- 
ers meet  in-bound  ships  some  distance  at  sea.  They  enable  the 
Herald  to  boast  of  its  enterprise.  When  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis 
visited  New  York,  that  paper  annoyed  its  contemporaries  and  made 
the  imperial  family  .of  Russia  happy  with  the  announcement  of  his 
safe  arrival,  the  steam  yacht  Herald  having  boarded  the  frigate  S  vet- 
land  at  midnight  several  miles  from  Sandy  Hook. 

This  is  not  all.  The  Herald  has  become  a  geographical  explorer. 
In  the  universal  interest  felt  for  the  safety  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  the 
African  traveler,  Mr.  Bennett,  the  younger,  organized,  in  1870,  an  ex- 
pedition, at  his  own  cost,  to  proceed  in  search  of  that  distinguished 
man,  to  "  interview"  him  on  the  bank  of  some  newly-discovered  river 
in  Africa,  or  perhaps  at  the  "source  of  the  Nile."  The  Herald,  in 
December,  1871,  published  the  first  dispatches  from  Mr.  Stanley,  the 
chief  of  this  expedition.  But  in  the  summer  of  1872  it  startled  ev- 
ery one  with  the  extraordinary  announcement  of  the  discovery  of 
Livingstone  alive  at  Ujiji.  If  the  achievement  in  Abyssinia  was  a 
wonder  in  journalism,  what  should  this  exploit  be  called  ?  The  fact 
astonished  the  world,  and  journalists  have  every  where  awarded  the 


Newspapers  in  New  York  City.  487 

meed  of  praise  to  the  editor  of  that  paper  for  his  sagacity  and  mar- 
velous enterprise.  Not  to  stop  here,  the  proprietor  of  the  Herald 
fitted  out  another  expedition,  in  December,  1871,  to  go  up  the  Nile 
in  search  of  Sir  Samuel  Baker.  The  chief  correspondent  of  this  ex- 
pedition, ignorant  of  the  viceroy's  views,  paid  a  visit  to  Nubar  Pacha, 
minister  of  foreign  affairs,  and  was  very  cordially  received. 

"  I  assured  him,"  said  the  correspondent,  "  that  I  desired  to  visit 
the  equatorial  region,  and  deliver  a  firman  from  his  excellency." 

"  Soyez  tranquille !  soyez  tranquille !  je  vous  donnerai  tons  qrfil 
faut"  continued  his  excellency.  "  You  will  find  a  rude  country 
there.  You  go  to  explore  ?" 

"  I  go  as  a  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald — not  so  much 
an  explorer  as  a  journalist — to  ascertain  Sir  Samuel  Baker's  fate, 
and  to  look  at  the  country  with  newspaper  eyes." 

"  It  is  a  rare  spirit  of  progress,"  said  the  Talleyrand  of  the  East, 
"  which  dominates  your  American  Press.  It  is  the  go-ahead  in  your 
people.  .  I  tell  you  frankly  that  none  but  an  American  journalist 
would  receive  the  support  of  the  viceroy's  government  in  going  to 
the  equatorial  basin,  and  no  American  will  receive  greater  assist- 
ance from  his  highness  than  a  representative  of  the  New  York  Her- 
ald. Americans  have  energy,  and  do  not  come  here  to  harass  the 
government ;  besides,  they  have  no  selfish  interests." 

What  next  ? 

The  New  York  Herald  is  the  history  of  journalism  in  the  United 
States  since  1835.  There  are  now  eighteen  daily  papers  printed  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  With  three  exceptions,  these  have  been  es- 
tablished since  1833,  and  in  the  success  of  those  now  in  existence 
how  many  failures  have  occurred  in  that  city,  and  what  vast  sums 
of  money  have  been  lost  in  these  efforts  !  Since  that  year  one  hun- 
dred and  eleven  daily  papers  have  been  started  in  the  metropolis. 
Here  is  a  list  of  their  names  : 

THE  CHEAP  PRESS  OF  NEW  YORK. 

NAMES   OF  DAILY  PAPERS   ORIGINATING   IN   THE   METROPOLIS   SINCE   1833. 


Morning  Post 1833 

Sun  1833 

Jeffersonian        .         .         .         .  1834 

Man      -         -         -        -        -  1834 

Democratic  Chronicle          -         -  1834 

Transcript     -         -         -        -  1834 

Morning  Star     -         -        -        -  1834 

Daily  Bee      ....  1834 

Herald       -         -         -       ,-         -  1835 

True  Sun      -         -         -         -  1835 

Serpent 1835 

The  Light      -  1835 

Morning  Star     -  1836 

Express          -  1836 

Union 1836 


Democrat     -         ...  1836 

New  Era 1836 

Rough  Hewer       ...  1836 

Daily  Whig       ....  ^37 

Evening  Chronicle        -         -  1837 

New  Times       -         ...  1837 

Examiner    -  1837 

Morning  Chronicle    -  1838 

Daily  Conservative        -         -  1838 

Censor 1838 

Daily  News           -         -         -  1838 
New  York  Chronicle           -        -  1838 
Times  and  Commercial  Intelligen- 
cer        ....  1838 
Corsair     -----  1839 


Journalism  in  America. 


Planet  

1839 

American  Flag 

-     1845 

Evening  Signal         ... 

1839 

Independent  Press 

1445 

Reformer     -         -         -         - 

1839 

The  Irishman 

-     1845 

Evening  Tattler        ... 

1839 

Human  Rights        - 

1845 

Morning  Dispatch 

1839 

The  Woman 

-     1845 

New  Era  

1839 

Constitution    - 

1845 

Hudson's  Express 

1839 

The  Crisis 

-     1845 

New  York  Whig       ... 

1839 

Humorist       - 

1845 

Evening  Times     -         -        - 

1840 

Splinificator 

-     1845 

Democratic  Press       ... 

1840 

Citizen  and  True  Sun    - 

1845 

True  Sun     -         -         -         - 

1841 

Subterranean      ... 

-     1845 

Tribune    - 

1841 

The  Olio        .... 

1845 

Aurora         -         ... 

1842 

Irishman's  Advocate  - 

-     1845 

Morning  Chronicle  and  Penny-a- 

Workingmarfs Advocate 

1845 

line  Advertiser   -         -         - 

1842 

American  Advocate     - 

-     1845 

Plebeian        - 

1842 

The  Globe      - 

1847 

Morning  Post    -         -         -         - 

1842 

Day-Book 

-     1849 

Washingtonian  Daily  News  - 

1842 

National  Democrat        •       '  - 

1850 

Morning  Star    -         -         -         - 

1842 

Daily  Times       ... 

-     1851 

Union  -         -         -         -         - 

1842 

True  National  Democrat 

1852 

Evening  Herald        ... 

1842 

The  Citizen 

-     1855 

Native  American  Democrat  - 

1842 

Daily  News   -         -         -         - 

1855 

True  Sun          .... 

1843 

State  Register      -         -         - 

-     1857 

Arena  

1843 

The  World    -        - 

1859 

Cynosure  and  Chronicle    - 

1843 

Evening  Gazette 

-     1866 

American  Republican   - 

1843 

Evening  News       - 

1867 

Republic    -         -         -        -         - 

1844 

Evening  Telegram 

-     1867 

Evening  Mirror  -         -        - 

1844 

Democrat       .        .        .         . 

1867 

National  Reform       ... 

1844 

Evening  Mail    -        -       .  • 

-     1867 

Morning  News     - 

1844 

Star       

1867 

Democrat           .... 

1844 

The  City     .... 

-     1868 

American  Ensign 

1844 

Evening  Republic 

1869 

Citizen  and  American  Republican 

1844 

Evening  Free  Press    - 

-     1869 

People's  Rights           ... 

1844 

Standard       • 

1870 

Ladies'  Morning  Star  - 

1844 

Evening  Commonwealth 

-     1870 

Penny  Daily  Gazette 

1844 

Evening  Globe        - 

1870 

Evening  Gazette   - 

1845 

Evening  Leader 

-     1871 

Major  Downing  's  Advocate 

1845 

Morning  Ray          ... 

1871 

The  Mechanic       ... 

1845 

Daily  Witness    - 

-     1871 

Sachem      - 

1845 

Daily  Register       -.-.,- 

1871 

Advertiser    -         -         -         - 

1845 

Two  of  these  papers,  the  True  Sun  and  the  New  York  Star,  were 
started  by  the  operatives  of  the  old  Sun — the  True  Sun  by  the  print- 
ers on  a  strike,  and  the  Star  by  the  employes  of  the  Sun,  when  that 
paper  was  sold  to  Charles  A.  Dana.  The  True  Sun  did  not  remain 
long  in  existence,  but  the  Star,  it  is  said,  has  been  quite  successful 
as  a  local  paper,  and  lately  swallowed  the  New  York  Democrat. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  repetitions  of  names  in  the  above 
list.  The  names  represent  new  papers  in  almost  all,  if  not  in  all 
cases.  Some  are  given  from  memory,  where  the  date  is  not  fixed 
accurately  enough  to  add  to  the  name.  Some  of  the  dates  published 
may  not  be  strictly  correct.  These  hundred  papers,  more  or  less, 
have  come  in  competition  with  the  survivors,  and  have  shown  some 
enterprise,  have  heaped  a  good  deal  of  abuse  on  their  more  success- 
ful neighbors,  and  have  spent  a  vast  amount  of  money.  It  is  not 


Herald  Associations.  489 

probable  that  the  list,  formidable  as  it  is,  embraces  the  names  of  all 
the  papers  started  in  the  metropolis  since  1833.  It  is  doubtless 
true  that  of  many  of  these  journals  not  a  copy  is  in  existence. 

What  has  become  of  the  hundreds  of  editors  and  writers  of  these 
papers — Morris,  Willis,  Park  Benjamin,  Winchester,  Mike  Walsh, 
Snelling,  Rufus  Dawes,  Carr,  Burr,  Rudd,  Slocum,  Locke,  of  the 
Moon  Hoax,  Snethen,Wesr,  Griswold,  Hastings  Weld,  Nichols,  Noah, 
Pomeroy,  Duff  Green,  Wikoff,  Price,  Camp,  Halpine,  Ryan,  Fitz 
James  O'Brien,  Arnold,  Wilkins — where  are  they  ? 

Several  of  these  papers  were  absorbed  in  others,  and  in  this  way 
their  names  passed  out  of  sight.  The  Plebeian,  for  instance,  swal- 
lowed the  Union,  the  American  Advocate,  the  Aurora,  the  Arena,  and 
one  or  two  others.  Is  it  astonishing,  with  the  remains  of  so  many 
papers,  that  the  Plebeian  long  survived  ?  Then  the  Morning  News 
swallowed  the  Plebeian  ! 

The  Evetiing Express,  early  in  May,  1871,  in  mentioning  the  fail- 
ure of  several  of  its  contemporaries  included  in  the  above  list,  made 
the  following  remarks : 

Three  daily  New  York  city  newspapers,  two  evening  and  one  morning,  have 
died  within  a  month,  and  more  must  be  on  their  last  legs.  None  of  the  dead 
journals  had  a  long  life,  but  they  lived  long  enough  to  lose  at  least  three  or  four 
handsome  fortunes.  Take  away  government  and  official  patronage,  and  forty  per 
cent,  of  all  the  journals  of  the  country  would  die.  It  takes  long  years  of  labor 
and  large  investments  in  capital  to  establish  or  maintain  a  successful  journal ; 
but  especially  is  this  true  of  this  city,  where  the  expenditures  are  enormous,  if  a 
'  live  newspaper  is  printed,  with  telegrams  from  Europe  and  at  home.  The  Ex- 
press is  not  among  the  oldest  of  the  living  city  journals,  but  since  it  was  estab- 
lished in  1836  it  has  seen  the  oldest  die  out,  as  the  o\&  Mercantile  Gazette  [Ad- 
vertiser ?~\,  the  old  New  York  Gazette,  the  New  York  Daily  Advertiser,  the  New 
York  Evening  Star  of  Mr.  Noah,  the  New  York  American  of  Mr.  King,  the  New 
York  Evening  Mirror,  the  New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer,  the  New  York  States- 
man, etc.,  etc.  These  of  the  dead  past,  existing  before  the  Express  was  estab- 
lished. Since  then,  in  this  city  alone,  over  sixty  daily  papers  have  started  and 
died,  after  losing  at  least  twenty  millions  of  dollars.  There  is  no  business  more 
precarious  than  journalism,  unless  it  is  rnercantile  business,  in  which  it  has  been 
proved  that  in  a  long  course  of  years  from  ninety-three  to  ninety-five  per  cent, 
fail  in  business. 

The  employes  of  the  Herald  have  two  associations  :  one  called  the 
New  York  Herald  Club,  which  is  social  and  convivial  in  its  charac- 
ter, and  celebrates  the  anniversary  of  the  establishment  on  the  6th 
of  May  by  a  grand  banquet  at  the  Astor,  Metropolitan,  or  Delmon- 
ico's ;  the  other  is  styled  the  Pension  and  Annuity  Fund  Associa- 
tion, charitable  and  benevolent  in  its  organization,  and  accomplishes 
much  good.  This  association  was  established  in  1869,  and  to  give 
it  a  start,  Mr.  Bennett  presented  $10,000  to  the  fund.  Small  weekly 
payments  are  made  by  the  employes,  and  then  in  sickness  they  are 
cared  for,  and  in  death  their  wives  and  children  are  provided  with 
sufficient  means  for  support  and  education.  It  is  a  praiseworthy 
institution. 


490  Journalism  in  America. 

The  Founder  of  the  Herald  died  on  the  ist  of  June,  1872,  in  the 
seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  No  journalist  surpassed  him  in 
his  profession.  No  journalist  was  more  abused  or  more  praised, 
durin^  his  public  career,  than  he.  But  on  his  death  the  Newspaper 
Press  every  where  paid  him  unusual  but  deserved  honors.  The 
New  York  Associated  Press,  which  embraces  the  leading  journals 
of  the  metropolis,  thus  spoke  of  him  : 

Resolved,  That  his  long  and  eventful  connection  with  the  Newspaper  Press  of 
the  country  in  a  career  of  unexampled  success  and  prosperity  was  the  result  of 
his  great  foresight,  energy,  and  industry  ;  that  in  all  these  qualities  the  example 
of  Mr.  Bennett  inspired  the  greatest  enterprise  in  journalism  in  the  United  States 
and  throughout  the  world,  and  must,  therefore,  for  all  time,  leave  their  impressions 
for  good  in  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  and  the  advancement  of  the  Press. 

The  funeral  of  the  late  proprietor  of  the  Herald  was  a  large  and 
impressive  one.  Courts  were  adjourned  and  flags  displayed  at  half- 
mast  In  no  other  instance  was  journalism  so  fully  recognized  as 
an  important  public  institution  as  on  this  occasion.  Among  the 
pall-bearers  were  Horace  Greeley,  David  M.  Stone,  Erastus  Brooks, 
George  W.  Childs,  Charles  A.  Dana,  Robert  Bonner,  Major  Bundy, 
George  Jones,  and  Hugh  Hastings. 

The  Herald  is  now  owned  by  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr.  It  is 
still  a  "one-man"  power.  It  is  therefore  probable  that,  like  the 
London  Times,  it  will  outlive  all  other  papers  in  its  usefulness  and 
enterprise.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  none  of  the  famous  journals 
have  survived  more  than  one  generation  as  leading  papers.  Their 
enterprise,  and  ability,  and  fame  would  pass  away  with  their  origi- 
nators. Look  at  the  instances  recorded  on  these  pages ;  and  even 
the  London  Times  begins  to  show  signs  of  decline.  But  it  is  in  its 
third  generation.  The  New  York  Herald  seems  more  vigorous  than 
ever.  It  has  just  started  on  its  second  generation,  full  of  brains, 
full  of  tact,  and  full  of  money.  Has  not  its  new  conductor  a  splen- 
did opportunity  ?  Let  us  compare  the  Herald  of  to-day  with  the 
Herald  of  1835.  What  a  difference  !  Will  not  the  Herald  of  1909, 
compared  with  the  Herald 'of  1872,  show  as  marked  a  change  ?  Nous 
verrons. 


The  Press  of  New  Orleans.  49 1 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
NEWSPAPERS  IN  NEW  ORLEANS  AND  MOBILE. 

THE  INITIAL  PAPERS  OF  THE  CRESCENT  CITY. — JOURNALISM  IN  FRENCH 
AND  ENGLISH. — NEW  ORLEANS  BEE. — THE  PICAYUNE. — GEORGE  WILKINS 
KENDALL.  —  WAR  CORRESPONDENCE  FROM  MEXICO. — DECLINE  OF  JOUR- 
NALISM IN  NEW  ORLEANS.  —  ITS  CAUSE.  —  NEWSPAPER  ARCHITECTURE. — 
THE  FIRST  PAPER  IN  MOBILE. — NEWSPAPERS  IN  THAT  CITY. — JOHN  FOR- 
SYTH. 

NEW  ORLEANS  is  a  news  centre.  It  has  always  been  an  impor- 
tant place  for  journalism.  It  is  situated  just  above  the  Delta,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  which,  on  the  authority  of  Sir  Charles 
Lyell,  has  taken  one  hundred  thousand  years  to  form.  Nearly  all 
the  commerce  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  to  the  extent  of  millions,  has 
made  that  city  its  principal  entrepot.  Most  of  the  news  from  Mexico 
came  through  that  port.  When  Texas  attracted,  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  our  intelligence  from  the  Lone  Star  Republic  reached  us  by 
the  way  of  New  Orleans.  It  has  ever  been  a  converging  southern 
centre  of  commerce,  news,  fashion,  sport,  and  politics.  There  Jack- 
son and  Farragut  immortalized  themselves  and  their  country. 

The  first  paper  published  in  that  section  appeared  in  1803,  and 
was  called  the  Moniteur,  when  the  great  Southwest  belonged  to 
France.  It  was  printed  by  Fontaine.  The  first  paper  issued  there, 
after  the  purchase  of  the  territory  of  Napoleon,  was  the  Louisiana 
Courier,  in  1806,  when  that  quarter  of  the  continent  was  almost  as 
little  known  as  California  was  in  1846,  or  as  Alaska  is  at  the  present 
day,  and  the  Courier,  or  a  paper  of  that  name,  was  printed  in  New 
Orleans  in  French  and  English  as  late  as  1848.  French  was  the 
language  spoken  there  at  that  early  period.  English  slowly  crept 
in  with  the  spread  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  Newspapers  were  at 
first  printed  entirely  in  French,  but  subsequently  in  French  and  En- 
glish. Nothing  is  more  slowly  accomplished  than  changing  the  lan- 
guage of  a  people.  All  the  laws  were  printed  in  French,  and  it  was 
only  after  the  cession  of  the  territory  to  the  United  States  that  Amer- 
ican ideas  began  to  migrate  there,  take  root,  spread,  and  bear  fruit 
in  pure  Anglo-Saxon.  Newspapers  appeared  as  the  teachers. 

The  New  Orleans  Bee,  established  in  1826,  and  still  living,  has 
been  printed  in  both  languages  till  1872.  One  half  of  the  sheet  bore 
the  title  as  above,  in  English ;  the  other  half  was  printed  under  the 


492  Journalism  in  America. 

head  otL'Abeille  de  la  Nouvelle  Orleans.  It  is  now  printed  exclusive- 
ly in  the  French  language.  It  is  a  large  paper,  and  is  conducted 
with  spirit.  In  October,  1871,  the  Bee,  then  in  its  forty-fifth  year, 
gave  some  interesting  facts  connected  with  the  progress  of  journal- 
ism in  the  Crescent  City,  which  are  curious  and  full  of  philosophy. 
Notwithstanding  the  large  aggregate  increase  of  newspapers  in  the 
United  States  since  1847,  the  facts  presented  in  New  Orleans  are  to 
be  seen  in  the  statistics  of  the  Press  in  other  cities,  even  in  the  North, 
but  only  in  the  numbers  of  newspapers,  and  not  in  their  circulation  : 

The  marked  decline  of  two  great  industrial  interests  in  the  United  States — 
those  of  ship-building  and  gold-mining — afford  the  clearest  evidence  of  the  eco- 
nomic disorders  that  afflict  the  country,  and  in  New  Orleans  we  have  another  un- 
deniable proof  of  the  existence  of  those  disorders  in  the  decline  of  journalism. 

In  1847  the  following  papers  were  published  here  daily  :  The  Tropic,  thejeffer- 
sonian,  the  Courier,  the  Bee,  the  Bulletin,  the  Picayune,  the  Delta,  the  Crescent,  and 
the  Evening  Mercury.  Now  there  are  published  daily  the  Bulletin,  the  Bee,  the 
Picayune,  the  Republican,  and  the  Times.  Thus,  in  1847,  there  were  nine  daily 
papers  printed  in  the  city  against  five  in  1871. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  the  circulation  of  the  five  papers  now  published  is 
greater  than,  or  at  least  as  great  as,  that  of  the  nine  published  in  1847.  Having 
been  connected  with  the  newspapers  of  1847,  with  opportunities  of  knowing  the 
issues  of  the  journals  then  published,  and  with  like  opportunities  at  present,  we 
feel  warranted  in  saying  that  the  circulation  is  certainly  not  greater  than  that  of 
1847,  and  it  is  very  doubtful  if  it  is  so  large. 

With  the  growth  of  the  city  the  demand  for  newspapers  should  have  largely  in- 
creased, instead  of  declining  or  remaining  stationary.  According  to  the  United 
States  census,  the  population  of  New  Orleans  in  1850  was  116,375.  This  only 
included  the  First,  Second,  and  Third  Districts.  In  1852,  the  city  of  Lafayette, 
now  Fourth  District,  was  added,  and  Algiers  and  Jefferson  City  have  been  an- 
nexed since.  The  population  of  the  two  last-named  suburbs  in  1850  we  have 
not  the  means  of  ascertaining,  but  that  of  Lafayette  was  14, 190.  We  think  135,000 
is  a  full  estimate  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  present  area  of  the  city  at  that  time. 
And,  referring  to  Lafayette,  we  are  reminded  that  a  daily  paper,  the  name  of 
which  has  escaped  our  memory,  was  also  in  existence  there  in  1847,  which  made 
the  tenth  daily  printed  at  that  time  in  the  territory  which  is  contained  within  the 
present  limits  of  the  city.  The  enumeration  of  inhabitants  for  1870  is  191,000. 
No  intelligent  person,  who  has  observed  the  growth  of  the  city,  regards  that  enu- 
meration as  correct.  By  such  persons  the  number  is  believed  to  be  nearer  to 
250,000  than  it  is  to  200,000.  But  take  it  as  the  United  States  Marshal  has  re- 
turned it,  at  191,000,  and  the  increase  of  newspaper  circulation  should  have  been 
in  the  proportion  of  135  to  191.  But  there  are  other  reasons  besides  an  increase 
of  population  for  an  increased  newspaper  circulation.  By  emancipation  thousands 
of  colored  people,  formerly  living  with  their  owners,  have  become  independent 
householders,  providing  for  their  own  wants  and  indulging  their  own  tastes.  Num- 
bers of  these  colored  people  have  acquired  a  knowledge  of  letters  since  the  war 
began,  and  among  the  whites  themselves  the  reading  class  has  been  greatly  en- 
larged since  1847  by  the  establishment  of  public  schools  and  free  denominational 
schools.  For  these  reasons,  it  is  not  too  much  to  suppose  that  the  reading  ca- 
pacity of  the  people  between  1847  and  1870  doubled;  yet,  we  repeat,  there  is  no 
increase  in  the  demand  for  journalism. 

Why  ?  In  1847,  and  for  many  years  after,  it  was  in  the  power  of  every  sober 
and  industrious  head  of  a  family — mechanic,  clerk,  drayman,  and  laborer,  as  well 
as  the  merchant,  the  capitalist,  and  the  professional  man,  to  pay  for  a  daily  paper. 
Now  a  whole  neighborhood  borrow  a  paper  from  the  corner  grocery.  Publishers 
are  compelled  to  charge  twice  as  much  as  they  did  in  1847,  and  the  people  have 
scarcely  half  the  ability  to  pay  that  they  had  then.  Why  ?  again,  and  the  answer 
opens  a  wide  survey  for  the  reformer.  It  is  because  the  masses,  however  indus- 
trious, economical,  and  sober  they  may  be,  can  barely  earn  a  subsistence.  They 


Franco-American  Newspapers.  493 

can  indulge  in  no  luxuries,  and  the  newspaper,  once  deemed  a  necessity  to  an 
American  citizen,  has  become  a  luxury,  which  can  only  be  enjoyed  by  the  sufferance 
of  the  man  from  whom  he  buys  his  tea  and  sugar.  After  he  pays  interest  upon 
public  debts,  and  after  paying  the  enormous  tax  of  a  universal  credit  system,  which 
is  the  inevitable  result  of  public  debts  and  paper  currency,  and  which  swells  the 
cost  of  government  as  well  as  the  cost  of  goods,  he  has  nothing  left  except  a  pit- 
tance to  feed  and  clothe  himself  and  his  family.  And  journalism  is  not  an  ex- 
ceptional sufferer.  Every  branch  of  legitimate  business  suffers  by  laws  or  systems 
that  impoverish  the  masses.  4 

While  the  fact  exists  of  the  Franco-American  papers  in  Louisiana, 
it  is  worthy  of  note  that  at  another  extreme  border  of  the  United 
States  newspapers  have  to  be  printed  in  these  two  languages  to 
meet  the  wants  of  our  citizens  there.  Z'  Union  Canadienne  is  pub- 
lished in  Vergennes,  Vermont,  because  of  the  irruption  of  the  French 
Canadians  in  that  locality.  Another  paper  is  printed  in  Burlington, 
Vermont,  called  L'ldee  Nouvelle,  with  its  matter  in  French  and  En- 
glish in  alternate  columns.  It  is  an  annexation  paper.  There  are 
three  journals  of  this  sort  now  printed  in  the  Green  Mountain  State. 
There  is  a  paper,  the  North  Star,  the  most  northern  newspaper 
printed  in  the  United  States,  published  at  Caribou,  Maine.  Its  of- 
fice is  near  the  French  and  Swedish  settlements,  and  departments 
in  both  languages  are  introduced. 

Newspapers  in  German,  French,  Spanish,  Welsh,  Italian,  Cherokee, 
Danish,  Croatian,  Chinese,  Dutch,  and  Swedish  are  published  in  the 
United  States.  There  are  not  less  than  four  hundred  foreign  news- 
papers issued  in  this  country.  Those  in  German  are  numerous,  with 
large  circulation.  It  is  estimated  that  over  sixty  thousand  copies 
of  these  German  newspapers  find  their  way  to  Germany  and  circu- 
late there,  gradually  sowing  the  seed  of  more  liberal  ideas  among 
the  Germans  at  home.  Some  of  the  German  authors  have,  in  con- 
sequence of  this  cheap  circulation,  at  their  own  firesides,  of  their 
productions  republished  by  these  American-German  papers,  protest- 
ed against  their  introduction  in  the  German  states.  If  Bismarck 
was  less  of  a  Republican,  he  would  take  this  protest  as  an  excuse  for 
stopping  this  circulation  of  republican  ideas  inside  of  the  North 
German  Confederation. 

The  Picayune,  printed  entirely  in  English,  has  long  been  a  repre- 
sentative paper  in  the  Crescent  City.  It  was  originally  a  cheap,  in- 
dependent paper  there,  like  the  Penny  Press  at  the  North,  and  be- 
gan a  new  era  in  journalism  at  the  Southwest.  It  sold  for  a  picayune 
a  copy.  Hence  its  name. 

In  the  midst  of  the  first  cholera  year  in  New  York  in  1832,  Mr. 
Joseph  Elliott,  for  many  years  the  superintendent  of  the  mechanical 
and  publishing  department  of  the  Herald,  was  passing  up  Broadway, 
and  met  Mr.  George  Wilkins  Kendall  hurrying  down  that  thorough- 
fare. 


494  Journalism  in  America. 

"What's  your  hurry,  George?"  asked  Elliott. 

"Oh,  Joe,  is  that  you?  I'm  off  for  New  Orleans.  You  will  die 
of  cholera  if  you  remain  here.  Come  with  me." 

The  two  compositors  parted — Elliott  to  go  into  the  Sun  office, 
and  afterwards,  in  1837,  into  the  Herald  office,  where  he  has  since 
remained,  and  Kendall,  with  his  note-book  full  of  jokes,  to  arrive  in 
New  Orleans,  where,  also  in  1837,  in  company  with  Lumsden,  he 
started  the  Picayune.  With  Kendall's  short,  humorous  paragraphs, 
and  genial  tone  and  pleasant  manners,  the  paper  at  once  became 
attractive  and  popular,  and  has  continued  to  be  so  ever  since  that 
period. 

The  Picayune  first  appeared  on  the  25th  of  January,  1837.  It 
needed  a  good  manager,  as  the  Tribune  and  many  other  papers  did 
in  their  early  struggles,  and  the  Picayune  found  one  in  Colonel  A. 
M.  Holbrook,  who  took  charge  of  the  establishment  in  June,  1839, 
and  has  had  control  of  the  concern  from  that  month  and  year  to  the 
present  time.  The  names  of  Lumsden  &  Kendall,  and  Lumsden, 
Kendall  &  Co.,  have  since  passed  out  of  sight,  and  that  of  A.M. 
Holbrook  alone  now  stands  at  the  head  of  the  paper. 

The  Picayune  has  had  a  great  many  contributors.  Among  others, 
and  in  addition  to  Kendall,  there  were  Colonel  S.  F.Wilson,  previ- 
ously of  the  True  Delta  of  that  city  and  of  the  Mobile  Register,  Mat- 
thew C.  Field,  brother  of  J.  M.  Field,  of  the  St.  Louis  Reveille,  and 
Judge  Alexander  C.  Bullitt,  who  was  once  connected  with  the  New 
Orleans  Bee,  and  afterwards  with  the  Washington  Republic.  It  was 
Bullitt,  while  editor  of  the  Bee,  who  found  it  necessary  to  fight  a 
duel  before  breakfast  one  August  morning  in  1839  with  editor  Wag- 
ner, of  the  Louisianian,  in  which  neither  was  hurt.  These  were  all 
accomplished  writers  and  journalists.  They  are  now  no  more.  Col- 
onel Wilson,  just  before  his  death  in  1869,  took  the  hand  of  Colonel 
Holbrook  in  his,  and  said,  "  You  are  the  last  of  us  !" 

Of  all  the  editorial  corps  of  the  Picayune,  Kendall  was  probably 
the  most  widely  known  in  connection  with  that  paper.  He  never 
lost  a  joke,  or  a  bit  of  wit,  or  scrap  of  humor,  or  a  ray  of  sunshine. 
He  had  a  keen  appreciation  of  these  pleasant,  healthy  elements  of 
life  and  happiness.  If  a  bright  thought  was  uttered  in  his  pres- 
ence, he  would  "  take  a  note  of  it"  and  "  turn  down  a  leaf."  If  a 
spark  of  wit  flitted  across  his  vision,  Kendall  would  rescue  it  from 
oblivion.  If  any  humor  was  in  circulation  in  any  social  circle  where 
he  happened  to  be,  he  would  treasure  it  up  for  future  use.  He  be- 
came a  Treasury  of  Wit.  If  the  god  of  Wit  and  Humor  had  been 
in  New  Orleans  when  Kendall  lived  there,  he  would  have  crowned 
him  with  the  brightest  and  gayest  of  flowers. 

Kendall  gave  great  character  to  the  Picayune  with  his  accounts  of 


Correspondents  in  the  Mexican  War.         495 

the  Santa  Fe  expedition  and  during  the  Mexican  War.  He  took 
the  field  with  our  troops,  and  his  letters  descriptive  of  the  battles  in 
that  republic  were  among  the  first  of  the  kind  in  this  country.  They 
were  excellent,  and  some  of  them  very  graphic.  The  enterprise  was 
new  to  American  journalism,  and  was  indulged  in  at  that  time  only 
by  the  New  York  Herald,  and  New  Orleans  Picayune  and  Delta. 
Kendall's  letters,  with  their  "plunging  fiVe,"  were  copied  every  where, 
and  made  the  reputation  of  many  a  gallant  officer  and  soldier,  whose 
name  and  fame  would  have  been  smothered  in  the  musty  reports  of 
the  War  Department.  When  peace  came  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
publishing  his  war  correspondence  in  a  book,  and  for  this  purpose 
he  made  two  or  three  visits  to  Paris  to  have  the  illustrations  prop- 
erly executed.  They  were  elegant  specimens  of  battle  scenes — 
Horace  Vernets  on  paper.  Kendall  spent  large  sums  of  money  in 
having  them  truthfully  and  artistically  done. 

The  great  military  reputation  which  Jefferson  Davis  and  Braxton 
Bragg  enjoyed  with  the  people  came  from  the  war  correspondents 
of  the  Picayune,  and  Herald,  and  Delta  in  the  Mexican  War.  The 
repulse  of  a  tremendous  charge  of  Mexicans  at  Buena  Vista  by  the 
Mississippi  Rifle  Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Davis,  which  he 
did  by  suddenly  placing  his  regiment  in  the  form  of  a  V,  brought 
his  name  prominently  and  favorably  before  the  public.  This  piece 
of  tactics  on  the  field  of  battle  was  previously  and  successfully  per- 
formed in  India  by  Sir  Colin  Campbell.  Who  would  have  ever 
known  Braxton  Bragg  beyond  and  above  hundreds  of  other  deserv- 
ing and  meritorious  officers  but  for  the  phrase  put  into  the  mouth 
of  General  Taylor  on  the  approach  of  a  large  mass  of  Mexicans 
near  Bragg's  Battery  ?  "  A  little  more  grape,  Captain  Bragg,"  is  as 
famous  a  command  in  military  annals  as  "Up!  guards,  and  at  them," 
of  Wellington  at  Waterloo,  and  neither  ever  appeared  in  official  re- 
ports. 

Kendall  purchased  an,  extensive  plantation  in  Texas,  and  became 
a  landed  proprietor  on  a  princely  scale — a  farmer,  a  planter,  a  cattle- 
fancier,  a  stock-raiser,  not  in  small  numbers,  but  in  herds  whose 
tramp  across  the  fields  would  make  Texas  tremble.  There  he 
passed  many  of  the  later  years  of  his  life  with  the  admiration  of  a 
Rosa  Bonheur  for  his  fine  animals  and  splendid  flocks.  He  died  a 
few  years  ago,  and  the  pleasant  recollections  of  the  man,  and  what 
he  did  for  journalism  in  the  Southwest,  are  all  that  remain  for  the 
public  and  for  those  who  knew  him  in  those  days  of  sunshine. 

One  of  the  encouraging  features  of  the  Newspaper  Press  is  its 
architecture.  In  every  city  in  the  Union  some  of  the  handsomest 
and  most  costly  buildings  are  those  erected  by  journalists  for  their 
business  purposes.  Of  the"  first  to  put  up  such  an  edifice  were  the 


496  Journalism  in  America. 

proprietors  of  the  Picayune.  In  1850  their  old  establishment  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  In  the  same  year  they  had  a  new,  four-story 
granite  building  erected,  a  description  of  which  occupied  two  col- 
umns of  the  paper.  They  were  proud  of  it,  just  as  the  Sun,  Times, 
Herald,  Ledger,  Post,  Advertiser,  Journal,  Transcript,  are  proud  of 
their  still  grander  edifices  erected  twenty  years  later  in  several  North- 
ern cities. 

Several  excellent  newspapers  have  been  published  in  Mobile.  It 
is  not  a  very  large  city  in  population.  The  last  census  gives  her 
thirty-two  thousand  inhabitants.  This  number  will  not  afford  a  very 
liberal  support  to  many  papers,  but  three  or  four  daily  newspapers 
have  been  published  there  at  the  same  time.  Mobile  is  an  impor- 
tant market  for  the  transhipment  of  cotton,  and  this  fact  aids  the 
Press  there.  The  first  paper  appeared  shortly  after  the  evacuation 
of  the  place  by  the  Spaniards,  about  1814.  We  are  ignorant  of  its 
name.  There  was  a  paper  called  the  Gazette  issued  in  that  city  in 
July,  1817. 

The  Register  is  now  the  oldest  paper.  It  was  established  in  De- 
cember, 1821.  It  has  lately  been  published  by  W.  D.  Mann,  and 
edited  by  John  Forsyth.  The  latter  started  a  penny  paper  in  Mo- 
bile, on  the  cash  system,  in  January,  1842,  the  first  of  that  class  in 
that  city.  It  was  named  the  Ledger,  and  was  selected  to  publish  the 
laws  of  the  United  States  in  March  of  the  same  year.  Forsyth  aft- 
erwards, in  1850,  edited  the  Columbus  (Georgia)  Times.  There  were 
two  old-class  papers  published  there  then,  the  Register,  Democratic, 
by  Sanford  &  Wilson,  and  the  Advertiser,  Whig,  by  C.  C.  Langdon, 
once  mayor  of  the  city.  The  Register  has  lately  been  published 
every  morning  except  Monday,  and  every  evening  except  Sunday. 
Early  in  1872  the  establishment  was  modernized,  and  is  now  pub- 
lished by  an  association. 

The  father  of  the  present  chief  editor,  John  Forsyth,  Sr.,  of  Georgia, 
was  once  minister  to  Spain.  After  his  return  from  Madrid  he  was 
made  Secretary  of  State  in  1834,  in  the  cabinet  of  General  Jackson. 
The  editor,  John  Forsyth,  Jr.,  was  one  of  the  Peace  Commissioners 
sent  to  Washington  on  the  eve  of  the  late  rebellion. 

The  Advertiser,  mentioned  above,  was  established  in  1833.  It  is- 
sued, in  November,  1852,  an  afternoon  edition,  called  the  Evening 
News.  Another  paper,  named  the  Tribune,  was  founded  in  1842, 
and  still  another,  a  State  Rights  organ,  with  the  title  of  Mercury  fly- 
ing at  its  head,  was  established  on  the  i2th  of  August,  1857.  There 
was  a  penny  paper,  the  Transcript,  published  for  a  time. 


Female  Journalists.  497 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
FEMALE  JOURNALISTS. 

THE  LADIES'  MAGAZINE. — THE  LOWELL  OFFERING. — EARLY  FEMALE  PERI- 
ODICAL WRITERS. — SARAH  JOSEPHA  HALE. — THE  WOMAN'S  RIGHTS  MOVE- 
MENT.— THE  REVOLUTION. — THE  SOROSIS. — WOMAN'S  JOURNAL. — WOOD- 
HULL  &  CLAFLIN'S  WEEKLY. — THE  TRUE  WOMAN. — FREE  LOVE.  — FE- 
MALE SUFFRAGE. — THE  TROUBLES  OF  THE  REFORMERS. 

THE  first  daily  newspaper  printed  in  the  English  language  was 
published  by  a  woman.  Elizabeth  Mallet  began  the  publication 
of  the  Daily  Courant  in  London  in  March,  1702,  and  it  was  issued 
to  "  spare  the  public  at  least  half  the  impertinences  which  the  ordi- 
nary papers  contain."  But  the  Courant  was  not  intended  as  a 
woman's  paper. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Josepha  Hale  was  probably  the  first  to  establish  a 
magazine  in  this  country  wholly  devoted  to  the  tastes  and  interests 
of  women.  It  was  not  a  newspaper  in  any  sense.  It  was  a  maga- 
zine. It  can  scarcely,  therefore,  come  within  the  scope  of  a  compi- 
lation like  this.  But,  as  Mrs.  Hale  was  the  first  of  female  periodical 
writers,  it  is  fair  to  begin  with  her  enterprise.  In  1827,  in  connec- 
tion with  a  Boston  publisher,  she  established  the  Ladies'  Magazine 
in  that  city.  It  was  afterwards  united  with  Godey's  Lady's  Book  of 
Philadelphia,  of  which  Mrs.  Hale  became  the  editor,  and  is  still  the 
editor  in  1872,  although  in  her  85th  year,  45  of  which  have  been 
devoted  to  that  periodical.  Mrs.  Hale  has,  therefore,  long  been  be- 
fore the  public.  She  wrote  Northwood,  Woman's  Record,  and  House- 
hold Receipt-books.  The  publication  of  the  Ladies'  Magazine  led 
to  others,  such  as  the  Ladies'  Companion,  issued  in  New  York  by  W. 
W.  Snowden,  Graham's  Magazine,  in  Philadelphia,  by  C.R.Graham, 
the  Artist,  Peterson's  Magazine,  the  Gem,  the  Passion  Flower,  by  the 
accomplished  daughters  of  Captain  Samuel  G.  Reid,  and  numerous 
others.  These  were  illustrated  with  steel  and  colored  engravings 
and  fashion  plates,  some  of  which  were  very  creditably  executed. 
This  art,  indeed,  received  its  first  important  impulse  in  America  from 
these  publications.  Since  then,  however,  our  national  banking  in- 
stitutions and  the  national  government  have  given  it  an  impulse 
beyond  all  others  in  furnishing  choice  historical  engravings,  some 
of  the  finest  specimens  the  world  has  ever  seen,  for  millions  of  green- 
backs and  National  Bank  bills.  But  the  first  impulse  and  encour- 
agement came  from  these  magazines. 

Ii 


498  Journalism  in  America. 

The  Lowell  Offering,  originating  with  the  factory  girls  of  Lowell 
in  1840,  was  another  development  of  female  writers  in  the  United 
States  in  periodical  literature.  It  was  filled  with  the  productions 
of  factory  girls  or  "  female  operatives"  exclusively.  This  was  before 
the  foreign  element  crowded  the  native  talent  out  of  the  mills  at 
Lowell  and  elsewhere.  Madame  Demorest's  Magazine,  on  the  plan 
of  le  Mode,  le  Pallet,  and  the  Bazar,  was  established  several  years 
ago  in  New  York,  and  is  almost  entirely  absorbed  with  the  fashions 
for  ladies  at  home  and  abroad,  with  handsome  colored  plates  and 
engravings.  But,  as  we  have  said,  these  .were  not  strictly  newspa- 
pers :  some  gave  the  latest  news  of  the  fashions ;  they  were,  how- 
ever, literary  and  fashionable  publications  of  the  light,  gossamer  or- 
der ;  they  led  ultimately,  however,  to  newspapers  and  periodicals 
more  devoted  to  the  wants,  desires,  interests,  dreams,  eccentricities, 
and  aesthetics  generally  of  women  here  and  around  the  world. 

The  more  modern  class  of  publications  for  women  are  above 
fashion,  above  the  small-talk  of  the  ballroom,  or  the  gossip  and 
envy  of  the  reception-rooms  of  the  modistes.  Some  of  these  papers 
are  edited  by  strong-minded  women,  seeking  a  higher  sphere  for  fe- 
male labor,  and  the  right  of  women  to  vote,  to  buy  and  sell  stocks 
in  Wall  Street,  to  fulminate  from  the  pulpit,  to  visit  sick-rooms  as 
physicians  as  well  as  nurses,  to  a  right  to  surrender  their  seats  in 
railway  cars  to  tired  old  gentlemen,  to  labor  on  farms,  in  digging 
canals,  in  grading  railroad  beds,  in  running  locomotives,  to  serve  in 
the  army  and  navy,  in  Congress,  on  school  committees,  to  run  with 
the  fire-engines,  to  be  newspaper  carriers,  governors  of  states,  police- 
men, diplomats,  hod-carriers,  ward  politicians,  and  drivers  of  garbage- 
carts.'  There  is  now  the  Woman's  Journal  and  the  Revolution  to 
urge  these  social  changes  on  the  world.  They  have  taken  the  place 
of  the  old  lecturers,  and  talk  to  the  millions.  They  are  active  and 
persistent  workers,  full  of  poetry  and  poverty,  boldness  and  beauty, 
independence  and  impudence,  pouts  and  persuasiveness,  in  pushing 
their  plan  of  reform  before  the  monster  public. 

Women,  under  peculiar  circumstances,  have  managed  newspapers 
long  before  our  day.  Mrs.  Franklin,  for  instance,  carried  on  the 
Newport  Mercury  for  a  while  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and 
Mrs.  Holt  managed  the  New  York  Gazette  some  time  after  the  death 
of  her  husband.  When  Lynde  M.  Walter,  of  the  Boston  Transcript, 
departed  this  life  in  1842,  his  sister,  Miss  Cornelia  M.Walter,  sup- 
plied his  place  as  editor  of  that  paper.  Mrs. M.Elizabeth  Green' 
has  managed  the  Quincy  (Mass.)  Patriot  since  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band. Miss  Piney  W.  Forsythe  succeeded  her  father  as  proprietor 
and  editor  of  the  Liberty  (Miss.)  Advocate  in  1868.  She  is  assisted 
by  two  sisters  who  were  brought  up  as  practical  printers.  She  lately 


Newspapers  for  Women.  499 

declined  to  attend  a  convention  of  Mississippi  editors  for  fear  her 
male  contemporaries  would  stare  at  her.  Mrs.  Jane  G.  Swishelm, 
of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  one  of  the  oldest  of  female  journalists, 
is  still  attached  to  a  newspaper  in  that  smoky  place,  and  has  made 
no  little  noise  in  the  world  ;  and  is  not  Fanny  Wright  known  to 
fame  as  a  political  newspaper  writer  and  lecturer  in  New  York,  with 
the  Tammany  Hall  leaders  of  i829-'3o-'3i  ?  Who  has  forgotten 
Mrs.  Bloomer  ?  Over  the  world,  wherever  short  petticoats  were  worn 
by  one  sex  and  admire.d  by  the  other,  her  name  is  enshrined ;  and 
that  agreeable  and  affable  Polish  woman,  Madame  Ernestine  Rose, 
became  well  known  several  years  ago  as  a  spirited  contributor  to 
the  Press. 

There  are  now  quite  a  number  of  female  managers  and  publish- 
ers of  newspapers  in  the  United  States.  They  do  not  push  them- 
selves forward  or  make  themselves  very  conspicuous  in  their  pro- 
fession. They  are  not  propagandists;  they  are  simply  getting  a 
living,  and  making  what  money  they  can  without  ostentation.  Iowa 
has  three  lady  editors :  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Morey,  of  the  Jefferson  Era, 
Mrs.  Mary  Hartshorn,  of  the  Corydon  Monitor,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Reed, 
of  the  Wright  County  Register.  But,  apart  from  these,  the  modern 
female  journalists  are  smart  and  demonstrative.  They  start  for  the 
amelioration  of  woman.  All  else  must  subserve  that  point.  Woman 
is  a  wretched  slave,  with  nothing  to  wear.  The  Revolution  was  es- 
tablished for  her  emancipation,  and  edited,  for  some  time,  by  Susan 
B.Anthony.  In  May,  1870,  she  disposed  of  her  interest  to  Laura 
C.  Bullard,  of  Brooklyn,  who  then  became  its  editor.  The  paper  is 
owned  in  shares.  Theodore  Tilton,  of  the  Golden  Age,  it  is  said,  is 
one  of  the  shareholders.  The  Revolution  has  been  the  leading  organ 
of  the  Sorosis,  or  Woman's  Rights  Party,  from  its  inception.  Some 
idea  of  the  scope  of  its  principles  and  doctrines  may  be  gathered 
from  the  following  neatly-worded  extract  from  that  paper  : 

Multitudes  of  our  noblest  girls  are  perishing  for  something  to  do.  The  hope 
of  marriage,  all  we  offer  girls,  is  not  enough  to,  feed  an  immortal  mind  ;  and  if 
that  goal  is  never  reached,  what  then  ?  The  more  fire  and  genius  a  girl  has,  with 
no  outlets  for  her  powers,  the  more  complete  is  her  misery  when  all  these  forces 
are  turned  back  upon  herself.  The  pent-up  fires,  that  might  have  glowed  with 
living  words  of  eloquence  in  courts  of  justice,  in  the  pulpit,  or  on  the  stage,  are 
to-day  consuming  their  victims  in  idiot  and  insane  asylums,  in  domestic  discon- 
tent and  disgust,  in  peevish  wailings  about,  in  the  vain  pursuit  of  pleasure  and 
fashion,  longing  for  that  peace  that  is  found  only  in  action. 

Another  paper  was  issued  in  New  York  in  1869  by  the  female 
bankers  and  brokers  of  Broad  Street.  It  is  called  Woodhull  6° 
Claflirfs  Weekly.  It  was  a  sixteen-page  paper,  and  dealt  in  finance 
and  fashion,  stock-jobbing  and  strong-minded  women,  sporting  and 
sorosis,  politics  and  president-making,  supporting  a  woman  even  for 
the  executive  mansion.  This  periodical  is  edited  by  Victoria  C. 


500  Journalism  in  America. 

Woodhull  and  Tennie  C.  Claflin,  two  sisters  who  seem  capable  of 
accomplishing  what  they  undertake.  "Upward  and  Onward"  is 
the  motto  of  these  editors  in  crinoline.  Their  course  and  comments 
on  men  and  corporations  are  particularly  peculiarly  bold. 

All  that  glitters  is  not  any  better  gold  with  the  female  than 
with  the  male  journalists  and  reformers  of  this  prosperous  country. 
There  are  heart-burnings  and  troubles  even  among  those  who  are 
thus  seeking  the  amelioration  of  their  sex  and  race.  It  is  probable, 
however,  that  rascal  man  is  at  the  bottom  of  an  occasional  unpleas- 
antness, with  these  reformers.  Indeed,  the  New  York  Sun,  a  paper 
constantly  and  actively  engaged  in  social  excavations,  in  ventilating 
one  of  these  troubles  in  1869,  published  the  following  paragraph: 

It  was  stated  in  the  Revolution  not  long  ago,  that  after  a  formal  invitation  had 
been  extended  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cady  Stanton  to  attend  the  recent  Woman's 
Rights  Convention  in  Boston,  the  invitation  was  as  formally  withdrawn.  This 
excited  surprise  with  the  public,  who  regard  Mrs.  Stanton  as  the  most  conspicu- 
ous lady  identified  with  the  so-called  women's  cause.  We  are  informed  that  the 
reason  for  this  withdrawal  was  the  following  rather  amusing  state  of  facts  : 

Mrs.  Stanton,  through  the  columns  of  the  Revolution,  has  taken  occasion  now 
and  then  to  point  her  sharp  pen  at  Mr.  Wendell  Phillips's  inconsistency  in  con- 
fining his  advocacy  of  universal  suffrage  exclusively  to  masculine  negroes,  seem- 
ingly overlooking  the  claims  of  white  women  to  a  place  on  his  broad  platform. 
Taking  umbrage  at  this,  Mr.  Phillips  declared  that  he  would  not  attend  the  Boston 
Convention  if  Mrs.  Stanton  did.  So  the  committee  recalled  their  invitation  to 
her.  Just  at  this  juncture  came  another  hitch  in  the  proceedings.  Strange  to 
say,  a  feud  has  for  some  time  existed  between  Mr.  Phillips  and  Mr.  William 
Lloyd  Garrison  ;  and  Garrison  declared  that  he  would  not  attend  the  Convention 
if  Phillips  did.  The  upshot  of  this  phase  of  the  affair  was,  that  Phillips  fell  to  the 
rear  and  Garrison  came  to  the  front,  and,  in  company  with  Senator  Wilson,  played 
a  leading  part  in  the  assemblage. 

We  hope  there  is  some  mistake  about  this.  If  there  is  not,  we  would  say  to 
these  eminent  reformers,  in  the  language  of  a  distinguished  public  character,  "Let 
us  have  peace." 

Still  later,  in  May,  1871,  there  was  more  discord  among  these  or- 
gans in  developing  their  peculiar  views.  Stephen  Pearl  Andrews, 
in  Woodhull  6°  Claftiris  Weekly,  which  is  the  organ  of  the  free  lov- 
ers, made  the  annexed  statement : 

The  Steinway  Hall  Convention — the  Boston  wing  of  the  movement — felt  called 
upon  to  hedge  against  the  imputation  of  meaning  just  what  many  of  the  women 
sitting,  then  and  there,  on  the  platform,  do  really  mean  and  intend,  and  what  the 
logic  of  the  whole  movement  really  means,  and  resolved  against  free  love,  confess- 
ing surely,  negatively,  that  that  is  now  the  issue,  since  the  suffrage  question  is 
disposed  of.  The  Apollo  Hall  Convention — the  more  enterprising  and  progress- 
ive, the  more  logical  and  consistent  wing  of  the  movement — planted  itself,  on  the 
contrary,  boldly  and  unhesitatingly  upon  the  ground  of  absolute  emancipation — 
"the  right  of  private  judgment  in  matters  of  conscience"  ultimated  in  morals. 
The  resolutions  offered  by  Mrs.  Paulina  Wright  Davis,  the  President  of  the  meet- 
ing, cover  the  whole  ground,  go  the  whole  length,  and  are  as  conclusive  on  the 
subject  as  a  demonstration  of  Euclid.  They  will  bear  continued  study  as  an  epit- 
omized ethical  code,  and  will  shine  brighter  and  brighter  the  more  fhey  are  rubbed. 
***#**#*# 

This  large  and  enthusiastic  woman's  meeting  has,  then,  put  the  movement  on 
a  new  basis.  It  has  propounded  three  new,  and  startling,  and  pregnant  proposi- 
tions : 


Woman  Suffrage.  •    501 


First:  That  it  is  no  longer  the  suffrage  question,  but  the  social  question  entire, 
and  the  complete  social  enfranchisement  of  the  sexes,  which  are  to  be  discussed 
and  vindicated  on  this  platform. 

Second:  That  a  new  government,  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  whole  world,  but 
continuing  for  the  present  in  America,  has  to  be  inaugurated,  and  may  be  requi- 
site at  a  very  early  day,  to  complete  the  political  revolution  in  behalf  of  woman's 
rights. 

Third:  That  from  now,  henceforth,  the  inquisitional  impertinence  of  an  inves- 
tigation in  the  personal  characters  of  women  who  are  able  and  willing  to  co-oper- 
ate in  the  movement,  an  investigation  to  which  men  are  not  called  upon  to  sub- 
mit, shall  be  completely  and  definitely  set  aside  and  ended. 

T.W.  Higginson,  in  the  Woman's  Journal,  the  organ  of  woman's 
suffrage,  spoke  on  that  subject  in  the  following  manner  : 

Our  strength  thus  far  has  been  in  the  weak  logic  of  our  opponents.  But  men 
do  not  adopt  a  change  merely  because  there  is  nothing  to  be  said  against  it ; 
there  must  be  good  reasons  for  it.  Those  reasons  will  be  mainly  determined,  at 
last,  by  the  instincts  and  preferences  of  sensible  and  high-minded  women.  It  is 
useless  to  overlook  the  fact  that  the  overwhelming  majority,  even  of  such  women, 
are  still  indifferent  or  opposed.  It  is  harder  to  reach  them  than  to  reach  men,  but 
they  must  be  reached.  There  is  no  other  way  to  make  substantial  progress.  Mere 
denunciation,  and  ridicule,  and  childish  threats  will  never  do  it.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  a  time  will  come  when  women  will  vote,  equally  with  men,  in  all  the  states 
of  this  Union.  But  it  is  certain  that  it  will  not  be  done  in  60  days,  and  I  should 
be  glad  to  have  some  guarantee  that  it  will  be  done  in  sixty  years.  'Facts  are  abun- 
dant, so  are  arguments ;  the  want  is  of  something  less  easy  to  supply.  Reason 
as  we  may,  the  community  will  predict  the  results  of  our  agitation  from  its  tone ; 
and  every  thing  that  lowers  the  tone  will  perceptibly  postpone  the  results. 

Messrs.  Andrews  and  Higginson,  it  thus  appears,  are  the  male 
attaches  to  this  great  movement  of  the  female  revolutionary  party. 
Other  men  are  interested  in  its  progress.  The  active  spirits  in  the 
contemplated  reform  in  our  social  system  begin  to  suspect  some  of 
their  male  co-operators,  and  seem  to  think  that  the  politicians  are 
endeavoring  to  use  the  women  in  the  accomplishment  of  some  of 
their  schemes.  Man  is  a  selfish  being.  The  Revolution  is  very 
emphatic  on  this  point.  There  is  evidently  danger  of  a  counter 
revolution — the  Communists  in  crinoline  against  the  Versaillists. 
This  is  the  latest  manifesto  of  the  Re-volution : 

In  spite  of  resolutions  recently  passed  at  Apollo  Hall,  we  are  convinced  that  the 
mass  of  the  good,  earnest  women  of  the  country  will  only  allow  themselves  to  rank 
as  followers  of  those  who,  by  purity  of  life,  nobility  of  purpose,  and  elevation  of 
character,  have  won  their  right  to  wield  the  sceptre  of  an  exalted  and  conspicuous 
station.  Our  reform  has  heretofore  been  led  by  noble  captains,  who  gravitated 
to  the  positions  they  held  through  force  of  intellect  and  moral  worth.  A  nobler 
band  of  women  never  trod  the  earth,  and  it  is  in  vain  now  to  ask  those  who  have 
been  educated  in  the  school  of  the  past  to  swear  allegiance  to  a  different  order  of 
leaders  in  the  present.  They  have  pinned  their  faith  to  women  who  have  every 
requisite  to  enable  them  to  speak  with  authority,  and  without  fuss,  noise,  or  tu- 
mult, they  will,  we  believe,  quietly  refuse  to  lower  their  standard  of  leadership  or 
muddle  their  ideas  of  right. 

The  true  growth  of  this  reform  must  be  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  good  and 
honest  people.  We  can  not  afford  to  sacrifice  one  iota  of  integrity.  The  eternal 
law  of  justice  is  the  eternal  law  of  rectitude.  No  matter  how  often  the  ark  of  our 
faith  is  carried  into  the  wilderness,  we  believe  it  will  always  return  to  the  one 
straight  path.  The  devout  workers,  in  a  religious  spirit,  look  to  this  reform  for 
the  regeneration  of  society  ;  they  believe  the  moral  forces  women  will  bring  into 


502  Journalism  in  America. 

politics  are  urgently  needed.  Moral  reform  lies  at  the  root  of  political  reform. 
The  ballot  is  only  a  means  to  an  end.  Political  and  social  purity,  liberty  and  or- 
der, protection  and  safety  for  all  classes,  work  and  wages,  mental  and  material  ben- 
efits, march  hand  in  hand.  The  ballot  for  women  is  not  the  enemy,  but  the  ally, 
of  morality — Christian  morality.  We  owe  it  to  ourselves  as  women  to  adopt  dif- 
ferent and  better  methods  of  political  action  than  those  made  odious  by  male 
tricksters.  The  world  is  waiting  for  an  example  of  the  moral  power  of  the  sex 
exerted  on  public  affairs,  and  we  feel  assured  it  will  not  wait  in  vain. 

The  imprint  of  the  Woman's  Journal  in  1871  is  as  follows: 

THE  WOMAN'S  JOURNAL, 

—  AND  — 

THE  WOMAN'S   ADVOCATE. 

CONSOLIDATED  AUGUST  13,  1870. 

A  Weekly  Newspaper,  published  every  Saturday,  in  BOSTON  and  CHICAGO,  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  Woman,  to  her  educational,  industrial,  legal,  and  po- 
litical Equality,  and  especially  to  her  right  of  Suffrage. 

MARY  A.  L1VERMORE,  EDITOR. 
JULIA  WARD  HOWE,  LUCY  STONE,  HENRY  B.  BLACKWELL,  and  T.  W.  HIG- 

GINSON,  Associate  Editors. 

These  editors,  happily,  do  not  appear  desirous  of  hiding  their  light 
or  their  faces  under  a  bushel.  They  have  their  reception  days.  On 
the  26th  of  August,  1871,  they  published  this  announcement: 

CALL  AND   SEE  US! 


The  editors  of  the  Woman 's  Journal  are  at  home  to  callers  on  Mondays,  from 
10  A.M.  till  2  P.M.  At  that  time,  some,  if  not  all  the  editors,  will  be  in  the 
office  of  the  Journal,  3  Tremont  Place,  to  receive  whoever  may  call.  Come  and 
see  us  ! 

Inducements  to  subscribers  for  the  Journal  are,  with  one  excep- 
tion, of  cfhromos  and  engravings  of  women — and  why  not  ? 

SPECIAL  PREMIUMS, 


For  ONE  new  subscriber,  we  will  give  Prang's  beautiful  chromo,  "Grace  Dar- 
ling, or  the  Rescue,"  price  $2  50. 

For  Two  new  subscribers,  we  will  give  Prang's  steel  engraving,  "  Our  Woman 
Warriors,"  worth  $5  oo. 

The  Journal  is  a  handsomely  printed  folio  of  eight  pages.  Its 
reading  matter  is  mostly  of  woman's  movements.  Among  its  adver- 
tisements we  notice  those  of  "Mercy  B.Jackson,  M.D.,"  "Woman's 
Medical  College  of  Pennsylvania,"  "Emily  Ruggles  & 'Co.,  Real 
Estate  Brokers,"  "Sarah  A.Colby,  M.D.,"  "The  St.  Louis  Ladies' 
Magazine,"  by  Margaret  L.  Johnson,  "  Woman's  Medical  College 
of  the  New  York  Infirmary,"  of  which  Dr.  Emily  Blackwell  is  the 
Secretary,  "  E.  G.  Stevens  &  Daughter,  Cbnveyancers,"  and  "Thrift 
School  for  Girls."  So  in  the  last  century  did  women  indulge  in 
trade  and  professions.  The  Newport  (R.I.)  Mercury  of  1758  con- 
tained an  advertisement  of  Mary  Tate  offering  "  all  sorts  of  black- 
smith tools"  for  sale,  and  "  Sarah  Osborn,  Schoolmistress  in  New- 


Female  Reporters  and  Correspondents.        503 

port,"  was  ready  to  receive  pupils,  as  women  have  always  been  be- 
fore and  since.  Abigail  Davidson  announced  in  the  Boston  Gazette 
of  March  12,  1770,  that  she  had  just  "imported  in  Captain  Paddock, 
from  London,"  all  kinds  of  vegetable  and  flower-seeds,  trees,  and 
berry  bushes,  which  she  would  sell  "  at  the  very  lowest  Prices,  by 
Wholesale  or  Retail,  for  Cash." 

This  new  class  of  publications  forms  a  part  of  the  general  system 
of  newspapers.  The  contents  of  the  Woman's  Journal  and  the  Rev- 
olution embrace  the  news  and  the  details  of  the  extraordinary  so- 
cial movement  that  now  absorbs  the  attention  of  many  women.  The 
establishment  of  these  organs  recognizes  the  necessity  of  the  Press 
in  all  social  upheavals  and  revolutions.  Whatever  may  be  the  ac- 
complishments of  woman  in  the  sublime  art  of  talking,  it  is  mani- 
fest that  they  think  the  pen  and  Press  important  and  essential  aux- 
iliaries to  the  tongue.  Once  the  tongue  was  mightier  than  the 
sword.  But  the  female  propagandists  meet  with  distinguished  and 
able  opponents  among  their  own  sex.  There  is  a  paper  published 
in  Baltimore,  called  the  True  Woman,  which  opposes  the  notions, 
and  actions,  and  doctrines  advocated  by  such  prints  as  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  its  supporters  petition  Congress  not  to  bs  deceived  by  the 
fascinations  and  blandishments  of  the  Sorosis.  The  True  Woman 
is  edited  by  Mrs.  Charlotte  E.  M'Kay,  and  the  principles  governing 
her  policy  are  to  make  woman  more  womanly,  to  elevate  her,  and 
make  her,  in  every  way,  good  and  noble. 

Our  large  cities  are  now  the  centres  of  numerous  female  writers 
and  reporters.  They  are  attached  to  the  Newspaper  Press,  and  sev- 
eral of  them  to  the  editors.  They  consider  themselves  journalists 
in  every,  sense  of  the  word,  as  the  following  invitation,  headed' with 
the  monogram  N.Y.P.  C.,  clearly  indicates : 

NEW  YORK,  November  i2th,  1869. 

A  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  Press  will  dine  at  Delmonico's  on 
Saturday,  November  27th,  at  5  P.M.  You  are  invited  to  participate.  Tickets, 
not  transferable,  may  be  obtained  on  application,  inclosing  three  dollars,  to  Mr. 
S.  S.  Packard,  937  Broadway.  Any  one  procuring  a  ticket  may  purchase  another 
for  a  friend.  One  hundred  and  ninety-six  tickets  only  will  be  sold,  and  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  paid  for.  Whether  able  to  attend  or  not,  please  send  in 
a  sentiment. 

OLIVER  JOHNSON.  ALICE  GARY. 

MARY  L.  BOOTH.  S.  S.  PACKARD. 

J.  W.  SIMONTON.  JEANNIE  C.  CROLY. 

JNO.  RUSSELL  YOUNG.        THOS.  W.  KNOX. 

AMOS  J.  CUMMINGS.  MARY  CLEMMER  AMES. 

MARY  KYLE  DALLAS.        WHITELAW  REID. 

JAMES  PARTON.  LUCIA  G.  CALHOUN. 

SHIRLEY  DACE.  FREDERICK  CREIGHTON. 

CHAS.  E.  WILBOUR. 

These  and  many  others  are  theatrical  and  musical  critics,  fashion 
reporters,  book  reviewers,  Washington  correspondents,  interviewers, 


504  Journalism  in  America. 

and  writers  of  social  sketches  and  on  social  subjects.  Some  report 
yacht  races.  Some  are  attendants  at  Jerome  Park  Course.  They 
form  quite  a  coterie  in  New  York  City.  They  are  bright,  influential, 
many  of  them  beautiful,  talented,  experienced,  and  useful.  Some  of 
them  are  Bohemians  in  crinoline.  They  can  frequently  do  what 
men  can  not  accomplish.  These  female  journalists,  pure  and  bright, 
are  the  growth  of  the  last  fifteen  years  in  America.  They  are  now 
to  be  seen  every  where — in  every  large  city  where  influential  papers 
are  printed. 


The  Growth  of  great  Enterprises.  505 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
THE  CHEAP  PRESS  IN  PHILADELPHIA  AND  BALTIMORE. 

THE  PUBLIC  LEDGER  OF  PHILADELPHIA. — THE  SUN  OF  BALTIMORE. — SWAIN, 
ABELL,  AND  SIMMONS. — THEIR  WONDERFUL  SUCCESS. — THE  WAY  GEORGE 
W.  CHILDS  PURCHASED  THE  LEDGER. — His  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  PAPER. 
— "  THE  PEN  is  MIGHTIER  THAN  THE  SWORD." — THE  LEDGER  ALMANAC. 

ALL  great  enterprises  are  originally  problems.  It  is  a  curious 
study  to  ascertain  how  they  commence  ;  how  large  concerns  are  in- 
itiated ;  how  vast  schemes  and  establishments  grow  from  the  acorn 
planted  and  watered  by  energetic  men.  It  is  not  always  that  the 
wonderful  success  of  an  enterprise  is  apparent  in  the  infancy  of 
the  scheme.  It  is  so  largely  controlled  and  governed  by  circum- 
stances that  its  final  success  is  as  often  a  marvel  to  its  originators 
as  to  the  public.  When  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  then  a  smart 
young  Staten  Islander  and  Whitehall  boatman,  rowed  the  celebrated 
William  Gibbons  from  Staten  Island  to  New  York  in  a  gale  of  wind, 
he  had  not  then  dreamed  of  owning  entire  railroads,  of  presenting 
steam  frigates  to  his  country,  and  having  a  bronze  statue,  costing 
half  a  million  of  dollars,  and  illustrating  the  material  progress  of  the 
nation,  erected  in  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  the  metropolis  to 
his  honor.  When  Alexander  T.  Stewart  first  opened  a  small  store 
on  Broadway,  with  a  stock  of  lace  insertings  and  scallop  trimmings 
worth  about  $5000,  he  did  not  imagine  that  he  was  to  be  the  Dry 
Goods  King  of  America,  a  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
States,  or  a  giver  of  millions  in  charity  to  his  fellow-men  and  women. 
When  Alvin  Adams  accidentally  and  unavoidably  met  an  old  friend 
in  Brattle  Street,  Boston,  and  arranged  with  him  to  start  a  small 
parcel  express  on  the  Worcester  Railroad  in  1838  or  '39,  he  had 
not  the  slightest  idea  of  the  magnitude,  the  value,  and  the  importance 
that  the  express  business  of  the  United  States  would  reach  in  a 
quarter  of  a  century  from  that  time.  When  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  in 
1844,  offered  to  sell  his  whole  right  and  title  in  the  Magnetic  Tele- 
graph to  the  United  States  for  the  sum  of  $100,000,  no  one  then 
conceived  that  the  wires  stretched  over  the  United  States  alone  in 
thirty  years  thereafter  would  represent  a  capital  of  $50,000,000,  and 
that  the  whole  world  would  be  connected  by  submarine  cables.  So 
with  William  M.  Swain  in  starting  the  Public  Ledger  of  Philadelphia. 
When  he  received  $12  per  week  as  foreman  of  the  printing  depart- 


506  Journalism  in  America. 

ment  of  the  New  York  Sun,  he  never  dreamed  of  owning  a  penny 
newspaper  of  his  own  that  would  enable  him  to  leave,  in  less  than 
the  span  of  a  generation,  over  $3,000,000  on  the  pages  of  his  ledger 
to  his  family  when  he  departed  from  this  world.  But  such  instances, 
it  appears,  are  common  in  this  country.  Within  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, one  could  easily  count  the  millionaires  on  their  fingers,  and 
now  we  find  them  too  numerous  to  notice.  Nearly  all  the  large 
concerns  of  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years  were  originally  based  on 
bread  and  butter,  with  occasionally  the  extra  luxury  of  a  cigar..  Al- 
most all  of  our  vast  enterprises  have  grown  up,  not  on  any  original 
expectation  of  such  enormous  results  as  they  now  exhibit,  but  in  the 
marvelous  and  coincident  development  of  the  country  in  gold,  cot- 
ton, grain,  manufactures,  oils,  coal,  printing,  brains,  silver,  railroads, 
photography,  emigration,  science,  steam,  electricity,  wool,  iron,  and 
copper,  combining  to  bring  out  the  astonishing  capacity  of  our  people 
in  emergencies  and  in  their  remarkable  adaptation  to  circumstances, 
no  matter  how  complicated,  in  the  management  of  extensive  busi- 
ness schemes  and  projects  ;  and  in  these  national  strides  the  prog- 
ress and  expansion  of  the  newspaper  keeps  pari  passu  with  the 
most  advanced  industry  and  enterprise. 

When  the  Penny  Press  was  established  in  New  York  in  1833  and 
'34,  there  were  three  printers,  named  W.  M.  Swain,  A.  S.  Abell,  and 
Azariah  H.  Simmons,  who  did  not  believe  much  in  cheap  papers,  but 
who  worked  as  compositors  in  the  offices  where  they  were  published, 
and  were  satisfied  with  their  board  and  clothes  for  the  work  they 
performed  at  the  case.  When  the  Sun  was  started  in  New  York  in 
1832,  Swain  could  not  be  persuaded  to  join  in  the  enterprise.  Sol- 
emn and  solid  in  the  utterances  of  his  views,  as  he  was  considered 
to  be  by  his  associates,  he  nearly  discouraged  Mr.  Day  from  issuing 
the  first  number  of  that  paper.  But  when  the  concern  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Moses  Y.  Beach,  he  became  the  foreman  of  the  compo- 
sition room  at  $12  per  week.  Overtasking  himself,  he  was  confined 
to  his  house  with  sickness  for  several  weeks.  On  returning  to  his 
duty,  a  difficulty  occurred  in  regard  to  his  pay  while  absent,  and  he 
resigned  his  situation  in  disgust.  It  was  then  that  he  began  to  have 
faith  in  the  Cheap  Press,  and  to  think  of  starting  a  penny  paper  of 
his  own.  He  considered  New  York  fully  supplied  with  the  article 
in  the  Sun,  Transcript,  and  Herald.  There  was  no  chance  in  the 
metropolis  for  him.  Having  won  Abell  and  Simmons  over  to  his 
convictions,  this  trio  of  typos  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  and  after- 
wards to  Baltimore,  and  established  the  Public  Ledger  in  the  former, 
and  the  Sun  in  the  latter  city.  But  we  have  now  to  speak  of  the 
Ledger.  Its  first  number  was  issued  on  the  2Sth  of  March,  1836. 
Each  page  was  nine  by  thirteen  and  a  half  inches  in  size.  Its  type 


The  Public  Ledger.  507 

were  set  up  by  these  three  compositors ;  its  editorials  were  written 
by  Russell  Jarvis,  who  had  received  his  journalistic  education  under 
Duff  Green,  of  the  United  States  Telegraph. 

The  Ledger  was  not  the  first  penny  paper  issued  in  Philadelphia. 
The  Daily  Transcript  had  made  its  appearance  a  few  days  earlier, 
in  March,  1836.  The  Cent,  too,  had  been  issued,  for  a  brief  time,  in 
1830.  The  Transcript  was  edited  by  Frederick  West,  an  amiable 
young  English  poet,  who  afterwards  became  a  reporter  and  writer 
on  the  New  York  Herald,  and  then  an  editor  of  the  Sunday  Atlas. 
Shortly  after  the  establishment  of  the  Ledger  it  united  with  the 
Transcript,  and  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of  Public  Ledger  and 
Daily  Transcript.  All  of  the  cheap  papers  were  made  up  and  ar- 
ranged on  the  plan  of  the  originals  in  New  York.  Journalism  in 
the  metropolis,  then  as  now,  was  the  pattern  for  the  country.  In 
the  first  editorial  article  in  the  Ledger  in  1836,  this  was  manifested 
in  this  way : 

In  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  containing  a  population  of  300,000, 
the  daily  circulation  of  the  penny  papers  is  not  less  than  seventy  thousand.  This 
is  nearly  sufficient  to  place  a  newspaper  in  the  hands  of  every  man  in  the  two 
cities,  and  even  of  every  boy  old  enough  to  read.  These  papers  are  to  be  found 
in  every  street,  lane,  and  alley  ;  in  every  hotel,  tavern,  counting-house,  shop,  etc. 
Almost  every  porter  and  drayman,  while  not  engaged  in  his  occupation,  may  be 
seen  with  a  penny  paper  in  his  hands. 

This  is  as  true  in  1872  as  in  1836,  but  in  a  more  enlarged  sense 
and  in  a  greater  degree.  Indeed,  this  class  of  papers,  now  grown 
to  be  a  mighty  power  in  the  land,  have  created  readers,  educated 
the  masses  in  the  politics  and  resources  of  the  country,  and  made 
almost  every  man  a  reader,  a  thinker,  a  politician,  and  a  statesman. 
The  Declaration  of  Independence  had  previously  made  them  sov- 
ereigns. The  Ledger,  like  all  newspapers,  and  especially  those  of 
that  time,  was  compelled  to  struggle  for  its  existence  in  its  early 
days.  It  resorted  to  sensations.  It  abused  the  old  United  States 
Bank  in  the  warm  days  of  the  "  Bank  War."  It  came  out  for  abo- 
lition, and  its  office  was  twice  mobbed.  It  had  that  chronic  dis- 
temper of  journalism — libel  suits.  Indeed,  it  went  through  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  a  finally  successful  newspaper.  Its  circulation  run 
up  and  down  with  the  exciting  events  of  the  day.  In  1844,  during 
the  frightful  riots  in  Philadelphia  growing  out  of  the  Native  Amer- 
ican excitement,  the  Ledger,  in  condemning  the  violence  and  ex- 
cesses of  the  mob,  run  against  popular  sentiment,  and  came. near 
being  annihilated.  The  Sun,  edited  by  Lewis  C.  Levin,  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Native  American  movement,  and  afterwards  elected 
to  Congress  by  that  party,  was  a  vigorous  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  new  political  organization,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Times,  edited 
by  John  S.  Du  Solle,  now  a  journalist  in  New  York,  was  as  vigorous 


508  Journalism  in  America. 

in  opposition.  The  result  was,  that  between  the  fulminations  of 
these  two  sheets  the  Ledger  was  near  coming  to  the  ground.  But 
these  papers  lacked  the  judgment  necessary  in  the  management  of 
a  journal  when  such  a  tremendous  excitement  has  subsided.  With- 
out the  excitement,  the  Sun  and  Spirit  of  the  Times  were  nothing. 
Swain  succeeded  in  carefully  carrying  the  Ledger  over  the  precipice, 
while  his  contemporaries,  for  want  of  their  natural  food,  lost  the 
thousands  of  readers  that  they  had  taken  from  the  Ledger.  This 
was  the  crisis  in  the  fate  of  that  paper.  It  now  became  an  estab- 
lished institution. 

There  was  one  curious  feature  in  the  management  of  the  Ledger. 
Its  chief  editor  lived  in  New  York.  He  was  often  met  in  the  streets 
of  that  city.  He  was  a  short,  dark-complexioned  man,  with  quick 
movements  and  a  pugnacious  mind.  He  would  write  editorials  as 
they  built  ships  in  Maine,  by  the  yard  or  mile,  and  cut  them  off  at 
any  length  to  suit  the  latest  order.  How  could  this  editor  manage 
his  editorial  articles  for  a  daily  paper  in  Philadelphia  when  he  re- 
sided in  New  York  ?  It  was  a  problem,  but  he  seemed  to  have 
worked  it  out,  for  he  accomplished  this  wonderful  task  for  upwards 
of  fifteen  years,  to  the  satisfaction,  we  are  sure,  of  the  proprietors 
of  the  Ledger.  But  it  appears  that  the  paper  was  a  purely  busi- 
ness concern  for  some  time.  Swain,  who  was  the  master-spirit  of 
the  establishment,  made  the  paper  a  people's  paper,  yet  he  never 
had  a  very  comprehensive  idea  of  what  a  journal  par  excellence 
should  be.  There  was  no  deficiency  of  enterprise  in  Swain  so  far 
as  the  needs  of  his  paper,  in  his  opinion,  required.  He  had  enough 
for  his  purpose,  as  our  records  may  show,  and  he  finally  increased 
the  circulation  of  \h&  Ledger  to  60,000,  subject  to  the  usual  fluctua- 
tions, caused  by  the  appearance  of  other  cheap  papers  and  local 
events.  This  was  the  desired  point  gained.  It  gave  him  the  lists 
of  post-office  letters  to  advertise.  This  officially  indorsed  his  cir- 
culation and  filled  his  columns  with  other  advertisements ;  and  then 
his  opponents,  which  had  started  up  all  along  from  1836  to  1869, 
the  Sun,  as  a  Temperance  as  well  as  a  Native  American  organ,  the 
Daily  Focus,  edited  for  a  time  by  Charles  J.Peterson,  afterwards  of 
the  Evening  Bulletin,  the  Chronicle,  the  Spirit  of  the  Times,  the  Daily 
News,  the  World,  edited  by  Russell  Jarvis,  the  old  editor  of  the 
Ledger,  and  others,  left  the  field  to  him.  Sometimes  his  attention, 
too  strongly  fixed  on  immediate  cash  returns,  interfered  with  his 
enterprise,  and  the  Ledger  occasionally  made  its  appearance  without 
any  other  intelligence  or  reading  matter  than  advertisements,  which 
filled  the  entire  paper. 

On  one  occasion  a  gentleman  called  upon  Swain  with  an  adver- 
tisement for  the  benefit  of  a  poor  widow.  Telling  the  sad  story  of 


Biisiness  and  Charity  in  Journalism.         509 

the  widow's  troubles,  he  asked,  "  How  much  will  you  insert  this  ad- 
vertisement for,  under  such  circumstances  ?"  "  At  our  regular  rates, 
sir  ;  business  is  business,  and  charity  is  charity,"  replied  Mr.  Swain. 
"  But,"  said  the  gentleman,  "  the  widow  is  poor,  and  every  dollar 
saved — "  "Business  is  business,  I  repeat,  sir,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Swain ;  "  I  regulate  my  own  charities  as  well  as  my  own  business." 
"  Then  you  will  make  no  reduction  ?"  "  Not  a  cent,  sir."  Very  re- 
luctantly, the  gentleman  paid  two  dollars  for  the  insertion  of  the  ad- 
vertisement, and  when  on  the  point  of  leaving,  Mr.  Swain  said,  in 
taking  a  ten-dollar  note  out  of  his  pocket,  "  Have  the  kindness  to 
give  this  to  the  poor  widow." 

An  incident  similar  in  character  to  this  occurred  in  1869,  in  the 
office  of  the  Boston  Journal.  One  of  the  Committee  on  the  Hum- 
boldt  Centennial  Celebration,  a  clergyman,  carried  an  advertisement 
to  that  office  and  asked  to  have  it  inserted  for  half  price.  "  That 
is  not  the  way  we  do  business,"  said  the  gentlemanly  proprietor  of 
the  Journal.  "  But  all  the  others  do  so,"  replied  the  descendant  of 
John  Knox.  "  That  may  be,  sir,  but  we  do  not  mix  our  business 
with  our  charities."  "Then,  sir,"  asked  the  clergyman,  " will  you 
give  us  the  half  in  money  ?"  "  No,  sir,"  said  the  journalist,  "  not  in 
that  way."  When  copies  of  the  eulogy  of  Professor  Agassiz  on 
Humboldt,  delivered  on  that  occasion,  were  given  to  the  Press,  the 
order  was  that  none  should  be  given  to  the  Journal! 

Alas  !  for  the  rarity 

Of  Christian  charity 

Under  the  sun ! 

The  Ledger  prospered.  Its  enterprise  was  often  well  considered, 
and  often  successful.  Whenever  there  was  an  excitement  in  the 
city  or  in  the  country  it  would  exhibit  its  energy.  It  paid  attention 
to  European  news,  and  would  run  expresses  to  obtain  the  latest  pa- 
pers. It  co-operated  with  the  New  York  Herald  in  the  famous  pony- 
expresses  which  were  run  between  Montgomery  and  Mobile  during 
the  Mexican  War,  by  which  the  news  and  details  of  all  the  battles 
and  victories,  from  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma  to  the  tri- 
umphant entry  of  General  Scott  into  the  halls  of  the  Montezumas, 
were  received  by  these  journals  in  advance  of  the  authorities  in 
Washington. 

When  the  magnetic  telegraph  became  a  realization,  Mr.  Swain 
became  largely  interested  in  it,  and  was  at  one  time  president  of  the 
Washington  line.  Instead  of  carrying  his  journalistic  experience, 
with  its  enlarged  views,  into  the  management  of  the  telegraph,  he 
introduced  the  mere  business  details  of  his  office — the  advertising 
experience  as  acquired  at  his  counter,  at  so  much  per  line — into  the 
organization  of  the  business  of  the  telegraph.  It  did  not  work  well. 


510  Journalism  in  America. 


It  was  too  narrow.  He  was  penny-wise  only.  But  he  saw  the 
error,  not,  however,  till  the  telegraph  management  became  involved 
in  complicities  with  the  Press  and  with  the  public,  requiring  a  radi- 
cal change  in  the  system  to  extricate  the  telegraph  companies  from 
their  difficulties ;  and  this  peculiarity  was  noticed  throughout  Swain's 
career.  He  was  not  a  man  of  new  ideas  nor  of  great  progress. 
He  had  no  faith  in  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  cable.  He  believed 
it  impossible  to  transmit  a  message  across  the  ocean.  But  he 
worked  hard  in  all  his  enterprises.  It  is  stated  by  Mr.  Childs  that 
it  was  the  custom  of  Mr.  Swain  "  for  more  than  twenty  years  to  ex- 
amine the  proofs  of  the  paper,  from  the  first  paragraph  to  the  last, 
to  make  sure  that  nothing  improper  should  be  admitted  into  its  col- 
umns." 

Mr.  Swain  was  an  obstinate  man.  He  persisted  in  keeping  the 
price  of  the  Ledger  at  one  cent  during  the  rebellion,  when  every 
thing  else  had  advanced  one  and  two  hundred  per  cent.  He  lost 
$100,000  in  doing  so.  When  Mr.  Childs  became  proprietor  of  the 
Ledger  he  advanced  the  price  to  two  cents,  and  on  the  loth  of  De- 
cember, 1864,  he  gave  these  reasons  for  the  increase  : 

Less  than  three  years  ago,  white  paper  could  be  purchased  for  nine  cents  per 
pound,  while  that  on  which  the  Ledger  is  now  printed  costs  twenty-six  and  a  half 
cents  per  pound.  Here  is  an  increased  cost  in  the  principal  item  in  the  produc- 
tion of  a  newspaper  of  nearly  threefold.  The  pay  of  compositors  when  the 
Ledger  was  commenced  was  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  cents  per  thousand  ems ; 
it  is  now  forty-five  cents  a  thousand  ems,  or  an  increase  of  nearly  twofold  in  this 
item.  The  cost  of  presswork  (besides  the  immense  expense  of  modern  printing 
machines),  and  all  the  other  principal  items  of  labor  and  materials  required  in 
the  production  of  a  newspaper,  have  been  augmented  in  like  proportion.  But  it 
is  in  the  heavy  increase  in  the  price  of  paper  that  the  ruling  standard  of  prices 
bears  most  heavily  on  the  printing  business.  The  sheet  of  white  paper  on  which 
the  Ledger  is  printed  costs  two  and  one  third  times  the  price  the  proprietor  re- 
ceives for  the  printed  copy ;  or,  in  other  words,  he  has  to  pay  for  three  sheets 
of  white  paper  as  much  as  he  receives  for  seven  printed  sheets. 

Hence  the  rise  in  the  subscription  price  of  newspapers  every 
where,  and  hence  the  disappearance  of  the  original  Penny  Press. 
Thus  the  Ledger  passed  along  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Swain 
till  1864.  Mr.  Simmons  died  in  1855.  Mr.  Abell  had  charge  of 
the  Baltimore  Sun,  which  these  three  printers  had  established  on 
the  iyth  of  May,  1837.  The  management  of  the  Ledger  had  there- 
fore entirely  devolved  on  Mr.  Swain,  and,  with  these  facts  in  view, 
he  saw  that  his  ideas  were  in  conflict  with  surrounding  circum- 
stances. He  had  reached  the  end  of  his  journalistic  mission.  So, 
in  December,  1864,  he  disposed  of  the  whole  establishment,  and 
retired  from  the  publication  of  a  daily  newspaper  after  twenty-eight 
years  of  labor,  during  which  time  he  accumulated  the  large  property 
we  have  mentioned.  But  Mr.  Abell,  the  survivor  of  the  two,  still 
manages  the  Sun,  and  has  just  purchased  "Guilford,"  the  M'Donald 
estate  near  Baltimore,  for  $475,000. 


George  W.  Childs.  511 

One  of  the  exceptions  to  the  general  rule  mentioned  in  the  open- 
ing of  this  chapter  is  to  be  found  in  the  new  proprietor  of  the 
Ledger.  After  the  death  of  Simmons,  and  after  the  effort  of  Swain 
to  maintain  a  penny  paper  in  spite  of  high  prices,  the  Public  Ledger 
became  the  property  of  George  W.  Childs,  well  known  as  the 
"Philadelphia  Publisher."  When  fourteen  years  of  age,  in  the 
year  1843,  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  begun  his  business  career 
as  a  lad  in  a  book-store.  After  a  brief  and  bright  apprenticeship 
of  four  years  he  opened  an  establishment  of  his  own,  and  for  this 
purpose  he  hired  an  office  in  the  old  Ledger  Building,  where  he  re- 
tailed newspapers.  He  was  smart,  industrious,  and  a  young  man 
of  destiny,  in  which  he  seemed  to  place  the  utmost  reliance.  On 
completing  his  arrangements  for  the  opening  of  his  little  store  for 
the  sale  of  periodical  literature,  young  Childs,  in  speaking  of  his 
prospects,  said  to  the  colossal  Swain,  "  I  have  made  up  my  mind, 
Mr.  Swain,  to  own  the  Ledger  one  of  these  days."  "  Have  you  ? 
Well,  well,  my  young  friend,  you 'will  be  an  old  man  before  you 
accomplish  that,  I  guess,"  replied  Swain.  Childs  went  to  work. 
With  tact,  courage,  perseverance,  and  skill,  he  became  a  publisher 
of  books  ;  then  one  of  the  firm  of  Robert  E.  Peterson  &  Co.  ; 
then  Childs  &  Peterson  ;  then  one  of  the  house  of  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott  &  Co.  He  brought  out  Dr.  Kane's  Arctic  Explorations,  Bou- 
vier's  Law  Dictionary,  Fletcher's  interesting  work  on  Brazil  and  the 
Brazilians,  Allibone's  Dictionary  of  Authors,  Sharswopd's  Black- 
stone's  Commentaries,  the  American  National  Almanac,  Mrs.  Han- 
nah M.  Paterson's  Familiar  Astronomy,  Parson  Brownlow's  Book, 
Lossing's  Civil  War,  and  other  works,  which  had  very  extensive 
and  profitable  sales  every  where.  In  1863  he  assumed  the  pub- 
lication and  editorship  of  the  American  Literary  Gazette  and  Pub- 
lishers' Chronicle,  which  has  become  the  organ  of  the  booksellers  of 
the  United  States,  and  is  a  valuable  periodical  to  the  trade,  and 
an  interesting  one  to  the  public.  It  seems  likely  to  rival,  if  not 
eclipse,  The  Bookseller,  which  has  made  its  monthly  appearance  in 
London  for  many  years.  The  Christmas  numbers  of  the  Literary 
Gazette  for  1869,  '70,  and  '71,  as  specimens  of  typography,  with  their 
illustrated  covers  and  illustrated  advertisements,  were  wonderful 
productions,  which  would  have  profoundly  astonished  Schceffer  had 
he  appeared  at  that  merry  season  in  Chestnut  Street,  Philadelphia. 
The  Literary  Gazette  is  now  known  as  the  Weekly  Trade  Circular, 
and  is  published  by  F.  Leypoldt,  New  York. 

Having  acquired  wealth  and  wisdom  in  these  sixteen  years  of 
experience  in  selling  newspapers  and  publishing  books,  Mr.  Childs 
became  ripe  for  the  predestined  position  of  a  newspaper  proprietor. 
In  all  this  time,  in  reading  the  New  York  Herald  and  Public  Ledger, 


512  Journalism  in  America. 

in  looking  over  the  law-books  of  Judge  Bouvier  and  Judge  Shars- 
wood ;  in  his  active  researches  through  the  fascinating  details  of 
Kane's  explorations ;  in  studying  the  progress  of  Don  Pedro  as 
described  by  Fletcher ;  in  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  authors 
of  the  world  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Allibone  ;  in  pondering  on 
the  material  glory  of  the  United  States  as  developed  in  the  Ameri- 
can Almanac ;  and  in  carefully  looking  over  his  bank  account,  he 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  prepared  for  the  great  object  of 
his  life.  One  fine  day,  therefore,  neat  and  natty  in  dress,  and  con- 
fident in  manner,  he  called  upon  Mr.  Swain.  It  was  no  novelty  to 
call  upon  that  gentleman.  He  had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  so 
for  years.  Socially  he  had  often  met  him  ;  but  on  this  occasion 
he  had  a  great  purpose  in  his  visit — something  on  his  mind.  "  Mr. 
Swain,"  said  Mr.  Childs,  "  do  you  recollect  the  '  threat'  I  made,  and 
which  you  laughed  at,  sixteen  years  ago,  that  I  intended  one  day 
to  be  proprietor  of  the  Ledger  ?"  "  Why,  yes,"  replied  the  million- 
aire journalist.  "  I  recollect  a  chubby  little  fellow  hiring  an  office 
of  me,  and  boasting  that  he  would  own  the  Ledger,  and  me  too,  I 
suppose  he  would  have  added,  if  I  hadn't  pooh-poohed  the  conceit 
out  of  him."  "Then  you  think  you  did  that?  But  you  are  mis- 
taken. It  has  remained  in  my  head  ever  since,  and  I  have  made 
it  my  special  business  to  call  upon  you  to-day  to  carry  out  my  pur- 
pose, if  I  can.  If  I  can  not  now,  I'll  wait.  I  am  yet  young.  But 
I  want  the  Ledger,  and  I  will  give — "  "  Stop,  stop,"  interrupted 
Swain ;  "  you  are  too  fast.  What  am  I  to  do  ?  It  takes  two,  at 
least,  to  make  a  bargain.  Let  us  see — " 

What  was  the  result?  On  the  3d  of  December,  1864,  Mr.  Childs 
became  proprietor  of  the  Philadelphia  Ledger,  and  Mr.  Swain,  who 
left  New  York  in  1836,  resigning  a  situation  worth  $12  per  week, 
had  become  trebly  a  millionaire,  retired,  but  not  altogether  from 
newspapers,  for  he  said  a  short  time  after  the  sale  of  the  Ledger, 
and  his  remark  sounded  like  the  expiring  neigh  of  an  old  war- 
horse  on  the  field  of  battle,  "  I  have  given  up  the  Ledger,  but  I 
don't  wish  you  to  think  that  I  am  entirely  out  of  the  business.  I 
still  retain  the  Dollar  Weekly,  simply  to  keep  off  the  rust,  you  know." 
In  his  valedictory  Mr.  Swain  said  : 

********* 

When  the  Ledger  commenced  its  publication  (March,  1836),  the  united  editions 
of  all  the  daily  newspapers  of  Philadelphia  was  between  7000  and  8000  copies  per 
day.  Now  (December  3,  1864)  the  editions  of  the  morning  and  evening  journals 
of  this  city,  English  and  German,  are  not  far  from  175,000  copies  per  day,  and  the 
daily  newspaper  is  an  indispensable  part  of  every  man's  instruction  and  informa- 
tion. The  one  cent,  or  penny  paper,  as  it  is  called,  has  made  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  readers,  and  in  making  these  readers  it  has  advanced  the  interests  of 
every  other  newspaper  in  the  city,  as  well  as  enlarged  the  information  of  the 
people,  and  contributed  to  the  enterprise  and  prosperity  of  the  city. 


The  new  Conductor  of  the  Public  Ledger.     5 1 3 

It  was  claimed  for  the  Ledger,  among  other  things,  and  justly  too, 
no  doubt,  that  it  aided  materially  in  the  union  of  the  city  in  one 
municipality ;  in  the  introduction  of  city  railroads  ;  in  urging  the 
present  convenient  system  of  street  numberings,  so  important  to  a 
large  city ;  in  concentrating  the  public  buildings  to  enable  the  people 
to  save  time  in  the  transaction  of  their  business  ;  and  in  the  intro- 
duction of  the  steam  fire-engines,  with  the  fire-alarm  and  police  tel- 
egraphs. 

Mr.  Swain  did  not  long  survive  his  separation  from  his  pet  child. 
His  iron  constitution  succumbed  to  the  ravages  of  labor  and  time, 
and  in  1867  he  passed  away,  after  thirty  years  of  active  and  con- 
stant mental  and  physical  application  and  labor. 

What  did  Mr.  Childs  do  with  the  Ledger  when  it  came  into  his 
possession  ?  It  needed  a  little  recuperation.  It  needed,  with  the 
growth  of  the  city,  a  wider  and  more  comprehensive  grasp  of  intel- 
lect in  its  management.  It  was  well  organized.  Indeed,  it  was 
considered  a  model  establishment.  But  all  enterprises  had  made 
rapid  progress  in  this  century.  Newspapers  can  not  stand  still.  It 
was  with  the  Ledger  as  with  all  other  journals.  It  required  young 
blood  and  fresh  intellect.  These  were  immediately  infused  into  the 
concern  by  its  new  proprietor.  The  reading  columns  showed  more 
industry.  They  exhibited  more  power  and  greater  variety.  One 
of  the  most  splendid  buildings  in  Philadelphia  was  erected  for  its 
editors,  clerks,  machinery,  compositors,  and  customers,  and  now  the 
Ledger  Building  is  not  only  a  great  ornament  to  that  city,  but  one  of 
numerous  monuments  to  journalism  that  are  springing  up  all  over 
the  country.  It  contains  64,812  square  feet  of  space,  and  is  lighted 
by  354  windows.  It  is  more  than  a  mile  around  the  apartments 
above  the  ground.  Meanwhile  the  circulation  of  the  paper  kept 
equal  steps  with  the  general  spread  of  the  establishment.  It  run 
up  to  70  and  75,000,  and  82,000  in  1872,  and  as  there  are  70,000 
houses  in  Philadelphia,  there  is  one  copy  of  the  Ledger  for  each 
house,  and  a  few  for  strangers  at  the  hotels.  Its  annual  advertising 
patronage  reaches  $400,000  to  $500,000.  With  this  income  its  pro- 
prietor can  accomplish  much  good.  The  price  of  the  paper  is  now, 
as  we  have  said,  two  cents  a  copy. 

•  The  Ledger  has  been  a  carefully  conducted  paper.  It  was  not 
liable  to  be  deceived.  But  in  October,  1866,  it  was  the  means  of 
throwing  the  community  into  a  state  of  intense  excitement.  On  the 
nth  of  that  month  it  published  a  dispatch  from  Washington  rela- 
tive to  the  supposed  designs  of  President  Johnson,  which  v/ere  to 
eclipse  the  famous  factions  of  the  British  Parliament  by  Pride,  and 
the  dispersion  of  the  French  Council  of  Five  Hundred  by  Napoleon. 
This  dispatch  was  prepared  in  Washington  by  Henry  M.  Flint,  whose 

K  K 


514  Journalism  in  America. 

fertile  imagination  was  greatly  exercised  during  the  war,  and  em- 
braced what  purported  to  be  a  summary  of  five  questions  which  had 
been  submitted  to  the  attorney  general  by  the  chief  magistrate. 
These  questions  were  in  substance  as  follow : 

ist.  Is  the  present  Congress  a  legal  one  ? 

2d.  Would  the  President  be  justified  in  sending  his  next  annual 
message  to  an  unconstitutional  assemblage  ? 

3d.  Has  a  Congress  like  the  present  a  right  to  exclude  represent- 
atives from  ten  states  ? 

4th.  Is  the  President  required  to  enforce  those  provisions  of  the 
Constitution  which  give  to  each  state  an  equal  right  to  representa- 
tion? 

5th.  What  steps  should  the  President  take  to  secure  the  assem- 
blage of  a  Constitutional  Congress  ? 

This  dispatch  was  considered  of  such  importance  that  the  editor 
of  the  Ledger  gave  it  to  the  agent  of  the  Associated  Press,  and  it 
appeared  in  nearly  every  paper  in  the  United  States  on  the  same 
morning.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  it  produced  a  profound  sen- 
sation. The  New  York  Tribune  gave  it  extra  head-lines,  displayed 
as  follows : 

STARTLING    QUESTION    OF    MR.  JOHNSON    TO    THE 
ATTORNEY  GENERAL. 

AN   OFFICIAL  DECLARATION   OF  THE  ILLEGALITY  OF   CONGRESS 

DEMANDED. 

INTIMATION  OF  HIS  PURPOSE  TO  RECOGNIZE  A  REBEL  CONGRESS 
AND  FORCE  THE  ADMISSION  OF  THE  REBEL  STATES. 

Startling  the  journalists,  it  aroused  Wall  Street  and  the  whole 
country,  and  the  premium  on  gold  advanced  three  or  four  per  cent. 
There  was  a  general  alarm.  But,  thanks  to  the  telegraph,  the  false 
character  of  the  dispatch  was  soon  ascertained,  and  it  resulted  in  no 
disastrous  consequences.  The  proprietor  of  the  Ledger  very  prop- 
erly and  characteristically  had  the  matter  immediately  and  thor- 
oughly investigated,  and  thus  preserved  the  high  character  his  pa- 
per had  acquired  for  correctness  and  fairness.  It  was  an  episode 
which,  fortunately,  has  not  often  occurred  with  the  Press,  the  only 
other  instance  during  the  rebellion  being  that  of  the  "  bogus"  proc- 
lamation of  President  Lincoln,  which  led  to  the  unfair  and  unjust 
suspension  of  two  New  York  papers,  as  already  described  in  these 
pages. 

The  seal  and  motto  of  Mr.  Childs  in  all  his  publications  is  the 
device  of  a  broken  sword,  and  a  quill  pen  a  travers,  with  the  legend, 
"  The  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword,"  under  the  device.  It  is  a 
capital  design  and  an  appropriate  motto  for  a  journalist.  On  the 


The  Pen  is  mightier  than  the  Sword.        515 

6th  of  June,  1869,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  the  commander-in-chief 
of  the  English  army,  presided  at  a  dinner  in  aid  of  the  Newspaper 
Press  Fund  in  London.  In  his  remarks  the  duke  said : 

Professionally  I  am  placed  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  great  services  of  the  state 
not  connected  with  any  politics,  and  who  may  be  supposed  not  to  take  that  great 
interest  in  the  institutions  of  the  country  which  every  citizen  of  a  state  ought  to 
take.  Now  I  am  come  here  this  evening  to  prove,  as  far  as  lies  in  my  power, 
that  the  army  and  the  other  institutions  do  take  interest  in  these  matters.  The 
fact  of  the  head  of  one  of  these  professions  coming  here  to-night  is  an  earnest  and 
visible  proof  that  such  a  view  is  no  mere  matter  of  phrases  and  words,  but  is  a 
fact  and  a  reality. 

Honi  soit  qui  mat y  pense  and  Dieu  et  Mon  Droit  look  very  pretty 
and  sound  very  valiantly  on  the  English  coat  of  arms,  but  a  place 
will  now  have  to  be  made  for  "  The  pen  is  mightier  than  the  sword," 
since  the  royal  family  have  been  so  remarkably  convinced  of  the 
fact  as  to  have  one  of  its  members,  the  man  of  the  sword,  preside 
at  a  Press  dinner.  Additionally  to  this  evidence  in  favor  of  the 
pen,  one  day  in  March,  1872,  President  Grant,  leaving  his  victorious 
sword  in  the  White  House  at  Washington,  visited  Philadelphia,  and, 
while  there  with  his  family,  was  the  guest  of  editor  Childs,  of  the 
Ledger,  who  gave  one  of  his  splendid  entertainments  to  the  chief 
magistrate  of  the  nation,  which  was  a  brilliant  affair  in  every  re- 
spect. 

Among  the  good  things  Mr.  Childs  has  done  in  his  bailiwick  has 
been  the  establishment  of  the  Printers'  Cemetery  at  Woodlands, 
the  giving  of  a  handsome  sum  for  a  fund  for  the  widows  and  or- 
phans of  printers,  and  the  insurance  on  the  lives  often  of  his  leading 
employes  for  the  benefit  of  their  families.  Once  a  year,  on  a  nation- 
al birthday  like  the  Fourth  of  July,  or  on  a  universal  birthday  like 
Christmas,  he  brings  all  the  newsboys  of  Philadelphia,  with  big 
patches  on  their  jackets  and  big  hearts  under  them,  together  at  a 
feast,  making  them  feel  as  if  some  one  of  them,  in  the  future,  would 
loom  up  as  the  proprietor  of  an  influential  newspaper,  or  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress,  or  as  occupant  of  the  White  House.  Instar  om- 
nium. Thus  the  newspaper  in  proper  hands,  and  out  of  its  own 
abundance,  becomes  a  great  almoner,  a  great  educator,  and  a  great 
elevator.  The  Public  Ledger  may  yet  wield  a  greater  power  than 
ever.  '  With  a  growing  city  the  influential  journalist  can  do  much 
good  and  accomplish  important  results,  and  his  work  is  never  fin- 
ished. 

The  Dollar  Weekly,  which  Mr.  Swain  clung  to  till  the  last,  is  now 
the  property  of  Mr.  Childs,  and  is  published  under  the  name  of  the 
Home  Weekly,  and  Mr.  C.  brings  out  native  talent  by  offering,  pre- 
miums for  the  best  stories.  American  intellect  is  in  this  way  de- 
veloped by  such  publishers  as  Bonner,  Childs,  Bennett,  and  Greeley. 


516  Journalism,  in  America. 

Such  writers  as  Coleridge,  Swift,  Addison,  and  Dickens  were  brought 
out  by  the  Chronicle,  the  Post,  and  other  papers  of  London,  and  our 
journals  are  to  develop  and  make  the  literature  of  America. 

There  is  an  Almanac  issued  from  the  Ledger  office  that  is  quite 
valuable.  It  is  sixty  pages  in  size,  and  filled  with  useful  matter  of 
reference.  Ninety  thousand  copies  are  published  annually,  and  a 
copy  is  given  gratuitously  to  each  subscriber  of  the  Ledger. 


The  New  York  Express.  5 1 7 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  EXPRESS  NEWSPAPER  AND  THE  EXPRESS  LINES. 

THE  NEW  YORK  EXPRESS. — WILLIS  HALL  AND  JAMES  BROOKS. — THE  EX- 
PRESS LINES. — HARNDEN,  ADAMS,  DINSMORE,  AND  SANFORD. — IMPORT- 
ANCE OF  THE  EXPRESSES  TO  NEWSPAPER  PUBLISHERS. 

ONE  beaOtiful  soft  morning  late  in  the  spring  of  1836,  while  the 
brokers,  bankers,  merchants,  shipmasters,  and  gossips  were  talking 
over  the  affairs  of  the  day  in  the  vestibule  of  Hudson's  News  Rooms, 
in  the  Old  Tontine  Building  in  Wall  Street,  New  York,  Willis  Hall, 
Esq.,  with  his  rotund  body,  glowing  face,  and  shaggy  eyebrows,  was 
seen  ascending  the  steps  of  that  building,  accompanied  by  a  man 
with  a  long  nose,  a  long  face,  dark  features,  and  a  very  large  head, 
with  an  enormous  bell-crowned  hat  thereon.  They  entered  the 
private  office  of  the  Hudsons,  who  had,  the  previous  year,  established 
an  Exchange  News  Room,  and  had  in  successful  operation  at  that 
time  a  Shipping  List,  on  the  plan  of  Lloyds,  and  a  Prices  Current. 
The  great  fire,  which  had,  a  few  months  before,  laid  waste  acres  of 
buildings  in  front  of  the  Tontine,  did  not  touch  that  ancient  and 
plain  edifice. 

"  Who  is  that  rosy-cheeked,  pleasant-looking  man,  with  the  heavy 
eyebrows  ?"  asked  a  gentleman  standing  in  the  vestibule. 

"  That  man  ?  Why,  that  is  Willis  Hall,  one  of  the'  magnates  of 
the  Whig  Party,"  answered  a  by-stander,  who  seemed  to  pride  him- 
self on  his  superior  knowledge  and  acquaintance  with  distinguished 
men. 

"  Well,  my  friend,  since  you  are  so  well  acquainted  here,  who  is 
the  gentleman  with  him — he  with  the  big  hat  and  swarthy  face  ?" 
asked  the  gentleman. 

"  The  man  with  the  big  hat  ?  Was  he  with  Hall  ?  Some  poli- 
tician, no  doubt,"  replied  the  other.  Another  by-stander  volunteered 
the  information. 

"  That  man,"  said  he,  "  is  James  Brooks." 

"James  Brooks  ?  You  are  mistaken,"  said  gentleman  No.  i.  "  I 
know  James  Brooks.  He  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer,  and  is  now,  I  believe,  editor  of  the  Albany  Advertiser. 
You  are  mistaken,  my  friend." 

"  But  I  am  right.  This  James  Brooks  is  not  that  James  Brooks. 
This  James  Brooks  is  of  the  Portland  Advertiser,  and  the  writer  of 


518  Journalism  in  America. 

the  letters  from  Europe  published  in  that  paper  and  copied  all  over 
the  country.  Why,  my  dear  sir,  I  know  all  about  him.  He  traveled 
over  Europe  on  foot — he  never  rode  ;  he  walked  over  England,  Ire- 
land, Scotland,  up  the  Rhine,  over  the  Alps,  into  the  crater,  and 
wrote  letters.  Willis  is  not  a  circumstance  to  him,  sir ;  Willis  used 
Cologne  and  the  stage-coaches.  I  don't  mean  Willis  Hall,  but  N. 
P.  Willis.  Your  James  Brooks  is  James  G.  Brooks,  a  smart  man,  i 
a  smart  editor,  and  a  smart  poet.  You  see,  sir,  I  know  all  about 
these  men." 

This  settled  the  matter,  especially  when  Hall  and  Brooks  came 
out  of  the  office  and  passed  up  Wall  Street. 

"  That's  the  man,"  said  the  walking  directory.  ':  I  know  him,  sir. 
That's  the  man.  What  an  enormous  hat !  Is  that  the  latest  Paris 
fashion,  do  you  suppose  ?" 

With  these  remarks  the  conversation  between  these  two  strangers 
ended.  But  the  result  of  this  visit  of  Hall  and  Brooks  to  the  old 
Tontine  was  the  establishment  of  the  New  York  Express,  now  known 
as  the  Evening  Express.  Its  first  number  appeared  on  the  2oth  of 
June,  1836,  and  its  proprietors  then  announced  that "  the  political 
character  of  the  Express"  would  "  be  decidedly  Whig."  Hudson's 
Prices  Current  and  Shipping  List  were  merged  with  the  Express,  and 
all  appeared  as  one  publication.  On  the  ist  of  November,  1836, 
the  Express  was  united  with  the  old  Daily  Advertiser,  an  organ  of 
the  followers  of  the  Hartford  Convention,  which  had  been  published 
by  Theodore  Dwight,  William  B.  Townsend,  and  John  A.  Walker. 
Dwight  was  the  secretary  of  the  Hartford  Convention,  and  wrote  a 
history  of  that  remarkable  convocation  of  New  England  opponents 
of  the  War  of  1812. 

The  Express  has  been  remarkable  for  its  politics,  its  numerous 
editions,  and  its  strangers'  lists.  It  started  as  a  Whig  paper,  and 
adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  Henry  Clay  as  long  as  that  statesman 
lived.  On  the  appearance  of  Know-Nothingism  James  Brooks 
went  to  Europe,  leaving  the  paper  under  the  management  of  his 
brother,  the  junior  editor,  Erastus  Brooks.  The  Express  then  be- 
came one  of  the  organs  of  the  new  party,  and  Erastus  Brooks  was 
elected  state  senator  in  New  York.  When  that  meteoric  party 
went  out  of  existence  the  Express  drifted  into  the  ranks  of  the  de- 
mocracy, and  James  Brooks,  the  senior  editor,  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress from  one  of  the  metropolitan  districts,  and  is  now  a  leading 
Democratic  member  of  that  body. 

The  numerous  daily  editions  of  the  Express,  containing  the  spirit 
of  the  morning  and  evening  papers,  the  latest  telegrams  to  the  As- 
sociated Press,  and  the  arrivals  at  the  hotels,  gradually  destroyed 
its  regular  morning  issue,  till  it  was  decided  to  make  the  paper  an 


The  Political  Course,  of  the  Express.         519 

evening  one  exclusively,  and  the  original  New  York  Morning  Express 
thus  disappeared  in  1864  or  thereabouts.  The  strangers'  list,  or  the 
daily  arrivals  at  the  several  hotels,  has  always  been  a  feature  of  the 
Express.  It  has  ever  been  considered  useful  to  merchants  con- 
stantly on  the  watch  for  customers,  and  the  Herald  one  time,  from 
envy  probably,  called  that  paper  the  Drummers'  Gazette. 

The  Express  has  a  character  of  its  own.  It  is  made  up  not  like 
any  other  paper.  Its  editorials  seem  hurriedly  written,  and  have  a 
sort  of  homely  vigor  about  them.  Every  thing  about  the  paper 
looks  as  if  it  had  been  thrown  together  in  great  haste.  Its  "  Spirit 
of  the  Press"  is  always  fairly  given.  It  will  take  news  wherever  and 
whenever  it  can  get  it,  but  it  has  little  or  no  individual  enterprise 
outside  of  the  Associated  Press.  It  has  never  spent  very  large  sums 
of  money  in  this  way.  Whenever  attacked,  it  fights  stoutly  and  per- 
sistently, and  its  editors  possess  the  merit  of  courage  in  their  edito- 
rial course.  James  Brooks  has  had  the  Know-Nothing  policy  of  the 
Express  violently  attacked  in  Congress  because  of  his  zealous  de- 
mocracy now.  One  of  its  contributors  for  many  years  was  a  son  of 
the  well-known  Theodore  Dwight.  He  was  a  small  man  physically, 
with  bright  black  eyes  and  an  active  intellect ;  he  was  always  a 
fluent  writer.  On  one  occasion  the  Express  was  severe  in  its  re- 
marks on  the  famous  Empire  Club,  of  which  Isaiah  Rynders  and 
John  S.  Austin  were  the  master  spirits.  One  of  the  members  of 
the  Club  called  at  the  office  of  the  Express  to  seek  satisfaction  for 
its  strictures.  He  met  Mr.  Dwight,  and  with  eye  full  of  fire  and 
fight,  said, 

"  I  am  a  member  of  the  Empire  Club.  Are  you  the  editor  of  this 
paper  ?" 

"  Have  the  kindness  to  be  seated,"  mildly  answered  Mr.  Dwight ; 
"  I  will  send  for  him." 

Calling  a  messenger-boy,  he  dispatched  him  for  James  O'Brien, 
the  manager  of  the  engine-room  of  the  establishment.  O'Brien, 
standing  nearly  seven  feet  in  his  shoes,  and  with  breadth  of  shoul- 
ders in  proportion,  soon  made  his  appearance. 

"  Mr.  O'Brien,"  said  Mr.  Dwight,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "  this 
gentleman  is  a  member  of  the  Empire  Club,  and  desires  to  see  the 
editor.  Will  you  please  receive  his  message  ?" 

The  member  from  the  Empire  Club  thought  discretion  the  better 
part  of  valor,  and  prudently  retired. 

The  circulation  of  the  paper  is  largely  confined  to  the  numerous 
railway  cars  and  steam-boats  running  to  and  from  and  within  the 
limits  of  the  city,  where  a  numerous  class  engaged  in  business  in 
the  metropolis  do  all  their  reading.  It  has  outlived  a  number  of 
evening  papers.  Within  the  last  four  or  five  years  it  has  had  to 


520  Journalism  in  America. 

compete  with  many  new  evening  journals,  and  its  circulation  has 
probably  suffered  a  little  in  consequence,  although,  with  all  well- 
managed  papers,  an  increased  number  of  journals  in  a  city  like  New 
York  is  not  without  its  advantages.  The  Gazette,  the  Mail,  the  Globe, 
the  Republic,  the  Free  Press,  the  Telegram,  the  Leader,  the  Common- 
wealth, have  been  started  since  1865,  but  only  the  Telegram  and 
Mail  are  left  to  compete  with  the  Express,  the  old  Post,  and  the 
older  Commercial  Advertiser.  These  new  papers  are  a  spirited  class, 
and  may  yet  somewhat  affect  the  morning  journals,  with  their  tele- 
grams from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  Express  was  the  first  paper  of  that  name,  pure  and  simple, 
in  the  United  States.  With  the  establishment  of  this  paper  and  the 
Cheap  Press,  a  great  necessity  was  met  in  the  organization  of  the 
express  lines.  There  was  no  connection  between  these  lines  and 
the  Express  newspaper.  There  was  only  a  coincidence.  The 
express  lines  were  originated  more  in  the  spirit  of  the  Sun  and 
Herald.  These  papers  were  sold  to  news  agents  in  other  cities,  and 
delivered  by  special  express  messengers,  while  the  Express  was  es- 
tablished on  the  old  system  of  credit  and  mail  subscriptions,  and 
did  not  come  into  the  new  plan,  originating  with  the  Sun,  Tran- 
script, and  Herald,  till  years  after,  when  circumstances  forced  the 
change  upon  the  proprietors.  But  the  express  lines  were  com- 
menced shortly  after  the  Express  was  started.  Harnden,  then 
Adams,  then  Dinsmore,  then  Sanford,  then  Wells,  then  Fargo,  ap- 
peared at  the  head  of  this  new  enterprise,  one  of  the  business  mar- 
vels of  this  country.  Harnden  and  Adams  made  their  appearance 
on  the  Providence  and  Worcester  railroads  in  1838.  The  Harndens, 
two  brothers,  had  been  conductors,  and  had  often  been  requested 
to  carry  small  parcels  for  immediate  delivery  at  the  other  end  of 
their  routes.  Passengers  by  the  steam-boat  lines  would  be  impor- 
tuned by  merchants  in  Boston  and  New  York  to  carry  letters  and 
money  parcels.  These  facts  suggested  the  express  business,  which 
is  now  so  extensive  throughout  the  United  States.  Harnden  and 
Adams  extended  their  lines  to  Philadelphia.  In  1841  a  line  between 
Albany  and  New  York  was  established.  Now,  in  1872,  lines  run 
from  the  metropolis  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  They  became  useful 
in  bringing  the  latest  papers  to  the  newspaper  offices.  Stimson, 
the  clever  historian  of  this  wonderful  enterprise,  in  speaking  of  this 
part  of  the  business,  states  that  "  the  newspaper  editors  who  con- 
ducted the  New  York  Press  in  1841,  '42,  '43,  and  '44,  will  remember, 
as  long  as  they  live,  we  presume,  a  sandy-haired,  rosy-cheeked,  bright 
blue-eyed  lad,  who  used  to  rush  into  their  sanctums  once  or  twice  a 
day  with  the  '  latest  news  from  Boston,'  and  desire  them  to  give 
credit  to  Adams  &  Co.'s  Express.  That  was  John  Hoey." 


The  Distribution  of  Newspapers.  521 

Well,  he  performed  his  part  admirably,  and  is  now  a  millionaire 
and  a  happy  man.  William  F.  Harnden,  Alvin  Adams,  William  B. 
Dinsmore,  and  Edwards  S.  Sanford  performed  the  more  arduous 
part  of  running  locomotive  expresses  with  the  latest  news  from  Eu- 
rope. Dinsmore,  and  Sanford,  and  Adams  have  many  a  time  cov- 
ered themselves  with  coal-dust  and  glory  in  running  a  mile  a  min- 
ute on  a  locomotive  for  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia  journals. 
Dinsmore,  black  with  coal-dust,  and  brilliant  in  wit  and  good  hu- 
mor, once  made  the  run  from  Boston  to  New  York  in  seven  hours 
and  thirty  minutes,  the  quickest  at  that  time  on  record.  Those 
were  sparkling  days  in  journalism.  Sanford  will  relate  incidents 
by  the  volume  in  his  genial,  pleasant  way,  of  the  competition  be- 
tween Adams  and  Harnden.  Those  were  times  of  lively  enterprise 
among  the  newspapers.  They  were  days  to  remember.  Adams 
and  Dinsmore,  with  their  magnificent  farms,  and  herds  of  Alderney 
and  Guernsey  cows,  now  eclipse  the  farmers  on  the  field  as  they 
did  the  old  stage-coaches  on  the  roads.  Sanford  became  the  right- 
hand  man  of  Secretary  Stanton  during  the  rebellion,  and  military 
supervisor  of  telegraphs.  Harnden  was  gathered  to  his  fathers 
many  years  ago. 

These  express  lines  are  of  great  importance  to  the  Press  as  news- 
paper carriers.  They  deliver  the  Suns,  Heralds,  Tribunes,  Times, 
Worlds,  Ledgers,  Travellers,  and  Telegrams  of  the  various  cities  along 
the  railroads  of  the  United  States  as  the  carriers  in  a  particular 
city  delivers  them  along  the  streets  of  that  city.  News  agencies, 
such  as  Zeiber  in  Philadelphia,  Jones  in  Albany,  and  Williams  in 
Boston,  branched  out  and  extended  into  colossal  news  companies 
as  a  part  of  the  spirit,  and  energy,  and  necessity  of  the  age.  Huge 
parcels  cf  Heralds,  and  Tribunes,  and  Times  have  been  conveyed  in 
bulk  to  these  agencies  by  these  express  lines,  and  distributed  every 
where.  Along  our  railroads,  news  agents  on  the  early  morning  trains 
throw  out  parcels  at  every  cross-road  and  at  every  depot.  With 
the  extension  of  railroads  and  express  lines  the  circulation  of  city 
journals  becomes  greater,  and  will  become  larger  every  year.  Thus 
these  tri-enterprises  work  together  for  the  general  good.  But  in 
the  course  of  time  the  pneumatic  parcel-tubes  will  be  laid,  and  then 
the  rapidity  of  the  delivery  of  newspapers  to  distant  points  will  be 
second  only  to  the  telegraph  in  speed  and  importance  in  our  intel- 
lectual development  and  journalistic  progress.  En  avant! 


522  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
THE  NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE. 

HORACE  GREELEY.  —  WHAT  HE  HAS  DONE  IN  JOURNALISM.  —  THE  DAILY 
TRIBUNE. — THE  WEEKLY  TRIBUNE.  —  INDUCEMENTS  TO  SUBSCRIBERS. — 
ASSOCIATED  OWNERSHIP.  —  CIRCULATION  AND  ADVERTISEMENTS.  —  THE 
ISMS  OF  THE  TRIBUNE.  —  CONTESTS  WITH  THE  HERALD.  —  THE  GREAT 
HALIFAX  EXPRESS.  —  THE  ATLANTIC  OCEAN  EXPRESS. — THE  FIRM  OF 
SEWARD,  WEED,  AND  GREELEY.  —  ITS  DISSOLUTION.  —  GREELEY  BEFORE  A 
PARLIAMENTARY  COMMITTEE. — His  SLAP  AT  THE  HERALD.  —  WHAT  IT 
COSTS  TO  PUBLISH  THE  TRIBUNE.  —  MANAGING  EDITORS. — INTERVIEWING 
AND  ITS  ADVANTAGES. — THE  INITIAL  EDITORS. — GREELEY'S  PENMANSHIP. 
— THIRTY  YEARS  IN  THE  TRIBUNE. — ASPIRATIONS  FOR  THE  PRESIDENCY. — 
NEWSPAPER  ALMANACS. 

ANOTHER  remarkable  newspaper  is  the  New  York  Tribune.  If 
James  Gordon  Bennett  and  the  New  York  Herald  are  synonymous 
terms,  Horace  Greeley  and  the  -New  York  Tribune  are  equally  so.  If, 
in  writing  of  these  men  and  of  these  institutions,  we  become  some- 
what mixed  in  the  use  of  names,  the  matter  will  be  clear  to  the 
reader  whether  we  mention  Greeley  for  the  Tribune,  or  the  Herald 
when  we  have  to  say  a  word  of  Bennett.  It  is  the  same  with  Rich- 
ard the  Third,  or  Hamlet,  or  King  Lear,;  and  Shakspeare. 

Horace  Greeley,  when  he  set  up  some  of  the  type  of  the  first  reg- 
ular penny  paper  in  America  for  Dr.  Shepard  ;  when  he  failed  in  a 
literary  enterprise  like  the  New  Yorker ;  when  he  wrote  letters  from 
Albany,  in  1838,  to  the  New  York  Daily  Whig,  and  let  himself  out 
at  a  cheap  rate  to  Thurlow  Weed  and  the  Albany  politicians  to 
make  a  splurge  with  the  Log  Cabin  during  the  Hard-cider  cam- 
paign for  Harrison,  "and  Tyler  too,"  in  1840,  he  was  learning  the 
business  of  newspaper  maker.  He  was  serving  his  apprenticeship 
with  the  usual  reward.  There  is  a  similarity  in  the  early  lives  of 
Horace  Greeley  and  Benjamin  Franklin  worthy  of  notice.  Indeed, 
Whittier  calls  Greeley  our  "later  Franklin."  They  were  printers' 
apprentices  ;  they  entered  Philadelphia  and  New  York  with  packs 
on  their  backs  and  nothing  in  their  pockets ;  they  struggled,  and 
prospered,  and  were  cheated ;  they  gave  a  great  deal  of  advice  to 
young  men ;  they  started  newspapers  and  run  into  politics ;  they 
became  great  philanthropists ;  they  sought  offices  and  wrote  auto- 
biographies ;  and  if  Franklin  did  not  use  electricity  as  a  means  of 


Horace  Greeley  s  Commencement.  523 

getting  news  for  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  he  dealt  largely  and  use- 
fully in  the  article  for  the  benefit  of  the  rest  of  mankind. 

The  Tribune  was  considered  by  a  few  a  political  necessity.  All 
of  the  Whig  papers  at  that  time  were  the  high-priced  "  blanket 
sheets,"  with  limited  ideas  and  circulation.  Horace  Greeley  thought 
that  a  cheap  Whig  paper,  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  Demo- 
cratic tendencies  of  the  Cheap  Press  then  in  existence,  would  suc- 
ceed. With  a  small  borrowed  capital  in  money,  with  some  reputa- 
tion for  industry  and  ability,  which  the  leading  politicians  of  that 
day  thought  to  use,  and  with  the  aid  and  comfort  of  a  few  sincere 
friends,  the  Tribune  was  ushered  into  the  world.  It  was  commenced 
as  a  one-cent  paper.  This  journalistic  event  took  place  on  the  loth 
of  April,  1841.  Important  date  in  the  life  of  a  newspaper,  if  not  in 
the  life  of  Washington.  Vide  Irving's  Biography  of  the  Pater  Patria. 

The  Tribune  started  with  a  moral  character.  Announcing  his  in- 
tention to  publish  a  cheap  daily  paper,  he  issued  a  prospectus  full 
of  this  excellent  idea.  In  our  researches  among  the  dusty  and  de- 
lightful records  of  journalism,  from  the  days  of  Butler  and  Camp- 
bell to  those  of  Pomeroy  and  Dana,  we  find  these  epics  of  our  his- 
tory very  instructive  and  very  suggestive.  Sometimes  they  are  de-, 
ceptive.  But  they  point  a  moral  in  any  view,  and  Horace  Greeley, 
personally,  has  endeavored,  after  his  peculiar  fashion,  to  adhere  to 
his  original  moral  idea.  For  a  long  time  all  theatrical  advertise- 
ments were  carefully  excluded.  No  "  immoral  or  degrading  police 
reports"  appeared.  If  descriptions  of  panel-houses  and  bagnios 
have  since  been  published,  they  were  to  illustrate  a  needed  reform 
in  the  police  arrangements  of  the  metropolis.  If  the  advertisements 
of  theatres  are  now  admitted,  it  is  because  the  people  will  go  to  such 
places,  and  they  are  the  news  of  the  day.  But  here  is  the  announce- 
ment of  the  coming  Tribune  : 

NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE. 

On  Saturday,  the  loth  of  April  instant,  the  subscriber  will  publish  the  first 
number  of  a  New  Morning  Journal  of  Politics,  Literature,  and  General  Intelli- 
gence. 

The  Tribune,  as  its  name  imports,  will  labor  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
People,  and  to  promote  their  Moral,  Social,  and  Political  well-being.  The  im- 
moral and  degrading  Police  Reports,  Advertisements,  and  other  matter  which 
have  been  allowed  to  disgrace  the  columns  of  our  leading  Penny  Papers,  will  be 
carefully  excluded  from  this,  and  no  exertion  spared  to  render  it  worthy  of  the 
hearty  approval  of  the  virtuous  and  refined,  and  a  welcome  visitant  at  the  family 
fireside. 

Earnestly  believing  that  the  political  revolution  which  has  called  William  Henry 
Harrison  to  the  Chief  Magistracy  of  the  Nation  was  a  triumph  of  Right,  Reason, 
and  Public  Good  over  Error  and  Sinister  Ambition,  the  Tribune  will  give  to  the 
New  Administration  a  frank  and  candid,  but  manly  and  independent  support, 
judging  it  always  by  its  acts,  and  commending  those  only  so  far  as  they  shall  seem 
calculated  to  subserve  the  great  end  of  all  government — the  welfare  of  the  People. 

The  Tribune  will  be  published  every  morning  on  a  fair  royal  sheet  (size  of  the 
Log  Cabin  and  Evening  Signal),  and  transmitted  to  its  city  subscribers  at  the  low 


524  Journalism  in  America. 

price  of  one  cent  per  copy.  Mail  subscribers  $4  per  annum.  It  will  contain  the 
news  by  the  morning's  Southern  Mail,  which  is  contained  in  no  other  Penny  Pa- 
per. Subscriptions  are  respectfully  solicited  by 

HORACE  GREELEY,  30  Ann  Street. 

Thus,  in  1841,  Greeley  became  a  temporary  convert  to  the  idea 
that  he  protested  against  in  1832,  when  Dr.  Shepard  endeavored  to 
enlist  him  in  the  publication  of  a  penny  paper.  But  the  Tribune 
was  sold  for  a  penny  only  to  give  it  a'  start,  and  in  this  way  Greeley 
returned  to  the  fact  that  a  good  newspaper  could  not  be  published 
for  one  cent. 

The  Tribune  lacked  a  business  man  to  manage  its  affairs.  It  had 
poverty  and  conspiracy,  like  all  papers  established  in  those  days,  to 
contend  with ;  and,  what  is  interesting  in  a  psychological  point  of 
view,  Park  Benjamin,  the  leading  spirit  in  the  great  conspiracy  to 
crush  out  the  New  York  Herald,  thus  describes  in  the  Evening  Signal 
the  small  effort  made  by  a  rival  to  destroy  the  Tribune  in  its  cradle : 

The  publisher  of  the  Sun  has,  during  the  last  few  days,  got  up  a  conspiracy  to 
crush  the  New  York  Tribune.  The  Tribune  was,  from  its  inception,  very  success- 
ful, and,  in  many  instances,  persons  in  the  habit  of  taking  the  Sun  stopped  that 
paper,  wisely  preferring  a  sheet  which  gives  twice  the  amount  of  reading  matter, 
and  always  contains  the  latest  intelligence.  This  fact  afforded  sufficient  evidence 
to  Beach,  as  it  did  to  all  others  who  were  cognizant  of  the  circumstances,  that  the 
Tribune  would,  before  the  lapse  of  many  weeks,  supplant  the  Sun.  To  prevent 
this,  and,  if  possible,  to  destroy  the  circulation  of  the  Tribune  altogether,  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  bribe  the  carriers  to  give  up  their  routes ;  fortunately,  this 
succeeded  only  in  the  cases  of  two  men,  who  were  likewise  carriers  of  the  Sun.  In 
the  next  place,  all  the  newsmen  were  threatened  with  being  deprived  of  the  Sun 
if,  in  any  instance,  they  were  found  selling  the  Tribune.  But  these  efforts  were 
not  enough  to  satisfy  Beach.  He  instigated  boys  in  his  office,  or  others,  to  whip 
the  boys  engaged  in  selling  the  Tribune.  No  sooner  was  this  fact  ascertained  at 
the  office  of  the  Tribune  than  young  men  were  sent  to  defend  the  sale  of  that 
paper.  They  had  not  been  on  their  stations  long  before  a  boy  from  the  Sun  of- 
fice approached  and  began  to  flog  the  lad  with  the  Tribune ;  retributory  meas- 
ures were  instantly  resorted  to ;  but,  before  a  just  chastisement  was  inflicted, 
Beach  himself,  and  a  man  in  his  employ,  came  out  to  sustain  their  youthful  emis- 
sary. 

The  Tribune,  like  some  of  its  predecessors,  survived  these  assaults 
and  persecutions,  but,  as  we  have  said,  it  lacked  a  business  manager 
to  aid  its  editor  in  perfecting  his  plans  and  to  reap  the  advantages 
of  surrounding  circumstances.  Thomas  M'Elrath  was  the  needed 
man.  Educated  a  lawyer,  and  having  been  a  book  publisher,  active 
and  intelligent,  he  took  hold  of  the  business  details  of  the  establish- 
ment with  energy.  It  is  but  justice  to  Mr.M'Elrath  to  say  that  a 
large  portion  of  the  success  of  the  Tribune  was  due  to  his  skill  in 
the  early  management  of  these  details.  On  the  3ist  of  July,  1841, 
he  commenced  his  career  on  that  paper. 

There  were  nine  cheap  cash  papers  and  seven  "sixpenny  sheets" 
printed  in  New  York  City  in  the  following  year.  There  were  also 
five  Sunday  and  six  Saturday  papers.  Annexed  is  a  list  of  the 
papers,  with  their  estimated  circulation  : 


Newspapers  in  the  Metropolis.  525 


NEW  YORK  PAPERS  IN   NOVEMBER,  1842. 

Cash  Papers. 

Wall-street  Papers. 

Herald,  2  cents          -  . 
Sun,  I  cent  -         -         -         - 
Aurora,  2  cents 
Morning  Post,  2  cents   - 

-   15,000 
20,000 

-    5,000 
3,000 

Courier  and  Enquirer 
Journal  of  Commerce    - 

-     7,000 
7,500 
-    6,000 
i,  800 

American      -         ... 

Plebeian,  2  cents 

-    2,000 

Commercial  Advertiser 

";,ooo 

Chronicle,  I  cent  - 
Tribune,  i\  cent 

5,000 

Q,  ^OO 

Evening  Post         ... 

^,\j\j\j 
2,500 

Union,  2  cents       ... 

:?,  jww 
I,OOO 

Tattler,  i  cent 

-      2,OOO 

62,500 

t 

30,200 

Sunday  Papers. 

Saturday  Papers. 

Atlas          - 

'     3.500 

Brother  Jonathan 

-    5,000 

Times  

1,500 

New  World  - 

8,000 

Mercury    -         ... 

•    3.000 

Spirit  of  the  Times    - 

vs,vw 

-    1,500 

News    
Sunday  Herald 

500 
-    9,000 

Whip    
Flash        - 

4,000 
-     1,500 

Rake     

1,000 

17,500 

21,000 

The  Tribune  has  always  been  remarkable  for  its  peculiar  penchant 
for  isms  of  all  sorts.  It  committed  itself  to  Fourierism  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1841  ;  and  in  the  communications  of  Albert  Brisbane,  an 
enthusiastic  pupil  of  Charles  Fourier,  in  the  controversy  of  Horace 
Greeley  in.  the  Tribune  and  Henry  J.  Raymond  in  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer,  and  in  the  showers  of  ridicule  from  the  Herald,  the  paper 
became  widely  known,  and  its  editor  famous.  In  every  thing  new 
and  ultra,  the  Tribttne  was  its  champion.  It  was  an  early  advocate 
of  woman's  rights,  and  its  course  was  strongly  indorsed  by  Mrs.  Julia 
Ward  Howe  in  the  Woman's  Rights  Convention,  held  in  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  in  December,  1869.  Mrs.  Howe  advocated  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  newspaper  devoted  to  their  cause,  and  spoke  of  the 
corruption  in  city  governments.  She  referred  to  the  attacks  on 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  Mr.  Frothingham  in  New  York,  and  said 
that  the  enemies  of  the  Tribune  and  the  friends  of  violence,  the  lovers 
of  scandal,  naturally  flashed  their  noisy  artillery  at  so  glittering  a 
mark. 

It  is  fair  to  suppose  that  the  editor  of  the  Tribune  was  sincere, 
and  believed  all  he  said.  But  novelty  was  attractive  to  him,  and  this 
was  his  idea  of  progress,  and  success  and  progress  were  necessary 
to  the  happiness  of  the  world.  On  one  occasion,  when  absent,  a 
strange  affair  was  reported  which  the  editor  in  charge  thought  to  be 
too  absurd  to  publish.  On  Mr.  Greeley's  return  to  the  city  he  bit- 
terly complained  of  the  omission.  "  It  was  too  ridiculous  to  pub- 
lish," said  the  editor  pro  tern.  "  Too  ridiculous  to  publish  !  Non- 
sense. Nothing  is  too  ridiculous.  I  can  not  leave  town  without 
something  going  wrong.  You  will  crucify  me — yes,  you  will  crucify  N 
me  with  such  management."  The  strong  desire  for  novelty  which 


526  Journalism  in  America. 

found  vent  in  this  emphatic  expression  was  thus  translated  by  Gree- 
ley  on  the  25th  of  April,  1859,  in  one  of  those  periodical  articles 
which  appear  in  the  leading  journals  of  the  metropolis  : 

Doubtless  many  of  our  readers  have  heard  of  the  Isms  of  The  Tribune,  its  dis- 
organizing doctrines,  its  numerous  hobbies,  and  its  frequent  changes  from  one  of 
these  to  another.  And  yet,  as  one  mind  has  presided  over  its  issues  from  the 
outset,  so  one  golden  thread  of  purpose  may  be  traced  through  them  all,  under  ev- 
ery variety  of  circumstance  and  condition.  That  purpose  is  the  elevation  of  the 
masses  through  the  diffusion  and  inculcation  of  intelligence,  freedom,  industry, 
skill,  virtue,  and  the  consequent  abolition  or  limitation  of  ignorance,  slavery,  idle- 
ness, pauperism,  and  vice.  To  accord  a  generous  welcome  to  every  novel  sug- 
gestion, every  unselfish  effort,  tending  to  the  great  end  thus  meditated,  whether 
that  suggestion  contemplate  the  more  perfect  development  and  diversification  of 
our  material  industry  through  protection  to  American  labor,  or  improved  facilities 
of  intercourse  with  our  brethren  across  the  continent  by  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific, 
or  the  present  limitation  and  ultimate  abolition  of  human  chattelhood,  or  the  se- 
curing to  every  man  the  unchallenged  possession  and  use  of  a  patch  of  the  earth's 
surface  whereon  to  live  and  support  his  family  by  the  freedom  of  the  public  lands, 
or  the  diminution  of  human  wretchedness  and  debasement  through  a  war  of  ex- 
termination on  intemperance  and  its  accessories,  is,  as  it  has  been,  our  unshaken 
purpose,  our  unshrinking  aim. 

The  Tribune,  in  the  progress  of  time  and  events,  became  the  organ 
of  the  extreme  National  Republicans,  the  extreme  Whigs,  the  ex- 
treme Republicans,  and  of  Horace  Greeley.  It  had  two  strong  na- 
tional ideas :  a  high  protective  tariff,  and  the  abolition  of  slavery ; 
and  one  social  idea — Fourierism.  Commencing  political  life  as  an 
ardent  admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  and  then  of  William  H.  Seward,  the 
Tribune  has  kept  on  the  opposition  track  to  democracy  till  it  is  now 
the  special  organ  of  Horace  Greeley.  It  is  perhaps  best  for  the  in- 
terests of  the  people,  if  a  newspaper  is  to  be  organ  of  any  party  or 
any  person,  that  that  party  and  that  person  should  be  its  own  re- 
sponsible editor,  and  with  the  Tribune  there  is  a  Greeley  Party. 
There  is  more  honesty  in  this  policy. 

Apart  from  the  Herald,  no  paper  has  been  more  individual  in  its 
course  than  the  Tribune.  No  other  paper  is  so  well  known.  Its 
influence,  however,  has  been  attained  by  its  weekly  rather  than  by 
the  daily  edition.  It  could  never  reach  a  large  circulation  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  It  could  not,  therefore,  obtain  a  large  paying 
advertising  patronage  in  that  city.  It  was  not  adapted  to  the  polit- 
ical and  commercial  atmosphere  of  the  metropolis.  But  with  the 
Weekly  Tribune  great  results  were  obtained.  Its  subscription  price 
was  put  down  to  the  lowest  rate.  It  was  advertised  every  where. 
It  instituted  all  kinds  of  premiums,  from  a  strawberry  plant  and  a 
gold  pencil  to  a  steel  engraved  portrait  of  Horace  Greeley  for  the 
largest  number  of  subscribers.  It  established  the  club  system  now 
so  prevalent  with  struggling  newspapers.  Its  editor  became  a  pub- 
lic lecturer  to  spread  himself,  his  opinions,  and  his  paper.  When 
he  issued  the  New  Yorker  in  1834,  in  his  appeal  to  the  public  he 
said: 


Changes  in  Journalistic  and  Public  Opinion.  527 

THE  PUBLISHER'S  ADDRESS. 

There  is  one  disadvantage  attending  our  debut  which  is  seldom  encountered  in 
the  outset  of  periodicals  aspiring  to  general  popularity  and  patronage.  Ours  is 
not  blazoned  through  the  land  as  "  The  Cheapest  Periodical  in  the  World,"  "  The 
Largest  Paper  ever  Published,"  or  any  of  the  captivating  clap-traps  wherewith 
enterprising  gentlemen  possessed  of  a  convenient  stock  of  assurance  are  wont  to 
usher  in  their  successive  experiments  on  the  gullibility  of  the  public.  No  like- 
nesses of  eminent  and  favorite  authors  will  embellish  our  title  while  they  disdain 
to  write  for  our  columns.  No  "  distinguished  literary  and  fashionable  characters" 
have  been  dragged  in  to  bolster  up  a  rigmarole  of  preposterous  and  charlatan 
pretensions.  And,  indeed,  so  serious  is  this  deficiency,  that  the  first  (we  may  say 
the  only)  objection  which  has  been  started  by  our  most  judicious  friends  in  the 
discussion  of  our  plans  and  prospects  has  inevitably  been  this  :  "  You  do  not  in- 
dulge sufficiently  in  high-sounding  pretensions.  You  can  not  succeed  without 
humbug."  Our  answer  has  constantly  been,  "  We  shall  try,"  and  in  the  spirit  of 
this  determination  we  respectfully  solicit  of  our  fellow-citizens  the  extension  of 
that  share  of  patronage  which  they  shall  deem  warranted  by  our  performances 
rather  than  our  promise. 

The  circulation  of  the  Weekly  Tribune  run  up  to  200,000,  and  its 
issue  contained  a  page  of  advertisements.  Those  inserted  in  1872 
have  to  pay  two,  three,  and  five  dollars  per  line  for  each  insertion  ! 
This  was  the  result  of  a  system,  not  like  that  developed  in  the  above 
prospectus  for  the  acquisition  of  readers  and  patronage  for  the  New 
Yorker.  Times  have  changed,  and  this  large  circulation  of  the  Trib- 
une has  been  the  result,  largely,  of  such  announcements  as  the  fol- 
lowing, which  appeared  in  1868  : 

GREELEY'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  WAR. 

The  Tr^b^^ne  also  proposes  to  send  "  The  American  Conflict,"  by  Horace  Gree- 
ley,  in  2  volumes  of  648  and  782  pages  respectively,  to  clubs  on  terms  stated  be- 
low. This  history  has  received  from  all  quarters  the  highest  commendation  for 
accuracy  of  statement  and  fullness  of  detail.  It  is  substantially  bound,  and  must 
be  deemed  a  valuable  addition  to  any  library.  These  volumes  should  be  placed 
in  every  School  District  library  in  the  land,  and  each  school  contains  scholars 
who  can,  with  a  few  hours  of  attention,  raise  a  Tribune  Club  and  secure  the  his- 
tory. Almost  any  one  who  wishes  can  now  obtain  it  by  giving  a  few  hours  to 
procuring  subscriptions  for  the  Tribune  among  his  friends  and  neighbors,  and  we 
hope  many  will  be  incited  to  do  so.  The  work  will  be  promptly  forwarded,  pre- 
paid, by  express  or  by  mail,  on  receipt  of  the  required  subscriptions. 

Apropos  of  the  American  Conflict,  there  is  a  fact  connected  with 
its  sale  which  exhibits  the  fickleness  of  public  favor,  and  the  want 
of  stability  in  any  one  man's  power  and  influence  in  a  republic.  On 
the  appearance  of  this  History  of  the  Rebellion,  the  demand  for  it 
was  really  enormous.  Thousands  of  copies  were  sold,  and  the  agents 
for  the  sale  of  the  work  were  disposing  of  them  with  great  rapidity, 
when  the  scene  which  occurred  at  Richmond,  where  Horace  Greeley 
appeared  to  sign  the  bail-bond  for  Jefferson  Davis,  was.  described 
and  published  in  the  papers.  Immediately  the  sale  of  the  Ameri- 
can Conflict  'stopped.  No  one  would  purchase  a  copy.  The  pub- 
lishers had  $50,000  worth  returned  to  them  from  the  agents  scat- 
tered over  the  country.  Such  a  collapse  was  never  before  known 
in  literature.  Greeley  himself  describes  it  as  something  very  re- 


528  Journalism  in  America. 

markable.     Since  then,  however,  the  sale  of  the  work  has  recom- 
menced. 

These  facts  are  eccentric  and  instructive  in  the  history  of  jour- 
nalism, and  are  worth  the  space  they  occupy.  They  show  that  all 
wares  need  publicity.  Newspapers,  which  are  so  necessary  to  the 
public  as  advertising  mediums,  are  first  compelled  to  go  through  the 
same  process,  and  in  this  way  the  whole  country  has  become  a  na- 
tion of  advertisers  and  newspaper  readers.  We  are,  indeed,  the 
Republic  of  Letters.  One  of  the  chief  reliances  of  the  Tribune  has 
been  the  heated  political  campaigns  that  periodically  pass  over  this 
happy  land.  Greeley's  wonderful  success  in  his  first  effort  with  the 
Log  Cabin  in  1840  was  the  experience  upon  which  he  works.  Thus, 
in  1867,  on  the  eve  of  a  great  political  fight,  the  following  manifest 
was  issued.  It  will  be  seen  that  Greeley  calculated  on  obtaining 
half  a  million  of  subscribers  in  the  excitement  of  that  campaign  : 

In  view  of  the  momentous  issues  of  our  presidential  struggle  now  opening,  we 
have  resolved  to  offer  the  Weekly  Tribune  for  1868  to  clubs  of  fifty  or  more  for 
one  dollar  per  annum — that  is  to  say,  for  fifty  dollars  we  will  send,  to  one  address, 
fifty  copies  of  the  Weekly  Tribune  for  one  year,  and  any  larger  number  at  the 
same  rate. 

No  newspaper  so  large  and  complete  as  the  Weekly  Tribune  was  ever  before 
offered  at  so  low  a  price.  Even  when  our  currency  was  at  par  with  gold,  no  such 
paper  but  the  Tribune  was  offered  at  that  price,  and  the  Tribune  then  cost  us  far 
less  than  it  now  does.  But  the  next  election  must  be  carried  for  liberty  and  loy- 
alty, and  we  mean  to  do  our  part  toward  effecting  that  consummation. 

We  believe  that  the  circulation  of  half  a  million  copies  of  the  Weekly  Tribune 
during  the  coming  year  would  be  more  effectual  in  influencing  and  confirming  vot- 
ers than  five  times  their  cost  spent  in  the  ordinary  way  just  before  election. 

But  the  great  effort,  personal  and  journalistic,  was  made  in  1869. 
In  that  year  an  inducement  of  a  peculiar  kind  was  advertised  every- 
where, posted  every  where,  and  sent  every  where.  It  was,  in  spite 
of  the  protestation  of  the  New  Yorker,  the  offer  of  a  portrait  of  the 
chief  editor  of  the  paper  : 

The  publishers  of  the  New  York  Tribune  having  received  many  inquiries  from 
time  to  time  for  a  good  likeness  of  the  editor,  have  made  an  arrangement  with 
Messrs.  Derby  &  Miller  to  furnish  copies  of  Ritchie's  engraving,  from  a  photo- 
graph by  Brady,  which  will  be  sent  to  such  subscribers  to  the  Tribune  as  wish  it 
on  the  conditions  below.  This  is  much  the  best  likeness  of  Mr.Greeley  that  has 
been  engraved.  The  print  sells  for  one  dollar.  Each  subscriber  who  sends  us  • 
ten  dollars  for  the  Daily,  four  dollars  for  the  Semi-weekly,  or  two  dollars  for  the 
Weekly  Tribune,  the  paper  to  be  sent  by  mail,  and  who  requests  the  engraving  at 
the  time  of  subscribing,  will  have  a  copy  carefully  mailed,  post-paid,  to  his  address. 
One  will  likewise  be  sent  to  any  person  who  forwards  a  club  often  or  more  semi- 
weeklies  at  our  club  rates,  and  asks  for  the  portrait  at  the  time  of  remitting.  We 
do  not  propose  this  as  a  premium,  but  to  gratify  the  many  friends  of  the  Tribune 
who  feel  a  desire  to  possess  a  good  likeness  of  its  founder. 

But  the  circulation  of  the  Weekly  Tribune  would  fluctuate  with  the 
political  excitements  and  sensations,  notwithstanding  these  efforts- — 
increasing  immensely  on  an  exciting  national  political  campaign, 
and  decreasing  with  the  subsidence  of  the  excitement  and  the  expi- 
ration of  the  term  of  subscription. 


Bets  on  Newspaper  Circulation.  529 

It  is  a  common  thing  with  newspaper  proprietors  to  exalt  their 
circulation.  We  continually  see  at  the  head  of  newspapers  that 
"our  circulation  exceeds  that  of  any  other  paper."  This  is  praising 
our  own  wares  to  sell.  With  most  of  the  newspapers  it  is  to  obtain 
advertisements.  In  1847,  when  the  circulation  of  the  Tribune  was 
considered  large,  both  of  its  daily  and  weekly  editions,  it  got  into  a 
controversy  with  the  Herald  on  the  subject.  To  settle  the  point,  it 
challenged  the  Herald  to  an  investigation.  The  challenge  was  ac- 
cepted. James  G.  Wilson,  the  ex-publisher  of  the  New  York  Daily 
Whig,  and  Daniel  H.  Megie,  of  the  paper -house  of  Campbell  & 
Persse,  were  selected  as  the  committee  of  examination.  Annexed 
was  the  result : 

The  undersigned,  having  been  designated  by  the  publishers  of  the  New  York 
Herald  and  New  York  Tribune,  respectively,  to  examine  jointly  and  report  for 
publication  the  actual  circulation  of  these  two  journals,  have  made  the  scrutiny  re- 
quired, and  now  report,  that  the  average  circulation  of  the  two  papers  during  the 
four  weeks  preceding  the  agreement  which  originated  this  investigation  was  as 
follows  : 

New  York  Herald. 

Average  Daily  circulation          -  -        16,711 

"        Weekly  circulation  -        -    11,455 

"        Presidential  circulation  -             780 

Total       -  28,946 


New  York  Tribune. 


Average  Daily  circulation         -  -        11,455 

"        Weekly  circulation          -  -    15,780 

"        Semi- weekly  circulation  -             960 

Total       -        -  -    28,195 


The  quantity  of  paper  used  by  each  establishment  during  the  four  weeks  above 
specified  was  as  follows  :  By  the  New  York  Herald,  975  reams  for  the  Daily,  95^ 
reams  for  the  Weekly,  and  5  reams  for  the  Presidential.  By  the  New  York  Trib- 
une, 573  reams  for  the  Daily,  131!  reams  for  the  Weekly,  and  1 6  reams  for  the 
Semi-weekly. 

We  therefore  decide  that  the  Herald  has  the  larger  average  circulation. 

JAMES  G.  WILSON. 
DANIEL  H.  MEGIE. 

The  two  hundred  dollars  pending  on  this  result  was  paid  by  the 
Tribune,  by  mutual  agreement,  to  two  orphan  asylums,  and  the  lesson 
learned  by  the  Tribune  in  newspaper  book-keeping,  as  Wilson  and 
M'Elrath  both  admitted,  after  the  inspection  of  the  Herald  books, 
was  fully  worth  the  two  hundred  dollars.  In  this  investigation  the 
Tribune  relied  upon  its  large  weekly  circulation,  and  the  Herald 
upon  its  large  daily  circulation,  to  gain  the  victory.  But  the  result, 
published  in  both  papers,  was  a  splendid  advertisement  at  that  time, 
although  a  daily  issue  of  sixteen  thousand  would  not  now  be  con- 
sidered at  all  attractive  to  a  shrewd  advertiser,  in  face  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  thousand  copies  which  the  Herald  has  printed  in 
one  day,  nor  would  fifteen  thousand  for  the  Weekly  Tribune  amount 
to  much  against  a  circulation  of  two  hundred  thousand  which  it 
afterwards  obtained. 

After  the  Herald  had  gained  its  great  reputation  as  a  newspaper, 
and  had  frequently  anticipated  its  contemporaries  in  the  acquisition 
of  news,  especially  from  Europe,  the  Tribune,  Sun,  and  Journal  of 
Commerce,  of  New  York,  combining  with  the  leading  papers  in  Bos- 

I  i 


530  Journalism  in  America. 

ton,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington,  made  one  or  two  pro- 
digious efforts  to  destroy  the  prestige  of  their  single-handed  con- 
temporary. Intimations  of  these  efforts  developed  themselves  mys- 
teriously. The  Herald ',  in  common  with  the  other  journals  of  New 
York,  published  the  following  advertisement  on  the  6th  of  February, 
1846: 

LETTERS   FOR   EUROPE. 

A  vessel  of  extraordinary  speed,  with  choice  sailing-master  and  picked  crew, 
will  leave  New  York  for  Liverpool  on  Monday,  the  gth  inst,  at  12  o'clock,  and  re- 
turning, will  leave  Liverpool  on  or  about  the  26th  or  27th  inst.  Letter-bags  will 
remain  open  until  Monday  morning  at  10  o'clock. 

This  escaped  general  observation  on  the  first  day  of  its  insertion. 
But  in  the  excitement  in  the  community  on  the  Oregon  Question, 
the  fact  of  the  dispatch  of  a  vessel  of  "  extraordinary  speed"  soon 
spread  throughout  the  newspaper  offices,  reading-rooms,  hotels,  and 
business  circles.  What  could  it  mean?  Some  thought  it  was  a 
special  government  express,  with  an  Oregon  treaty  quietly  made 
with  the  British  minister  at  Washington.  Some,  that  it  was  a  stock 
or  cotton  speculation.  Others,  that  the  vessel  was  to  be  sent  by  Sir 
Richard  Packenham  with  important  dispatches  relative  to  Oregon, 
Mexico,  and  Texas.  No  name  appearing  with  the  advertisement, 
and  no  place  indicated  where  letters  could  be  deposited,  tended  to 
increase  the  mystery.  It  was  ascertained,  however,  that  the  vessel 
was  one  of  the  famous  pilot-boats  of  New  York.  Implicit  faith  was 
placed  in  her  speed,  for  she  was  advertised  to  leave  New  York  on 
the  Qth,  and  Liverpool,  on  her  return  trip,  on  the  26th  or  2yth  of 
the  same  month.  Once  a  pilot-boat,  in  pursuit  of  a  defaulter  to  the 
government,  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  eighteen  days,  including  three 
days'  detention  in  a  storm.  The  new  enterprise  was  arranged  to 
beat  that  time  ;  but 

"The  best  laid  schemes  of  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  aglee." 

The  "  vessel  of  extraordinary  speed"  was  the  pilot-boat  William 
J.  Romer.  She  was  engaged  by  the  New  York  Tribune,  Journal  of 
Commerce,  Courier  and  Enquirer,  Sun,  Philadelphia  North  American, 
and  several  papers  in  other  cities,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  news 
from  Europe  in  advance  of  the  Herald,  and  putting  a  stop  to  the  un- 
pleasant boasting  of  that  paper  on  the  arrival  of  each  packet-ship 
from  England.  It  was  deemed  especially  necessary  to  accomplish 
this  object  at  this  particular  time,  when  many  believed  in  a  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Great  Britian  on  the  Oregon  Question. 
The  enterprise  was  a  splendid  one,  and  deserved  success  for  its 
boldness,  and  originality,  and  cost.  The  Herald  had,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  the  New  York  pilots,  its  own  news-boats,  and  its  expresses 
from  Boston,  anticipated  its  contemporaries  so  many  times  that  they 


News  Competition  in  New  York.  531 

saw  the  necessity  of  one  or  two  great  efforts  to  counteract  the  effect 
of  their  neighbor's  enterprise. 

The  name  of  the  parties  who  chartered  the  Romer  was  so  close- 
ly kept  a  secret  that  the  public,  for  some  time  after  her  departure, 
believed  that  she  was  dispatched  by  either  our  own  authorities  at 
Washington  or  by  the  British  minister.  The  pilot-boat  was  cleared 
at  the  Custom-house  by  J.  H.  Braine,  interested  in  trade  with  the 
British  Provinces,  and  the  important  correspondence  between  Mr. 
Packenham  and  Mr.  Buchanan  came  out  just  at  that  time.  These 
circumstances  assisted  in  keeping  the  real  parties  in  the  enterprise 
out  of  sight.  It  was  only  the  peculiarly  smiling  face  of  Mr.  M'El- 
rath,  as  if  he  was  satisfied  with  some  arrangement  of  his  own,  and 
the  patronizing  manner  of  the  North  American^  that  betrayed  the  or- 
igin of  this  brilliant  effort. 

The  Romer  left  New  York  on  Monday,  the  Qth  of  February,  un- 
der the  command  of  Captain  M'Guire.  One  or  two  days  after  her 
departure  the  Boston  Transcript  contained  the  following  paragraph : 

It  is  rumored  that  the  Portland  folks  are  going  to  beat  the  New  York  Herald 
in  the  foreign  news  by  the  Cambria,  now  six  days  out  from  Liverpool.  The  mo- 
dus operandi  is  to  have  an  agent  board  the  steamer  off  Halifax,  cross  overland  by 
horses  to  Annapolis,  join  the  steamer  Kennebec  and  run  to  Portland,  and  from 
thence  by  railroad  to  Boston.  We  are  inclined  to  believe  this  operation  will  cost 
more  than  it  will  come  to. 

About  the  time  of  the  appearance  of  this  paragraph,  private  in- 
formation was  received  at  the  office  of  the  Herald  of  this  extensive 
arrangement.  One  morning  the  mail  brought  a  letter  from  Bangor 
to  Mr.  Bennett,  asking  the  suggestive  question,  "  Are  you  stocking 
the  road  for  an  express  from  Halifax  ?"  Such  a  question,  so  soon 
after  the  departure  of  the  Romer,  was  a  small  problem  to  solve. 
Seeking  information,  the  editor  of  the  Herald  ascertained  the  extent 
of  the  opposition,  and  laid  his  plans  accordingly.  The  Herald  had 
arranged  an  ordinary  express  to  start  from  Boston  on  the  arrival  of 
the  Cambria,  running  over  the  Worcester  and  Norwich  roads  to  Al- 
lyn's  Point,  thence  across  the  Sound  to  Greenport,  and  thence  over 
the  Long  Island  road  to  New  York. 

The  expected  steamer  was  commanded  by  Captain  Judkins,  a 
thorough  sailor,  an  energetic  navigator,  and  not  partial  to  what  are 
called  "beats."  The  Cunarders,  at  that  time,  ran  to  Boston  only. 
There  was  no  opposition.  Sufficient  time  was  taken  to  discharge 
passengers  and  cargo,  and  take  in  coal,  at  Halifax.  They  never 
hurried.  Thirty-six  hours  were  occupied  in  making  the  run  to  Bos- 
ton. The  "  Holy  Alliance,"  as  the  Tribune  and  its  associates  were 
called,  had  taken  all  these  facts  into  their  calculations.  So,  it  ap- 
pears, had  the  Herald. 

It  became  important  to  notify  the  agents  of  the  steamer  at  Hali' 


532  Journalism  in  America. 

fax  of  the  impending  struggle,  and  inform  Captain  Judkins,  imme- 
diately on  his  arrival,  that  when  he  reached  Boston  he  would  find 
that  his  news  had  preceded  him.  Human  nature  is  pretty  much  the 
same  in  England  as  in  the  United  States.  The  Herald,  in  this  view, 
published  numerous  paragraphs  on  the  great  race,  and  sent  them 
to  Halifax  to  be  shown  to  Captain  Judkins  as  soon  as  the  pilot 
stepped  on  board  the  Cambria. 

"Is  an  express  to  beat  me  to  Boston?"  asked  Captain  Judkins. 
"I'll  see  about  that." 

There  was  never  greater  activity  displayed  at  Halifax.  No  Cu- 
narder  ever  remained  so  short  a  time  in  port;  and  the  Cambria  made 
the  run  to  Boston  in  thirty  hours  !  It  was  fair  to  suppose  that  the 
"  Holy  Alliance,"  entering  on  such  a  costly  enterprise,  would  have 
all  its  arrangements  for  speed  and  success  complete  from  Halifax 
to  New  York.  It  would  be  unjust  to  suppose  otherwise.  Time  and 
space  between  these  two  points  were  therefore  to  be  fully  consid- 
ered by  the  Herald.  What  did  that  establishment  do  under  these 
circumstances  ?  No  plans  existed  east  of  Boston.  The  only  imper- 
fection in  the  Herald  arrangements  was  in  the  steamer  engaged  to 
connect  the  Norwich  with  the  Long  Island  Railroad.  She  was 
slow.  The  only  hope  of  the  Herald  was  in  making  a  very  quick 
run  from  Boston.  If  it  beat,  it  would  be  an  Austerlitz,  a  Marengo, 
and  a  Jena  rolled  into  one  magnificent  victory.  If  defeated,  its  op- 
ponents would  call  it  a  Leipsic,  if  not  a  Waterloo.  If  this  great  over- 
land express  was  a  success,  Napoleon  Bennett  would  be  sent  to 
Elba.  If  the  Romer  anticipated  the  packet-ship,  he  would  go  to  St. 
Helena. 

Eh  Men !  To  prevent  one  and  accomplish  the  other  of  these 
contingencies,  a  fast  steamer  was  necessary  to  carry  the  Herald  mes- 
senger across  Long  Island  Sound.  There  was  one  steamer,  called 
the  Traveler,  and  owned  by  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  suitable  for 
this  purpose.  The  Herald  called  on  the  Commodore,  and  told  the 
story  of  the  plans  of  the  opposing  journalists,  and  of  the  importance 
of  the  coming  news. 

"  What  can  I  do  ?"  asked  the  Commodore.  "  If  I  can  aid  you.  I 
will ;  I  like  your  pluck." 

"We  want  the  Traveler,"  said  the  Herald,  "to  run  across  the 
Sound,  land  one  messenger  at  Greenport,  and  then  come  through 
the  Sound  to  New  York  with  another  messenger." 

"  Well,  well,  let  me  see ;"  and,  turning  to  a  young  man,  said, 
"  Write  out  an  order  for  the  Traveler  for  Mr.  Bennett." 

Signing  the  order,  the  Commodore  passed  it  to  the  Herald,  and 
said,  "  There's  the  boat  Keep  her  till  your  express  arrives.  NoV 
go  ahead.  Good  morning." 


Interesting  Express  Race.  533 

"  One  word  more,  Commodore.  Will  you  send  one  of  your  smart- 
est captains  in  her,  with  orders  to  keep  up  the  fires  and  not  sleep  ?" 

"Yes;  I'll  send  two." 

The  Traveler,  with  Captains  Scott  and  Lefevre,  was  immediately 
dispatched  to  Allyn's  Point  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  news.  Mr. 
Joseph  Elliott,  of  the  Herald,  went  in  her,  prepared  to  catch  Mr. 
Bigelow  in  his  arms  as  he  jumped  from  the  locomotive  to  the  steam- 
er. The  Boston  Transcript  of  February  2oth,  1846,  gives  the  result 
of  this  spirited  journalistic  affair  as  follows  : 

THE  EXPRESSES  FOR  NEW  YORK  WITH  THE  CAMBRIA'S  NEWS. 
Mr.  L.  Bigelow  left  the  Worcester  depdt  on  the  locomotive  Jupiter  on  Wednes- 
day evening  at  u  o'clock;  arrived  in  Worcester  in  I  hour  and  13  minutes  ;  from 
thence  to  Allyn's  Point  in  2  hours ;  took  the  crack  steamer  Traveler,  for  Green- 
port,  which  place  was  reached  in  i  hour  and  40  minutes.  Here  Mr.  Bigelow  took 
the  locomotive  Jacob  Little,  and  run  to  Brooklyn  in  2^  hours,  arriving  in  New  York 
at  half  past  7  o'clock,  in  Sk  hours  from  Boston.  This,  we  believe,  is  the  quickest 
time  ever  made  between  the  two  cities,  and  was  run  exclusively  for  Mr.  Bennett 
oftheArdw  York  Herald,  beating  the  Tribune  combination  express  5  J  hours.  The 
latter  was  run  via  Worcester,  Hartford,  and  New  Haven,  and  arrived  at  I  P.M. 
Thursday. 

The  scene  around  the  Herald  office  was  one  of  great  excitement. 
The  Oregon  Question,  for  a  time,  was  overshadowed  by  the  result  of 
the  great  race.  Mr.  Bennett  immediately  had  the  news  from  Europe 
prepared  and  thousands  of  Extra  Heralds  printed ;  and  as  the  ex- 
press horse  of  the  "  Holy  Alliance,"  covered  with  perspiration,  pass- 
ed clown  Nassau  Street  to  the  office  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  the 
newsboys  with  the  Extras  swarmed  after  him.  Among  the  crowd 
of  spectators  in  front  of  the  Herald  Building  was  Colonel  James  Wat- 
son Webb,  much  amused  with  the  scene  before  him.  He  had  re- 
fused to  join  in  the  overland  express. 

The  account  of  this  extraordinary  express  in  the  Tribune  differs 
somewhat  from  the  above  in  point  of  time  on  the  road,  but  not  as  to 
the  result.  We  republish  it  from  that  paper  : 

The  Portland  Bulletin  has  been  unintentionally  led  into  the  gross  error  of  believ- 
ing the  audacious  fabrication  that  Bennett's  express  came  through  to  this  city  in 
seven  hours  and  five  minutes  from  Boston,  beating  ours  five  or  six  hours  !  That 
express  left  Boston  at  n  P.M.  of  Wednesday,  and  arrived  here  20  minutes  past  9 
on  Thursday — actual  time  on  the  road,  over  ten  hours.  The  Bulletin  further  says 
that  our  express  was  sixteen  hours  on  the  road.  No  such  thing.  We  lost  some 
fifteen  minutes  at  the  ferry  on  the  east  side  of  Boston.  Then  a  very  short  time 
(instead  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  as  it  is  reported  by  the  express)  in  finding  our  agent 
in  Boston ;  then  an  hour  in  firing  up  an  engine  and  getting  away  from  Boston, 
where  all  should  have  been  ready  for  us,  but  was  not.  The  locomotive  was  over 
two  hours  in  making  the  run  to  Worcester — 42  miles — though  the  Herald  runner 
who  came  through  on  the  arrival  of  the  Cambria  some  time  after,  was  carried  over 
it  in  about  half  the  time,  with  not  one  fourth  the  delay  we  encountered  at  the  de- 
pdt in  Boston.  (We  could  guess  how  all  this  was  brought  about,  but  it  would 
answer  no  purpose  now.)  At  Worcester,  Mr.  Twitchell  [now  member  of  Congress 
from  Massachusetts]  (whom  our  agent  on  this  end  had  only  been  able  to  find  on 
Tuesday,  having  been  kept  two  days  on  the  route  to  Boston  by  a  storm,  and  then 
finding  Mr.  Twitchell  absent  in  New  Hampshire)  was  found  in  bed,  but  got  up 
and  put  off,  intending  to  ride  but  one  stage.  At  its  end,  however,  he  found  the 


534  Journalism  in  America. 

rider  he  had  hired  sick,  and  had  to  come  along  himself.  At  one  stopping-place 
he  found  his  horse  amiss,  and  had  to  buy  one  before  he  could  proceed.  When 
he  reached  Hartford  (toward  morning)  there  was  no  engine  fired  up,  no  one  ready, 
and  another  hour  was  lost  there.  At  New  Haven  our  rider  was  asleep,  and  much 
time  was  lost  in  finding  him  and  getting  off.  Thus  we  lost  in  delays,  which  -we 
could  not  foresee  or  prevent,  over  three  hour's  this  side  of  Boston  Ferry — the  Cam- 
bria having  arrived  two  or  three  days  earlier  than  she  was  expected,  before  our 
arrangements  could  be  perfected,  and  on  the  only  night  of  the  week  that  the  rival 
express  could  have  beaten  even  our  bad  time — the  Long  Island  Railroad  being 
obstructed  with  snow  both  before  and  afterwards.  The  Herald  express  came  in 
at  20  minutes  past  9 ;  our  express  was  here  at  15  minutes  past  12,  or  less  than 
three  hours  afterwards.  Such  are  the  facts.  The  express  for  the  United  States 
Gazette  crossed  the  ferry  to  Jersey  City  at  10^  instead  of  iij-,  as  we  misstated  re- 
cently. 

The  editor  of  the  Herald 'did  not  go  to  Elba  after  this  affair.  But 
the  pilot-boat  William  J.  Romer  had  sailed  for  Cork,  and  was  ex- 
pected to  leave  that  port  on  the  26th  of  February,  in  less  than  a 
week  after  the  arrival  of  this  express,  on  her  return.  It  was  believed 
by  the  proprietors  of  this  enterprise  that  the  pilot-boat  would  make 
a  shorter  passage  across  the  Atlantic  than  any  of  the  famous  packet- 
ships  of  that  period,  and  the  only  ocean  steamers  then  running  were 
the  Cunarders,  making  monthly  trips  to  Boston.  The  Romer  run 
light,  carrying  only  two  mysterious  messengers,  with  glazed  caps  on 
their  heads  and  carpet-bags  in  their  hands,  besides  the  regular  of- 
ficers and  crew.  These  mysterious  messengers  were  Gale,  assis- 
tant foreman  of  the  Tribune,  and  Brogan,  ship-news  collector  of  the 
Sun. 

Now  that  the  great  overland  express  had  been  run,  the  hopes  of 
the  enterprising  journalists  who  had  chartered  the  Romer  were 
centred  in  her.  It  was  at  this  period  in  the  history  of  the  metro- 
politan Press  that  the  Herald  enjoyed  almost  a  monopoly  of  the 
news  from  Europe.  It  was  to  demolish  this  that  these  extended 
and  expensive  arrangements  were  made.  All  the  pilots  of  New 
York  acted  as  news  collectors  for  the  Herald;  all  the  packet-ship 
captains  freely  gave  their  news  to  that  paper ;  there  was  zeal  and 
industry  in  the  office  of  the  Herald.  There  were  high  hopes  in  the 
offices  of  the  Tribune,  Sun,  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  North  American 
in  the  success  of  this  effort  against  their  amiable  neighbor  to  break 
up  this  exclusiveness  in  the  European  news.  There  were  also  hopes 
in  the  Herald  office.  Meanwhile  the  gallant  pilot-boat  and  her  gal- 
lant crew  were  dashing  across  the  Atlantic. 

One  morning  one  of  the  news  collectors  of  the  Herald  brought  in 
the  report  of  the  St.  Patrick,  Captain  Proale,  which  had  just  arrived 
from  Liverpool.  She  had  spoken  the  Romer  on  the  ist  of  March 
standing  east.  This  intelligence  was  sent  to  the  Tribune,  with  the 
compliments  of  Mr.  Bennett.  On  the  nth  of  April  the  Adirondack, 
Captain  Hackstaff,  arrived  at  New  York.  She  not  only  reported 


Incidents  in  Newspaper  Life.  535 

the  arrival  of  the  Romer  at  Cork  on  the  6th  of  March,  but  of  her 
sailing  for  New  York  on  the  i2th  of  that  month.  The  Adirondack 
sailed  on  the  i3th,  and  her  news  appeared  in  the  Herald.  It  was 
deemed  an  act  of  courtesy  to  advise  the  editors  of  the  Tribune  of 
this  fact  also. 

"  We  are  certainly  obliged  to  Mr.  Bennett,"  said  Mr.  M'Elrath,  with 
his  accustomed  suavity,  "  but  isn't  he  mistaken  about  our  connec- 
tion with  the  Romer  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  replied  the  messenger.  "  He  thought 
you  would  like  to  know  of  her  arrival,  and  especially  of  her  depart- 
ure, as  the  foreman  of  your  office  is  on  board." 

Shortly  after  the  Romer  arrived,  and  the  two  mysterious  men,  with 
the  same  glazed  caps  on  their  heads,  and  the  same  carpet  bags  in 
their  hands,  but  filled  with  old  English  papers,  safely  landed,  and 
were  soon  in  the  bosom  of  their  families.  Thus  ended  the  great 
news  combination  against  the  Herald.  But,  if  the  Tribune  failed  in 
these  two  wonderful  efforts  at  enterprise,  that  paper  now  and  then 
would  flash  up  brightly  and  brilliantly,  and  astonish  its  neighbors 
with  an  account  of  a  great  battle  here  and  there,  sometimes  at  Slieve- 
gamon,  and,  better  still,  at  Gravelotte  and  Sedan. 

These  were,  after  all,  pleasant  incidents  in  the  life  of  an  editor. 
What  journalist  does  not  look  back  upon  these  exciting  events  with 
pleasure  ?  They  were  especially  exhilarating  when  "  our"  express 
came  in  ahead,  arid  a  defeat  only  tended  to  make  one  more  ener- 
getic in  future  efforts.  The  enterprise  thus  exhibited  by  the  New 
York  Press,  at  an  immense  outlay  of  money,  brains,  and  time,  has 
diffused  itself  all  over  the  country,  making  the  American  Press  the 
most  active,  mentally  and  physically,  of  the  world.  But  the  days 
of  "  pony  expresses"  and  special  engines,  when  messengers  would 
arrive  black  with  smoke  and  beaming  with  pride,  have  passed  away, 
and  telegrams  have  taken  their  place.  Yet  the  energy  and  the  en- 
terprise remain,  and  newspapers  continue  to  improve,  rapidly  ap- 
proaching that  elevated  position  they  are  destined  to  reach. 

The  Tribune  has  always  been  a  political  paper.  It  has  always 
been  a  party  paper,  in  one  sense  of  the  word.  It  is  now  an  inde- 
pendent party  paper,  and  instead  of  being  controlled  by  a  few  politi- 
cal leaders,  its  editor  has  acquired  sufficient  experience  in  many 
ways,  which  he  is  candid  enough  to  disclose  now  and  then,  to  man- 
age his  own  course  and  the  policy  of  his  own  paper,  even  if  it  elects 
the  very  men  who  have  cheated  him.  But  the  Tribune  has  been  a 
violent  party  paper,  and  has  uttered  a  large  amount  of  prime  non- 
sense in  its  day.  When  it  became  known  in  1844  that  James  K. 
Polk  was  elected  President,  it  said  : 

Each  morning  convincing  proofs  present  themselves  of  the  horrid  effects  of 


536  Journalism  in  America. 

Locofocoism  in  the  election  of  Mr.  Polk.  Yesterday  it  was  a  countermanding  of 
$8000  worth  of  stores  ;  to-day  the  Pittsburg  Gazette  says  that  two  Scotch  gentle- 
men who  arrived  in  that  city  last  June,  with  a  capital  of  ,£12,000,  which  they 
wished  to  invest  in  building  a  large  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  woolen  fabrics, 
left  for  Scotland  when  they  learned  that  the  Anti-Tariff  champion  was  elected. 
They  will  return  to  the  rough  hills  of  Scotland,  build  a  factory,  and  pour  their 
goods  into  this  country  when  Polk  and  his  break-down  party  shall  consummate 
their  political  iniquity.  These  are  the  small  first-fruits  of  Folk's  election,  the 
younglings  of  the  flock — mere  hints  of  the  confusion  and  difficulties  which  will 
rush  down  in  an  overwhelming  flood  after  the  Polk  machine  gets  well  in  motion. 

Any  one  would  suppose,  after  reading  the  above,  that  the  country 
would  long  since  have  gone  to  the  dogs  in  consequence  of  the  elec- 
tion of  Polk.  What  is  the  fact  ?  Since  then  the  country  has  doubled, 
nay,  trebled  itself  in  wealth,  and  the  name  of  Polk  is  now  only  seen 
by  those  who  occasionally  look  over  the  public  documents  of  that 
ancient  period. 

The  idea  of  association  in  newspapers  in  the  United  States  origi- 
nated in  the  Tribune  office.  It  was  carried  into  effect  in  1846.  It 
is  now  quite  common  for  newspapers  to  be  owned  in  this  way,  or  as 
incorporated  institutions.  The  Tribune,  at  that  time,  was  managed 
by  Greeley  in  the  editorial  department,  and  M'Elrath  in  the  busi- 
ness department.  Greeley  could  never  keep  any  money,  and  M'El- 
rath was  full  of  plans  to  make  more  than  he  had.  About  this  time 
the  writer  of  its  financial  articles,  George  M.  Snow,  formerly  of  Bos- 
ton, full  of  the  idea  of  incorporated  Companies  and  the  financial 
schemes  of  Wall  Street,  proposed  to  Greeley  and  M'Elrath  to  make 
the  Tribune  a  stock  concern,  and  divide  it  into  one  hundred  shares 
of  one  thousand  dollars  each,  Greeley  and  M'Elrath  to  retain  a  ma- 
jority of  the  stock,  and  the  remainder  to  be  distributed  among  the 
principal  employes  of  the  establishment.  Each  one  was  to  be  placed 
on  a  salary,  from  its  chief  editor  to  its  office-boy.  When  Charles  A. 
Dana  received  the  appointment  of  managing  editor,  he  took  ten 
shares  in  the  concern.  In  this  way  its  financial  writer,  its  literary 
editor,  its  chief  reporter,  its  forernan  of  the  press-rooms,  its  cashier, 
and  its  foreman  of  the  composition  rooms,  became  joint  owners  with 
its  projectors  and  original  proprietors.  This  plan  was  attractive  to 
Greeley,  because  it  partook  somewhat  of  his  socialistic  idea  of  co- 
operative labor,  and  to  M'Elrath,  because  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  were,  at  that  time,  a  very  large  sum  in  a  newspaper  point  of 
view.  Greeley  and  M'Elrath  owned  a  majority  of  the  shares;  the 
residue  were  owned  by  five  assistant  editors  and  five  other  assist- 
ants, who  had  been,  for  the  longest  time,  connected  with  the  busi- 
ness and  mechanical  departments  of  the  paper.  In  1851,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  prosperity  of  the  Tribune,  the  editor  thus  alluded  to  the 
success  of  the  associated  ownership  of  that  paper : 

The  course  of  the  Tribune  is  still  onward.  Commenced  individually  by  him 
who  has  continued  to  be  its  chief  editor,  the  number  of  its  proprietors  has  since 


Newspapers  as  Incorporated  Associations.     537 

been  gradually  increased  to  twelve,  including  all  those  responsibly  connected  with 
its  conduct,  editorial,  financial,  or  mechanical.  These  purpose  and  hope  in  time 
to  make  still  further  application  of  the  general  principle  that  the  workman  should 
be  his  own  employer  and  director,  and  should  receive  the  full  reward  of  his  labor. 
The  quickened  sense  of  responsibility,  and  the  more  thorough  devotion  of  mind 
and  muscle  to  the  appointed  work  which  this  system  induces,  will  be  found  to 
overbalance  any  incidental  disadvantages,  if  its  application  be  wisely  made,  so  that 
the  new  idea  and  the  old  habits  may  be  gradually  and  safely  harmonized. 

One  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  a  successful  metropolitan  jour- 
nal in  1846,  considered  a  large  sum,  became,  in  twenty  years,  a  mere 
bagatelle  in.  estimating  the  value  of  a  prosperous  newspaper.  In 
1866  the  Morning  Call  was  sold  in  San  Francisco  for  $105,000  in 
gold,  when  that  precious  article  was  worth  123^  in  Wall  Street.  In- 
deed, the  Tribune  is  worth  $1,000,000,  and  now  annually  pays  its 
entire  value  in  1846  for  intellectual  labor  alone.  The  shares  of  the 
Tribune  advanced  in  value,  with  the  general  prosperity  of  the  Press 
and  the  country, -till  they  reached  $3500,  and  a  few  have  been  sold 
as  high  as  $6500,  and  even  $10,000.  In  the  changes  of  sharehold- 
ers, prices  would,  of  course,  fluctuate  in  accordance  with  circum- 
stances. Those  held  by  Greeley  have  considerably  diminished  in 
number,  while  M'Elrath  has  felt  himself  constrained  to  part  with  all 
of  his  and  leave  the  concern.  Yet  Greeley,  who  now  owns  only  one 
tenth  of  the  establishment,  is  really  the  life  of  the  concern ;  and  al- 
though he  is  generally  defeated  for  all  other  offices,  he  is  annually 
and  unanimously  chosen  editor-in-chief  of  the  Tribune,  with  the  pay 
of  a  cabinet  officer.  When  there  became  a  little  unpleasantness  be- 
tween Greeley  and  his  chief  assistant,  Charles  A.  Dana,  the  latter 
sold  his  shares  to  Dr.  J.  C.  Ayer,  of  Lowell.  Among  the  sharehold- 
ers in  1870  were  Horace  Greeley;  Samuel  Sinclair,  its  business  man- 
ager; the  late  Albert  D.  Richardson  ;  the  family  of  Stephen  T.  Clark, 
its  late  financial  writer,  and  formerly  of  the  Express ;  Bayard  Tay- 
lor ;  Theodore  Tilton,  lately  of  the  Independent,  now  of  the  Golden 
Age ;  Oliver  Johnson,  of  the  Anti- Slavery  Standard ;  Thomas  N. 
Rooker,  foreman  of  the  Tribune  composing  rooms ;  Dr.  J.  C.  Ayer, 
of  Lowell ;  and  Solon  Robinson,  the  author  of  The  Farm,  and  other 
agricultural  works. 

The  plan  of  association  in  newspapers  is  French  in  its  origin.  It 
grew  out  of  the  socialistic  ideas  of  that  country,  and  is  a  part  of  the 
system  of  a  division  of  labor,  and  to  bring  into  active  use  the  sav- 
ings of  men  of  small  means.  Emile  de  Girardin  introduced  the 
plan  in  the  ownership  and  management  of  the  Presse,  of  Paris.  The 
Siecle,  of  Paris,  recently  gave  a  very  clear  idea  of  the  plan  in  its  call 
of  a  meeting  of  its  shareholders,  which  we  insert : 

Avis  aux  actionnaires  du  Sitcle. 

Le  directeur  gerant  de  la  societe  du  journal  le  Sttcle  a  1'honneur  de  prevenir 
MM.  les  actionnaires  que  1'assemblee  generate  annuelle  aura  lieu  le  samedi  13 


538  Journalism  in  America. 

mars  1869,  au  siege  de  la  societe,  rue  Chauchat,  14,  a  quatre  heures  precises  du 
soir. 

Cette  assemblee  aura  pour  objet : 

i°.  D 'entendre  le  rapport  du  directeur  gerant  sur  la  situation  morale  et  mate- 
rielle  de  1'entreprise ; 

2°.  D'entendre  le  rapport  du  conseil  de  surveillance ; 

3°.  D'approuver  les  comptes  de  la  gerance ; 

4°.  De  proceder  a  la  revision  des  statuts. 

Aux  termes  de  1'art.  71  de  1'acte  de  societe,  1'assemblee  generale  ne  pourra  de- 
liberer  que  dans  le  cas  oil  les  actionnaires  deliberants  representeront  les  deux  tiers 
des  actions  emises.  Dans  le  cas  contraire,  1'assemblee  generale  s'ajournera  a 
quinzaine,  et,  dans  1'intervalle,  il  sera  fait  de  nouvelles  convocations  indiquant  les 
motifs  de  1'ajournement. 

L'assemblee  generale  ainsi  convoquee  pourra  deliberer  valablement  quel  que 
soit  le  nomb're  des  actions  representees  par  les  actionnaires  presents. 

Pour  assister  a  1'assemblee  il  faut  etre  porteur  de  dix  actions,  qui  devront  etre 
deposees,  au  moins  trois  jours  avant  la  reunion,  entre  les  mains  du  caissier  de  1'ad- 
ministration,  qui  en  delivrera  un  recepisse  signe  par  le  directeur  gerant. 

Ceux  de  MM.  les  actionnaires  qui  ne  seraient  pas  proprietaires  de  dix  actions 
sont  pries  d'envoyer  leurs  titres  a  1'administration,  avec  une  lettre  autorisant  a  les 
representer  1'un  de  MM.  les  membres  du  conseil  de  surveillance. 

Aux  termes  de  1'art.  69  de  1'acte  de  societe  "  MM.  les  actionnaires  absents  ou 
empeches  pourront  se  faire  representer  par  un  mandataire  special,  pris  parmi  les 
actionnaires ;  la  femme  separee  de  biens  pourra  se  faire  representer  par  son  mari ; 
les  mineurs  emancipes  pourront  etre  presents  aux  deliberations  et  y  auront  voix 
deliberative." 

Women  and  children,  it  appears,  were  shareholders  in  the  Siede  ; 
and,  of  course,  they  will  become  shareholders  as  heirs,  if  not  as  pur- 
chasers— as  in  the  case  of  the  London  Times,  on  the  death  of  the 
elder  Walter  in  1846 — in  other  journals  hereafter;  and  it  will  not 
surprise  us  to  see  shares  in  newspapers  publicly  sold,  as  shares  are 
now  sold  in  railroads,  banks,  telegraph  and  express  lines.  Why  not  ? 
Indeed,  in  1869,  a  share  in  the  Christian  Register  was  disposed  of  at 
auction  in  Boston  with  shares  in  other  incorporated  concerns.  In 
the  spring  of  1869  it  was  reported  that  Mr.  Bennett  would  sell  the 
Herald  establishment.  Ten  gentlemen  of  wealth  met,  talked  over 
the  matter  as  if  they  were  organizing  a  railway  company,  and  each 
agreed  to  subscribe  $200,000,  making  a  total  of  $2,000,000,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  purchase.  They  selected  a  gentleman  to 
make  the  offer  to  Mr.  Bennett.  What  was  his  answer  ?  "  Two  mil- 
lions of  dollars  for  the  Herald?  What  shall  I  do  with  the  money  ? 
More  important  yet,  what  shall  I  do  with  myself?  The  Herald  now 
pays  me  more  than  the  interest  on  the  sum  offered.  I  can  not  eat 
any  more  than  I  now  do.  I  can  not  wear  any  more  clothes.  No  ! 
no!  I  will  not  sell."  So  the  Herald,  like  the  New  York  Ledger, 
remains  among  the  few  newspapers  thus  owned,  the  exclusive  prop- 
erty of  one  man. 

This  co-operative  system  in  labor  has  largely  spread  to  other 
trades  and  business.  Always  fascinating  in  theory,  it  frequently 
fails  in  practice.  There  was  a  Printer's  Association  in  Boston  or- 
ganized in  1865. 


Editorial  Indorsements  of  Advertisements.     539 

The  only  condition  of  membership  was  the  payment  of  a  weekly  instalment  of 
two  dollars  by  each  member  until  sufficient  funds  to  buy  an  office  was  accumu- 
lated. It  was  at  first  intended  that  the  association  should  number  fifty  members, 
the  first  twenty-five  subscribers  to  select  the  remainder  by  ballot  from  among  the 
later  applicants ;  but  the  number  was  finally  confined  to  the  original  twenty-five 
signers.  The  first  payment  of  the  original  instalment  was  made  in  November, 
1866,  and  regular  weekly  payments  were  made  from  that  time  forward.  The  cap- 
ital stock  was  fixed  at  $4000,  and  it  was  not  intended  to  begin  work  until  that  sum 
was  paid  up. 

In  1867  the  New  York  Shipping  List,  an  old  publication,  was  pur- 
chased, and  the  office  was  opened  by  the  association  in  May  of  that 
year. 

At  the  close  of  the  second  fiscal  year — May,  1869 — the  association  gave  full  and 
remunerative  employment  to  twenty-eight  compositors  and  pressmen.  At  the 
end  of  that  year  the  association  also  declared  a  dividend  of  fifty  per  cent.  The 
capital  stock  was  increased  to  $15,000 — twenty-five  shares  of  $600  each — and  the 
dividend  went  in  part  payment.  A  second  dividend  was  declared  January  ist, 
1870,  and  half  yearly  afterward.  It  is  thought  by  the  president  and  the  manager 
that  the  stock  inventory  at  the  end  of  1869  will  show  a  value  of  not  less  than 
$20,000. 

Somewhere  about  1850,  Horace  Greeley,  in  giving  "Hints  to  Vol- 
unteer Correspondents,"  suggested  a  course  which  would  now  strike 
the  mind  of  a  true  journalist  as  rather  queer.  He  laid  down  this 
law: 

When,  you  want  an  article  inserted  to  subserve  some  purpose  other  than  the 
public  good,  you  should  offer  to  pay  for  it.  It  is  not  just  that  you  should  solicit 
the  use  of  columns  not  your  own,  to  promote  your  own  or  your  friend's  private  in- 
terests, without  offering  to  pay  for  them.  The  fact  that  you  are  a  subscriber  gives 
you  no  right  in  this  respect ;  if  the  paper  is  not  worth  its  price,  don't  take  it. 
True,  you  may  often  crowd  an  article  in,  through  the  editor's  complacency,  that 
you  ought  to  pay  for ;  but  he  sets  you  down  as  a  sponge  and  a  sneak  forthwith, 
and  is  not  often  out  of  the  way.  If  you  wish  to  use  the  columns  of  any  journal  to 
promote  your  own  or  some  other  person's  private  interest,  offer  to  pay  therefor ; 
there  is  no  other  honest  way. 

If  Mr.  Greeley  would  send  such  persons  to  the  advertisement 
desk,  his  course  would  be  the  wisest  for  the  Tribune  and  for  its  read- 
ers. No  matter  outside  of  the  advertisement  columns  should  be 
paid  for.  When  an  editor  talks  about  his  space,  and  his  time,  and 
that  he  publishes  a  paper  for  his  bread  and  butter,  he  tells  his  read- 
ers what  they  already  know ;  but  to  admit  matter  in  his  news  and 
editorial  columns  which  is  paid  for  is  simply  treating  his  readers 
dishonestly.  Newspapers  have  two  sorts  of  revenue :  one  comes 
from  subscribers,  and  the  other  from  advertisements.  The  former, 
in  reading  the  contents  of  the  news  and  editorial  columns,  do  not 
expect  to  find,  under  the  implied  indorsement  of  the  editor,  all  sorts 
of  schemes  for  the  making  of  money.  They  know  what  the  adver- 
tisements are,  and  are  influenced  by  them  without  imposition.  News- 
papers like  the  Tribune  are  now,  we  hope,  beyond  permitting  their 
columns  to  be  used  in  any  other  than  in  the  most  legitimate  way. 

When  the  editor  of  the  Tribune  visited  Europe  in  1851,  he  made 
his  appearance  in  England  during  one  of  the  agitations  for  the  re- 


540  Journalism  in  America. 

peal  of  the  stamp  duty  on  newspapers  and  the  duty  on  advertise- 
ments in  that  kingdom.  Eight  members  of  the  House  of  Commons 
had  been  selected  as  a  committee  to  take  evidence  on  the  subject. 
Richard  Cobden  and  Milnor  Gibson  were  on  this  committee.  Near- 
ly all  of  the  leading  editors  and  newspaper  managers  of  Great  Brit- 
ain had  been  examined,  and  had  fully  given  their  views  on  this  sub- 
ject, resulting  in  important  concessions  to  the  Press.  While  this 
committee  was  holding  its  sessions,  Greeley  arrived  in  London,  and 
was  called  before  them,  and  the  following  facts  and  ppinions  were 
elicited  from  him.  Their  report  was  published  on  the  i6th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1851,  and  we  think  the  evidence  of  the  editor  of  the  Tribune, 
with  its  points  and  peculiarities,  should  be  given  almost  in  extenso, 
as  an  interesting  part  of  this  incomplete  history  of  the  American 
Press : 

THE  AMERICAN   PRESS   BEFORE  A  PARLIAMENTARY  COMMITTEE. 

On  Wednesday,  September  1 6, 1851,  the  parliamentary  paper  giving  the  minutes 
of  evidence  taken  before  the  Select  Committee  on  Newspaper  Stamps  was  pub- 
lished. The  following  extracts  will  place  before  our  readers  the  statements  of  an 
American  publisher  relative  to  the  Press  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Horace  Greeley  called  in  and  examined  : 

Chairman — (Mr.  Milner  Gibson).  Are  you  able  to  give  the  committee  any  in- 
formation with  respect  to  the  Press  in  the  United  States,  and  whether  the  absence 
of  a  stamp  in  the  United  States  is  productive  of  any  bad  effects,  in  your  opinion  ? 

Mr.  Greeley.  I  will  readily  answer  your  question.  We  could  not  comprehend 
the  operation  of  the  stamp  ;  it  would  be  impracticable,  under  our  institutions,  ev- 
ery way.  I  can  state  something  with  regard  to  what  the  Press  is  doing  in  our 
country,  but  I  can  not  imagine  the  application  of  the  stamp  at  all ;  it  would  re- 
quire an  entire  revolution  in  the  habits  and  feelings  of  the  people  generally. 

Question.  You  are  the  publisher  of  a  newspaper,  are  you  not  ? 

Answer.  I  am. 

********* 

Qttes.  Can  you  give  the  committee  any  idea  of  the  number  of  the  New  York 
daily  papers  that  are  published  ? 

Ans.  The  number  of  daily  papers  that  are  published  in  New  York  are  fifteen 
in  all,  in  the  city. 

Ques.  How  many  morning  and  how  many  evening  papers  are  there  ? 

Ans.  Ten  morning  and  five  evening  papers.  Some  of  the  morning  papers  are 
also  published  in  the  evening ;  we  publish  two  evening  editions,  like  the  Times, 
and  other  papers.  There  are  five  distinctive  evening  papers. 

Ques.  Can  you  inform  the  committee  what  the  aggregate  circulation  of  those 
daily  papers  is  ? 

Ans.  There  are  five  of  them  cheap  ones,  at  \d.  or  \d.,  whose  aggregate  circula- 
tion is  a  little  over  100,000  copies  per  day ;  the  other  ten  are  sold  dearer — that 
is,  at  ten  dollars  per  annum,  a  little  more  than  \\d.  each,  not  2d.  a  copy.  Of  those 
ten  I  should  say  that  the  average  circulation  is  about  3000 — being  30,000  of  the 
dearer  papers,  the  commercial  sheets,  and  100,000  of  the  cheap  journals. 

Ques.  The  aggregate  is  130,000  papers  daily  ? 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  What  proportion  of  these,  at  a  rough  guess,  should  you  say  are  consumed 
by  the  700,000  inhabitants  of  New  York,  and  what  proportion  do  you  suppose  are 
sent  to  remote  distances  ? 

Ans.  About  60,000  are  circulated  in  the  city  and  its  suburbs,  and  about  45,000 
are  sent  away. 

********* 

Ques.  You  stated  that  the  weekly  newspapers  cost  a  penny,  or  t%vo  cents  ? 
Ans.  Yes,  when  sent  to  clubs  of  twenty  or  more  subscribers  ;  we  charge  more 


PI  or  ace  Greeley  before  Parliament.  541 

for  a  single  copy  of  a  weekly  than  of  a  daily  paper,  because  the  advertisements 
form  a  great  part  of  the  contents  of  the  daily  journal.  The  charge  is  two  dollars 
a  year  for  a  single  copy  of  a  weekly  paper ;  that  will  be  twopence  each  number  ; 
but  to  the  clubs  it  is  reduced  to  one  dollar  a  year — twenty  copies  for  twenty  dol- 
lars. The  object  is  to  get  a  wider  circulation  in  the  different  villages  by  making 
them  cheap.  A  large  number  of  city  papers  are  taken,  so  as  to  come  to  about 
one  penny  each  to  a  subscriber,  and  a  halfpenny  for  his  postage. 

Ques.  You  do  not  report,  in  your  papers,  the  proceedings  of  the  Congress  in  the 
way  in  which  they  report  here  the  proceedings  in  Parliament  ? 

Ans.  No,  except  in  the  Washington  journals,  in  which  they  report  them  very 
fully — I  think  quite  as  fully  as  they  are  reported  here.  We  have  a  telegraph  re- 
port occasionally  of  a  speech  by  some  distinguished  statesman,  such  as  Mr.  Clay 
or  Mr.Calhoun,  or  any  of  the  leading  men ;  they  are  reported  fully ;  but  the  mass 
of  the  speeches  are  not,  except  that  they  are  sketched  in  a  telegraphic  report,  oc- 
cupying about  two  columns  a  day,  but  stretching  sometimes  to  four  or  five. 

Ques.  Your  Newspaper  Press  is  of  a  more  local  character  than  the  Press  in  this 
country,  is  it  not  ? 

Ans.  It  is,  I  presume,  more  local  than  the  London  journals,  because  its  circula- 
tion is  more  circumscribed  by  the  fact  that  the  local  journals  are  so  abundant. 

Ques.  You  go  to  considerable  expense  in  obtaining  news  for  your  papers  from 
various  parts  of  the  world,  do  you  not  ? 

Ans.  Yes ;  but  mainly  it  is  by  telegraphing  from  different  parts  of  the  country. 
The  leading  journals  have  correspondents ;  but  the  great  item  of  expense  is  tele- 
graphing, and  sending  off  boats  sometimes.  When  steam-ships  do  not  touch  at 
Halifax,  we  sometimes  send  off  boats  to  intercept  them. 

Ques.  You  have  correspondents  in  different  places,  who  telegraph  up  to  you  any 
occurrences  that  may  be  interesting  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  all  over  the  country — a  net-work. 

Ques.  You  employ  those  correspondents  to  pay  constant  attention  to  such 
things  ? 

Ans.  Yes ;  but  telegraphing  is  done  mainly  by  an  association  called  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  of  New  York. 

Ques.  Do  you  complain  of  piracy  in  the  United  States  ;  for  instance,  of  one  pub- 
lisher, who  has  not  himself  been  at  the  expense  of  obtaining  news,  copying  imme- 
diately from  another  ? 

Ans.  It  is  sometimes  talked  of,  for  effect's  sake ;  yet,  on  the  whole,  I  would 
rather  that  those  who  do  not  take  it  should  copy  than  not.  We  have  six  or  sev- 
en journals  in  the  city,  which  form  a  combination,  and  spend,  perhaps,  $100,000  a 
year  in  telegraphing ;  and  the  evening  journals  all  copy  from  us,  and  we  rather 
like  it. 

Ques.  Have  you  any  protection,  in  the  nature  of  copyright,  to  your  news  ? 

Ans.  Not  the  least ;  the  moment  it  is  out  any  body  can  take  it,  and  they  do 
take  it  and  issue  it. 

Ques.  There  is  no  precaution  at  all  taken  against  piracy  ? 

Ans.  No ;  we  only  take  this  precaution :  we  have,  for  instance,  a  very  impor- 
tant piece  of  information,  which  has  cost  us  $1000.  We  will  suppose  that  two 
journals  take  charge  of  the  foreign  news,  and  two  journals  take  charge  of  another 
part  of  the  news,  and  the  journals  having  charge  of  it,  when  they  send  the  news 
round  to  the  others,  say,  "  This  is  not  to  be  issued  till  four  [or  five]  o'clock,"  and 
no  journal  of  the  combination  will  let  a  copy  go  out  of  the  office  till  the  hour 
named ;  it  is  in  the  hands  of  the  carriers,  but  it  is  not  allowed  to  go  out  till  the 
hour  named,  and  thus  nobody  can  get  it. 

Ques.  Supposing  it  were  something  of  great  interest,  there  would  be  a  contin- 
ued demand  for  your  paper  if  you  were  the  only  one  who  could  communicate  it ; 
and,  for  a  given  period,  that  demand  would  continue,  and  you  would  keep  striking 
off  your  copies  to  supply  it.  Is  there  nothing  to'  entitle  you,  having  incurred  the 
first  expense  of  obtaining  that  news,  to  issue  it  for  any  period  ? 

Ans.  Not  for  a  moment — any  body  may  print  it — but  the  public  are  apt  to  take 
the  paper  which  has  the  first  news. 

Ques.  They  give  the  preference  to  the  parties  who  have  obtained  the  news  first4 
and  in  practice  piracy  does  not  inflict  injury  upon  you  ? 

Ans.  I  would  choose  that  they  should  print  it  rather  than  not ;  they  can  not 


542  Journalism  in  America. 

sell  as  we  could.  The  fact  that  certain  journals  have  the  earliest  news  soon  be- 
comes notorious,  and  almost  every  one  wants  his  newspaper  with  his  breakfast, 
delivered  between  the  hours  of  five  and  half  past  seven.  They  take  the  morning 
papers  to  read  with  their  breakfast ;  and  those  who  take  the  news  after  we  issue 
it  can  not  have  it  in  time  to  deliver  it  to  a  very  large  number  in  a  suitable  morn- 
ing season,  and  we  regard  it  as  of  no  consequence. 

Ques.  Does  the  interest  of  the  intelligence  evaporate  so  soon  ? 

Ans.  Not  that ;  but  a  subscriber  must  have  the  paper  that  gives  him  his  news 
in  the  morning  before  he  goes  to  his  work. 

Ques.  You  retard  the  publication  of  news  sometimes  ? 

Ans.  Yes ;  when  we  have  important  intelligence. 

Ques.  Is  not  that  an  inconvenience  to  the  public  ? 

!      Ans.  We  get  them  out  in  our  regular  way,  but  we  do  not  let  a  copy  go  out  of 
'  the  hands  of  our  confidential  agents  till  the  hour,  say,  of  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

Ques.  At  what  rate  can  you  print  the  New  York  Tribune  ? 

Ans.  Our  press  will  work  but  10,000  an  hour ;  there  is  one  faster,  an  eight-cyl- 
inder, which  will  work  20,000,  they  say  ;  I  call  it  18,000. 

Ques.  Do  you  believe  that  there  is  a  press  at  work  in  New  York  which  will 
print  18,000  copies  an  hour  ? 

Ans.  Yes  ;  I  have  seen  it  at  work,  and  it  will  throw  off  as  fast  as  men  can  feed 
sheets  upon  it. 

Ques.  Have  you  seen  the  press  that  is  used  for  the  Times  ? 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  Do  you  consider  that  the  press  at  New  York  prints  with  more  rapidity 
than  the  one  at  the  Times  office  ? 

Ans.  Yes  ;  the  press  at  the  Times  is  fed  on  what  I  would  call  a  drum  or  verti- 
cal cylinder  ;  we  feed  on  horizontal  cylinders,  directly  on  and  around  our  greater 
or  type  cylinder.  One  man  stands  over  the  top,  and  another  below,  and  so  on, 
feeding,  and  the  four  cylinders  are  fed  on  each  side  of  the  large  cylinder,  on  which 
the  form  revolves,  and  they  feed  the  four  paper  cylinders,  one  above  the  other,  on 
each  side  of  the  large  cylinder ;  the  sheets  are  laid  over  and  over  on  the  face  as 
fast  as  the  great  cylinder  can  be  turned,  and  every  time  it  makes  one  revolution 
it  has  printed  eight  journals. 

Ques.  Is  that  machinery  used  by  the  proprietor  of  a  penny  paper  ? 

Ans.  Yes ;  a  halfpenny  newspaper — the  Sun. 

Ques.  Must  not  that  require  the  use  of  considerable  capital  ? 

Ans.  Yes ;  the  Sun  conceni  is  worth  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars ;  ^"50,000 
were  given  for  it. 

Ques.  Do  you  speak  of  copyright  and  plant  ? 

Ans.  There  was  very  little  property  besides.  It  was  sold  for  a  quarter  of  a 
million  of  dollars,  and  it  was  very  cheap.  • 

Ques.  Fifty  thousand  pounds  for  a  halfpenny  paper  ? 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  What  is  the  circulation  ? 

Ans.  Fifty  thousand ;  but  the  circulation  is  a  very  light  matter ;  there  is  no 
profit  upon  that ;  but  the  advertising  would  be,  I  suppose,  £60,  or  $300  a  day. 

Ques.  Could  you  furnish  the  committee  with  some  statistical  information  as  to 
the  Newspaper  Press  of  America  ? 

•  Ans.  Yes,  when  our  census  returns  are  published.  I  should  say  that  the  whole 
number  of  journals  printed  in  the  United  States  is  about  3000  now.  If  you  count, 
for  instance,  one  daily,  with  its  weekly  and  semi-weekly,  all  as  one  paper,  the 
number  is  2500  journals  published. 

Ques.  Are  there  2500  with  distinct  and  separate  titles  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  distinct  establishments  ;  of  which  about  2000  are  devoted  to  general 
intelligence  and  politics,  and  the  others  are  devoted  to  science,  religion,  and  edu- 
cation. 

Ques.  And  they  are  published  at  all  intervals,  from  once  a  day  to  once  a  month  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  some  twice  or  thrice  a  day. 

Ques.  Your  principal  profit  is  derived  from  advertisements,  is  it  not  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  on  daily  papers. 

Ques.  With  reference  to  the  Sun  paper,  you  stated,  in  your  last  examination, 


The  Tax  on  Advertisements.  543 

that  the  circulation  was  large,  but  that  the  profit  derived  therefrom  was  from  the 
advertising  ? 

Ans.  The  profit  is  nothing  on  the. circulation.  I  will  state  how,  in  our  country, 
there  being  no  duty  on  the  advertisements,  the  prices  are  very  much  less  for  ad- 
vertising. The  prices  range  from  25  cents  up  to  any  amount — that  is  to  say,  25 
cents  is  the  lowest ;  for  instance,  the  advertisement  of  a  religious  meeting,  or  any 
public  gathering,  will  be  some  25  cents,  or  is.  of  the  money  of  this  country ;  the 
consequence  is,  that  the  amount  of  their  advertisements  is  enormous.  Every  re- 
ligious meeting,  or  meeting  to  take  place  of  any  religious  society,  benevolent  or 
philanthropic,  is  advertised  in  all  the  journals,  and  forms  a  very  large  proportion 
of  our  receipts,  though  the  receipts,  in  each  case,  are  very  small.  We  regard 
those  as  a  portion  of  the  news  of  the  day;  and  advertising  which  possesses  a  pub- 
lic interest  is  done  at  a  less  price  than  advertisements  intended  for  the  pecuniary 
profit  of  the  advertiser.  Now  an  advertisement  duty  would  destroy  new  papers. 
Its  operation  is  this :  your  duty  is  the  same  on  an  advertisement  in  a  journal 
where  it  is  worth  ten  times  as  much,  for  instance  in  a  journal  of  50,000  circula- 
tion, as  in  a  journal  with  2000,  although  the  value  of  the  article  is  twenty  times  as 
much  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other  :  the  duty  operates  precisely  as  though  you 
were  to  lay  a  tax  of  u.  a  day  on  every  day's  labor  that  a  man  were  to  do ;  on  a 
man's  labor  which  is  worth,  say  2s.,  it  would  be  destructive,  while  by  that  man 
who  earns  zos.  it  would  be  very  lightly  felt.  It  would  entirely  destroy  new  pa- 
pers. An  advertisement  is  worth  but  a  certain  amount,  and  the  public  soon  get 
an  idea  what  it  is  worth  ;  you  put  a  duty  on  advertising,  and  you  prevent  any  ad- 
vertisement coming  to  a  new  establishment.  To  those  people  who  advertise  in 
the  Sun  and  our  well-established  journals,  they  could  afford  in  charge  a  price  to 
include  the  duty,  and  do  very  well ;  but  in  a  new  concern  the  advertisements 
would  not  be  worth  the  amount  of  the  duty,  and  the  consequence  would  be  it 
would  be  utterly  withheld.  Now  the  advertisements  are  one  main  source  of  the 
value  of  daily  papers,  and  thousands  of  business  men  take  them  in  mainly  for  those 
advertisements.  For  instance,  at  one  time,  in  New  York,  our  auctioneers  were 
appointed  by  law,  and  were,  of  course,  party  politicians,  and  one  journal  which  was 
high  in  the  confidence  of  the  party  in  power  obtained,  not  a  law,  but  an  under- 
standing, that  all  the  auctioneers  appointed  should  advertise  in  that  journal. 
Now,  though  that  journal  has  ceased  to  be  of  that  party,  and  the  auctioneers  are 
no  longer  appointed  by  the  state,  yet  that  journal  has  almost  a  monopoly  of  the 
auctioneers'  business,  because  at  a  certain  time  all  the  auctioneers  were  obliged 
to  advertise  in  that  paper ;  consequently,  all  the  men  who  buy  and  sell  at  auction 
were  obliged  to  take  the  paper ;  and  now,  although  the  necessity  has  gone  away, 
yet  still  every  advertiser  by  auction  must  advertise  in  that  journal,  because  he 
knows  that  purchasers  are  looking  there,  and  every  purchaser  by  auction  must 
take  that  journal  in,  because  he  knows  that  the  advertisements  by  auction  will  be 
there,  without  regard  to  the  goodness  of  the  paper,  but  simply  because  of  its  con- 
taining those  advertisements ;  all  the  great  dry  goods  interest,  with  the  correspond- 
ing interests,  must  take  that  paper,  and  they  continue  to  take  it ;  and  precisely  in 
that  way  the  advertising  duty  is  an  enormous  help  to  any  paper  which  has  the  most 
circulation  :  it  tends  to  throw  the  advertising  always  on  the  greatest  concern ;  and 
the  persons  who  take,  as  I  know  men  in  this  town  do  take,  one  journal  mainly  for 
its  advertisements,  must  take  the  Times,  because  every  thing  is  advertised  there ; 
consequently  they  do  take  it — advertisers  must  advertise  in  it  for  the  same  reason. 
If  we  had  a  duty  on  advertisements  now,  I  will  say  not  only  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  build  a  new  concern  up  in  New  York  against  the  competition  of  the 
older  ones,  but  it  would  be  impossible  to  preserve  the  weaker  papers  from  being 

swallowed  up  by  the  stronger  ones. 

********* 

Ques.  It  is  clear,  then,  that  the  effect  of  the  stamp  and  advertisement  duty  is  to 
lessen  the  amount  of  the  receipt  from  the  duty  on  paper  ? 

Ans.  Enormously.  I  see  that  the  circulation  in  London  is  but  60,000  against 
130,000  in  New  York  City,  while  the  tendency  is  more  to  concentrate  on  London 
than  on  New  York.  Not  a  tenth  part  ©f  the  daily  papers  of  the  United  States 
are  printed  in  New  York  City. 

Ques.  Do  you  consider  that  there  are  upwards  of  a  million  daily  papers  issuing 
from  the  Daily  Press  in  the  United  States  ? 


544  Journalism  in  America. 

Am.  I  should  say  about  a  million ;  I  can  not  say  upwards.  I  think  there  are 
about  250  daily  journals  published  in  the  United  States. 

Ques.  You  would  consider  that  there  are  a.million  of  daily  papers  issuing  from 
the  Press  of  the  United  States  ? 

A ns.  I  think  very  nearly  that. 

Ques.  You  stated  that  there  are  fifteen  daily  papers  in  New  York ;  how  many 
are  there  in  Boston  ? 

Am.  Twelve,  I  think. 

Ques.  What  is  the  population  of  Boston  ? 

Ans.  Boston  contains  about  140,000  inhabitants,  but  Massachusetts  is  much 
more  compactly  peopled  and  better  supplied  with  railways.  All  the  towns  in 
Massachusetts  and  New  England  take  more  or  less  of  the  Boston  daily  papers. 

Ques.  What  number  of  daily  papers  are  published  in  Philadelphia  ? 

Ans.  Philadelphia  has  ten,  I  think ;  they  are  not  so  many  in  number,  but  one 
or  two  have  a  much  larger  circulation. 

Ques,  How  many  in  Baltimore  ? 

Ans.  Six. 

Ques.  How  many  in  New  Orleans,  should  you  think  ? 

Ans.  Ten  or  twelve,  I  think. 

Ques,  At  what  amount  of  population  of  a  town  in  America  do  they  generally 
begin  to  have  a  daily  paper ;  they  first  of  all  begin  with  a  weekly  paper,  do  they 
not? 

Ans.  Yes.  With  regard  to  newspapers  the  general  rule  is  this,  that  each  county 
will  have  one.  In  all  the  free  states,  if  a  county  has  a  population  of  20,000,  it  has 
two — one  of  each  party.  The  general  average  is  about  one  local  journal  in  the 
agricultural  counties  for  10,000  inhabitants.  A  county  containing  50,000  has  five 
journals,  which  are  generally  weekly  papers  ;  and  when  a  town  grows  to  have  as 
many  as  15,000  inhabitants,  or  thereabouts,  then  it  has  a  daily  paper.  Sometimes 
that  is  the  case  when  it  has  as  few  as  10,000.  It  depends  more  on  the  business 
of  the  place,  but  15,000  may  be  stated  as  the  average  at  which  a  daily  paper  com- 
mences. At  20,000  they  have  two,  and  so  on.  In  central  towns,  like  Buffalo, 
Rochester,  Troy,  and  such  towns,  they  have  from  three  to  five  daily  journals,  each 
of  which  prints  a  semi-weekly  or  a  weekly  journal. 

Ques.  Have  those  papers  much  circulation  outside  the  towns  in  which  they  are 
published  ? 

Ans.  The  county  is  the  general  limit,  though  some  pervade  a  judicial  district 
including  five  or  six  counties. 

Ques.  They  do  not  penetrate  into  counties  and  towns  in  which  other  papers  are 
published  ? 

Ans.  Not  as  a  rule ;  but  the  Buffalo  papers  will  have-  a  circulation  round  Lake 
Erie,  which  is  a  country  easily  reached  by  them. 

Ques.  Would  the  New  York  papers,  for  instance,  have  much  circulation  at 
Charleston  ? 

Ans.  The  New  York  Herald,  I  think,  which  is  considered  the  journal  the  most 
friendly  to  Southern  interests,  has  a  considerable  circulation  there. 

Ques.  Independently  of  peculiar  reasons,  they  would  not  circulate  in  the  more 
distant  states  ? 

Ans.  To  a  certain  extent,  the  leading  political  journal  of  one  party  would  be 
taken  by  the  leading  politicians  in  other  states ;  and,  if  it  is  a  business  journal, 
there  is  one  I  know  particularly  that  has  a  very  large  circulation  among  the  pork 
buyers  and  the  grain  buyers  throughout  the  free  Western  States,  having  relations 
with  New  York ;  they  want  fuller  reports  of  the  markets  than  those  the  telegraph 
brings  them. 

Ques.  Substantially  the  newspaper  of  any  of  those  states  finds  the  bulk  of  its 
readers  within  its  own  state  ? 

Ans.  Yes  ;  the  Washington  papers  are  an  exception. 

Ques.  The  New  Orleans  papers  would  have  but  little  circulation  in  New  York, 
for  instance  ? 

Ans.  No. 

Ques.  When  a  person  proposes  to  publish  a  paper  at  New  York,  is  he  required 
to  go  to  any  office  to  register  himself  ? 

Ans.  No,  not  at  all. 


The  Liability  of  Publishers.  545 

Qitfs.  Is  he  required  by  law  to  give  any  security  that  he  will  not  insert  libels  or 
seditious  matter  ? 

Ans.  No. 

Ques.  He  merely  publishes  a  paper  at  his  own  will  and  pleasure,  without  con- 
sulting any  public  authority  ? 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  If  he  should  libel  any  body  in  his  paper,  he  would  be  liable  to  an  action 
at  law,  would  he  not  ? 

Ans.  To  two  actions,  civil  and  criminal. 

Ques.  Then  a  newspaper  publisher  is  not  subject  to  any  liability  more  than  oth- 
er persons  ? 

Ans.  No  more  than  one  starting  a  blacksmith's  shop. 

Ques.  They  do  not  presume,  in  the  United  States,  that  because  a  man  is  going 
to  print  news  in  a  paper  he  is  going  to  libel  ? 

Ans.  No,  nor  do  they  presume  that  his  libeling  would  amount  to  much,  unless 
he  is  a  responsible  character. 

Ques.  Are  there  not  many  actions  brought  in  America  for  libel  ? 

Ans.  Very  few  indeed,  unless  founded  on  police  reports,  such  as  the  report  of  a 
man  being  arrested  on  the  charge  of  swindling,  or  the  like  of  that. 

Ques.  Are  you  not  permitted  by  the  law  of  America  to  publish  the  police  re- 
ports ? 

Ans.  No ;  it  is  not  regarded  as  lawful  even  to  say  that  John  Jones  was  arrested 
for  swindling ;  it  is  not  a  privileged  publication  ;  he  might  show  a  damage  in  that 
case  and  convict  you,  even  though  it  was  the  fact  that  he  was  so  arrested  for 
swindling,  unless  you  could  prove  that  he  was  actually  a  swindler  ;  that  rule  is  de- 
rived from  your  courts. 

Ques.  From  what  you  have  stated  with  regard  to  the  circulation  of  the  daily 
Press  in  New  York,  it  appears  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  adult  population 
must  be  customers  for  them  there  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  I  think  three  fourths  of  all  the  families  take  in  a  daily  paper  of  some 
kind. 

Ques.  The  purchasers  of  the  daily  papers  must  consist  of  a  different  class  from 
those  in  England — mechanics  must  purchase  them  ? 

Ans.  Every  mechanic  takes  a  paper,  or  nearly  every  one. 

Ques.  At  what  time  does  he  buy  his  paper  ? 

Ans.  He  subscribes  at  an  office.  The  carrier  of  a  paper  is  the  owner  of  a  cer- 
tain ward  of  the  city ;  it  is  a  property  of  his  own  ;  on  the  Sun  I  have  known  one 
sold  for  seven  hundred  dollars  ;  that  is,  the  privilege  of  buying  the  papers  at  the 
office  at  seventy  cents  a  hundred,  and  serving  them  to  subscribers,  and  getting  one 
dollar  a  hundred  for  them.  In  every  particular  ward  of  the  city  the  carrier  has  a 
property  in  the  right  to  receive  the  journals  for  the  ward,  and  to  distribute  them 
in  that  ward. 

Ques.  Then  the  working  class  receive  their  papers  regularly  through  the  car- 
rier in  the  morning  ? 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  What  time  are  they  delivered  in  the  morning  ? 

Ans.  Between  six  and  seven,  as  a  rule. 

Ques.  Do  these  people  generally  get  them  before  they  leave  home  for  their 
work  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  and  you  are  complained  of  if  you  do  not  furnish  a  man  with  his  news- 
paper at  his  breakfast ;  he  wants  to  read  it  between  six  and  seven  usually. 

Ques.  Then  a  shipbuilder,  or  a  cooper,  or  a  joiner,  takes  in  his  daily  paper  in 
the  morning,  and  reads  it  at  his  breakfast  time  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  and  he  may  take  it  with  him  to  read  at  his  dinner,  between  twelve 
and  one ;  but  the  rule  is  that  he  wants  his  paper  at  his  breakfast. 

Ques.  After  he  has  finished  his  breakfast  or  dinner,  he  may  be  found  reading 
the  daily  newspaper,  just  as  the  people  of  the  upper  classes  do  in  England? 

Ans.  Yes,  if  they  do. 

Ques.  And  that  is  quite  common,  is  it  not  ? 

Ans.  Almost  universal,  I  think.  There  is  a  very  poor  class,  a  good  many  for- 
eigners, who  do  not  know  how  to  read,  but  no  native,  I  think.  : ; 

Ques.  Do  the  agricultural  laborers  read  much  ? 

M  M 


546  Journalism  in  America. 

Ans.  Yes ;  they  take  our  weekly  papers,  which  they  receive  through  the  post 
generally. 

Ques.  Is  there  any  sending  of  papers  from  one  person  to  another  person — a 
person  having  bought  a  paper  and  read  it,  does  he  send  it  to  a  friend  by  post  ? 

Ans.  There  has  been  a  little  of  that.  It  is  often  done  when  there  is  a  marriage 
or  a  death,  or  some  piece  of  information  that  you  want  your  friend  to  know  in  an- 
other country. 

Ques.  It  is  not  done  for  the  purpose  of  economy,  and  to  share  the  expenses  of 
the  paper  between  different  persons  ? 

Ans.  No ;  they  are  so  cheap  that  it  is  not  worth  while. 

Ques.  The  transmission  by  post  would  be  nearly  as  expensive  as  the  cost  of  the 
paper,  would  it  not  ? 

Ans.  Quite  so,  as  they  send  them  in  separately,  and  the  post-offices  do  not  like 
to  receive  them  in  that  way. 

Ques.  The  working  people  in  New  York  are  not  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  pub- 
lic houses  to  read  the  newspapers,  are  they  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  they  are,  but  not  to  read  the  papers. 

Ques.  They  resort  to  public  houses  to  drink  spirits,  or  any  thing  else  ? 

Ans.  A  good  many  of  them  do ;  it  is  not  the  general  practice,  but  still  there 
are  quite  a  class  who  do  so. 

Ques.  The  newspaper  is  not  the  attraction  to  the  public  house  ? 

Ans.  No  ;  I  think  a  very  small  proportion  of  our  reading  class  go  there  at  all ; 
those  that  I  have  seen  there  are  mainly  the  foreign  population — those  who  do  not 
read. 

Ques.  Are  there  any  papers  published  in  New  York,  or  in  other  parts,  which 
may  be  said  to  be  of  an  obscene  or  immoral  character  ? 

Ans.  We  call  the  New  York  Herald  a  very  bad  paper — those  who  do  not  like 
it ;  but  that  is  not  the  cheapest. 

Ques.  Have  you  heard  of  a  paper  called  the  Town,  published  in  this  country, 
with  pictures  of  a  certain  character  in  it — an  unstamped  publication  ? — have  you 
any  publications  in  the  United  States  of  that  character  ? 

Ans.  Not  daily  papers.  There  are  weekly  papers  got  up  from  time  to  time, 
called  the  Scorpion,  the  Flash,  the  Whip,  and  so  on,  whose  purpose  is  to  extort 
money  from  parties  who  can  be  threatened  with  exposure  of  immoral  practices, 
or  for  visiting  infamous  houses. 

Ques.  Will  you  look  at  that  paper  (the  Town  being  handed  to  the  witness)  ? 

Ans.  There  was  a  class  of  weekly  papers  got  up  there  that  were  printed  for 
two  or  three  months.  I  do  not  know  of  any  one  being  continued  any  considera- 
ble time  ;  if  one  dies  another  is  got  up,  and  that  goes  down. 

Ques.  They  do  not  last,  do  they  ? 

Ans.  No ;  and  I  suppose  they  do  not  here ;  but  the  cheap  daily  papers,  the 
very  cheapest,  are,  as  a  whole,  I  think,  quite  as  discreet  in  their  conduct  and  con- 
versation as  other  journals.  They  do  not  embody  the  same  amount  of  talent ; 
they  devote  themselves  mainly  to  news.  They  are  not  party  journals  ;  they  are 
nominally  independent — that  is,  of  no  party.  They  are  not  given  to  harsh  lan- 
guage with  regard  to  public  men  ;  they  are  very  moderate. 

Ques.  Is  scurrility  or  personality  common  to  the  publications  in  the  United 
States  ? 

Ans.  It  is  not  common  ;  it  is  much  less  frequent  than  it  was ;  but  it  is  not  ab- 
solutely unknown. 

Ques.  What  do  you  call  a  newspaper  ?    Where  do  you  draw  the  line  between  . 
what  comes  under  the  postage  rate  and  what  is  liable  to  a  higher  rate  ? 

Ans.  The  rule  has  been  that  every  thing  printed  as  often  as  once  a  week  was  a 
newspaper  ;  the  others  are  generally  regarded  as  magazines  and  periodicals. 

Ques.  Has  there  ever  been  any  proposition  made  in  the  United  States  with  a 
view  to  control  the  Press  ?  for  instance,  that  it  should  be  liable  to  a  stamp  duty, 
and  give  security  in  the  same  manner  as  is  required  in  France  ? 

Ans.  I  have  heard  a  suggestion  that  it  might  be  well  to  charge  one  cent  on 
a  copy,  and  let  it  go  free  through  the  post,  but  not  by  any  number  of  persons. 
Some  have  said  that  it  would  improve  the  character  of  the  Press,  but  it  was  never 
seriously  taken  up.  I  have  seen  it  in  newspapers  as  a  suggestion. 

Ques.  What  is  the  circulation  of  the  New  York  Herald? 


Horace  Grceley  on  the  Herald.  547 

Ans.  I  think  25,000. 

Ques.  Has  its  circulation  been  increased  during  the  last  few  years,  or  otherwise  ? 

Ans.  I  think  it  has  rather  increased,  not  diminished. 

Ques.  Is  that  an  influential  paper  in  America  ? 

Ans.  I  think  not. 

Ques.  It  has  a  higher  reputation  probably  in  Europe  than  at  home  ? 

Ans.  A  certain  class  of  journals  in  this  country  find  it  their  interest  or  pleasure 
to  quote  it  a  good  deal. 

Ques.  As  the  demand  is  extensive,  is  the  remuneration  for  the  services  of  liter- 
ary men  who  are  employed  on  the  Press  good  ? 

Ans.  The  prices  of  literary  labor  are  more  moderate  than  in  this  country.  The 
highest  salary,  I  think,  that  would  be  commanded  by  any  one  connected  with  the 
Press  would  be  ^1000 — the  highest  that  could  be  thought  of;  I  have  not  heard 
of  higher  than  £600. 

Ques.  What  would  be  about  the  ordinary  remuneration  ? 

Ans.  In  our  own  concern  it  is,  besides  the  principal  editor,  ,£300  down  to  ^100. 
I  think  that  is  the  usual  range. 

Ques.  Are  your  leading  men  in  America,  in  point  of  literary  ability,  employed 
from  time  to  time  upon  the  Press  as  an  occupation  ? 

Ans.  It  is  beginning  to  be  so,  but  it  has  not  been  the  custom.  There  have  been 
leading  men  connected  with  the  Press,  but  the  Press  has  not  been  usually  con- 
ducted by  the  most  powerful  men.  With  a  few  exceptions,  the  leading  political 
journals  are  conducted  ably,  and  this  is  becoming  more  general ;  and,  with  a 
wider  diffusion  of  the  circulation,  the  Press  is  more  able  to  pay  for  it. 

Ques.  Is  it  a  profession  apart  ? 

Ans.  No ;  usually  the  men  have  been  brought  up  to  the  bar,  to  the  pulpit,  as 
printers,  and  so  on.  They  are  not  originally  literary  men. 

Ques.  Your  extensive  circulation  of  those  cheap  papers  is  based,  to  some  ex- 
tent, upon  the  fact  that  your  whole  population  can  read  ?  , 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  I  presume  that  the  non-reading  class  in  the  United  States  is  a  limited  one  ? 

Ans.  Yes,  except  in  the  slave  states. 

Ques.  Do  not  you  consider  that  newspaper  reading  is  calculated  to  keep  up  a 
habit  of  reading  ? 

Ans.  I  think  it  is  worth  all  the  schools  in  the  country.  I  think  it  creates  a 
taste  for  reading  in  every  child's  mind,  and  it  increases  his  interest  in  his  lessons ; 
he  is  attracted  to  study  from  the  habit  of  always  seeing  a  newspaper  and  hearing 
it  read,  I  think. 

Ques.  Supposing  that  you  had  your  schools  as  now,  but  that  your  Newspaper 
Press  were  reduced  within  the  limits  of  the  Press  in  England,  do  not  you  think 
that  the  habit  of  reading  acquired  at  school  would  be  frequently  laid  aside  ? 

Ans.  I  think  that  the  habit  would  not  be  acquired,  and  that  often  reading  would 
fall  into  disuse. 

Ques.  Does  not  the  habit  of  reading  create  a  demand  for  newspapers,  rather 
than  the  supply  of  newspapers  create  a  habit  of  reading? 

Ans.  I  should  rather  say  that  the  capacity  that  is  obtained  in  the  schools  cre- 
ates a  demand  for  newspapers. 

Ques.  The  greater  number  of  persons,  who  read  in  the  United  States  accounts 
for  the  greater  number  of  newspapers  that  are  published,  does  it  not  ? 

Ans.  There  is  no  class  in  the  free  states  who  do  not  know  how  to  read  except 
the  immigrant  class. 

Ques.  But  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  persons  who  can  read  will  be  the 
number  of  papers  supplied  ? 

Ans.  Yes. 

Ques.  But  the  means  of  obtaining  cheap  newspapers  enables  people  to  keep  up 
their  reading,  does  it  not  ? 

A  us.  Yes. 

Ques.  Must  not  the  contents  of  a  newspaper  have  a  great  effect  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  population,  and  give  a  more  practical  turn  to  their  minds  ? 

Ans.  I  should  think  the  difference  in  intelligence  would  be  very  great  between 
a  population  first  educated  in  schools,  and  then  acquiring  the  habit  of  reading 
journals,  and  an  uneducated  non-reading. 


548  Journalism  in  America. 

Qites.  If  a  man  is  taught  to  read  first,  and  afterward  applies  his  mind  to  the 
reading  of  newspapers,  would  not  his  knowledge  assume  a  much  more  practical 
form  than  if  that  man  read  any  thing  else  ? 

Ans.  Every  man  must  be  practical.  I  think  that  the  capacity  to  invent  or  to 
improve  a  machine,  for  instance,  is  very  greatly  aided  by  newspaper  reading — by 
the  education  afforded  by  newspapers. 

Ques.  Having  observed  both  countries,  can  you  state  whether  the  £ ress  has 
greater  influence  on  public  opinion  in  the  United  States  than  in  England,  or  the 
reverse  ? 

Ans.  I  think  it  has  more  influence  with  us.  I  do  not  know  that  any  class  is 
despotically  governed  by  it,  but  the  influence  is  more  universal.  Every  one  reads 
it  and  talks  about  it  with  us,  and  more  weight  is  laid  upon  intelligence  than  on 
editorials  ;  the  paper  which  brings  the  quickest  news  is  the  one  looked  to. 

Ques.  The  leading  article  has  not  so  much  influence  as  it  has  in  England  ? 

Ans.  No  ;  the  telegraphic  dispatch  is  the  great  point. 

Ques.  Observing  our  newspapers,  and  comparing  them  with  the  American  pa- 
pers, do  you  find  that  we  make  much  less  use  of  the  electric  telegraph  for  trans- 
mittting  news  to  newspapers  than  in  America  ? 

Ans.  Not  a  hundredth  part  as  much  as  we  do. 

Ques.  That  is  a  considerable  item  of  expense  there,  is  it  not  ? 

Ans.  Enormous ;  but  it  is  cheaper  with  us  than  with  you. 

Ques.  An  impression  prevails  in  this  country  that  our  Newspaper  Press  incurs 
a  great  deal  more  expense  to  expedite  news  than  you  do  in  New  York ;  are  you 
of  that  opinion  ? 

Ans.  I  do  not  know  what  your  expense  is ;  I  should  say  that  $100,000  a  year 
are  paid  by  our  association  of  the  six  leading  daily  papers,  besides  what  each  gets 
separately  for  itself. 

Ques.  Twenty  thousand  pounds  sterling  a  year  are  paid  by  your  association, 
consisting  of  six  papers,  for  what  you  get  in  common  ? 

Ans.  Yes ;  we  telegraph  a  great  deal  in  the  United  States.  For  instance,  the 
Scientific  Association  held  its  annual  meeting  in  Cincinnati  this  year,  and  we  had 
telegraphic  reports  from  that  place,  though  we,  and  I  presume  other  journals,  had 
special  reporters  to  report  the  proceedings  at  length.  So  we  have  reports  every 
day  1000  miles — from  New  Orleans  daily,  and  St.  Louis,  and  other  places. 

After  this  evidence  before  Cobden,  and  Gibson,  and  Ewart,  and 
Rich,  of  the  British  Parliament,  there  are  a  few  points  given  to  James 
Parton  and  John  Russell  Young  which  we  must  add  to  make  the 
thing  more  complete. 

Soon  after  Parton's  article  appeared  in  the  North  American  Review,  Greeley 
met  him,  and  criticised  his  published  statements.  It  happened  to  be  during  a 
strike  of  the  New  York  Street-railway  Conductors  for  higher  wages.  "  I  believe 
my  general  view  is  true,"  answered  Parton  ;  "  to-day  I  can  learn  more  about  this 
street-railway  excitement  from  the  Herald  than  from  any  other  paper."  "  Well," 
explained  Greeley, "  I  don't  want  to  encourage  these  lawless  proceedings."  "  Ex- 
actly," returned  Parton ;  "  I  could  not  ask  a  better  case  in  point.  But  the  true 
theory  is,  not  to  serve  one  side  or  another  upon  any  question — merely  to  give  all 
the  news."  In  Parton's  article  he  remarked,  "  An  editorial  is  a  man  speaking  to 
men,  but  the  news  is  Providence  speaking  to  men." 

"  Mr.  Greeley,"  said  John  Russell  Young,  "would  be  the  greatest 
journalist  in  the  world  if  he  did  not  aim  to  be  one  of  the  leading 
politicians  in  America.  Very  often  does  he  sacrifice  himself  to  his 
prejudices.  I  remember  on  one  occasion  asking  him  to  let  me  re- 
port a  speech  of  Governor  Seymour  in  full,  as  a  matter  of  news  for 
the  Tribune.  'Yes,'  he  said, ' I  will  print  Governor  Seymour's  speech 
when  the  World  will  print  those  of  our  side.'  " 

Horace  Greeley,  as  we  have  said,  became  an  enthusiastic  admirer 


The  Firm  of  Seward,  Weed  &  Co.          549 

of  William  H.  Seward.  To  the  fortunes  of  that  politician  he  was 
intimately  connected  for  twenty  years.  When  he  first  assumed  the 
position  of  political  editor  in  1834,  having  started  the  Constitution  in 
that  year,  Seward  was  for  the  first  time  a  candidate  for  the  office 
of  Governor  of  New  York.  He  worked  so  zealously  for  that  poli- 
tician, in  conjunction  with  Thurlow  Weed,  of  the  Albany  Evening 
Journal,  doing  the  rough  work  without  much,  if  any  compensation, 
that  the  trio  became  known  as  the  firm  of  Seward,  Weed,  and  Gree- 
ley.  Twenty  years  of  such  labor  without  reward,  and  in  the  midst 
of  disappointed  political  aspirations,  finally  led  to  a  rupture,  which 
is  thus  naively  described  by  the  junior  member  of  the  concern  in  his 
notice  of  the  dissolution  of  the  partnership  : 

HORACE  GREELEY  TO  WILLIAM   H.  SEWARD. 

NEW  YORK,  Saturday  evening,  November  n,  1854. 

GOVERNOR  SEWARD, — The  election  is  over,  and  its  results  sufficiently  ascer- 
tained. It  seems  to-  me  a  fitting  time  to  announce  to  you  the  dissolution  of  the 
political  firm  of  Seward,  Weed,  and  Greeley,  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  junior  part- 
ner— said  withdrawal  to  take  effect  on  the  morning  after  the  first  Tuesday  in  Feb- 
ruary next.  And  as  it  may  seem  a  great  presumption  in  me  to  assume  that  any 
such  firm  exists,  especially  since  the  public  was  advised,  rather  more  than  a  year 
ago,  by  an  editorial  rescript  in  the  Evening  Journal,  formally  reading  me  out  of 
the  Whig  Party,  that  I  was  esteemed  no  longer  either  useful  or  ornamental  in  the 
concern,  you  will,  I  am  sure,  indulge  me  in  some  reminiscences  which  seem  to 
befit  the  occasion.  # 

I  was  a  poor  young  printer  and  editor  of  a  literary  journal — a  very  active  and 
bitter  Whig  in  a  small  way,  but  not  seeking  to  be  known  out  of  my  own  Ward 
Committee — when,  after  the  great  political  revulsion  of  1837, 1  was  one  day  called 
to  the  City  Hotel,  where  two  strangers  introduced  themselves  as  Thurlow  Weed 
and  Lewis  Benedict,  of  Albany.  They  told  me  that  a  cheap  campaign  paper  of  a 
peculiar  stamp  at  Albany  had  been  resolved  on,  and  that  I  had  been  selected  to 
edit  it.  The  announcement  might  well  be  deemed  flattering  by  one  who*  had 
never  even  sought  the  notice  of  the  great,  and  who  was  not  known  as  a  partisan 
writer,  and  I  eagerly  embraced  their  proposals.  They  asked  me  to  fix  my  salary 
for  the  year ;  I  named  $1000,  which  they  agreed  to ;  and  I  did  the  work  required 
to  the  best  of  my  ability.  It  was  work  that  made  no  figure  and  created  no  sen- 
sation ;  but  I  loved  it,  and  I  did  it  well.  When  it  was  done,  you  were  governor, 
dispensing  offices  worth  $3000  to  $20,000  per  year  to  your  friends  and  compa- 
triots, and  I  returned  to  my  garret  and  my  crust,  and  my  desperate  battle  with 
pecuniary  obligations  heaped  upon  me  by  bad  partners  in  business  and  the  disas- 
trous events  of  1837.  I  believe  it  did  not  then  occur  to  me  that  some  one  of 
these  abundant  places  might  have  been  offered  to  me  without  injustice ;  I  now 
think  it  should  have  occurred  to  you.  If  it  did  occur  to  me,  I  was  not  the  man 
to  ask  you  for  it ;  I  think  that  should  not  have  been  necessary.  I  only  remember 
that  no  friend  at  Albany  inquired  as  to  my  pecuniary  circumstances ;  that  your 
friend  (but  not  mine),  Robert  C.  Wetmore,  was  one  of  the  chief  dispensers  of  your 
patronage  here ;  and  that  such  devoted  compatriots  as  A.  H.  Wells  and  John 
Hooks  were  lifted  by  you  out  of  pauperism  into  independence,  as  I  am  glad  I  was 
not ;  and  yet  an  inquiry  from  you  as  to  my  needs  and  means  at  that  time  would 
have  been  timely,  and  held  ever  in  grateful  remembrance. 

In  the  Harrison  campaign  of  1840, 1  was  again  designated  to  edit  a  campaign 
paper.  I  published  it  as  well,  and  ought  to  have  made  something  by  it,  in  spite 
of  its  extremely  low  price  ;  my  extreme  poverty  was  the  main  reason  why  I  did 
not.  It  compelled  me  to  hire  press-work,  mailing,  etc.,  done  by  the  job,  and  high 
charges  for  extra  work  nearly  ate  me  up.  At  the  close,  I  was  still  without  prop- 
erty and  in  debt,  but  this  paper  had  rather  improved  my  position. 

Now  came  the  great  scramble  of  the  swell  mob  of  coon  minstrels  and  cider- 
suckers  at  Washington — I  not  being  counted  in.  Several  regiments  of  them  went 


550  Journalism  in  America. 

on  from  this  city ;  but  no  one  of  the  whole  crowd — though  I  say  it  who  should 
not — had  done  so  much  toward  General  Harrison's  nomination  and  election  as 
yours  respectfully.  I  asked  nothing,  expected  nothing  ;  but  you,  Governor  Sew- 
ard,  ought  to  have  asked  that  I  be  postmaster  of  New  York.  Your  asking  would 
have  been  in  vain,  but  it  would  have  been  an  act  of  grace  neither  wasted  nor 
undeserved. 

I  soon  after  started  the  Tribune,  because  I  was  urged  to  do  so  by  certain  of 
your  friends,  and  because  such  a  paper  was  needed  here.  I  was  promised  cer- 
tain pecuniary  aid  in  so  doing ;  it  might  have  been  given  me  without  cost  or  risk 
to  any  one.  All  I  ever  had  was  a  loan  by  piecemeal  of  $1000  from  James  Cogge- 
shall,  God  bless  his  honored  memory  !  I  did  not  ask  for  this,  and  I  think  it  is 
the  one  sole  case  in  which  I  ever  received  a  pecuniary  favor  from  a  political  as- 
sociate. I  am  very  thankful  that  he  did  not  die  till  it  was  fully  repaid. 

And  let  me  here  honor  one  grateful  recollection.  When  the  Whig  Party  un- 
der your  rule  had  offices  to  give,  my  name  was  never  thought  of;  but  when,  in 
i842-'3,  we  were  hopelessly  out  of  power,  I  was  honored  by  the  party  nomination 
for  state  printer.  When  we  came  again  to  have  a  state  printer  to  elect  as  well  as 
nominate,  the  place  went  to  Weed,  as  it  ought.  Yet  it  is  worth  something  to 
know  that  there  was  once  a  time  when  it  was  not  deemed  too  great  a  sacrifice  to 
recognize  me  as  belonging  to  your  household.  If  a  new  office  had  not  since  been 
created  on  purpose  to  give  its  valuable  patronage  to  H.  J.  Raymond,  and  enable 
St. John  to  show  forth  his  Times  as  the  organ  of  the  Whig  state  administration, 
I  should  have  been  still  more  grateful. 

In  1848  your  star  again  rose,  and  my  warmest  hopes  were  realized  in  your  elec- 
tion to  the  Senate.  I  was  no  longer  needy,  and  had  no  more  claim  than  desire  to 
be  recognized  by  General  Taylor.  I  think  I  had  \some  claim  to  forbearance  from 
you.  What  I  received  thereupon  was  a  most  humiliating  lecture  in  the  shape  of 
a  decision  in  the  libel  case  of  Redfield  and  Pringle,  and  an  obligation  to  publish 
it  in  my  own  and  the  other  journal  of  our  supposed  firm.  I  thought,  and  still 
think,  this  lecture  needlessly  cruel  and  mortifying.  The  plaintiffs,  after  using  my 
columns  to  the  extent  of  their  needs  or  desires,  stopped  writing,  and  called  on  me 
for  the  name  of  their  assailant.  I  proffered  it  to  them — a  thoroughly  responsible 
name.  They  refused  to  accept  it  unless  it  should  prove  to  be  one  of  the  four  or 
five  first  men  in  Batavia — when  they  had  known  from  the  first  who  it  was,  and 
that  it  was  neither  of  them.  They  would  not  accept  that  which  they  had  de- 
manded ;  they  sued  me,  instead,  for  money,  and  money  you  were  at  liberty  to  give 
them  to  your  heart's  content — I  do  not  think  you  -were  at  liberty  to  humiliate  me 
in  the  eyes  of  my  own  and  your  public  as  you  did.  I  think  you  exalted  your 
own  judicial  sternness  and  fearlessness  unduly  at  my  expense.  I  think  you  had 
a  better  occasion  for  the  display  of  these  qualities  when  Webb  threw  himself  un- 
timely upon  you  for  a  pardon  which  he  had  done  all  a  man  could  do  to  demerit. 
(His  paper  is  paying  you  for  it  now.) 

I  have  publicly  set  forth  my  view  of  your  and  our  duty  with  respect  to  fusion, 
Nebraska,  and  party  designations.  I  will  not  repeat  any  of  that.  I  have  referred 
also  to  Weed's  reading  me  out  of  the  Whig  Party — my  crime  being,  in  this  as  in 
some  other  things,  that  of  doing  to-day  what  more  politic  persons  will  not  be 
ready  to  do  till  to-morrow. 

Let  me  speak  of  the  late  canvass.  I  was  once  sent  to  Congress  for  ninety 
days  merely  to  enable  Jim  Brooks  to  secure  a  seat  therein  for  four  years.  I  think 
I  never  hinted  to  any  human  being  that  I  would  have  liked  to  be  put  forward  for 
any  place  ;  but  James  W.  White  (you  hardly  know  how  good  and  true  a  man  he 
is)  started  my  name  for  Congress,  and  Brooks's  packed  delegation  thought  I  could 
help  him  through,  so  I  was  put  on  behind  him.  But  this  last  spring,  after  the 
Nebraska  Question  had  created  a  new  state  of  things  at  the  North,  one  or  two 
personal  friends,  of  no  political  consideration,  suggested  my  name  as  a  candidate 
for  governor,  and  I  did  not  discourage  them.  Soon  the  persons  who  were  after- 
ward mainly  instrumental  in  nominating  Clark  came  about  me  and  asked  if  I 
could  secure  the  Know-Nothing  vote.  I  told  them  I  neither  could  nor  would 
touch  it ;  on  the  contrary,  I  loathed  and  repelled  it.  Thereupon  they  turned 
upon  Clark. 

I  slid  nothing,  did  nothing.  A  hundred  people  asked  me  who  should  be  run 
for  governor.  I  sometimes  indicated  Patterson ;  I  never  hinted  at  my  own  name. 


The  Troubles  of  the  Political  Firm.          5  5 1 

But  by-and-by  Weed  came  down,  and  called  me  to  him  to  tell  me  why  he  could 
not  support  me  for  governor.     (I  had  never  asked  nor  counted  on  his  support.) 

I  am  sure  Weed  did  not  mean  to  humiliate  me,  but  he  did  it.  The  upshot  of 
his  discourse  (very  cautiously  stated)  was  this :  If  I  were  a  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor, I  should  beat,  not  myself  only,  but  you.  Perhaps  that  was  true ;  but,  as  I 
had  in  no  manner  solicited  his  or  your  support,  I  thought  this  might  have  been 
said  to  my  friends  rather  than  to  me.  I  suspect  it  is  true  that  I  could  not  have 
been  elected  governor  as  a  Whig ;  but,  had  he  and  you  been  favorable,  there 
ow«/</have  been  a  party  in  the  state  ere  this  which  could  and  would  have  elected 
me  to  any  post  without  injuring  itself  or  endangering  your  re-election. 

It  was  in  vain  that  I  urged  that  I  had  in  no  manner  asked  a  nomination.  At 
length  I  was  nettled  by  his  language — well  intended,  but  very  cutting  as  addressed 
by  him  to  me — to  say,  in  substance,  "  Well,  then,  make  Patterson  governor,  and 
try  my  name  for  lieutenant.  To  lose  this  place  is  a  matter  of  no  importance,  and 
we  can  see  whether  I  am  really  so  odious." 

I  should  have  hated  to  serve  as  lieutenant  governor,  but  I  should  have  gloried 
in  running  for  the  post.  I  want  to  have  my  enemies  all  upon  me  at  once  ;  I  am 
tired  of  fighting  them  piecemeal ;  and,  though  I  should  have  been  beaten  in  the 
canvass,  I  know  that  my  running  would  have  helped  the  ticket  and  helped  my 
paper. 

It  was  thought  best  to  let  the  matter  take  another  course.  No  other  name 
could  have  been  put  on  the  ticket  so  bitterly  humbling  to  me  as  that  which  was 
selected.  The  nomination  was  given  to  Raymond,  the  fight  left  to  me.  And, 
Governor  Seward,  I  have  made  it,  though  it  be  conceited  in  me  to  say  so.  What 
little  fight  there  has  been  I  have  stirred  up.  Even  Weed  has  not  been  (I  speak 
of  his  paper)  hearty  in  this  contest,  while  the  journal  of  the  Whig  lieutenant 
governor  has  taken  care  of  its  own  interests  and  let  the  canvass  take  care  of 
itself,  as  it  early  declared  it  would  do.  That  journal  has  (because  of  its  milk-and- 
water  course)  some  twenty  thousand  subscribers  in  this  city  and  its  suburbs,  and 
of  these  twenty  thousand  I  venture  to  say  more  voted  for  Ullmann  and  Scroggs 
than  for  Clark  and  Raymond ;  the  Tribune  (also  because  of  its  character)  has 
but  eight  thousand  subscribers  within  the  same  radius,  and  I  venture  to  say  that 
of  its  habitual  readers  nine  tenths  voted  for  Clark  and  Raymond — very  few  for 
Ullmann  and  Scroggs.  I  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  contest,  and  take  a  terrible 
responsibility  in  order  to  prevent  the  Whigs  uniting  upon  James  W.  Barker  in 
order  to  defeat  Fernando  Wood.  Had  Barker  been  elected  here,  neither  you  nor 
I  could  walk  these  streets  without  being  hooted,  and  Know-Nothingism  would 
have  swept  like  a  prairie-fire.  I  stopped  Barker's  election  at  the  cost  of  incur- 
ring the  deadliest  enmity  of  the  defeated  gang,  and  I  have  been  rebuked  for  it  by 
the  lieutenant  governor's  paper.  At  the  critical  moment  he  came  out  against 
John  Wheeler  in  favor  of  Charles  H.  Marshall  (who  would  have  been  your  dead- 
liest enemy  in  the  House) ;  and  even  your  colonel  general's  paper,  which  was 
even  with  me  in  insisting  that  Wheeler  should  be  returned,  wheeled  about  at  the 
last  moment  and  went  in  for  Marshall,  the  Tribune  alone  clinging  to  Wheeler 
to  the  last.  I  rejoice  that  they  who  turned  so  suddenly  were  not  able  to  turn  all 
their  readers. 

Governor  Seward,  I  know  that  some  of  your  most  cherished  friends  think  me 
a  great  obstacle  to  your  advancement — that  John  Schoolcraft,  for  one,  insists  that 
you  and  Weed  shall  not  be  identified  with  me.  I  trust,  after  a  time,  you  will  not 
be.  I  trust  I  shall  never  be  found  in  opposition  to  you ;  I  have  no  farther  wish 
but  to  glide  out  of  the  newspaper  world  as  quietly  and  as  speedily  as  possible,  join 
my  family  in  Europe,  and,  if  possible,  stay  there  quite  a  time — long  enough  to  cool 
my  fevered  brain  and  renovate  my  overtasked  energies.  All  I  ask  is  that  we 
shall  be  counted  even  on  the  morning  after  the  first  Tuesday  in  February,  as 
aforesaid,  and  that  I  may  thereafter  take  such  course  as  seems  best  without  refer- 
ence to  the  past. 

You  have  done  me  acts  of  valued  kindness  in  the  line  of  your  profession;  let 
me  close  with  the  assurance  that  these  will  ever  be  gratefully  remembered  by 

Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

This  was  written  immediately  after  the  campaign  of  1854,  but  not 
published  till  the  summer  of  1860,  when  it  appeared  in  the  Tribune, 


552  Journalism  in  America. 

brought  to  light  by  the  repeated  assaults  made  upon  Greeley  by 
James  Watson  Webb  in  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  Henry  J. 
Raymond,  of  the  New  York  Times,  warm  personal  friends  of  Seward, 
who,  it  seems,  had  been  to  Auburn,  and  had  had  full  access  to  this 
refreshing  political  autobiography  of  the  editor  of  the  Tribune. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  the  journalistic  and  political  cir- 
cles of  the  country  in  the  winter  of  1856  and  1857,  in  consequence 
of  some  extraordinary  developments  made  in  Washington  affecting 
these  Siamese  classes.  O.  B.  Matteson,  a  member  of  Congress  from 
New  York,  figured  prominently  in  the  scenes.  Twenty  or  thirty 
other  members  of  Congress  were  mixed  up  in  the  affair.  Among 
other  statements,  it  was  charged  that  Horace  Greeley  was  impli- 
cated in  the  Des  Moines  Improvement  Company  to  the  extent  of  a 
check  for  one  thousand  dollars  which  had  been  mysteriously  depos- 
ited with  him,  and  which,  as  a  conscientious  editor,  he  could  not 
consistently  retain.  When  the  charge  was  made  the  editor  of  the 
Tribune  was  in  Iowa,  and  there  he  met  it  with  the  following  card : 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Iowa  City  Republican : 

********* 
I  went  to  Washington  at  the  opening  of  the  long  session  of  the  present  Con- 
gress, December  i,  1855,  and  remained  there,  with  brief  intervals  of  absence,  until 
about  the  middle  of  April  last.  During  all  this  time  I  can  not  remember  that  I 
once  heard  of  this  Des  Moines  Company ;  and  I  am  very  sure  that  neither  this 
nor  any  railroad  or  other  company  or  claimant  employed  me  to  do  any  service, 
or  paid  me  one  farthing  on  any  account  whatever.  In  a  single  instance  only  did 
an  old  and  esteemed  friend  ask  me  to  aid  him  in  securing  for  his  claim  the  favor- 
able attention  of  Congress,  which  I  thought  it  deserved  ;  but  he,  on  my  explain- 
ing to  him  my  position,  and  the  annoyance  and  embarrassment  to  which  any  con- 
nection with  measures  involving  pecuniary  interests  would  inevitably  subject  me, 
dropped  the  subject,  and  never  renewed  it 

********* 

As  I  was  leaving  Washington  for  the  last  time  up  to  this  present,  on  or  about 
the  ist  of  July  last,  a  friend  handed  me  a  draft  for  one  thousand  dollars,  drawn 
on  the  treasurer,  in  New  York,  of  the  Des  Moines  Company,  which  he  asked  me 
to  take  with  me  and  use  to  pay  a  draft  which  he  said  would  probably  be  drawn 
on  me  by  an  agent  employed  by  said  company.  I  took  this  draft,  accordingly, 
home  with  me,  and  held  it  until  I  was  apprised,  nearly  four  weeks  thereafter,  that 
a  draft  on  me,  answering  to  this  one,  was  coming  on  from  Washington.  I  imme- 
diately, and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  visited  the  office  of  the  Des  Moines  Com- 
pany, and  found  therein  an  old  and  valued  friend,  Mr.  Alvah  Hunt,  formerly  treas- 
urer of  our  state,  and  now  treasurer  of  this  Des  Moines  Company.  I  said  to  him, 
"  Mr.  Hunt,  do  you  know  of  a  draft  for  one  thousand  dollars  on  your  company, 
payable  to  my  order  ?"  He  answered,  "  Yes,  I  understand  it."  I  rejoined,  "  D/> 
you  know  that  I  have  no  interest  in  said  draft  ?"  He  said,  "  Yes,  I  know  all 
about  it."  "Then,"  said  I,  "shall  I  accept  and  pay  the  draft  against  it?"  He 
said,  "  Certainly,"  and  I  presented  the  draft  in  my  hands,  which  he  paid,  and  with 
the  proceeds  I  paid  the  one  thousand  dollars  draft  drawn  from  Washington  on 
me.  That  draft  is  now  in  my  possession. 

These  are  the  facts  in  the  case,  to  which,  immediately  on  the  story  being  start- 
ed that  I  had  been  employed  by  this  company,  I  made  affidavit  in  due  form  of 
law,  and  tVansmitted  the  same  to  the  investigating  committee  of  the  Iowa  Senate, 
corroborated  by  the  statement  o'f  Alvah  Hunt  aforesaid,  that  I  never  was  inter- 
ested in  nor  employed  by  said  Des  Moines  Company,  and  never  was  paid  nor 
promised  by  it  one  farthing  for  any  service  whatever.  I  believe  other  leading 


The  Kansas  Question.'  553 

members  of  the  company,  familiar  with  the  facts,  addressed  similar  statements  to 
members  of  the  Iowa  Senate.  At  all  events,  my  affidavit  and  the  statement  of 
Treasurer  Hunt  were  forwarded  to  Hon.  J.  B.  Grinnell  of  that  Senate,  and  by  him 
handed  to  the  committee  of  investigation.  And  yet,  in  full  view  of  these  facts, 
the  secret  archives  of  that  committee  are  drawn  upon  at  pleasure  for  garbled  evi- 
dence to  bolster  up  a  charge  which  its  responsible  authors  know  to  be  a  wanton 
calumny.  *****  Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

IOWA  CITY,  February  4,  1857. 

The  Tribune  always  threw  its  whole  strength  into  any  political 
fight  it  engaged  in.  On  the  Kansas  Question,  for  example,  it  was 
all  Kansas.  Its  columns,  day  after  day  and  week  after  week,  were 
filled  with  articles  on  this  question.  There  was  no  space  for  any 
other  subject.  Some  time  after  this  had  become  a  "  dead  issue,"  a 
stranger  entered  the  office  of  the  Tribune  and  spent  several  hours 
in  looking  over  the  files  of  that  paper.  He  appeared  a  perplexed 
and  bewildered  man.  One  of  the  attaches  of  the  establishment  final- 
ly asked  him  what  he  was  seeking.  "  It  is  an  advertisement,"  an- 
swered the  man.  "  Perhaps,"  said  the  polite  clerk,  "  I  can  find  it 
for  you,  if  you  can  give  me  a  clew  as  to  the  time.  Perhaps  you  can 
tell  what  was  in  the  paper  when  the  advertisement  appeared." 
"  Oh  yes,  yes,"  said  the  stranger,  hopefully  brightening  up.  "  I  be- 
lieve there  was — yes,  I  feel  sure  there  was  something  in  it  about 
Kansas." 

Immediately  after  the  inauguration  of  President  Lincoln  in  1861, 
it  became  the  talk  in  newspaper  circles  that  the  Tribune  wou!4  be 
depleted  of  its  writers  in  consequence  of  the  necessity  of  the  new 
administration  for  suitable  men  to  send  abroad  as  ministers,  charge 
d'affaires,  and  consuls,  and  it  was  apparent  in  Washington  that  very 
few  diplomats  could  be  found  outside  of  that  establishment.  It  was 
announced  that  James  E.  Harvey,  the  chief  of  the  Tribune  bureau  in 
the  national  capital,  would  go«as  minister  to  Portugal,  James  S.  Pike 
as  minister  to  the  Hague,  and  several  other  writers  and  correspond- 
ents to  different  points  as  consuls,  custom-house  officers,  and  inter- 
nal revenue  assessors  and  collectors.  It  is  true  that  Harvey,  and 
Pike,  and  Cleveland,  and  several  other  fortunate  office-holders  under 
the  new  regime  were  interested  in  the  Tribune,  but  this  is  the  way 
Greeley,  on  the  3d  of  October,  1866,  disposed  of  the  matter,  and 
spiked  the  big  gun  of  one  of  its  neighbors  : 

JOURNALISM — OFFICE. 
The  World  says : 

The  Tribune  has  found  neither  time  nor  space,  as  yet,  to  give  a  column  or  two  to  a  list  of  the 
attaches  and  ex-attaches  of  the  Tribune  who  have  received,  or  begged;  or  now  hold  federal  appoint- 
ments, ranging  from  first-class  consulships  to  almost  any  class  clerkships.  The  Tribune,  probablj', 
has  not  had  a  correspondent  in  Washington  for  years  who  did  not  hold  a  nominal  clerkship  to  a 
Congressional  committee,  or  enjoy  some  other  sinecure. 

So  far  as  we  can  recollect,  Mr.  James  S.  Harvey,  minister  to  Portugal,  is  the 
only  person  ever  connected  with  the  Tribune  who  now  holds  any  office  under  the 
federal  government,  save  that  we  understand  that  Mr.  M'Elrath,  formerly  publish- 
er of  the  Tribune,  has  very  recently  been  appointed  to  a  place  in  the  Custom- 


554  Journalism  in  America. 

house.  We  need  hardly  say  that  neither  of  these  appointments  was  suggested  or 
prompted  by  us,  though  we  esteem  Mr.  M'Elrath  a  very  fit  and  worthy  man.  He 
was  once  before  in  some  revenue  place — perhaps  the  same  that  he  now  holds — 
until  we  won  him  away  from  it  by  offering  him  a  better  salary  than  the  govern- 
ment gave  him. 

As  a  very  large  proportion  of  those  Republicans  who  write  well  have,  at  some 
time  or  other,  written  for  the  Tribune,  we  really  can  not  say  how  many  "  attaches 
and  ex-attaches  of  the  Tribune"  have  either  had,  or  wished  they  had,  some  sort 
of  office.  It  would  not  be  possible  for  us  to  make  a  list  of  them.  We  might  pret- 
ty accurately  name  those  who  have  held  office  ;  but  as  to  those  who  sought  it  in- 
effectually, their  griefs  generally  lie  buried  in  their  own  bosoms.  All  we  can  say 
is,  that  we  have  paid  fairly  for  the  services  they  rendered  us,  and  they  have  fairly 
earned  the  money  we  paid  them,  so  that  we  consider  the  account  fairly  balanced. 
If  any  one  ever  made  his  connection  (past  or  present)  with  the  Tribune  a  claim 
to  office,  he  was  guilty  of  a  very  gross  impertinence,  for  which  he  had  neither 
authority  nor  excuse. 

As  to  our  correspondents  at  Washington,  we  have  paid  them  fully  for  their 
services,  and  have  been  fairly  entitled  to  their  whole  time.  If  any  of  them  ever 
sold  a  part  of  it  to  the  government,  he  defrauded  us,  and  deserved  the  severest  rep- 
rehension. No  appointment  of  any  correspondent  of  the  Tribune  to  any  "  clerk- 
ship" or  other  office  at  Washington  was  either  sought,  desired,  or  acquiesced  in 
by  us,  and,  if  any  such  infidelity  to  our  service  has  existed,  it  must  have  been  very 
rare.  Let  our  correspondents  take  notice  that  we  shall  henceforth  consider  the 
acceptance  of  any  government  employment  or  stipend  a  sufficient  reason  for  their 
dismissal  from  our  employment. 

Other  newspapers  were  represented  abroad.  Editors  make  splen- 
did diplomats.  James  Watson  Webb,  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer, 
who  had  been  charge  to  Austria,  was  appointed  minister  to  Brazil. 
John  Bigelow,  of  the  Evening  Post,  received  the  appointment  of  min- 
ister to  France  after  that  office  was  declined  by  James  Gordon  Ben- 
nett, of  the  Herald.  Allen  A.  Hall,  of  the  old  Nashville  Whig,  was 
minister  to  Bolivia ;  Edward  Jay  Morris,  of  the  Philadelphia  Inquirer, 
minister  to  Turkey  ;  and  Rufus  King,  formerly  editor  of  the  Albany 
Daily  Advertiser,  represented  this  blessed  nation  at  Rome.  Charles 
Hale,  of  the  Boston  Advertiser,  was  consul  general  to  Egypt,  where 
he  pleasantly  mingled  Oriental  with  Occidental  hospitality.  These 
appointments  were  made  by  President  Lincoln,  and  none  of  these 
distinguished  journalists  have  either  disgraced  their  profession  or 
their  country  while  dressed  in  the  plain  republican  diplomatic  cos- 
tume, so  neatly  arranged  by  that  eminent  statesman,William  L.  Mar- 
cy.  Still,  Greeley  was  right  not  to  have  too  many  offices  thrust 
upon  his  shoulders  at  one  time. 

One  of  the  newspapers,  in  noticing  the  political  campaign  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1871,  thus  spoke  of  some  of  the  candidates: 

Both  parties  in  Pennsylvania  are  honoring  their  editors  in  the  political  cam- 
paign this  fall.  For  instance,  there  is  Dr.  E.  L.  Acker,  editor  of  the  Norristown 
Register,  nominated  by  the  Democrats  of  Montgomery  and  Lehigh  for  Congress ; 
John  H.Oliver,  Esq.,  former  editor  of  the  Lehigh  Register,  nominated  by  the  Re- 
publicans for  Congress  in  the  same  district ;  Hon.  J.  Lawrence  Getz,  formerly  ed- 
itor of  the  Reading  Gazette,  nominated  by  the  Democrats  of  Berks  County  for  Con- 
gress ;  Hon.  H.  S.  Evans,  editor  of  the  Village  Record,  nominated  by  the  Repub- 
licans of  Chester,  Delaware,  and  Montgomery  counties  for  state  senator ;  Thom- 
as V.  Cooper,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  Media  American,  nominated  by  the  Republicans 


Editors  in  Office.  555 


of  Delaware  County  for  Assembly ;  J.  Irvin  Steele,  editor  of  the  Ashland  Advo- 
cate, nominated  by  the  Democrats  of  Schuylkill  County  for  Assembly ;  P.  Gray 
Meek,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  Bellefonte  Watchman,  nominated  by  the  Democrats  of 
Centre  County  for  Assembly ;  and  Thomas  Chalfont,  Esq.,  editor  of  the  Danville 
Intelligencer,  nominated  by  the  Democrats  of  Montour  County  for  Assembly. 

Since  the  indignant  and  very  proper  denial  of  Greeley  in  regard 
to  political  office,  he  has  been  elected  to  Congress ;  and  in  the  can- 
vass of  1869  for  a  portion  of  the  state  officers  of  New  York,  he  was 
the  unsuccessful  candidate  for  the  office  of  comptroller.  Twice 
efforts  have  been  made  to  send  him  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
On  the  first  occasion,  during  Greeley's  absence  at  the  West,  Charles 
A.  Dana,  then  managing  editor  of  the  Tribune,  personally  went  to 
Albany,  and,  with  that  energy  for  which  he  is  remarkable,  sought, 
by  all  the  legitimate  means  in  his  power,  to  have  his  chief  editor 
made  a  national  senator  by  the  Legislature.  Once  or  twice  he  has 
been  talked  of  for  postmaster  general.  When  General  Grant  came 
into  office,  it  was  his  intention  to  have  made  Greeley  minister  to 
England  instead  of  J.  Lathrop  Motley,  but  the  President  changed 
his  mind  after  a  personal  interview,  and  the  editor  of  the  Tribune  was 
afterwards  appointed  chief  government  commissioner  of  the  Pacific 
Railroad,  which  important  position  he  resigned  in  favor  of  General 
Hiram  Walbridge,  a  warm  personal  friend  of  his,  and  Greeley's  can- 
didate for  collector  of  the  port  of  New  York. 

In  1871,  when  Greeley  made  his  tour  through  the  Southern  States, 
after  a  special  visit  to  Texas,  he  became,  to  use  a  French  term,  an 
"officious"  candidate  for  the  presidency.  Before  the  Rebellion 
Greeley  was  anxious  to  live  in  a  country  where  he  could  travel  from 
one  end  to  the  other  with  as  much  safety  as  he  could  travel  in  Eu- 
rope or  New  England.  It  was  then  deemed  unsafe  for  an  anti-slav- 
ery man  to  travel  south  of  Mason  &  Dixon's  line.  The  editor  of 
the  Tribune  has  lived  long  enough  to  enjoy  this  privilege.  His  trip 
through  the  South  was  a  triumphal  march,  but  whether  or  not  to  the 
White  House  remains  to  be  seen.  Writers,  and  reporters,  and  edit- 
ors of  newspapers — Adams,  Madison,  Colfax — have  been  elevated  to 
the  presidency  and  vice-presidency ;  and  those  offices  may  hereafter 
be  bestowed  by  the  people  as  often  on  the  journalistic  as  on  the  mil- 
itary heroes  of  the  nation,  and,  perhaps,  with  more  political  safety. 

There  was  one  incident  connected  with  the  Tribune  that  created 
a  good  deal  of  excitement,  and  which  seriously  affected  its  editor  at 
the  time  of  its  occurrence.  While  the  rebel  army,  under  Beaure- 
gard,  and  the  Union  army,  under  M'Dowell,  were  encamped  oppo- 
site each  other  in  front  of  Washington  in  the  early  part  of  the  sum- 
mer of  1 86 1,  the  Tribune,  impatient  as  all  others  at  the  North  were 
at  the  apparent  unnecessary  delay  of  a  forward  movement,  almost 
daily  urged  an  immediate  advance  of  M'Dowell.  "On  to  Rich- 


556  Journalism  in  America. 

mond."  This  was  the  cry,  and  it  was  uttered  with  such  persistent 
energy,  that  finally  the  movement  was  made,  resulting  in  the  dis- 
graceful affair  at  Bull  Run  and  a  panic  throughout  the  North.  It 
was  necessary  that  some  one  should  suffer  for  this  deplorable  mili- 
tary fiasco,  and  it  was  thought  that  Greeley  was  the  one  to  shoulder 
the  entire  responsibility  of  the  movement  and  its  result.  He  there- 
fore was  compelled  to  take  it  in  all  its  unpopular  proportions  and 
weight.  On  the  25th  of  July,  1861,  he  came  out  in  the  Tribune  with 
a  rejoinder  to  the  numerous  attacks  made  upon  him : 

JUST  ONCE. 

An  individual's  griefs  or  wrongs  may  be  of  little  account  to  others  ;  but  when 
the  gravest  public  interests  are  imperiled  through  personal  attacks  and  the  coars- 
est imputations  of  base  motives,  the  assailed,  however  humble,  owes  duties  to 
others  which  can  not  be  disregarded.  I  propose  here  to  refute  months  of  persist- 
ent and  envenomed  defamation  by  the  statement  of  a  few  facts. 

I  am  charged  with  having  opposed  the  selection  of  Governor  Seward  for  a  place 
in  President  Lincoln's  cabinet.  That  is  utterly,  absolutely  false,  the  President 
himself  being  my  witness.  I  might  call  many  others,  but  one  such  is  sufficient. 

I  am  charged  with  what  is  called  "  opposing  the  administration"  because  of 
that  selection,  and  various  paragraphs  which  have  from  time  to  time  appeared  in 
the  Tribune  are  quoted  to  sustain  this  inculpation.  The  simple  fact  that  not  one 
of  those  paragraphs  was  either  written  or  in  any  wise  suggested  or  prompted  by 
me  suffices  for  that  charge.  It  is  true — I  have  no  desire  to  conceal  or  belittle  it 
— that  my  ideas  as  to  the  general  conduct  of  the  war  for  the  Union  are  those  re- 
peatedly expressed  by  myself  and  others  through  the  Tribune,  and  of  course  are 
not  those  on  which  the  conduct  of  that  war  has  been  based.  It  is  true  that  I  hold 
and  have  urged  that  this  war  can  not,  must  not,  be  a  long  one ;  that  it  must  be 
prosecuted  with  the  utmost  energy,  promptness,  and  vigor,  or  it  will  prove  a  fail- 
ure ;  that  every  week's  flying  of  the  secession  flag  defiantly  within  a  day's  walk 
of  Washington  renders  the  suppression  of  the  revolt  more  difficult,  if  not  doubt- 
ful. It  is  true  that  I  think  a  government  that  begins  the  work  of  putting  down  a 
rebellion  by  forming1'1  camps  of  instruction"  or  any  thing  of  that  sort,  is  likely  to 
make  a  -very  long  job  of  it.  It  is  true  that  I  think  our  obvious  policy,  under  the 
circumstances,  would  have  been  to  be  courteoiis  and  long-suffering  towards  foreign 
powers,  but  resolute  and  ready  in  our  dealings  with  armed  rebels  ;  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  the  opposite  course  has  been  taken.  But  the  watchword,  "Forward  to  Rich~ 
mond"  is  not  mine,  nor  any  thing  of  like  import.  I  wish  to  evade  no  responsibility, 
but  to  repel  a  personal  aspersion.  So  with  regard  to  the  late  article  urging  a  change 
in  the  cabinet.  While  I  know  that  some  of  the  best  material  in  the  country  enters 
into  the  composition  of  that  cabinet,  I  yet  feel  that  changes  might  be  made  therein 
with  advantage  to  the  public  service.  Yet  I  did  not  write,  and  I  did  not  intend  to 
have  published,  the  article  calling  for  a  change  of  cabinet,  which  only  appears 
through  a  misapprehension.  I  shrunk  from  printing  it  in  part  because  any  good 
effect  it  might  have  was  likely  to  be  neutralized  by  the  very  course  which  had 
been  taken — that  of  assailing  me  as  its  supposed  author. 

I  have  no  desire  in  the  premises  but  that  what  is  best  for  the  country  shall  be 
done.  If  the  public  judge  that  this  great  end — an  energetic  and  successful  pros- 
ecution of  the  war — will  be  most  surely  subserved  by  retaining  the  cabinet  as  it 
is,  I  acquiesce  in  that  decision.  The  end  being  secured,  the  means  are  to  me  ut- 
terly indifferent. 

I  wish  to  be  distinctly  understood  as  not  seeking  to  be  relieved  from  any  re- 
sponsibility for  urging  the  advance  of  the  Union  grand  army  into  Virginia,  though 
the  precise  phrase,  "  Fonuard  to  Richmond  !"  is  not  mine,  and  I  would  have  pre- 
ferred not  to  iterate  it.  I  thought  that  that  army,  one  hundred  thousand  strong, 
might  have  been  in  the  rebel  capital  on  or  before  the  2Oth  instant,  while  I  felt 
that  there  were  urgent  reasons  why  it  should  be  there  if  possible.  And  now,  if 
any  one  imagine  that  I,  or  any  one  connected  with  the  Tribune,  ever  commanded 


The  Draft  Riots  in  New  York.  557 

or  imagined  such  strategy  as  the  launching  of  barely  thirty  thousand  of  the  one 
hundred  thousand  Union  volunteers  within  fifty  miles  of  Washington  against 
ninety  thousand  rebels  enveloped  in  a  labyrinth  of  strong  intrenchments  and  un- 
reconnoitred  masked  batteries,  then  demonstration  would  be  lost  on  his  closed 
ear.  But  I  will  not  dwell  on  this.  If  I  am  needed  as  a  scape-goat  for  all  the  mili- 
tary blunders  of  the  last  month,  so  be  it.  Individuals  must  die  that  the  nation  may 
live.  If  I  can  serve  her  best  in  that  capacity,  I  do  not  shrink  from  the  ordeal. 

Henceforth  I  bar  all  criticism  in  these  columns  on  army  movements,  past  or 
future,  unless  somebody  should  undertake  to  prove  that  General  Patterson  is  a 
wise  and  brave  commander.  He  seems  to  have  none  to  speak  his  praises  ;  so, 
if  there  is  any  thing  to  be  said  in  his  behalf,  I  will  make  an  exception  in  his  favor. 
Other  than  this,  the  subject  is  closed  and  sealed.  Correspondents  and  reporters 
may  state  facts,  but  must  forbear  comments.  I  know  that  there  is  truth  that  yet 
needs  be  uttered  on  this  subject,  but  this  paper  has  done  its  full  share — all  that  it 
ought,  and  perhaps  more  than  it  could  afford  to  do — and  henceforth  stands  back 
for  others.  Only  I  beg  it  to  be  understood — once  for  all — that  if  less  than  half 
the  Union  armies  directly  at  hand  are  hurled  against  all  the  rebel  forces  that  could 
be  concentrated — more  than  double  their  number — on  ground  specially  chosen  and 
strongly  fortified  by  the  traitors,  the  Tribune  does  not  approve  and  should  not  be 
held  responsible  for  such  madness.  Say  "what  you  will  of  the  past,  but  remember 
this  for  the  future,  though  ive  keep  silence. 

Henceforth  it  shall  be  the  Tribune"1*  sole  vocation  to  rouse  and  animate  the 
American  people  for  the  terrible  ordeal  which  has  befallen  them.  The  great  re- 
public eminently  needs  the  utmost  exertions  of  every  loyal  heart  and  hand.  We 
have  tried  to  serve  her  by  exposing  breakers  ahead  and  around  her ;  henceforth  be 
it  ours  to  strengthen,  in  all  possible  ways,  the  hands  of  those  whose  unenviable  duty 
it  is  to  pilot  her  through  them.  If  more  good  is  thus  to  be  done,  let  us  not  repine 
that  some  truth  must  be  withheld  for  a  calmer  moment,  and  for  less  troubled  ears. 

The  journal  which  is  made  the  conduit  of  the  most  violent  of  these  personal 
assaults  on  me  attributes  the  course  of  the  Tribune  to  resentment  "  against  those 
who  have  ever  committed  the  inexpiable  offense  of  thwarting  Mr.  Greeley's  raging 
and  unsatiated  thirst  for  office." 

I  think  this  justifies  me  in  saying  that  there  is  no  office  in  the  gift  of  the  gov- 
ernment or  of  the  people  which  I  either  hope,  wish,  or  expect  ever  to  hold.  I 
certainly  shall  not  parade  myself  as  declining  places  that  are  not  offered  for  my 
acceptance  ;  but  I  am  sure  the  President  has  always  known  that  I  desired  no  of- 
fice at  his  hands  ;  and  this,  not  through  any  violation  of  my  rule  above  stated,  but 
through  the  report  of  mutual  and  influential  friends,  who  at  various  times  volun- 
teered to  ask  me  if  I  would  take  any  place  whatever  under  the  government,  and 
were  uniformly  and  conclusively  assured  that  I  would  not.  . 

Arow  let  the  wolves  howl  on.  I  do  not  believe  they  can  goad  me  into  another 
personal  notice  of  their  ravings.  HORACE  GREELEY. 

July  24, 1861. 

No  one  who  lived  in  New  York  City  in  the  summer  of  1863  will 
ever  forget  the  terrible  "  draft  riots"  which  threatened  so  much  dam- 
age to  the  metropolis.  The  war  between  the  Communists  of  Paris 
and  the  Versailles  government  exceeded  them  a  thousand  fold  in 
the  horrible  scenes  enacted  in  the  streets  of  the  French  capital ; 
but  the  citizens  of  New  York  were  unused  to  such  scenes,  notwith- 
standing the  many  riots  that  have  occurred  there,,  and  in  the  help- 
less condition  of  the  city  in  the  summer  of  1863,  in  consequence  of 
the  absence  of  the  state  troops  in  Pennsylvania,  there  was  a  terror 
in  the  uncertainty  of  the  hour  more  than  in  the  reality  of  the  dis- 
turbance or  the  destruction  of  property.  One  of  the  objects  of  at- 
tack, in  the  programme  of  the  mob,  was  the  Tribtine  establishment. 
One  of  the  patrolmen  engaged  in  suppressing  the  riot,  in  speaking 


558  Journalism  in  America. 

of  a  pictorial  illustration  of  the  scene,  thus  accurately  described  the 
affair  in  Printing-House  Square  on  that  memorable  occasion : 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  July  13,  1863,  a  number  of  the  police  force  belonging 
to  the  lower  precincts  were  held  in  reserve  at  the  City  Hall  for  the  preservation 
of  peace  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  A  report  reached  us  that  the  mob  were 
murdering  the  negroes  down  in  the  First  Precinct.  We  turned  out  to  "  nip  this 
in  the  bud,"  and  after  scouring  part  of  the  First  and  Second  Wards,  we  started 
to  return  to  the  City  Hall.  The  Twenty-sixth  Precinct  men,  led  by  Captain  T. 
Thorn,  came  up  Nassau  Street.  I  think  we  numbered  32  men.  When  we  got 
in  sight  of  the  Tribune  office,  we  could  see  books  and  papers  flying  from  the  office 
into  the  street.  As  it  had  been  reported  all  the  afternoon  that  the  Tribune  was 
to  be  destroyed,  we  concluded,  from  the  appearance  of  things,  that  the  mob  had 
commenced  their  work.  Captain  Thorn,  without  halting  his  men,  shouted,  "Boys, 
they  have  attacked  the  Tribune.  Keep  together,  boys.  Steady  !  Let  them  feel 
your  clubs.  Forward,  double  quick — march."  The  rush  to  the  south  corner  of 
Spruce  Street  was  more  than  double  quick.  Here  we  encountered  the  mob,  and 
every  rioter  who  could  not  get  out  of  the  way  went  down.  The  scene  was  an  ex- 
citing one  for  some  minutes.  Every  man  of  that  little  party  realized  the  fact  that 
his  life  depended  on  the  sudden  effect  of  the  onslaught.  There  were  not  less  than 
5000  rioters  and  only  about  32  of  us.  We  were  equal  to  the  emergency.  I  think 
in  about  four  minutes  we  drove  them  out  of  the  office,  and  stamped  out  the  fire 
with  our  feet  that  they  had  kindled  to  burn  it  down.  There  were  not  more  than 
eight  or  ten  of  us  got  into  the  office.  The  others  followed  up  the  attack  and 
drove  the  mob  toward  Frankfort  Street  and  across  the  square  into  the  Park. 
This  scene  was  all  enacted  in  about  ten  minutes,  when  we  were  re-enforced  by 
the  men  of  the  other  lower  precincts.  Then  it  was  we  drove  the  mob  across  the 
Park.  The  painting  referred  to  represents  the  flying  rioters,  met  by  Inspector 
Carpenter  and  his  force  in  the  Park  in  front  of  the  City  Hall,  and  it  is  a  good 
representation  of  that  incident. 

There  were  five  thousand  men  and  boys  in  front  of  the  Tribune 
office  at  the  time  mentioned,  but  not  more  than  a  hundred,  if  so 
many,  were  actually  engaged  in  the  attack  on  the  building ;  the 
others  were  spectators.  But  in  the  eyes  of  the  policemen  and  the 
law  the  entire  crowd  were  rioters,  and  treated  as  such.  Newspaper 
reporters  who  were  there  were  looked  upon  as  a  part  of  the  mob, 
because  they  were  unknown.  Still,  the  conduct  of  the  police  as  it 
marched  up  Nassau  Street,  and  in  the  assault  on  the  rioters,  was 
splendidly  courageous,  and  the  Tribune  building  was  thus  saved 
from  destruction  by  fire,  and  the  city  the  cost  of  rebuilding  that  es- 
tablishment. 

Another  scene  connected  with  the  Tribune  during  these  disturb- 
ances was  the  reported  retreat  of  its  editor  to  Windust's  restaurant, 
and  seeking  safety,  some  said, "  under  a  table,"  and  others  asserted 
"in  a  huge  refrigerator."  After  these  reports  had  become  almost 
historic  by  repetition,  Mr.  Greeley  denounced  the  story  of  his  "  hid- 
ing" as  false,  and  gave  the  following  graphic  and  emphatic  account 
of  the  circumstances  : 

On  the  I3th  of  July,  1863  (the  first  day  of  the  Draft  Riots  in  our  city),  the  edi- 
tor of  the  Tribune  was  visited  in  his  office  about  midday  by  a  devoted  friend,  who 
urged  and  entreated  him  to  accompany  the  said  friend  to  his  home,  a  few  miles 
distant.  That  friend  assured  him  that  he  knew  that  the  life  of  said  editor  was  to 
be  taken  forthwith— that  it  had  been  plotted  and  settled  that  he  should  be  an 


The  Managing  Editors  of  the  Tribune.       559 

early  and  certain  victim  of  the  ruffian  mob  then  howling  about  the  Tribune  office, 
and  inciting  each  other  to  the  assault,  which  they  actually  made  at  dusk  that  night, 
when  they  smashed  the  windows,  furniture,  etc.,  and  set  fire  to  the  building,  but 
were  promptly  routed  and  expelled  by  the  police.  Riot,  arson,  and  pillage  were 
then  rife  in  different  sections  of  our  city,  of  which  the  rebel  mob  appeared  to  have 
undisputed  possession.  The  editor  (who  writes  this)  informed  his  friend  that 
nothing  would  induce  him  to  leave  the  city — that  he  was  where  he  had  a  right  to 
be,  and  where  he  should  remain.  That  friend,  after  exhausting  remonstrance  and 
entreaty,  left  him  to  his  fate,  not  expecting  to  see  him  again.  About  five  P.M.  of 
that  day,  the  editor,  having  finished  his  work  at  the  office,  went  over  to  Win- 
dust's  eating-house  for  his  dinner,  passing  through  the  howling  mob  for  nearly  the 
entire  distance,  and  recognized  by  several  of  them.  Two  friends  accompanied 
him,  but  not  at  his  invitation  or  suggestion.  Neither  of  the  three  was  armed.  At 
Windust's  dinner  was  ordered  and  eaten  exactly  as  on  other  days,  but  in  the  lar- 
gest room  in  the  house,  without  a  shadow  of  concealment  or  hiding  of  any  kind. 
Dinner  finished,  the  editor  took  a  carriage  and  drove  to  his  lodging,  where  he  re- 
sumed writing  for  the  Tribune,  and  continued  it  through  the  evening,  sending 
down  his  copy  to  the  office,  and  being  visited  thence  by  friends  who  informed  him 
of  the  mob's  assault,  and  the  narrow  escape  of  the  building  and  contents  from  de- 
struction. Remaining  all  night  at  his  lodging,  he  returned  next  morning  to  the 
office  (now  being  armed),  saw  from  a  window  the  mob  howling  in  its  front  hastily 
repair  to  the  City  Hall  Park,  there  to  listen  to  a  harangue  from  Horatio  Seymour, 
and  remained  there  nearly  to  the  close  of  the  day  (Tuesday),  when  he  was  finally 
induced  to  leave  by  the  representation  of  the  good  and  true  soldier  who  com- 
manded it  as  fortress,  that  he  would  prefer  that  the  mob  should  not  be  provided 
with  the  extra  inducement  for  assault  which  the  known  presence  of  Mr.  Greeley 
in  the  building  would  afford.  He  returned  to  the  office  the  next  morning,  though 
the  first  hackman  to  whom  he  applied  refused  to  let  him  enter  his  carriage  ;  and 
he  was  in  the  office  nearly  throughout  each  day  of  that  memorable  week  up  to 
Friday  evening,  when  he  (as  usual)  took  the  Harlem  cars  for  his  home  at  Chap- 
paqua,  where  he  spent  the  Saturday,  as  he  has  done  nearly  every  Saturday,  save 
in  winter,  for  the  last  fifteen  years.  And  whoever  asserts  that  he,  at  any  time  that 
week,  "was  hiding  under  Windust's  table,"  is  a  branded  liar  and  villain,  as  Mr. 
Windust,  Mr.  William  A.  Hall,  and  other  surviving  and  most  credible  witnesses 
will  gladly  attest. 

One  of  the  chief  troubles  of  the  Tribune  has  been  its  "  managing 
editors,"  a  title  lately  introduced  in  the  offices  of  the  Metropolitan 
Press.  It  is  a  French  idea :  in  Paris  they  are  called  Directeur  ge- 
rant ;  but  we  borrowed  the  title  direct  from  the  London  Times.  If  a 
journal  has  an  editor,  and  editor-in-chief,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that 
he  is  also  its  managing  editor.  What  is  a  manager  but  one  having 
control  of  the  institution  managed  ?  Now,  besides  these  editors-in- 
chief,  the  leading  journals  of  New  York  have  managing  editors,  who 
not  only  make  an  effort  to  manage  the  chief  editor,  but  frequently 
manage  to  get  into  hot  water.  The  Tribune  has  had  four  managing 
editors  :  ist,  Charles  A.  Dana;  2d,  Sidney  Howard  Gay;  3d,  John 
Russell  Young ;  4th,  Whitelaw  Reid.  It  is  almost  unnecessary  to 
speak  of  the  two  first,  because  they  are  already  well  known ;  one  is 
the  present  editor  and  shining  light  of  the  Sun,  and  the  other  has 
been  "  managing  editor"  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  and  is  now  an  as- 
sistant editor  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post;  but  of  the  third  this 
history  would  be  more  incomplete  than  it  is  if  his  name  is  not  men- 
tioned. There  appears  to  be  a  strong  and  strange  desire  on  the 
part  of  some  journalists  to  double  and  treble  themselves.  John  R. 


560  Journalism  in  America. 

Forney,  for  a  number  of  years  the  chief  Demociatic  politician  of 
Pennsylvania,  afterwards  secretary  of  the  United  States  Senate,  and 
lately  collector  of  the  customs  at  Philadelphia,  in  one  of  his  letters 
spoke  of  his  "  two  papers — both  daily,"  thereby  inductively  claiming 
his  share  of  influence  with  the  public.  These  two  papers  were  the 
Washington  Chronicle  and  Philadelphia  Press.  This  idea  was  orig- 
inal with  Daniel  de  Foe,  who,  at  one  time,  in  the  early  part  of  last 
century,  wrote  for  six  or  seven  flourishing  newspapers  in  that  inter- 
esting period  of  English  history.  It  is  related  of  Lord  Brougham 
that  he  would  write  a  powerful  article  for  the  London  Times  on  one 
day,  and  reply  to  it  yet  more  powerfully  in  the  Chronicle  of  the  next 
morning.  Thus  this  distinguished  statesman  clearly  had  "  two  pa- 
pers— both  daily,"  at  his  command.  Swain,  Abell  &  Simmons  were 
not  content  with  the  Philadelphia  Ledger;  they  established  the  Bal- 
timore Sun,  and  Swain  was  very  desirous  of  starting  a  paper  in  New 
York.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  with  all  his  shrewdness,  contem- 
plated in  1840,  in  the  fullness  of  his  early  enterprise,  when  the  Cu- 
nard  steamers  commenced  their  trips,  establishing  a  paper  in  Bos- 
ton in  connection  with  the  New  York  Herald.  So  they  run.  John 
Russell  Young,  of  the  Tribune,  had  this  mania.  He  became  a  lead- 
ing journalist  in  one  jump.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  being  "man- 
aging editor"  of  the  Tribune.  So,  if  we  believe  the  record,  he  pub- 
lished "three  papers  —  all  daily:"  the  Tribune  in  New  York,  and 
the  Star  and  Post  in  Philadelphia ;  and  in  his  efforts  to  make  the 
trio  successful,  he  came  in  collision  with  Simonton,the  general  agent 
of  the  Associated  Press,  who,  en  passant,  is  not  only  the  manager  of 
this  influential  association  of  newspapers  all  over  the  country,  but 
owns  and  edits  one  or  two  in  California.  When  this  collision  be- 
tween Simonton  and  Young  occurred,  the  New  York  Sun  came  to 
the  rescue,  and  appeared  one  balmy  April  morning  in  1869  with  a 
shower  of  brilliant  letters  written  by  Young,  full  of  electric  sparks 
and  politics,  and  indicating,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Sun,  a  wrong 
use  of  the  news  belonging  to  the  Associated  Press.  The  result  was 
a  veritable  sensation  in  Printing-House  Square.  The  Tribune,  on 
the  ist  of  May,  1869,  in  reply,  over  the  initials  of  H.  G.,  said  : 
********* 
The  charges  on  which  Mr.Young  stands  arraigned  by  the  Sim  on  the  strength 
of  these  letters  are  substantially  these  : 

1.  Having  an  exaggerated  conceit  of  his  own  abilities  and  qualifications  for 
journalism,  with  a  corresponding  defective  appreciation  of  the  merits  of  his  pres- 
ent or  recent  associates. 

2.  Abusing  his  position  on  the  Tribune,  and  his  influence  as  a  journalist,  to 
promote  his  private  ends,  and  especially  to  procure  loans  or  subsidies  for  his  or 
his  friends'  Philadelphia  venture  or  ventures. 

3.  Betraying  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  this  establishment  to  transmit 
surreptitiously  the  dispatches  of  the  Associated  Press  to  his  Philadelphia  journal 
or  journals  not  entitled  to  receive  them. 


Interview  with  Editor  Greeley.  561 

With  the  first  of  these  imputations  the  public  has  no  proper  business ;  the  sec- 
ond, we  are  confident,  is  false  and  unfounded ;  the  third,  we  trust,  will  prove  equal- 
ly so  ;  but  this  involves  the  interests  of  others  whose  right  to  a  searching  inves- 
tigation is  unquestionable,  no  matter  what  they  must  think  of  the  means  whereby 
it  has  been  rendered  necessary.  We  call,  therefore,  upon  our  partners  in  the  As- 
sociated Press  to  institute  forthwith  a  rigorous  scrutiny,  before  some  impartial  ar- 
biter or  tribunal,  of  the  charges  against  Mr.  Young  with  regard  to  the  dispatches 
of  the  association,  proposing  to  take  no  part  in  that  scrutiny  unless  we  are  made 
the  party  defendant,  but  insisting  that  Mr.  Young,  or  whoever  may  be  suspected 
or  implicated,  shall  not  be  stabbed  in  the  back,  but  shall  have  the  fullest  oppor- 
tunity for  explanation  and  defense.  We  need  not  add  that  we  consider  the  of- 
fense alleged  a  very  grave  one,  especially  if  the  offender  be  one  honored  and  trust- 
ed as  Mr.Young  has  been.  But,  pending  such  scrutiny,  we  beg  that  it  be  under- 
stood that  Mr.Young  has  not  been  removed,  nor  suspended,  nor  in  any  manner 
condemned  by  us,  as  has  been  mistakenly  asserted  by  the  Sun  and  telegraphed 
all  over  the  country.  It  is  not  our  custom  to  pass  judgment  on  any  one  on  the 
strength  of  a  mere  indictment,  especially  when  the  finding  of  it  was  plainly  im- 
pelled by  envy,  malice,  and  blighted  aspirations. 

Shortly  after  this  Mr.  Young's  connection  with  the  Tribune  ceased, 
and  subsequently  he  established  the  Standard,  a  two-cent  paper,  in 
New  York.  Mr.  Young  is  now  said  to  be  the  Paris  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Herald.  He  is  a  brilliant  writer,  and  Mr.  Greeley  con- 
siders him  an  accomplished  journalist.  Greeley  stands  by  his  friends 
with  splendid  tenacity.  He  would  not  desert  Young.  He  clung  to 
Seward  and  Weed.  Illustrative  of  this  fact,  we  subjoin  an  account 
of  an  interview  between  Mr.  G.  and  a  reporter  of  the  Sun,  which  ap- 
peared in  print  on  the  nth  of  December,  1869.  One  of  the  writers 
and  shareholders  of  the  Tribune,  Albert  D.  Richardson,  had  been 
shot  in  that  office  by  Daniel  M'Farland  for  alleged  improper  inti- 
macy with  Mrs.  M'Farland,  and  just  before  the  death  of  the  unfor- 
tunate man  at  the  Astor  House,  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  had 
performed  the  ceremony  of  marriage  between  Richardson  and  Mrs. 
M'Farland.  Mr.  Beecher,  in  one  of  his  statements,  said  that  he  did 
this  at  the  request  of  his  "  old  friend  Greeley."  But  here  is  the  ac- 
count of  the  interview : 

Reporter.  There  must  be  some  misunderstanding ;  for  Mr.  Beecher  most  as- 
suredly told  me,  in  his  own  house,  that  you  did  ask  him,  or,  at  least,  he  was  led  to 
understand  that  you  so  asked  him. 

Mr.  Greeley.  Whom  did  Mr.  Beecher  name  as  representing  me  in  this  request, 
or  in  leading  him  to  understand  that  I  made  it  ? 

Reporter.  Mrs.  Calhoun. 

Mr.  Greeley.  I  can  explain  that.  I  was  not  well  acquainted,  or  personally  inti- 
mate with  Mr. Richardson,  nor  did  I  know  Mrs.  M'Farland,  but  Mrs.  Calhoun  said 
she  knew  all  about  them.  So  I  wrote  a  letter  of  introduction  for  her  to  Mr. 
Beecher,  telling  him  that  she  would  explain  her  business,  and  I  presume  she  did ; 
but  I  knew  very  little,  next  to  nothing,  about  the  matter,  and  I  certainly  never  ask- 
ed Mr.  Beecher  or  any  body  else  to  marry  them,  or  any  body  else,  in  the  -whole  course 
of  my  life.  I  have  other  things  to  think  about  besides  getting  people  married. 
Besides,  why  didn't  you  ask  Mr.  Beecher  to  show  you  the  letter  I  wrote  to  him  in- 
troducing Mrs.Calhoun?  If  he  told  you  all  the  rest,  he  would  have  been  willing 
enough,  I  should  thinkj  to  show  you  the  letter,  if  you  had  asked  him  for  it. 

Reporter.  Well,  all  I  can  say  is,  Mr.  Greeley,  that  Mr.  Beecher  certainly  must 
have  imagined  and  believed,  from  what  he  told  me,  that  it  was  your  wish  that  the 
marriage  should  be  consummated,  or  he  would  never  have  promised  Mrs.  Cal- 

N  N 


562  Journalism  in  America. 

houn,  even  conditionally,  to  solemnize  it.  He  certainly  said  that  he  considered 
Mrs.Calhoun  as  your  representative. 

Mr.  Greeley.  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  Mrs.  Calhoun  told  Mr.  Beecher  the 
truth — that  you  may  be  sure  of.  You  may  depend  what  she  said  was  true,  every 
word  of  it ;  but  I  gave  her  no  authority  to  represent  me  ;  nobody  can  represent  me. 

Reporter.  There  you  are  right,  Mr.  Greeley.  No  one  can  adequately  represent 
so  wonderful  a  man.  (Mutual  bows.) 

Mr.  Greeley.  But  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  sir,  there  are  plenty  of  people  who  can 
/w/jrepresent  me,  and  they  are  doing  it  just  about  all  the  time. 

Reporter.  How  ? 

Mr.  Greeley.  In  the  newspapers — in  the  Herald,  the  Sunday  Mercury — all  the 
papers.  They  have  all  told  lies  about  me,  and  the  people  believe  them,  because 
they  want  to,  or  because  they  don't  know  any  better — just  as  in  the  Jeff.  Davis  case. 
Why,  they  have  all  garbled  the  evidence  in  this  matter  regarding  the  Sinclairs. 

Reporter.  In  what  respects  ? 

Mr.  Greeley.  Why,  they  have  suppressed  in  their  published  reports  all  the  ma- 
terial facts  in  the  testimony.  What  if  Mr.  Richardson  and  Mrs.  M'Farland  did  oc- 
cupy the  same  room,  or  about  the  same  room,  as  they  call  it,  don't  they  know  well 
enough  that  Mr.  Richardson  was  a  wounded  and  feeble  man  ?  But,  no,  it  don't 
suit  the  papers  to  publish  THAT.  If  all  the  testimony  was  published,  the  Sinclairs 
would  be  all  right ;  but,  no,  they  must  garble  it  to  suit  their  d — d  petty  malice. 
No ;  the  Sinclairs  and  all  the  rest  of  us  must  be  identified  with  this  Free-love 
crowd.  By  G — d  (bringing  his  venerable  fist  upon  the  desk),  there's  no  such 
crowd,  at  least  not  around  the  Tribune  office.  The  whole  thing  has  been  got  up 
by  the  enemies  of  the  Tribune. 

Reporter.  I  do  not  exactly  understand. 

Mr.  Greeley.  There  is  the  World,  for  instance,  talking  about  the  morality  of  the 
Tribune,  when  it  hasn't  any  of  its  own.  Why,  if  it  hadn't  been  that  the  parties 
were  in  some  way  or  other  connected  with  the  Tribune,  there  wouldn't  have  been 
a  mother's  son  of  the  whole  lot  but  would  have  thought  it  all  right  that  Mrs.  M'Far- 
land should  be  called  Mrs.  Richardson  ;  for,  after  all,  it  was  only  the  matter  of  a 
name. 

Reporter.  Only  the  matter  of  a  name,  Mr.  Greeley  ? 

Mr.  Greeley.  Yes,  whether  a  woman  should  be  called  Richardson,  or  whether 
she  should  be  called  M'Farland — nothing  more.  Because,  as  Mr.  Beecher  says,  it 
was  understood  that  the  marriage  was  not  to  be  consummated  unless  Richardson 
was  about  to  die.  In  that  case  nobody  could  be  hurt  by  the  marriage.  It  was 
only  a  matter  of  benefiting  the  children. 

Reporter  (innocently).  Whose  children  ?     M'Farland's  ? 

Mr.  Greeley.  No ;  they  had  a  protector — at  least  they  had  their  father.  But 
Richardson's  children  I  mean.  It  was  to  leave  his  children  with  a  parent — it  was 
for  Richardson's  children  that  the  thing  was  done.  Mind,  I  don't  back  out  of  it 
(emphatically) ;  not  a  bit  of  it.  I  think  it  was  rightly  done — that  this  woman 
should  be  called  Mrs.  Richardson,  not  Mrs.  M'Farland. 

These  interviews,  if  correctly  reported,  are  of  as  much  value  to 
the  public  as  to  those  whose  conversations  are  given.  But  in  this 
case  there  was  evidently  a  misunderstanding,  as  the  editor  of  the 
Tribune  was  constrained  to  send  a  correction  to  the  Sun.  In  giving 
the  conversation  and  the  correction^we  do  so  to  point  a  moral,  and 
show  a  little  of  the  animus  of  the  Metropolitan  Press  in  matters  ap- 
pertaining to  themselves : 

TO  THE   EDITOR  OF  THE  SUN  : 

SIR, — I  thought  I  might  be  allowed  to  keep  silence  with  regard  to  the  circum- 
stances preceding  and  attending  the  murder  of  my  late  associate  and  friend,  Al- 
bert D.  Richardson  ;  but  one  of  your  reporters,  who  called  on  me  on  Friday,  and 
concealed  from  me  the  fact  of  his  connection  with  the  Sun,  has  given  an  account 
of  our  interview  so  full  of  errors  that  I  can  not  leave  them  wholly  unnoticed. 

Passing  over  many,  I  desire  to  assure  your  readers  that  no  name  of  the  Supreme 


Origin  of  Interviewing.  563 

Being  was  used  by  me  in  that  conversation,  whether  profanely  or  otherwise  ;  that 
I  said  nothing  of  the  morality  or  immorality  of  the  World,  unless  an  allusion  to 
its  animus  in  this  matter  can  be  tortured  into  that ;  that  I  did  not  say  "  I  will 
have  to  testify"  on  the  trial  of  M'Farland  (that  being  a  matter  over  which  I  have 
no  control).  I  did  not  say,  "  I  don't  want  to  hurt  Mac ;"  did  not — but  I  must 
stop  correcting  somewhere,  and  will  stop  here. 

What  I  did  say  with  regard  to  the  main  point  in  controversy  was  substantially 
this — that  this  marriage  on  a  death-bed,  besides  giving  the  woman  a  legal  right 
to  be  a  mother  to  Richardson's  young  and  doubly  orphaned  children,  was  opera- 
tive mainly  in  giving  her  a  right,  throughout  her  black  and  bitter  future,  to  be 
called  by  the  name  of  him  who  for  her  sake  was  so  foully  murdered,  rather  than 
that  of  his  stealthy,  cowardly  assassin ;  and  this  small  mitigation  of  her  immeas- 
urable woes  I  regarded  as  humane  and  just.  That  is  my  opinion,  and  I  propose 
to  stand  by  it.  Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

Interviews  with  distinguished  individuals  is  now  quite  a  feature 
in  New  York  journalism.  '  It  was  commenced  by  the  New  York 
Herald  in  1859,  at  the  time  of  the  celebrated  John  Brown  raid  at 
Harper's  Ferry.  Among  others  implicated  in  that  affair  was  the 
well-known  Gerrit  Smith.  One  of  the  special  reporters  of  the  Her- 
ald was  dispatched  to  his  residence  at  Peterborough,  where  he  had 
a  long  interview  with  that  distinguished  philanthropist.  This  was 
published  in  full,  in  conversational  style,  and  produced  a  sensation. 
It  was  the  origin  of"  interviewing."  Interviews  were  had  on  the  eve 
of  the  rebellion,  in  1860,  with  leading  rebels  at  their  homes;  one, 
in  particular,  between  Alexander  H.  Stephens,  and  Robert  Toombs, 
and  a  special  correspondent  of  the  Herald,  with  entertaining  and 
instructive  results.  After  the  war  they  were  continued  with  lead- 
ing statesmen,  army  and  navy  officers,  and  politicians,  giving  these 
prominent  men  an  excellent  opportunity  to  communicate  with  the 
people,  and  enabling  the  journalist  to  lay  a  vast  deal  of  thought  and 
intelligence  before  his  readers.  This  feature  in  news  was  extended 

O  ..,.,- 

to  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  Thus  Napoleon,  Bismarck,  Antonelli, 
General  Grant,  the  Catholic  Cardinal-Bishop  of  London,  Count  Mem- 
brea,  the  Premier  of  Italy,  the  Prime  Minister  of  Egypt,  Von  Beust, 
the  Chancellor  of  Austria,  one  of  the  Rajahs  of  India,  General  Sher- 
man, Cyrus  W.  Field,  General  Butler,  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  the 
Emperor  of  Brazil,  at  home  and  in  Egypt,  Secretary  Boutwell,  Mayor 
Hall,  ex-President  Johnson,  among  others,  were  interviewed.  Meet- 
ing the  Emperor  of  Brazil  in  Cairo  in  November,  1871,  one  of  the 
correspondents  of  the  Herald  said  to  him  : 

Correspondent.  I  see  a  copy  of  Galigttani,  containing  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Seward,  from  the  New  York  Herald,  on  your  table.  Has  your  majesty  read  it  ? 

Do m  Pedro.  I  did,  with  interest.  Mr.  Seward  has  been  a  great  traveler,  and 
seems  to  have  thoroughly  improved  his  opportunities  for  observation.  I  shall 
not  be  able  to  go  so  far  as  he  has  done.  By  the  way,  I  suppose  I  am  now  being 
"  interviewed,"  which,  I  believe,  is  the  term. 

Correspondent.  Yes,  your  majesty ;  but  I  will  with  pleasure  submit  my  manu- 
script to  your  secretary  if  there  should  be  any  thing  you  may  wish  expunged. 

Dom  Pedro.  Thank  you ;  but  perhaps  it  will  not  matter.  I  have  been  in  a  con- 
stant state  of  "  interview"  all  my  life,  and  consequently  say  nothing  I  am  not  wil- 


564  Journalism  in  America. 

ling  to  have  made  public.  It  is  rather  novel,  though,  to  find  a  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Herald  under  the  shadow  of  the  Pyramids. 

Correspondent.  They  are  very  enterprising  men,  the  Herald  correspondents,  and 
go  every  where. 

Dom  Pedro.  Well,  you  are  an  enterprising  people,  and  deserve  the  great  pros- 
perity you  enjoy.  There  are  many  Americans  in  Brazil,  and  when  Mr.  William 
Garrison  fairly  commences  his  steam-ship  line  we  expect  more.  But  he  is  com- 
pelled to  build  his  ships  in  England.  That  is  bad.  Your  shipping  interest  is  of 
more  importance  than  the  revenue  gained  by  taxation,  which,  after  all,  you  are  so 
rich  you  do  not  need.  But  I  must  ask  you  to  excuse  me  now,  as  I  am  engaged 
to  receive  the  Prince  Heretier  at  this  hour.  I  wish  you  good  morning. 

The  public  were  never  before  brought  so  near  to  the  views  of 
these  statesmen,  and  politicians,  and  merchant  princes.  Napoleon 
talked  with  a  correspondent  one  day  at  Wilhelmshohe,  and  by  means 
of  the  cable  it  appeared  in  the  New  York  Herald  the  next  morning, 
and  his  views  were  known  to  the  civilized  world  in  forty-eight  hours  ! 
Other  papers  adopted  the  idea.  Every  body  of  any  note,  or  who 
had  been  guilty  of  any  crime  or  extraordinary  act,  was  immediately 
called  upon  by  a  reporter.  State-houses  and  state  prisons  were 
visited  by  representatives  of  the  Press  for  notorious  subjects.  In- 
terviewing, indeed,  became  a  journalistic  mania,  till  at  last,  as  the 
above  conversation  with  Mr.  Greeley  shows,  the  climax  was  capped  ; 
for  when  a  reporter  of  one  newspaper  interviewed  the  chief  editor 
of  another  in  the  same  block,  and  within  three  doors  of  each  other's 
offices,  the  sublimity  and  the  perfection  of  the  idea  is  reached,  and 
nothing  more  need  be  said. 

But  these  interviews  are  useful — useful  to  the  individuals  inter- 
viewed, and  useful  to  the  public.  If  it  is  considered  necessary  for 
the  ministers  of  England  and  France  to  have  seats  in  Parliament 
and  in  the  Corps  Legislatif  that  they  may  "  rise  to  explain,"  how 
much  more  necessary,  in  this  age  of  universal  suffrage,  and  when 
the  whole  world  is  a  Congress,  becomes  the  relative  position  of 
statesman  and  journalist,  in  order  that  in  any  crisis  in  a  nation  the 
statesman  may  have  direct  communication  with  the  people  without 
delay  or  circumlocution.  The  interviews  that  have  taken  place,  and 
the  conversations  that  have  already  been  published,  have  been  the 
means  of  dissipating  many  erroneous  impressions  on  the  public 
mind,  and  made  doubtful  questions  of  state  policy  clear  and  satis- 
factory to  the  people.  Thus  the  executive  powers  of  the  world  are 
placed  in  more  intimate  relations  with  the  governed  classes,  and 
the  result  can  not  but  be  beneficial  for  the  general  peace  of  man- 
kind. But  interviewing  can  be  carried  too  far. 

Some  odd  stories  are  told  of  Greeley,  a  few  of  which  are  true,  but 
the  larger  number ^are  manufactured  by  rival  journals,  disappointed 
politicians,  wits,  and  Bohemians.  But  Greeley's  effort  at  originality 
sometimes  gets  him  into  trouble.  He  is  fond  of  writing  over  his 
initials.  There  are  half  a  dozen  editors  in  the  United  States  who 


The  Initial  Journalists.  565 

rush  into  print  over  their  initials  whenever  they  are  attacked  by  oth- 
er journalists,  or  whenever  asked  for  their  advice.  Greeley  is  one 
of  these.  H.  G.  is  often  seen  in  the  Tribune  when  an  editorial  ar- 
ticle without  these  initials  would  answer  the  emergency  as  well.  But 
H.  G.  are  ex  cathedra.  Thurlow  Weed,  James  Brooks,  and  Eras- 
tus  Brooks  belong  to  the  initial  class  of  journalists.  It  has,  perhaps, 
been  more  necessary  for  the  brothers  Brooks  to  indulge  in  this  style 
to  prevent  mistakes  in  their  political  status.  Alexander  H.  Ste- 
phens, ex-Vice  President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  signs  his  ed- 
itorials in  the  Atlanta  (Ga.)  Sun  A.  H.  S.  to  avoid  complications. 
Mr.  Stephens,  too,  has  a  copyright  of  his  own :  his  articles  are  so 
long  that  no  other  paper  can  find  room  for  them.  Ritchie,  of  the 
Richmond  Enquirer,  for  some  time  wrote  in  the  first  person.  So  did 
Bennett  of  the  Herald. 

Amusing  anecdotes  are  related  of  the  editor  of  the  Tribune.  He 
was  once  invited  to  lecture  in  Sandwich,  Illinois.  In  reply  to  the 
invitation,  he  is  reported  to  have  said  : 

DEAR  SIR, — I  am  overworked  and  growing  old.  I  shall  be  60  next  Feb.  3. 
On  the  whole,  it  seems  I  must  decline  to  lecture  henceforth,  except  in  this  imme- 
diate vicinity,  if  I  do  at  all.  I  can  not  promise  to  visit  Illinois  on  that  errand — 
certainly  not  now.  Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

M.  B.  CASTLE,  Sandwich,  111. 

This  letter,  plain  enough  as  above  given,  appeared  in  hieroglyph- 
ics to  the  lecture  committee  of  the  town  of  Sandwich.  They  finally 
succeeded,  as  the  story  runs,  with  the  aid  of  several  experts,  in  de- 
ciphering its  contents  to  their  evident  satisfaction,  as  the  annexed 
reply  will  show : 

SANDWICH,  111.,  May  12. 

HORACE  GREELEY. — DEAR  SIR, — Your  acceptance  to  lecture  before  our  asso- 
ciation next  winter  came  to  hand  this-  morning.  Your  penmanship  not  being  the 
plainest,  it  took  some  time  to  translate  it ;  but  we  succeeded,  and  would  say  your 
time, "  3d  of  February,"  and  terms,  "  $60,"  are  entirely  satisfactory.  As  you  sug- 
gest, we  may  be  able  to  get  you  other  engagements  in  this  immediate  vicinity ; 
if  so,  we  will  advise  you.  Yours,  respectfully,  M.  B.  CASTLE. 

Yet  Horace  Greeley  is  a  better  penman  than  either  Rufus  Choate 
or  Napoleon  I.  Any  one  who  will  compare  Greeley's  notes  with 
the  specimen  of  Napoleon's  chirography  in  the  Lyceum  at  the  Brook- 
lyn Navy  Yard  will  readily  admit  this  to  be  a  fact.  Choate's  pen- 
manship was  positively  shocking.  On  one  occasion  he  delivered  an 
address  at  Dartmouth  College,  we  believe,  and  two  reporters  from 
New  York — one  from  the  Tribune  and  the  other  from  the  Herald — 
were  in  attendance.  Finding  that  Mr.  C.  had  prepared  his  address, 
they  arranged  to  take  his  manuscript  after  he  had  finished  its  deliv- 
ery, and  assist  each  other  in  making  an  extra  copy  for  one  of  the 
two  journals.  So  they  formed  a  part  of  the  audience,  and  congratu- 
lated themselves  on  saving  the  labor  that  taking  stenographic  notes 
of  the  oration  would  involve.  The  last  word  of  the  peroration  had 


566 


Journalism  in  America. 


scarcely  reached  the  ear  of  the  most  distant  hearer  before  the  manu- 
script was  in  the  hands  of  the  reporters.  They  looked  over  the 
pages  of  Choate's  brilliant  eloquence  ;  they  turned  the  pages  upside 
down,  then  sideways,  then  cornerways,  then  all  sorts  of  ways,  and 
gazed  at  each  other  in  blank  astonishment.  Not  a  word  could  they 
decipher.  They  sought  the  orator. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Choate,"  said  one  of  the  reporters, "  we  can  not  make 
out  a  word  of  your  manuscript.  What  shall  we  do  ?" 

"  Can  not  read  it !  That's  unfortunate,"  replied  Mr.  Choate.  "  It 
seems  plain  to  me ;  but  I  can  not  aid  you,  for  I  start  immediately 
in  an  opposite  direction  to  New  York.  But  let  me  see ;  I  guess  I 
can  help  you.  An  old  clerk  of  mine  lives  about  twelve  miles  from 
here.  He  can  read  it,"  and  off  went  Mr.  Choate. 

The  two  reporters  hired  a  team  and  drove  over  to  the  residence 
of  the  clerk.  He  read,  and  they  took  stenographic  notes,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  New  York  in  time  to  write  out  their  reports  for 
their  respective  journals.  These  reporters,  ever  after,  in  asking  for 
manuscript,  first  carefully  inspected  the  chirography. 

But,  according  to  the  Printer's  Circular,  there  is  a  worse  writer 
than  either  Choate,  or  Greeley,  or  Napoleon.  There  was  a  banquet 
to  the  International  Typographical  Union  in  June,  1870 ;  among 
the  toasts  on  that  occasion  was  the  following : 

George  M.  Bloss,  of  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer,  the  worst  writer  in  the  country. 

It  was  stated  that  Mr.  Bloss  responded  in  "a  few  happy  remarks ;" 
it  is  therefore  fair  to  suppose  that  he  acknowledged  the  truth  of  the 
toast 

What  does  it  cost  to  publish  a  first-class  journal  ?  The  Tribune 
answered  this  question  very  fully  in  1867  : 

RECEIPTS  OF  THE  TRIBUNE   FROM   SUBSCRIPTIONS,  SALES,  AND  ADVERTISING. 
1865 $816,537    02.  1866 $909,417    89. 


EXPENDITURES. 


1865. 

-  $315,162  61 


Printing-paper  - 
Pressmen,  repairing  press- 
es, etc.  -  -  -  35.255  07 
Ink  -  ...  8,420  oo 
Glue  and  molasses,  for 

rollers  -  -  -  869  46 
Compositors  ...  73,769  71 
Editorial  expenses  -  51,884  05 
Correspondence  -  -  41,073  76 
News  by  telegraph  -  22,044  ?6 
Harbor  news  -  -  -  1,875  2O 
Publishing  office,  salaries  19,720  72 
Advertising  -  7,080  48 
Mailing,counting,and  pack- 
ing papers  -  -  -  35,088  36 

Carried  forward     -  $612,244  18 


Printing-paper  - 

Pressmen,  repairing  press- 
es, etc. 

Ink 

Glue    and    molasses,    for 
rollers       ... 

Compositors     • 

Editorial  expenses 

Correspondence 

News  by  telegraph 

Harbor  news    - 

Publishing  office,  salaries 

Advertising  - 

Mailing,counting,and  pack- 
ing papers     - 

Carried  forward     - 


1866. 
$418,199  62 

46,398  08 
9,927  5° 

943  67 
86,609  14 

81.775  40 
49,30°  57 

58.776  04 
2,112  34 

22,841  65 

17,219  07 

35,005  60 
#829,io8~l>8 


Receipts  and  Expenses  of  the  Tribune.        567 


Brought  forward 
Postage         ... 
Printing  and  stationery     - 
Libel  suits    ... 
U.  S.  tax  .on  advertising  re- 
ceipts   -         -         -         - 
Gas-light      - 
Expense  account,  including 
plumbing,  gas  -  fixtures, 
carpenter-work,  etc. 
Total     - 
Receipts  over  expenditures 

$612,244  18 
6,184  23 
2,463  16 
1,390  51 

8,376  45 
5,077  15 

10,371  48 

Brought  forward         -  j 
Postage         ... 
Printing  and  stationery     - 
Libel  suits    - 
U.  S.  tax  on  advertising  re- 
ceipts  -         -         -         . 
Gas-light      - 
Expense  account,including 
plumbing,  gas  -  fixtures, 
carpenter-work,  etc. 
Donation   to    Freedmen's 
Aid  Union 
Donation  to  Union  State 
Committee    - 
Donation  to  Portland  Suf- 
ferers       ... 

829,108  68 

",963  74 
6,198  06 
876  65 

10,082  19 
5,862  50 

18,816  57 
1,000  oo 
1,000  oo 
250  oo 

$646,107  16 
170,429  86 

Total         -                  -  j 
Receipts  over  expenditures 

5885,158  39 
24,259  50 

There  is  a  general  notoriety  attached  to  the  Tribune  and  its  ed- 
itor. He  has  made  mistakes,  and  he  has  made  fortunate  hits.  He 
was  in  favor  of  secession  early  in  1861  ;  he  was  curiously  mixed 
up  with  the  peace  negotiations  at  Niagara  Falls  with  George  N. 
Sanders  and  others  during  the  rebellion  ;  he  put  his  name  on  the 
bail-bond  of  Jefferson  Davis  after  the  war  was  over — his  reasons 
why  and  wherefore  were  given  at  the  time.  If  the  Southern  States 
wished  to  go  out  of  the  Union,  and  could  not  be  retained,  let  them 
go.  If  the  rebellion  could  not  be  suppressed,  why  not  come  to  terms 
with  the  rebels  ?  If  the  government  would  not  bring  Davis  to  trial 
for  his  treason,  why  should  he  be  kept  locked  up  in  a  fortress  ?  All 
cogent  to  his  mind. 

On  the  loth  of  April,  1871,  the  Tribune  was  thirty  years' old.  It 
was  the  close  of  a  full  journalistic  generation.  On  that  day  the 
founder  of  the  paper  gave  a  succinct  and  edifying  history  of  his  la- 
bors and  achievements.  It  is  as  follows : 

The  Daily  Tribune  was  first  issued  on  the  loth  of  April,  1841 ;  it  has  therefore 
completed  its  thirtieth,  and  to-day  enters  upon  its  thirty-first  year.  It  was  orig- 
inally a  small  folio  sheet,  employing,  perhaps,  twenty  persons  in  its  production ;  it 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  journals  issued  in  any  part  of  the  world,  containing  ten 
to  fifteen  times  as  much  as  at  first,  and  embodying  in  each  issue  the  labor  of  four 
to  five  hundred  persons  as  writers,  printers,  etc.,  etc.  Its  daily  contents,  apart  from 
advertisements,  would  make  a  fair  I2mo  volume,  such  as  sells  from  the  book- 
stores for  $i  25  to  $i  50;  and  when  we  are  compelled  to  issue  a  supplement,  its 
editorials,  correspondence,  dispatches,  and  reports  (which  seldom  leave  room  for 
any  but  a  mere  shred  of  selections)  equal  in  quantity  an  average  octavo.  The 
total  cost  of  its  production  for  the  first  week  was  $525  ;  it  is  now  nearly  $20,000 
per  week,  with  a  constant,  irresistible  tendency  to  increase. 

Other  journals  have  been  established  by  a  large  outlay  of  capital,  and  many 
years  of  patient,  faithful  effort :  the  Tribime  started  on  a  very  small  capital,  to 
which  little  has  ever  been  added  except  through  the  abundance  and  liberality  of 
its  patrons.  They  enabled  it  to  pay  its  way  almost  from  the  outset ;  and,  though 
years  have  intervened,  especially  during  our  great  Civil  War,  when,  through  a 
sudden  and  rapid  advance  in  the  cost  of  paper  and  other  materials,  our  expenses 
somewhat  exceeded  our  income,  yet,  taking  the  average  of  these  thirty  years,  our 
efforts  have  been  amply,  generously  rewarded,  and  the  means  incessantly  required 


568  Journalism  in  America. 

to  purchase  expensive  machinery,  and  make  improvements  on  every  hand,  have 
been  derived  exclusively  from  the  regular  receipts  of  the  establishment.  Render- 
ing an  earnest  and  zealous,  though  by  no  means  an  indiscriminate  support,  for  the 
former  half  of  its  existence  to  the  Whig,  and  through  the  latter  half  to  the  Re- 
publican Party,  the  Tribune  has  asked  no  favor  of  either,  and  no  odds  of  any  man 
but  that  he  should  pay  for  whatever  he  chose  to  order,  whether  in  the  shape  of 
subscriptions  or  advertisements.  Holding  that  a  journal  can  help  no  party  while 
it  requires  to  be  helped  itself,  we  hope  so  to  deserve  and  retain  the  good  will  of 
the  general  public  that  we  may  be  as  independent  in  the  future  as  we  have  been 
in  the  past. 

So  long  as  slavery  cursed  our  country,  this  journal  was  its  decided  and  open, 
though  not  reckless  adversary  ;  now  that  slavery  is  dead,  we  insist  that  the  spirit 
of  caste,  of  inequality,  of  contempt  for  the  rights  of  the  colored  races,  shall  be 
buried  in  its  grave.  The  only  reason  for  their  existence  having  vanished,  it  is  log- 
ical and  just  that  they  should  vanish  also.  Since  the  substance  no  longer  exists, 
the  shadow  should  promptly  disappear. 

The  protection,  looking  to  the  development  of  our  home  industry,  by  duties  on 
imports,  discriminating  with  intent  to  uphold  and  fortify  weak  and  exposed  de- 
partments thereof,  has  ever  been,  in  our  view,  the  most  essential  and  beneficent 
feature  of  a  true  national  policy.  Our  country  has  always  increased  rapidly  in 
production,  in  wealth,  in  population,  and  in  general  comfort,  when  protection  was 
in  the  ascendant,  while  it  has  been  cursed  with  stagnation,  paralysis,  commercial 
revulsions,  and  wide-spread  bankruptcies  under  the  sway  of  relative  free  trade. 
This  journal  stood  for  protection  under  the  lead  of  Henry  Clay,  Daniel  Webster, 
Walter  Forward,  George  Evans,  Thomas  Corwin,  and  their  compeers  ;  it  stands 
for  protection  to-day  as  heartily  as  it  did  then,  and  for  identical  reasons.  It  asks 
no  Free-trader  to  forego  his  economic  views  in  order  to  be  a  Republican ;  it  in- 
sists that  no  Protectionist  shall  be  bullied  out  of  his  convictions  in  deference  to 
the  harmony  of  the  party.  It  asks  no  more  than  it  concedes,  and  will  be  satis- 
fled  with  no  less.  If  the  Republican  Party  shall  ever  be  broken  up  on  the  Tariff 
Question,  it  will  take  care  that  the  responsibility  is  placed  where  it  belongs. 

The  editor  of  the  Tribune  was  also  its  publisher  and  sole  proprietor  when  it 
first  commended  itself  to  public  attention.  He  long  ago  ceased  to  be  publisher, 
and  is  now  but  one  among  twenty  proprietors.  As  the  work  required  has  grown, 
it  has  been  divided,  and  in  part  assigned  to  others,  but  the  chief  direction  and  su- 
pervision of  its  columns  has  been  continued  in  his  hands,  and  is  likely  to  remain 
there  so  long  as  his  strength  shall  endure.  Half  his  life  has  been  devoted  to  this 
journal,  the  former  half  having  been  mainly  given  to  preparation  for  its  conduct ; 
and  now  few  remain  who  held  kindred  positions  in  this  city  on  the  loth  of  April, 
1841.  His  only  editorial  assistant  then,  though  several  years  his  junior,  was,  aft- 
er a  brilliant  independent  career,  suddenly  called  away  in  1869,  leaving  behind 
him  few  equals  in  general  ability ;  and  of  those  who  aided  in  the  issue  of  our  No. 
I,  but  two  are  known  to  be  still  living,  and  are  among  our  co-proprietors,  still  ren- 
dering daily  service  in  the  establishment,  and  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  health 
and  unfailing  strength.  Ten  years  more,  and  these  three  will  probably  have  fol- 
lowed their  associates  already  departed.  But  the  Tribune,  we  fondly  trust,  will 
survive  and  flourish  after  we  shall  have  severally  deceased,  being  sustained  by  the 
beneficence  of  its  aims,  the  liberality  of  its  spirit,  and  the  generous  appreciation 
of  an  intelligent  and  discerning  people. 

The  Iribune  and  the  Cincinnati  Commercial,  in  May,  1871,  pub- 
lished the  treaty  of  Washington,  arranging  our  differences  with 
England,  before  the  seal  of  secrecy  had  been  removed  by  the  Senate. 
All  the  facts  connected  with  this  document  were  generally  known, 
but  the  full  text  of  the  treaty,  it  was  supposed,  were  still  sacred  in 
the  executive  sessions  chamber  when  these  two  enterprising  papers 
gave  it  to  whom  it  belonged — the  public.  But  the  dignity  of  the 
Senate  was  insulted,  and  two  correspondents  were  therefore  arrest- 
ed, and,  for  refusing  to  divulge  from  whom  they  received  the  docu- 


Horace  Greeley  for  the  White  House.         569 

ment,  they  were  placed  in  durance.  There  was  a  fuss  in  the  Senate, 
a  few  ridiculously  solemn  proceedings,  and  that  is  about  all.  There 
was  a  similar  case  in  which  the  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
Herald  was  concerned  in  1847-8.  The  treaty  of  Guadalupe-Hi- 
dalgo,  which  ended  our  war  with  Mexico  in  1847,  was  published  in 
the  Herald  before  the  seal  of  secrecy  was  removed.  There  was  an 
excitement  over  that  affair  as  in  1871.  The  correspondent  was  ar- 
rested ;  he  refused  to  divulge  the  name  of  the  person  who  gave  him 
the  copy,  and  he  was  placed  in  the  custody  of  the  sergeant-at-arms 
of  the  Senate.  When  the  term  of  that  Congress  expired  his  term 
of  arrest  expired  also,  the  Senate  having  had  no  legal  power  beyond 
that  point.  Jay's  treaty  with  England  in  1794  was  "prematurely" 
published  in  the  Philadelphia  Aurora  shortly  after  it  was  received 
by  the  State  Department.  In  time,  diplomatic  matters  will  cease 
to  be  clothed  in  the  mystery  and  deception  that  now  surround  them. 
The  people  will  then  be  the  Senate,  sitting  en  permanence  on  all  af- 
fairs of  state,  with  the  newspapers  as  the  reporters  of  its  proceed- 
ings. 

The  editor  of  the  Tribune  was  one  of  the  candidates  for  the  presi- 
dency in  the  bitter  campaign  of  1872.  In  the  following  letter,  which 
appeared  in  the  Lexington  (Mo.)  Caucasian,  he  mildly  told  his  cor- 
respondent, who  is  a  Free-trader,  that  "  I  am  not  the  man  you  need :" 

NEW  YORK,  Oct.  18,  1871. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  have  yours  of  the  i4th  inst.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  policy 
you  suggest  is  that  which  your  party  ought  to  adopt.  They  should  have  taken 
up  Salmon  P.  Chase  in  1868;  then,  as  the  result  of  that  contest,  the  return  of 
genuine  peace  and  thrift  would  have  been  promoted.  That  policy  gave  you  more 
last  year  in  Missouri  than  could  have  been  achieved  by  a  party  triumph.  You 
only  err  as  to  the  proper  candidate,  /am  not  the  man  you  need.  Your  party  is 
mostly  Free-trade,  and  I  am  a  ferocious  Protectionist.  I  have  no  doubt  that  I 
might  be  nominated  and  elected  by  your  help,  but  it  would  place  us  all  in  a  false 
position.  If  I,  who  am  adversely  interested,  can  see  this,  I  am  sure  your  good 
sense  will,  on  reflection,  realize  it.  You  must  take  some  man  like  Gratz  Brown, 
or  Trumbull,  or  General  Cox,  late  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  and  thus  help  to 
pacify  and  reunite  our  country  anew.  Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

But  in  Cincinnati  in  May,  1872,  and  in  Baltimore  in  July  of  that 
year,  the  opposition  elements  united  on  the  editor  of  the  Tribune, 
and  made  him  their  presidential  candidate  in  spite  of  their  Free- 
trade  notions,  and  in  spite  of  his  being  "  a  ferocious  Protectionist." 
Shortly  after  the  nomination  was  made  at  Cincinnati  the  following 
card  appeared  in  the  Tribune  : 

The  Tribune  has  ceased  to  be  a  party  organ,  but  the  unexpected  nomination 
of  its  editor  at  Cincinnati  seems  to  involve  it  in  a  new  embarrassment  All  must 
be  aware  that  the  position  of  a  journalist  who  is  at  the  same  time  a  candidate  is 
at  best  irksome  and  difficult — that  he  is  fettered  in  action  and  restrained  in  crit- 
icism by  the  knowledge  that  whatever  he  may  say  or  do  is  closely  scanned  by 
thousands  eager  to  find  in  it  what  may  be  so  interpreted  as  to  annoy  or  perplex 
those  who  are  supporting  him  as  a  candidate,  and  to  whom  his  shackled  condition 
will  not  permit  him  to  be  serviceable.  The  undersigned,  therefore,  withdraws  ab- 


570  Journalism  in  America. 

solutely  from  the  conduct  of  the  Tribune,  and  will  henceforth,  until  further  notice, 
exercise  no  control  or  supervision  over  its  columns.  HORACE  GREELEY. 

May  15,  1872. 

The  Tribune  issues  an  almanac.  In  1841  Greeley  commenced 
the  publication  of  a  Politician's  Register,  containing  a  compilation 
of  the  votes  of  the  several  states  in  1836, 1838,  and  1840.  This  was 
found  to  be  both  valuable  and  useful  to  our  nation  of  politicians. 
Edwin  Williams,  the  well-known  statistician,  had  previously  collect- 
ed and  published  such  returns,  but  put  in  this  compact  form  as 
Greeley  published  them,  was  an  excellent  enterprise.  This  little 
pamphlet  was  afterward  enlarged  and  improved ;  calendars,  calcu- 
lations, and  other  interesting  facts  were  added,  and  the  publication 
was  called  the  Whig  Almanac.  It  went  by  this  name  till  1856,  when 
the  title  was  changed  to  that  of  the  Tribune  Almanac,  by  which 
name  it  has  since  been  known.  It  has  a  full  astronomical  depart- 
ment, gives  all  the  election  returns,  important  political  movements 
and  platforms,  short  essays  on  the  topics  of  the  day,  and  statistics 
of  value,  and  has  become,  in  its  way,  as  much  of  an  institution  as 
the  Tribune  itself. 

The  issue  of  almanacs  from  newspaper  offices  is  a  very  old  idea. 
Indeed,  they  precede  newspapers  in  the  history  of  printing.  John 
Foster  printed  one  in  Boston  in  1678.  William  Bradford's  first 
piece  of  work  in  Philadelphia  was  a  sheet  almanac  in  1687.  This 
appeared  seventeen  years  before  the  News-Letter  was  published,  and 
thirty-eight  years  before  Bradford  issued  the  first  newspaper  in  New 
York.  Benjamin  Franklin  originated  Poor  Richard's  Almanac,  and 
James  Franklin,  the  "  nephew  of  his  uncle,"  inserted  the  following 
advertisement  in  his  Newport  (R.  I.)  Mercury  of  Dec.  19,  1758,  of 
the  curious  contents  of  this  almanac  for  the  following  year : 

Jujl  PuWiflud, 
And  to  be  SOLD  by 

James    Franklin, 

At   the   PRINTING    OFFICE, 

Poor  Richard's  Almanack 

For  the  YEAR  1759, 
CONTAINING, 

BESIDES  the  ufual  Calculations,  a  plain  and  eafy  Procefs 
for  making  HARD- SOAP,  in  which  certain  unerring  Rules  are  laid  down 
for  the  Workman  to  know  the  Strength  of  his  Lees. — How  to  make  Afhes 
from  green  Vegetables  far  fuperior  to  Wood  afhes ;  very  advantageous  to  Soap- 
makers,  who  will  find  one  Bufhel  of  Afhes,  thus  prepared,  worth  four  Bufhels  of 
common  Wood-afhes,  the  Duft  of  the  Vegetables  being  thereby  almoft  formed 


Newspaper  Almanacs.  571 

into  Pot-aih. — Some  very  ufeful  and  approved  Prefcriptions  in  Farriery  ;  particu- 
larly, how  to  cure  a  Horfe  when  foundered  ;  of  the  Pole-Evil,  when  broke,  or  not 
broke;  and  of  the  Botts. — How  to  deftroy  Moths,  Bugs  and  Fleas,  at  a  very 
trifling  Expence,  and  without  any  Inconveniency. — The  Advantages  of  Fortitude. 
— True  Happinefs,  where  to  be  found. — Man's  Dependance  on  his  Creator. — Of 
Reputation  : — The  Pride  of  Science,  and  Self-fufficiency  expofed — The  abfurdity 
of  Parfimony  and  extravagance.  How  to  recover  and  preferve  Health. — A  very 
neceffary  and  interefting  Defcription  of  Love. — Rules  for  taking  a  wife ;  well 
worth  the  Attention  of  all  that  would  fecure  Happinefs  in  a  married  State. — Of 
Contentment. — Rules  for  taking  a  Hufband ;  calculated  to  promote  the  Happi- 
nefs of  the  Fair  Sex. — Of  Friendfhip  ;  fhewing  the  Expediency  of  Reconciliation 
with  Enemies,  and  the  Danger  of  defpifing  even  the  meaneft. — A  fafe  and  fure 
Remedy  for  Convulfions,  that  fo  frequently  prove  fatal  to  Children  in  breeding 
their  Teeth. — Of  Ridicule. — Of  folid  Glory ;  or  the  Way  to  become  truly  Great 
and  Eftimable. — An  eflential  Point  in  Generalfhip,  explained  and  recommended 
by  one  of  the  greateft  Warriors  of  Antiquity;  highly  deferving  the  Perufal  of  all 
who  are  defigned  for  the  profeflion  of  Arms. — And  a  Letter  of  the  celebrated 
Cicero  to  his  Son  Marcus,  fill'd  with  noble  and  juft  Sentiments. — With  wife 
Sayings,  &c.  &c.  &c. 

Here  is  an  advertisement  of  another  almanac  of  the  last  century, 
the  contents  of  which  were  more  like  those  of  a  modern  stamp. 
Edes  &  Gill,  publishers  of  the  Boston  Gazette,  issued  one  from  their 
office  in  1770.  There  were  no  election  returns  then,  no  republic, 
no  political  platform  except  a  "  Liberty  Song"  and  a  few  inklings 
of  the  approaching  Revolution,  no  yacht  clubs,  no  yearly  quotations 
of  stock  sales.  These  old  newspaper  publishers  gave  what  they 
had,  and  Edes  &  Gill  made  out  this  interesting  list : 

EDES  £*  GILL'S 

North-American  ALMANACK, 

AND 

Maffachufetts  REGISTER, 
For  the  Year  1770. 

Being  the  Second  after  BISSEXTILE  or  LEAP-YEAR.    Calculated  for  the 

Meridian  of  BOSTON, 
Latt.  42  Deg.  25  Min.  North. 

CONTAINING, 
A  Profpeclive  View  of  the  Town  of  Bofton  the  Capital  of  New-England ;  and  of 

the  Landing  of Troops  in  the  Year  1768,  in  Confequence  of  Letters 

from  Gov.  Bernard,  the  Commiffioners,  &c.  to  the  Britim  Miniftry — Eclipfes — 

Extract  from  the  Life  of  Publius  Clodius  Britano  Americanus,  continued A 

Lift  of  the  Importers  and  Refolves  of  the  Merchants  &c.  of  Bofton — A  Table  in 
Sterling,  Halifax,  Maflachufetts  L.  M.  &  O.  T.  Virginia,  Pennfylvania,  and  New- 
York  Currencies — Courts  in  Maflachufetts-Bay,  New-Hampfhire,  Connecticut 

and  Rhode-Ifland Judgment  of  the  Weather,  Suns  and  Moon's  Rifing  and 

Setting,  Time  of  High  Water,  Feafts  and  Fafts  of  the  Church  of  England,  &c. — 
A  Lift  of  the  Hon.  His  Majefty's  Council,  and  the  Honorable  Houfe  of  Repre- 

fentatives- Judges  of  the  Superior  and  Inferior  Courts,  Judges  of  Probate, 

Regifters  of  Deeds,  High  Sheriffs  and  their  Deputies — Officers  of  the  Admiralty 
and  Cuftom-Houfe — Notaries  Public — Port-Office — Juftices  of  the  Peace  thro'out 
the  Province,  and  for  each  County — Barrifters  at  Law — Prefident,  Overfeers, 

&c.  of  Harvard  College Minifters,  Churches  and  Religious  Afiemblies  thro' 

the  Province — Officers  of  the  I4th  &  zgih  Regiments  in  Bofton — Officers  of  the 


572  Journalism  in  America. 

Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  with  the  Names  of  the  Captains  of 
faid  Company,  from  its  Incorporation — Officers  of  the  Troop  of  Horfe  Guards — 
Officers  of  the  Bofton  Regiment — Field  Officers  of  the  feveral  Regiments  through 
the  Province — Officers  of  Caftle  William,  and  the  Batteries  in  Bofton — Coro- 
ners— Officers  of  the  Town  of  Bofton — Fire-Engine  Men — Lift  of  Commiffion- 

ers  and  other  Officers  of  the  Revenue,  WITH  THEIR  SALARIES  ! 

Liberty  Song — Parody  Parodiz'd — A  New  Song,  to  the  Tune  of  the  Britifh 
Grenadier,  by  a  SON  OF  LIBERTY — Public  Roads,  with  the  beft  Stages  or  Houfes 
to  put  up  at — Quakers  Yearly  Meetings  in  New-England — Difference  of  the 
Time  of  High  Water  at  feveral  Places  on  the  Continent,  &c. 

Now  read  the  advertisements  in  the  newspapers  of  December 
and  January,  1871-2  and  of  1872-3,  of  the  World  Almanac,  the 
Public  Ledger  Almanac,  the  Atlantic  Monthly  Almanac,  the  New 
York  Herald  Almanac,  the  Evening  Journal  Almanac,  in  contrast 
with  these  of  the  ancient  publications.  These  announcements  are 
each  a  column  or  more  in  length.  The  Herald  Almanac  is  240 
pages  in  size,  and  filled  with  all  sorts  of  information  that  every  body 
is  constantly  seeking  to  know.  Then  the  New  York  Observer  issues 
its  Year-Book,  which  is  also  an  almanac  and  a  book  of  reference  in 
all  religious  matters ;  it  contains  200  pages.  These  are  all  news- 
paper almanacs,  and  are  splendidly  printed. 

About  Christmas,  annually,  the  number  of  these  publications  on 
sale  in  London  and  Paris  is  really  fabulous ;  but  they  are  so  funny, 
so  useful,  so  grotesque,  so  valuable,  so  edifying,  amusing,  and  at- 
tractive in  contents  and  illustrations  as  to  circulate  largely  and 
freely.  Father  Time,  with  his  scythe,  is  represented  in  all  manner 
of  laughable  and  instructive  forms  and  shapes,  wholly  regardless  of 
the  later  introduction  of  the  splendid  mowing  machines  and  reapers 
in  the  harvests  of  the  world.  Many  of  the  curious  almanacs  are  is- 
sued from  the  offices  of  the  illustrated  and  comic  papers,  and  are  sent 
to  the  United  States  and  sold  in  large  numbers  and  at  high  prices. 

The  shares  of  the  Tribune  are  now  distributed,  it  is  believed,  as 
follows : 

Horace  Greeley,  chief  editor 10  shares. 

Samuel  Sinclair,  publisher 24 

Dr.  J.  C.  Ayer,  Lowell -  16 

Estate  of  Stephen  Clarke,  late  financial  editor         -  13 

Mrs.  Greeley,  wife  of  chief  editor  -        -        -  5 

George  Ripley,  literary  editor  -----  5 

Bayard  Taylor,  ex-editor      ------  5 

Thomas  N.  Rooker,  foreman 5 

Estate  of  A.  D.  Richardson 5 

Solon  Robinson,  ex-editor        -----  2 

Fitzpatrick,  pressman 2 

O'Rourke,  engineer        ----.-  2 

Runkle 2 

Theodore  Tilton I 

Oliver  Johnson    --------i 

Whitelaw  Reid,  managing  editor      ....  i 

J.  F.  Cleveland,  editor  of  Almanac  I 

Total 100  shares. 


Statues  of  Franklin  and  Greeley.  573 

Thus  the  Tribune  and  Greeley  have  prospered  journalistically 
from  1841  to  1872,  a  long  and  eventful  period  in  the  history  of  a 
newspaper  and  of  the  nation.  The  Tribune  is  a  leader.  It  has  be- 
come so  by  the  efforts  of  one  man.  Assistance,  of  course,  he  has 
had,  and  in  abundance,  and  the  establishment  has  gained  much 
from  other  minds;  but  the  strong,  individual  character  of  Greeley 
has  placed  the  paper  where  it  is.  It  is  a  great  paper,  and  if  its 
founder  and  manager  was  less  of  a  politician,  and  more  free  of 
crotchets  and  isms,  the  Tribune  would  be  a  powerful  rival  of  any 
competitor.  It  will  continue  to  be  a  leading  paper  of  the  country, 
and  its  editor-in-chief  may  yet  be  chief  magistrate  of  the  republic. 
The  shareholders  have  faith  enough  in  it  to  propose  a  new  building 
in  1872-3,  an  idea  they  have  had  since  1867.  The  project,  we  are 
told,  is  now  to  be  carried  into  effect  in  a  way  to  surpass  any  news- 
paper building  in  America.  If  this  be  done,  it  will  require  half  a 
million  of  dollars,  or  thereabouts,  for  the  new  printing  palace.  We 
shall  hope  to  see  the  work  begun  and  finished.  Then  that  already 
renowned  square,  with  the  Times,  Staats  Zeitung,  Sun,  and  Tribune 
buildings,  of  magnificent  architectural  proportions,  and  the  colossal 
bronze  statues  of  Benjamin  Franklin  and  Horace  Greeley,  one  op- 
posite the  Times  office,  and  the  other  in  front  of  the  Staats  Zeitung 
establishment,  one  with  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette  of  1732  in  hand, 
and  the  other  holding  out  the  New  York  Tribune  of  1872  to  the 
people  as  they  pass,  will  be  one  of  the  attractive  spots  of  the  me- 
tropolis. 


574  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 
ALL  SORTS  OF  POLITICAL  PAPERS. 

THE  FIRST  NEWSPAPER  IN  TENNESSEE. — THE  KNOXVILLE  WHIG. — PARSON 
BROWNLOW  AND  ANDREW  JOHNSON.  —  THE  ALBANY  REGISTER.  —  THE 
PLEBEIAN,  NEW  ERA,  MORNING  NEWS,  GLOBE,  AND  AURORA.  —  SLAMM, 
BANG  &  Co. — THE  REPUBLIC. — CHEVALIER  WIKOFF  AND  DUFF  GREEN. — 
THE  ALBANY  ATLAS.  —  THE  WAR  OF  THE  ROSES.  —  THE  SPRINGFIELD 
REPUBLICAN. — SAMUEL  BOWLES. — ARREST  IN  NEW  YORK. — CONTROVERSY 
WITH  DAVID  DUDLEY  FIELD. — THE  FIRST  JOURNAL  IN  THE  OIL  REGIONS. 

ONE  of  the  sons  of  New  England,  named  Roulstone,  a  printer  of 
Massachusetts,  opened  a  printing-office  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  in 
1793,  and  issued  therefrom  the  Knoxville  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper 
in  that  state. 

The  Knoxville  Whig,  published  in  East  Tennessee  since  1839,  has 
been  a  remarkable  paper,  politically  considered.  It  was  published 
by  William  G.  Brownlow,  known  as  the  "  Fighting  Parson,"  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Its  name  and  that  of  its  editor  is  on 
the  page  of  newspaper  history.  The  Whig  has  been  a  vigorous 
political  journal,  and  nothing  else.  Newspapers,  in  a  Northern 
point  of  view,  were  rare  in  the  South.  Some  idea  of  the  character 
of  the  editor  of  the  Whig  may  be  obtained  from  the  following  ap- 
peal to  his  constituents  in  1845  : 

TO  THE  VOTERS  OF  THE  FIRST  CONGRESSIONAL  DISTRICT  OF  EAST  TENNESSEE. 

FELLOW-CITIZENS, — Having  been  nominated  for  Congress  in  this  district  by 
a  meeting  of  the  Whigs  of  Greenville,  during  the  late  term  of  the  Circuit  Court ; 
and  having  received  various  calls,  by  letter  and  from  esteemed  friends  in  person, 
in  every  portion  of  this  large  district,  to  permit  my  name  to  be  run  for  that  im- 
portant trust,  I  take  this  method  of  responding  to  all  concerned. 

I  have  repeatedly  said,  both  on  the  stump  and  through  the  columns  of  my 
widely-circulated  paper,  that  I  would  never  declare  myself  a  candidate  for  any 
office  within  the  gift  of  the  people,  as  office  was  not  my  aim,  but  the  good  of  my 
country.  ******* 

If  elected,  as  I  am  told  I  will  be,  there  will  be  peace  and  a  final  cessation  of  all 
hostilities  here,  because  I  will  then  abandon  my  editorial  pursuits  forever,  and  de- 
vote my  time  and  talents  to  the  interests  of  the  people.  In  that  event,  too,  "  a 
consummation  most  devoutly  to  be  wished  for,"  I  request  all  aged  men,  cripples 
and  idiots,  widows  and  orphans,  who  are  entitled  to  pensions,  or  whose  fathers 
and  husbands  are  entitled  to  receive  them,  to  meet  me  at  the  courts  in  each 
county  in  this  district  before  I  go  on  to  Washington,  and  I  will  arrange  their  pa- 
pers and  procure  them  pensions,  and  even  back  pay,  where  they  are  entitled  to 
it,  as  many  are.  I  will  take  the  same  trouble  to  serve  Democrats  that  I  would 
Whigs,  and  all  without  fee  or  reward,  as  I  consider  the  eight  dollars  per  day, 
paid  me  by  the  government,  sufficient  to  compensate  me  for  thus  serving  my  con- 
stituents ! 

The  Locofoco  candidate,  Mr.  Johnson,  hopes  to  succeed,  because  he  is  a  tailor 


The  Knoxville  Whig  and  Senator  Brownlow.  575 

by  trade,  and  of  humble  pretensions  !  Why,  I  am  a  house  carpenter,  and  served 
a  regular  apprenticeship  at  the  business  in  Western  Virginia,  and  am,  therefore, 
entitled  to  as  much  credit  for  taking  the  stand  I  have  in  the  world  as  he  is  ! 
True,  he  can  urge  that  I  am  a  man  of  more  consequence  in  the  world  than  he  is, 
and  I  am  more  extensively  known  and  spoken  of  by  all  parties,  but  it  is  because 
I  am  a  more  meritorious  man,  and  more  worthy  of  public  consideration.  And  as 
a  proof  of  what  it  is  feared  the  people  think,  Johnson  and  his  particular  friends 
are  now  weary,  and  evidently  fear  the  result.  I  will  have  them  in  greater  trouble 
before  the  first  of  August. 

And  now,  having  been  at  the  trouble  and  expense  of  publishing  this  circular, 
in  which  I  barely  announce  my  determination  to  suffer  my  name  to  be  run  for  this 
office,  I  hope  all  friendly  to  the  cause  of  sound  principles,  and  to  the  best  interests 
of  this  thieving  section  of  the  country,  will  be  at  the  trouble  to  circulate  it  among 
the  free  and  independent  voters  of  the  district.  Those  who  are  not  free  and  in- 
dependent— who  are  side-lined  and  driven  by  party  leaders,  had  better  not  get 
hold  of  it,  for  they  will  commit  it  to  the  flames.  In  some  three  weeks  from  this 
I  promise  the  public  a  circular  of  interest,  one  in  which  I  will  make  the  fur  fly 
and  the  wounded  pigeons  flutter  !  WM.  G.  BROWNLOW. 

JONESBORO',  June  25,  1845. 

The  two  characters  in  this  manifesto  are  Senator  Brownlow  and 
ex-President  Johnson.  They  were  thus  prominent  in  Tennessee  in 
1845.  The  rebellion  of  1861  brought  them  more  conspicuously  be- 
fore the  people,  and  gave  them  a  national  character. 

Mr.  Brownlow  retired  from  the  Whig  in  1869.  On  leaving  his 
editorial  chair  he  issued  the  following  card : 

Having  founded  the  Whig  in  the  spring  of  1839, 1  have  been  its  chief  editor 
and  publisher  for  a  term  extending  through  thirty  years — first  at  Elizabethton, 
next  at  Jonesboro',  and  for  the  last  twenty  years  at  Knoxville.  Declining  health 
and  other  engagements  render  it  impracticable  for  me  longer  to  look  after  the 
business  interests  of  the  office.  I  have  therefore  sold  my  entire  interest  in  the 
Whig,  and  henceforth  I  own  no  part  of  any  newspaper  establishment  in  this  state 
or  elsewhere.  The  publication  of  the  Whig  will  be  continued  under  a  new  or- 
ganization, but  by  whom  it  will  be  published  and  edited  I  am  unable  to  say.  I 
have  the  assurance,  however,  that  it  will  be  continued  as  a  Republican  journal,  ad- 
vocating the  principles  and  policy  of  the  Republican  Party,  and  rendering  a  cor- 
dial support  to  President  Grant  and  his  administration. 

********* 

W.  G.  BROWNLOW. 

KNOXVILLE,  Tenn.,  September  14,  1869. 

The  "  unpleasantness"  between  the  ex-president  and  the  ex-editor 
has  neither  been  harmonized  nor  arranged.  The  ex-president,  in 
speeches,  has  claimed  that  he  contributed  $1500  towards  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Whig,  The  ex-editor  retorts  that  the  money  came  from 
the  funds  of  the  government,  and  were  paid  by  the  sub-treasurer  at 
Cincinnati.  But  transitory  are  the  things  of  this  life.  The  Whig, 
having  lost  its  master-mind,  was  absorbed  in  1871  by  the  Knoxville 
Press  and  Herald,  and  ex-editor  and  ex-parson  Brownlow  is  now  only 
a  senator. 

The  administration  of  John  Tyler  produced  a  flood  of  papers. 
They  started  on  the  wave  of  politics  every  where,  but  especially  in 
Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  Boston.  Numbers  of  those  in  exist- 
ence, a  little  shaky  in  their  condition,  hoisted  the  Tyler  flag  in  or- 
der to  obtain  support  from  the  custom-houses  and  post-offices.  The 


576  Journalism  in  America. 

Democratic  papers,  of  course,  favored  the  President  because  of  his 
financial  policy,  and  in  the  hope  of  breaking  up  the  Whig  Party. 
Other  papers  were  established  by  the  opposition  to  break  down 
Tyler.  They  are  nearly  all  dead  now. 

One  of  the  Democratic  organs  in  New  York,  the  Plebeian,  was  a 
noticeable  sheet.  It  was  started  about  1842-3,  and  succeeded  the 
New  Era.  Its  editors  were  Levi  D.  Slamm,  a  very  genial  Locofoco, 
and  Alexander  Ming,  Jr.,  with  several  assistants  in  and  out  of  office. 
It  was  a  sledge-hammer  in  journalism  and  politics,  and  the  Herald, 
in  speaking  of  it,  gave  its  editors  the  title  of  Slamm,  Bang  &  Co., 
and  as  such  they  were  ever  after  known  in  local  politics.  Slamm, 
on  leaving  the  Press,  became  a  purser  in  the  navy. 

The  New  Era,  Morning  News,  Democrat,Globe,  Union,  and  Aurora 
were  of  the  same  class  in  New  York,  and  the  Times  in  Boston.  The 
New  Era  was  a  pretentious  Democratic  sheet,  commenced  in  Octo- 
ber, 1836,  by  Jared  D.  Bell,  and  edited  by  Joseph  Price  and  Richard 
Adams  Locke.  The  News,  started  in  August,  1844,  was  edited  by 
Parke  Godwin,  son-in-law  of  William  Cullen  Bryant,  and  afterwards 
associated  with  him  in  the  management  of  the  Evening  Post.  John 
L.  O'Sullivan,  who  had  been  connected  with  Langtree  in  the  publi- 
cation of  the  Democratic  Review,  was  also  editor  of  the  News.  He 
was  sent  as  minister  to  Portugal,  where  he  wore  the  black  dress- 
coat  and  white  cravat  at  court  receptions,  in  obedience  to  the  fa- 
mous dress  instructions  of  Secretary  Marcy.  Samuel  J.  Tilden  was 
also  one  of  its  editors.  The  News  was  the  organ  of  Bryant,  Sedg- 
wick,  and  the  Evening  Post  clique.  The  Plebeian,  which  had  pre- 
viously united  with  the  New  Era,  Democrat,  Aurora,  and  other  pa- 
pers, was  in  turn  grafted  with  the  News  in  May,  1845. 

The'  Globe  was  published  in  New  York  in  1845,  and  was  the  or- 
gan of  Secretary  Walker,  of  the  Treasury  Department,  in  Folk's  ad- 
ministration. Another  Globe,  a  daily  sheet,  an  organ  of  Tammany 
Hall,  was  started  in  1847  by  Casper  C.  Childs.  It  had,  in  the  course 
of  its  existence,  a  number  of  editors  and  writers,  who  either  passed 
from  the  editorial  rooms  into  fat  offices,  or  slipped  off  into  oblivion, 
where  many  a  journalist  has  gone  before  them.  The  paper  was  sus- 
tained by  party  contributions  and  party  pap.  It  was  suspended  in 
April,  1851,  and  never  revived.  Samuel  J.  Bayard  was  one  of  its  ed- 
itors. He  had  been  editor  of  the  Cincinnati  Republican  as  far  back 
as  1829,  and  succeeded  Elijah  Hayward,  who  had  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  Commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office  from  Gen- 
eral Jackson. 

The  small  Democratic  papers  were  nearly  all  published  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Tammany  Hall,  and,  with  the  Sun  and  Transcript,  were  the 
first  to  make  the  square  now  known  as  "  Printing-House  Square,"  a 


Chevalier  Wikoff  and  the  Republic.  577 

name  borrowed  from  the  London  Times,  famous  as  a  centre  of  jour- 
nalism. This  historic  square,  where  the  organs  of  the  unwashed 
and  unterrified  Democracy,  of  the  Huge-paws  and  the  Sledge-ham- 
mers, of  the  Subterraneans  and  Hard-fisted,  loomed  up  so  fitfully 
and  frightfully,  from  the  days  of  Van  Buren  to  the  end  of  Folk's  ad- 
ministration, is  now  occupied  by  the  Times,  Sun,  Tribune,  and  other 
lights  in  journalism,  literature,  and  politics. 

One  of  the  opposition  elements  then  coming  up  in  politics  estab- 
lished the  True  American  in  December,  1843.  It  was  tne  °.r§an  of 
the  American  Republican,  or  Native  American  Party,  which  elected 
James  Harper  as  mayor  of  the  metropolis.  It  lived  but  a  short  time. 
Then  there  were  the  American  Republican  and  the  American  Ensign 
attached  to  the  same  party.  The  Gazette,  Free-trade  organ,  was  es- 
tablished in  the  same  year.  But  the  paper  that  attracted  the  most 
attention  for  a  few  months  was  the  Republic,  which  was  issued  early 
in  1844  by  Henry  Wikoff,  now  so  well  known  as  the  Chevalier 
Wikoff.  It  started  under  the  most  pretentious  auspices  as  a  Free- 
trade  organ.  It  was  edited  by  the  famous  Duff  Green,  with  a  staff 
of  editors  and  reporters  imported  by  the  Chevalier  Wikoff  direct 
from  London  and  Paris.  It  was  journalistically  fortunate  to  pub- 
lish the  first  news,  received  by  special  express,  of  the  explosion  of 
the  monster  gun  on  board  the  Princeton,  which  killed  so  many 
leading  politicians  in  Washington.  After  Wikoff  had  sunk  about 
$70,000  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Clay  Whigs,  and 
was  edited  by  John  O.  and  Epes  Sargent.  It  was  about  one  year 
in  existence.  The  Herald  extensively  and  gratuitously  advertised 
the  paper  and  its  editors  in  April  and  May  of  1844  by  the  publica- 
tion of  the  brilliant  Wikoff  and  Fanny  Ellsler  correspondence. 

•  Editors  and  politicians  are  on  the  stage  to-day  and  off  to-morrow, 
and,  in  the  rapid  changes  of  scenes  and  actors,  it  is  difficult  to  keep 
all  the  characters  in  sight.  There  was,  for  instance,  a  division  in 
the  Whig  Party  in  New  York  in  1850.  The  political  interests  of  the 
Seward  and  Silver-Gray  Whigs  were  carefully  looked  after  by  the 
Evening  Journal  and  State  Register,  the  former  the  organ  of  William 
H.  Seward,  and  the  latter  the  organ  of  Millard  Fillmore.  Seward 
had  other  newspaper  affiliations  scattered  over  the  state,  but  Presi- 
dent Fillmore  had  only  the  Commercial  Advertiser,  of  Buffalo,  of  any 
note,  to  uphold  the  cause  of  the  conservative  Whig  policy  of  the  ac- 
tual head  of  that  wing  of  the  party.  Dr.  Thomas  M.  Foote  was  Fill- 
more's  chief  editor.  He  had  been  for  many  years  connected  with 
the  Advertiser,  and  had,  therefore,  considerable  experience  ;  but  his 
paper  was  not  located  in  Albany.  He  was  afterwards  appointed 
charge  d'affaires  to  New  Granada.  The  Register,  after  Fillmore's 
reign,  became  the  organ  of  the  Know-Nothings,  and  was  edited  by 

O  o 


578  Journalism  in  America. 

Joseph  A.  Scoville,  in  the  interest  of  George'Law,  the  millionaire,  an 
aspirant  for  the  presidency,  and  dubbed  the  "  Live  Oak/'  candidate 
by  the  New  York  Herald.  The  paper  and  office  was  removed  to  the 
metropolis,  where  it  died. 

The  Albany  Atlas  was  the  offspring  of  a  quarrel  in  the  Democrat- 
ic Party  and  for  a  number  of  years  made  itself  felt  as  a  power  in 
the  political  affairs  of  New  York.  It  was  originally  established'by 
Cornelius  Wendell  and  George  Vance,  who  had  been  compositors 
in  the  office  of  the  Argus.  They  issued  it  as  an  auxiliary  to  the  Ar- 
gus, and  it  was  for  a  while  a  mere  local  organ. 

William  C.  Bouck  was  elected  governor  in  1842.  On  reaching 
the  capital  in  the  month  of  December  preceding  the  assembling  of 
the  Legislature  in  1843,  the  governor  elect  repaired  to  the  state  de- 
partments for  information  for  his  forthcoming  message.  All  the 
facts  connected  with  the  canals,  banks,  and  finances  generally  were 
to  be  obtained  from  the  comptroller.  Azariah  C.  Flagg  was  at  the 
head  of  that  department.  The  comptroller  was  anxious  to  ascertain 
the  policy  Governor  Bouck  intended  to  pursue  in  relation  to  the 
canals.  The  governor  said  that  he  had  no  special  policy  to  suggest 
different  from  that  of  the  Democratic  Party  under  Throop  and  Mar- 
cy.  This  did  not  satisfy  Flagg.  He  desired  to  know  whether  the 
governor  would  recommend  a  continuance  of  the  system  that  had 
reduced  the  state  securities  to  eighty  cents  on  the  dollar,  or  go  with 
the  comptroller,  and  stop  the  works  altogether.  The  two  gentlemen 
could  not  agree.  The  governor  elect  then  paid  a  visit  to  Edwin 
Croswell,  of  the  Argus,  and  he  advised  him  what  to  do.  It  is  af- 
firmed that  Governor  B.'s  first  message  was  amply  supervised  by 
Croswell. 

The  state  officers  were  then  Samuel  Young,  Secretary  of  State ; 
Azariah  C.  Flagg,  Comptroller  ;  George  P.  Barker,  Attorney  Gener- 
al ;  and  Thomas  Farrington,  Treasurer.  Such  men  as  Henry  W. 
Strong,  John  B.  Scott,  Robert  Denniston,  Michael  Hoffman,  Arphaxad 
Loomis,  Levi  S.  Chatfield,  John  A.  Dix,  John  L.  O'Sullivan,  Conrad 
Swackhammer,  Sanford  E.  Church,  and  George  R.  Davis,  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature.  They  had  enunciated  the  "  policy  of  '42," 
and  were  determined  to  carry  it  out.  These  statements  are  neces- 
sary, as  leading  to  the  course  of  the  Atlas  from  that  day.  On  this 
occasion  the  Atlas  was  brought  into  requisition.  Its  proprietor  was 
then  James  M.  French  ;  William  Cassidy  was  his  assistant.  All  the 
state  officers  above  named,  together  with  their  friends  in  and  out  of 
the  Legislature,  threw  the  weight  of  their  influence  toward  making 
the  Atlas  the  successful  rival  to  the  Argus.  The  patronage  of 
Flagg's  department,  the  banking  and  the  canal,  in  job  printing  and 
advertising,  was  immense ;  this  was  exclusively  given  to  the  Atlas. 


The  Albany  Atlas.  579 

The  administration  became  divided.  On  the  one  side  stood  Gov- 
ernor Bouck,  Lieutenant  Governor  Dickinson,  nearly  all  the  canal 
commissioners,  with  Edwin  Croswell,  of  the  Argus;  on  the  other 
were  the  state  officers,  the  speaker  of  the  House,  and  other  enemies 
of  the  canals,  with  the  Atlas.  Its  columns  teemed  with  bitter  effu- 
sions from  the  pens  of  Colonel  Young,  General  Barker,  Mr.  Hoff- 
man, Mr.  Flagg,  and  others.  Mr.  Hoffman  commenced  a  series  of 
articles  advocating  the  expediency  and  necessity  of  a  new  Constitu- 
tion ;  the  Atlas  was  the  leading  organ  in  placing  that  writer's  views 
before  the  people.  Although  the  Whigs  and  leading  Hunkers  did 
not  openly  or  violently  oppose  the  calling  of  a  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, still  they  were  lukewarm,  and  the  result  showed  that  there 
was  in  the  state  a  vote  of  nearly  thirty-four  thousand  against  calling 
it.  The  act  authorizing  the  Convention  was  passed  in  the  early 
part  of  the  session  of  1846,  and  upon  ratifying  the  new  Constitution 
about  ninety-two  thousand  votes  went  against  it,  nearly  three  times 
the  number  opposed  to  the  call.  This  result  gave  the  Atlas  greater 
prominence. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  term  of  office  of  state  printer  expired,  and 
the  time  had  arrived  when  the  Barnburners  thought  they  had  the 
power  to  make  the  promised  reward  for  Mr.  French,  in  return  for 
the  great  sacrifices  he  had  already  made  in  sustaining  the  Atlas. 
Mr.  Croswell  had  enjoyed  the  princely  patronage  of  state  printer 
during  many  years,  except  the  short  time  Thurlow  Weed  held  it,  and 
would  have  been  willing  to  yield  to  any  fair  political  opponent ;  but 
he  keenly  felt  the  blows  which  the  Barnburners  had  inflicted  upon 
him  and  his  friends.  He  put  his  power  to  the  test  in  order  to  de- 
feat French  or  Cassidy.  Henry  H. Van  Dyck  was  then  a  partner  with 
Croswell  in  the  Argus,  who  was  ambitious  to  become  state  printer. 
He  would  not  allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  copartnership  with  Cros- 
well's ;  but  with  regard  to  state  printer  he  was  determined  to  be,  as 
he  said  at  the  time, "auf  Casar,  aut  nullus."  Croswell  conquered, 
and  Van  Dyck  ingloriously  left  the  Argus  office.  The  whole  com- 
bined force  of  the  Barnburners  had  thus  been  defeated  and  outgen- 
eraled by  a  single  man.  They  had  cherished  the  hope  that  the 
proprietor  of  the  Atlas  would  become  state  printer,  and  that  it  would 
then  assume  a  position  of  strength,  and  eventually  demolish  its  in- 
domitable antagonist  at  the  capital. 

Mr.  French  then  became  discouraged.  He  had  spent  a  large  for- 
tune, inherited  from  his  father,  in  sustaining  the  Atlas.  The 'estab- 
lishment was  in  debt,  and  those  payments  must  be  met,  or  the  con- 
cern would  sink.  Silas  Wright  was  then  Governor ;  Flagg,  Comp- 
troller ;  John  Van  Buren,  Attorney  General ;  Farrington,  Treasurer. 
The  paper  was  on  the  point  of  being  abandoned.  It  lived  from 


580  Journalism  in  America. 

hand  to  mouth,  and  on  contributions  collected  for  its  indispensable 
weekly  payments.  .  The  largest  creditors  were  advised  of  the  state 
of  things,  a  majority  of  whom  agreed  to  settle  for  fifty  per  cent.  A 
stock  concern  was  then  proposed,  and  Mr.  Flagg,  Dr.  Grain,  of  Herki- 
mer,  Dr.  Beekman,  of  Kinderhook,  John  A.  Dix,  of  New  York,  James 
S.  Wadsworth,  of  Livingston,  Dean  Richmond,  of  Buffalo,  and  a  few 
others,  were  solicited  to  deposit  certain  assessed  amounts.  John 
Van  Buren,  though  brother-in-law  of  French,  did  not  subscribe  a 
dollar.  This  arrangement  being  perfected,  the  aforesaid  fifty  per 
cent,  paid,  Mr.  French  withdrew,  and  Mr.  Van  Dyck,  then  a  clerk  in 
Mr.  Flagg's  office,  and  afterwards  sub-treasurer  in  New  York  under 
Lincoln  and  Johnson,  was  transferred  to  the  Atlas.  This  was  in  1 846. 
About  this  period  the  Wilmot  Proviso  was  thrust  into  the  lower 
house  of  Congress  as  a  means  and  for  the  purpose  of  distracting 
the  national  democracy.  In  October,  1847,  a  Democratic  State 
Convention  was  held  at  Syracuse,  called  for  the  object  of  nomina- 
ting candidates  for  comptroller  and  other  state  officers.  The  Hunk- 
ers and  Barnburners  had  then  become  visibly  divided  on  the  Pro- 
viso Question.  Neither  faction  could  confidently  rely  upon  a  ma- 
jority in  that  body.  There  were  a  dozen  contested  seats,  and  it 
became  evident  that  the  section  which  could  control  and  admit  the 
contending  delegates  would  have  the  Convention.  Several  days 
were  consumed  in  settling  the  claims.  The  first  question  taken 
showed  a  Hunker  majority,  though  the  vote  was  a  close  one.  John 
Van  Buren  was  ousted,  claiming  to  represent  one  of  the  Albany  dis- 
tricts. Two  or  three  of  the  Barnburners  were  voted  in,  and  all  the 
rest  rejected.  Among  the  leading  Hunkers,  James  T.  Brady  and 
Horatio  Seymour  bore  the  most  conspicuous  part.  Not  a  single 
Barnburner  would  consent  to  serve  as  an  officer  of  the  Convention 
after  Robert  H.  Morris,  of  New  York,  was  made  president.  A  thor- 
ough Hunker  ticket  was  nominated,  upon  which  was  placed  Orville 
Hungerford  for  comptroller.  David  Dudley  Field  did  not  desert 
the  Convention,  as  scores  of  other  Free-soilers  did,  but  remained  a 
silent  member,  for  the  purpose  of  distraction,  until  near  the  close  of 
the  business.  He  then  arose  and  submitted  the  following  reso- 
lution : 

Resolved,  That  while  the  democracy  of  New  York,  represented  in  this  Conven- 
tion, will  faithfully  adhere  to  all  the  compromises  of  the  Constitution  and  main- 
tain all  the  reserved  rights  of  the  states,  they  declare — since  the  crisis  has  arrived 
when  the  question  must  be  met — their  uncompromising  hostility  to  the  extension 
of  slavery  into  territory  now  free  which  may  hereafter  be  acquired  by  any  action 
of  the  United  States. 

The  Hunkers,  having  the  majority,  promptly  laid  this  missile  on  the 
table.  It  was  introduced  for  mischievous  purposes,  and  it  produced 
the  intended  effect,  which  was  a  rupture  in  the  Convention,  and  a 


The  Hunker  and  Barnburner  Sections.        581 

scattering  of  the  Democratic  hosts.  This  was  food  for  the  Atlas. 
Van  Dyck,  returning  from  the  Convention,  placed  Field's  abolition 
resolution  over  the  editorial  columns  as  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Barnburner  faith,  accompanied  with  the  expression,  impious  as  it 
was, "The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected, the  same  shall  become 
the  head  of  the  corner."  This  gave  new  vigor  to  that  sheet ;  it  be- 
came at  once  the  leading  Abolition  print  in  the  North.  The  Buffalo 
platform,  and  the  nomination  of  Martin  Van  Buren  to  effect  the  de- 
feat of  General  Cass  in  1848,  gave  the  Atlas  still  greater  prominence, 
as  it  outstripped  all  other  publications  in  advocating  the  Free-soil 
plank  of  that  platform  and  in  the  support  of  Van  Buren.  Its  col- 
umns teemed  with  excoriating  articles  from  the  ablest  abolition  pens 
in  the  state.  Among  these  contributors  were  Gerrit  Smith,  Preston 
King,  Benjamin  Welch,  Charles  S.  Benton,  Charles  B.  Sedgwick, 
Dudley  Burwell,  William  Jay,  Erastus  D.  Culver,  James  W.  Nye, 
William  Barstow,  and  Henry  B.  Stanton.  Subscriptions  rolled  in 
abundantly ;  the  columns  and  dimensions  of  the  paper  were  en- 
larged ;  contributions  toward  the  support  of  the  Atlas  came  in  abo- 
lition torrents.  The  paper  was  Free -soil,  and  nothing  else.  It 
supported  for  office  such  men  as  Charles  Francis  Adams  and  Seth 
M.  Gates.  It  continued  to  prosper  during  the  contest  of  1848,  and 
claimed  the  support  of  the  Abolitionists,  Free-soilers,  and  Barnburn- 
ers, without  associating  at  all  with  the  democracy,  down  to  1852, 
keeping  floating  at  its  flag-staff  the  celebrated  anti-slavery  "  corner- 
stone," with  William  Cassidy  as  editor.  But  the  leading  Abolition- 
ists found  that  they  had  made  a  mistake.  They  became  convinced 
that  all  the  love  the  Atlas  ever  had  for  slave  emancipation  was  to 
keep  up  an  excitement  against  General  Cass  as  long  as  he  was 
prominently  a  presidential  candidate,  and  no  longer.  After  the 
nominations  in  1852  of  Seymour  for  governor -and  Pierce  for  presi- 
dent, the  Atlas  threw  aside  its  abolitionism.  The  celebrated  "  cor- 
ner-stone" was  silently  dropped,  and  the  paper  came  out  and  sup- 
ported the  national  nominees  in  1852,  and  in  less  than  three  months 
after  the  election  of  Pierce  it  became  apparent  why  the  abolition 
guns  of  the  Atlas  had  been  spiked.  It  was  then  evident  that  Pierce 
had  made  an  alliance  with  the  Free-soil  Barnburners  of  New  York. 
The  cases  of  Bronson,  of  New  York,  and  Reynolds,  of  Albany,  were 
specimens  of  administrative  harmony  produced  by  means  of  the 
Atlas.  Thus,  from  the  4th  of  March,  1853,  till  after  the  fall  election 
of  1855,  that  paper  was  daily  praising  Pierce. 

The  proprietor  and  the  editor  then  took  opposite  grounds.  One 
day  the  columns  of  the  Atlas  teemed  with  vindictiveness  against 
Pierce,  Marcy,  and  the  entire  national  administration  ;  these  articles 
were  written  by  Van  Dyck.  The  subsequent  issue  contained  extra- 


582  Journalism  in  America. 

ordinary  laudations  and  high  praises  of  the  same  public  function- 
aries. The  public  was  highly  delighted  with  this  singular  harmony, 
and  every  one  saw  in  it  a  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  that  concern.  Van 
Dyck,  who  held  the  title,  offered  the  establishment  for  sale.  The 
Argus  offered  to  purchase.  It  was  finally  arranged  that  the  two  pa- 
pers should  be  amalgamated,  with  Cassidy  and  Comstock  as  editors 
and  proprietors.  The  united  paper  was  called  the  Argus  and  Atlas. 

The  Springfield  (Mass.)  Republican  is  a. representative  paper.  It 
is  one  of  the  most  influential  provincial  journals  in  the  United  States. 
Its  vigor  of  management,  and  its  central  position  in  Massachusetts, 
gives  it  this  power  over  other  journals  published  in  the  interior. 

The  Republican  was  established  in  1847.  Samuel  Bowles  &  Co. 
are  the  publishers.  It  has  always  had  an  excellent  staff  of  writers. 
Such  as  Timothy  Titcomb  have  contributed  to  its  columns.  Its 
chief  proprietor  is  an  energetic  journalist,  and  looks  keenly  and 
shrewdly  after  the  interest  of  his  paper.  It  is  said  that  he  has  a  de- 
sire to  expand  his  journalism  in  New  York.  Several  years  ago  he 
combined  a  number  of  papers  in  Boston,  and  issued  a  paper  some- 
what after  the  style  of  the  Tribune.  There  were  high  anticipations 
of  its  success  among  the  Republican  journalists  and  friends  of  the 
editor.  When  the  first  number  reached  New  York,  Horace  Gree- 
ley  asked  another  journalist, 

"What  do  you  think  of  Bowles's  new  paper  in  Boston?  Will  it 
sudceed  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  not,"  was  the  reply.  "  It  is  too  much  like  the  Trib- 
une. The  only  difference  is  in  the  size  of  the  type.  There  is  not 
enough  originality  in  its  make-up." 

It  did  not  live  long,  for  other  reasons,  however.  Its  internal  or- 
ganization was  not  cohesively  arranged.  The  treasury  was  not  equal 
to  the  enterprise,  and  Boston  had  not  yet  been  educated  up  to  the 
financial  expenditures  of  the  leading  New  York  papers. 

The  Republican  is  an  eight-page  paper,  called  a  double  sheet,  neat- 
ly printed  and  spiritedly  edited.  It  has'an  opinion  of  its  own,  and 
utters  it  whenever  it  chooses  to  do  so.  It  has  for  its  device,  with 
the  head-line,  a  cut  of  a  Napier  cylinder  press  capable  of  printing 
three  thousand  sheets  per  hour.  Where  the  old  style  of  papers  in- 
serted their  mottoes,  the  Republican  has  "  R.  Hoe  &  Co."  If  that 
firm  be  its  motto,  the  device  should  be  changed  to  a  ten-cylinder 
lightning  press,  or  newspaper  advertisers  will  think  that  the  concern 
has  not  kept  up  in  progress  with  its  great  and  enterprising  motto- 
firm  and  press-builders. 

The  Republican  is  emphatically  a  New  England  institution.  Its 
editor's  platform  is  laid  down  in  these  words : 

To  picture  the  progress  of  the  varied  and  busy  life  of  New  England  as  to  rep- 


Samuel  Bowles  and  the  Springfield  Republican,  583 

resent  its  inquisitive  and  active  thought  on  all  questions  that  concern  the  com- 
fort and  the  elevation  of  society ;  to  make,  indeed,  a  part  of  that  life  and  that 
thought — this  is  the  scope  and  aim  of  the  Springfield  Republican  newspaper.  Con- 
fessedly it  has  become  the  most  representative  and  comprehensive  of  New  En- 
gland journals  ;  as  a  record  of  its  news,  for  home  use  or  foreign  enlightenment ; 
as  an  exponent  of  its  best  thought,  most  intelligent,  candid,  and  advanced  on  ques- 
tions of  political  and  religious  liberty  and  progress,  of  social  order  and  develop- 
ment, and  of  literary  and  art  culture  ;  and  it  is  the  ambition  and  effort  of  its  con- 
ductors to  maintain  and  extend  this  leadership,  to  still  more  elevate  and  widen 
the  character  of  the  paper,  and  to  vary  and  enlarge  its  interest  and  usefulness  for 
all  classes  of  our  people. 

The  Republican,  in  1868,  published  an  article  reflecting  on  the 
conduct  and  character  of  Colonel  James  Fisk,  Jr.  Shortly  after,  Mr. 
Bowles  visited  New  York.  One  evening  he  was  arrested  at  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Hotel,  at  the  instance  of  Colonel  Fisk,  and  incarcerated 
for  one  night  in  Ludlow-Street  Jail  on  a  suit  for  libel.  The  whole 
affair  was  a  gross  outrage  on  the  rights  of  a  citizen  and  the  free- 
dom of  the  Press.  On  the  return  of  Mr.  Bowles  to  Springfield  he 
received  the  following  invitation,  signed  by  fifty  of  the  first  citizens 
of  Boston : 

To  SAMUEL  BOWLES,  ESQ.  : — The  undersigned,  desirous  of  testifying  our  re- 
spect for  your  character  as  a  man,  and  for  your  course  as  an  independent  editor, 
request  you  to  do  us  the  honor  of  dining  with  us  at  such  early  date  as  suits  your 
convenience.  ALEX.  H.  BULLOCK,  WILLIAM  CLAFFIN, 

N.  P.  BANKS,  CHARLES  G.  GREENE, 

and  others. 
BOSTON,  December  24,  i868v 

Editor  Bowles,  in  reply,  very  appropriately  said  :  » 

SPRINGFIELD,  December  28,  1868. 

*  *  *  I  can  not  feel  that  I  have  done  or  suffered  so  much  more  than  many 
of  my  brethren  for  the  cause  of  independent  journalism  as  to  justify  me  in  so  far 
violating  my  conviction  of  the  desirability  of  maintaining  the  impersonality  of  the 
Press  as  a  great  means  of  its  growth,  its  power,  and  its  independence.  Besides, 
no  dinner,  with  speeches  and  presence,  however  brilliant  or  attractive,  could  add 
force  or  influence  to.  the  brief  word  you  have  written.  When  gentlemen  of  so 
widely  different  associations  as  yourselves,  representing  opposing  political  par- 
ties, and  all  the  leading  interests  and  professions  of  society,  unite  to  speak  for  the 
integrity  and  independence  of  journalism,  there  is  cause  for  rejoicing  and  hope 
for  us  all. 

The  corruptions  in  politics  and  the  corruptions  in  business  affairs  have  become 
offensive  and  startling  within  the  last  few  years,  and  the  moral  sense  of  the  com- 
munity seems  at  times  to  have  become  blunted  by  the  successful  display  and  rep- 
etition of  practices  that  violate  every  principle  of  fair  dealing  and  integrity,  and 
put  the  control  of  government  and  the  value  of  many  kinds  of  property  at  the 
mercy  of  political  adventurers  and  ruthless  stock  gamblers.  The  Press  really 
seems  to  be  the  best,  if  not  the  only  instrument  with  which  honest  men  can  fight 
these  enemies  of  order  and  integrity  in  government  and  security  in  property.  * 
*  *  American  journalism  is  now  but  in  its  feeble  infancy  ;  but  we  have  more 
to  fear  at  present  from  its  good  nature,  from  its  subserviency,  from  its  indifference, 
from  its  fear  to  encounter  prosecution  and  loss  of  patronage  by  the  exposure  of 
the  wrong  and  the  exposition  of  the  right.  A  courageous  independence  and  in- 
tegrity of  purpose,  coupled  with  a  fearless  expression  of  truth  as  to  all  public  in- 
dividuals, corporations,  and  parties,  are  the  features  in  its  character  to  me  most 
encouraged  now.  ***** 

My  own  observation  is  that  the  Press  rarely  does  injustice  to  a  thoroughly 
honest  man  or  cause.  It  may  be  deceived  with  regard  to  a  private  individual, 


584  Journalism  in  America. 

and  misrepresent  him  for  a  time  ;  but  with  reference  to  public  men  and  measures, 
its  knowledge  is  more  intimate  and  complete  than  that  of  any  other  agency  pos- 
sibly can  be ;  and  I  know  that  it  withholds  unjustly  to  the  public  one  hundred 
times  where  it  speaks  wrongly  once  of  the  individual.  Certainly,  nine  out  of  ten 
of  all  libel-suits  against  the  Press  are  brought  by  adventurers,  and  speculators, 
and  scoundrels,  whose  contrivances  to  rob  the  public  have  been  exposed.  *  *  * 

SAMUEL  BOWLES. 

But  roses  have  their  thorns  ;  and  under  the  head  of  "  retributive," 
Wendell  Phillips,  in  the  Anti-Slavery  Standard,  thus  resumes  specie 
payments  with  the  editor  of  the  Republican: 

The  New  York  journals  are  wasting  a  great  deal  of  indignation  on  Mr.  Fisk 
for  the  course  he  took  in  the  matter  of  Mr.  Samuel  Bowles,  of  the  Springfield  Re- 
publican. When  we  remember  the  abuse  and  insolence  lavished  by  Mr.  Bowles, 
from  his  coward's  castle,  on  every  true  man  for  the  last  fifteen  years,  we  think 
such  an  offender  has  nothing  to  complain  of.  He  has  only  been  paid  in  his  own 
coin.  The  combatants  seem  about  equally  matched ;  though,  to  be  sure,  Mr. 
Fisk,  a  new  beginner,  can  not  expect  fully  to  equal  Mr.  Bowles,  who  is  a  veteran 
in  this  fine  art. 

If  Mr.  Bowles  had  recalled  George  Thomson's  faithful  dealing  with  him  when 
that  gentleman  and  his  friends  were  mobbed  in  Springfield  seventeen  years  ago, 
and  the  scores  of  times  since  that  he  has  done  his  utmost  to  poison  the  mind 
of  Western  Massachusetts  against  the  best  men  in  the  state,  he  might  have  used 
his  prison  hours  in  profitable,  if  penitential  meditations — a  much  better  employ- 
ment than  whimpering. 

The  Springfield  Republican,  like  the  Boston  Advertiser,  has  belonged,  in  times 
past,  to  a.  class  of  journals  noted  for  abusing  those  men  whose  personal  unpopu- 
larity made  it  safe,  and  sometimes  profitable,  to  abuse  them.  For  once  it  has 
miscalculated.  W.  P. 

There  was  a  long  correspondence,  in  December,  1870,  and  Janu- 
ary, 1871,  between  David  Dudley  Field,  a  distinguished  lawyer  of 
New  York  City,  and  Samuel  Bowles,  growing  out  of  an  attack  on 
the  professional  integrity,  or,  rather,  the  professional  rights  of  the 
lawyer.  The  "  attack"  was  contained  in  a  letter  from  New  York 
which  was  published  in  the  Republican.  This  is  an  extract : 

David  Dudley  Field,  though  hardly  old  enough  to  be  called  a  veteran,  is  one 
of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  New  York,  and  has  by  far  the  largest  practice.  His  re- 
ceipts as  counsel  for  the  Erie  Railroad  Company  alone  are  understood  to  have 
exceeded  $200,000  in  a  single  year,  and  his  regular  income  is  enormous.  His 
connection  with  Fisk  and  Gould  secures  him  the  favor  of  Barnard  and  the  other 
ring  judges,  though  it  has  destroyed  his  reputation  as  a  high-toned  lawyer  with 
the  public,  while  the  bar  always  disliked  him  for  his  avarice  and  meanness.  David 
Dudley  Field  is  a  strong  Free-trade  advocate,  and  often  presides  at  the  meetings 
of  the  Reform  Club.  He  is  an  authority  on  international  law,  and  was  also  the 
chief  codifier  of  the  present  Code  of  Procedure  of  the  State  of  New  York.  His 
reputation  as  a  lawyer  is  based  upon  his  knowledge  of  legal  technicality,  and  once, 
during  a  conversation  with  the  late  James  T.  Brady,  the  latter  dubbed  him  "the 
king  of  pettifoggers,"  which  title  has  stuck  to  Field  ever  since. 

The  lawyer,  in  a  brief  note,  "took  exceptions"  to  this  statement 
The  editor,  in  reply,  regretted  the  peculiar  wording  of  the  letter,  but 
justified  its  sentiments.  This  led  to  a  long  discussion,  which  filled 
a  moderate-sized  pamphlet,  or  a  page  of  the  Tribune,  on  the  respect- 
ive rights  of  lawyers  and  clients,  and  editors  and  critics.  Mr. 
Field,  who  is  evidently  opposed  to  anonymous  journalism,  in  his 
second  letter  said  : 


The  Rights  of  Lawyers  and  Editors.         585 

I  am  amazed  and  indignant.  Do  you  not  mistake  your  own  position  as  well 
as  mine  ?  What  gives  you,  sitting  in  private  and  writing  anonymously,  authority 
to  render  "judgment"  upon  me  ?  I  am  not  disputing  your  right,  as  a  collector  of 
news,  to  publish  any  facts  concerning  any  body  ;  but  you  have,  certainly,  no  greater 
right  to  publish  your  opinions  respecting  the  character  or  conduct  of  a  private  per- 
son than  you  would  to  publish  them  to  his  face  in  a  private  company ;  and  you 
must  know  that  you  would  not  have  ventured  to  say  what  is  contained  in  that 
paragraph  to  my  face  in  any  company  whatever.  It  seems  to  be  imagined  in 
some  quarters  that  as  soon  as  one  can  get  the  control  of  types  and  write  anony- 
mously, he  may  publish  whatever  he  pleases  about  whomsoever  he  will.  For  many 
of  the  conductors  of  the  public  press  I  have  great  respect,  as  for  intelligent,  cul- 
tivated, large-hearted  men ;  but  there  are  others,  as  you  must  know,  who  are 
"hostes  humani  generis,"  and  who  evidently  fancy  that  as  soon  as  they  can  fill 
the  columns  of  a  newspaper  they  may  put  off  the  character  of  a  gentleman  and 
take  on  that  of  ruffians.  Such,  I  hope,  is  not  your  opinion ;  it  certainly  is  not 
mine.  So  much  for  your  position. 

Mr.  Bowles,  in  reply,  assumed  this  position  for  the  journalist : 

Of  course  I  can  not  accept  the  limitations  which  you  put  upon  journalism.  The 
gathering  and  publication  of  facts  is  but  one  part  of  its  vocation.  To  express 
opinions  is  a  higher  and  larger  share  of  its  duties.  The  conduct  of  public  men 
before  the  public  is  the  legitimate  subject  for  their  discussion.  The  lawyer  before 
the  court,  as  the  minister  in  his  pulpit,  the  executive  in  his  chair  of  state,  and  the 
legislator  in  his  hall  of  assembly — all  these  are  alike  public  men,  and  their  con- 
duct in  their  public  vocations  the  proper  theme  of  both  journalistic  report  and 
discussion.  Nor  is  such  arraignment  the  province  of  the  Press  alone.  Without 
invading  the  sanctities  of  private  character,  or  the  courtesies  of  personal  life,  rea- 
son and  the  habits  of  civilization  give  to  every  man  the  right  to  arraign  and  dis- 
cuss the  public  or  professional  conduct  of  his  fellow-men.  The  politician  on  the 
stump  discusses  his  fellow-politicians  ;  the  minister  in  his  pulpit  summons  his 
fellows  for  inconsistency,  or  unreason,  or  infidelity ;  so  the  lawyer  arraigns  his 
fellow-lawyers  in  court  or  in  public  gathering  ;  and  each,  too,  crosses  the  line  of 
his  own  profession,  and  disputes  the  conduct  of  men  of  the  other  professio/is. 
There  is  no  court  more  thoroughly  established  than  this  of  public  opinion,  and 
-no  right  more  finally  settled,  or  more  largely  improved,  than  this  of  the  free  dis- 
cussion of  the  publrc  and  professional  conduct  of  all  our  fellow-men ;  and  I  am 
surprised  to  find  you  disputing  it. 

Neither  the  lawyer  nor  the  editor,  in  their  columns  of  argument 
pro  and  con,  convinced  the  other ;  and,  so  far  as  the  opinions  of 
these  two  gentlemen  affect  the  public  mind,  it  still  remains  in  doubt 
whether  a  lawyer  has  a  right  to  make  any  one  with  sufficient  money 
his  client,  or  the  editor  the  right  to  hold  the  lawyer  up  to  public 
gaze  for  the  crimes  and  conduct  of  his  client.  It  is  probable  that 
a  lawyer  with  a  notoriously  bad  client  will  suffer  in  public  estima- 
tion, and  the  editor's  criticism  be  sustained.  Such  will  always  be 
the  vox  populi. 

The  Republican  has  a  large  circulation  for  an  interior  publication. 
It  claims  25,000.  No  paper  out  of  Boston  has  so  large  a  circula- 
tion in  New  England. 

"  The  first  daily  paper  in  the  oil  regions."  This  is  the  proud 
boast  of  the  Titusville  Morning  Herald,  and  is  kept  as  a  standing 
notice  where  other  papers  insert  their  motto.  The  Herald  was  es- 
tablished on  the  i4th  of  June,  1865.  It  already  claims  the  largest 
circulation  of  any  daily  newspaper  in  Pennsylvania  outside  of  Phila- 


586  Journalism  in  America. 

delphia  and  Pittsburg,  and  that  it  is  the  largest  daily  newspaper  in 
the  same  commonwealth  with  the  same  two  exceptions.  If  this  be 
so,  the  oil  regions  have  bubbled  up  to  some  purpose,  and  is  anoth- 
er of  the  marvelous  instances  of  the  fabulous  growth  of  a  populous 
and  wealthy  community  in  the  United  States.  The  Herald'vs,  a  large- 
sized  single-sheet  paper,  pretty  well  filled  with  advertisements,  and 
full  of  news  received  by  telegraph  and  otherwise.  It  publishes  a 
monthly  statistical  review  of  the  petroleum  business  of  that  oleagi- 
nous section. 


Cheap  Literature.  587 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 
CHEAP  LITERATURE. 

NOVELS  MADE  INTO  NEWS  AND  SOLD  BY  NEWS-BOYS. — THE  BROTHER  JONA- 
THAN AND  NEW  WORLD. — THE  BOSTON  NOTION. — COMPETITION  FOR  THE 
LAST  NOVEL  BY  THE  LAST  STEAMER.  —  DlCKENS'S  AMERICAN  NOTES  AND 
THE  QUEEN'S  SPEECH. 

ABOUT  the  time  the  Atlantic  began  to  be  traversed  by  steam-ships, 
several  large  papers,  published  weekly,  were  established  in  New 
York  and  Boston.  They  were  entitled  the  Boston  Notion,  and  the 
New  World and  Brother  Jonathan,  of  New  York.  They  were  literary 
sheets,  and  made  news  of  literature.  Park  Benjamin,  an  associate 
of  Horace  Greeley  and  Henry  J.  Raymond  on  the  New  Yorker  in 
1838,  Rufus  Wilmot  Griswold,  George  Roberts,  and  Jonas  Winches- 
ter, were  the  publishers.  John  Neal,  Louis  Fitzgerald  Tasistro,  Gris- 
wold, and  Benjamin  were  the  chief  editors  ;  but  they  impressed  Bul- 
wer,  James,  Dickens,  Ainsworth,  Lever,  Sheridan  Knowles,  Lover, 
and  all  the  writers  of  note,  into  their  service  nolens  volens.  They 
made  war,  by  their  enterprise,  on  the  Harpers  and  other  large  book 
publishers,  and  brought  literature  into  the  market  at  reduced  prices. 
They  were  a  sensation  in  New  York.  What  the  New  York  Herald, 
New  York  Sun,  Boston  Times,  and  Philadelphia  Ledger  endeavored 
to  do  with  the  political,  commercial,  criminal,  financial,  and  marine 
movements  of  the  day,  these  energetic  litterateurs  and  publishers  at- 
tempted to  accomplish  with  Bulwer's  Zanoni,  Dickens's  American 
Notes,  and  Knowles's  Love-Chase.  Zanoni  was  published  by  the 
Harpers,  the  New  World,  and  Brother  Jonathan  in  the  spring  of  1842. 
It  sold  for  i2-|  cents,  and  in  some  instances  at  6^  cents.  The  Harp- 
ers and  a  few  other  booksellers  would  issue  such  works  as  these, 
taking  their  own  time,  and  charging  $i  and  $i  50  for  a  copy.  Al- 
though there  was  no  copyright  law,  these  book  publishers  had  as 
much  of  a  monopoly  as  if  Bulwer,  James,  and  Dickens  wrote  exclu- 
sively for  them. 

These  weekly  sheets,  by  the  enterprise  of  their  proprietors, 
changed  all  this.  They  made  the  same  arrangements  to  get  early 
copies  of  the  last  novel  by  the  coming  steamers  as  the  Herald  or 
Tribune  made  to  obtain  the  latest  London  Times  or  Liverpool  Mail. 
An  entire  novel  would  be  published  on  the  day  of  its  reception. 
They  would  give  Bulwer's  Night  and  Morning,  complete,  in  an  ex- 


588  Journalism  in  America. 

tra,  as  the  Herald  would  an  important  speech  of  O'Connell,  or  Peel, 
or  Palmerston,  or  the  Queen.  Such  a  feat  was  considered  a  marvel 
in  typography.  These  novels,  plays,  and  romances,  in  monster  fo- 
lios and  double  sheets,  were  sold  in  the  streets  by  the  news-boys  at 
•ten  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents  each.  On  the  nth  of  December, 
1839,  the  Herald  received  by  the  steamer  Liverpool  an  advance  copy 
of  Sheridan  Knowles's  play  of  Love-Chase,  which  was  published  en- 
tire in  that  paper,  and  sold  with  the  news  of  the  day  for  two  cents ! 
Ann  and  Nassau  Streets,  where  the  New  World  and  Brother  Jona- 
than were  published,  were  scenes  of  wild  and  extraordinary  excite- 
ment on  the  arrival  of  a  steam-ship  with  a  fresh  novel.  "'Rival 
of  the  Britannia.  'Ere's  Dickens's  Notes — only  ten  cents."  These 
papers  obtained  large  circulations  by  this  sort  of  enterprise.  It  was, 
however,  too  sensational  to  last.  They  were  too  dependent  on  for- 
eign brains.  Immense  quantities  were  sent  all  over  the  country,  es- 
pecially to  the  Southern  States ;  and  as  other  matter  than  novels 
and  plays  was  published,  some  of  which  was  considered  objectiona- 
ble and  contraband  in  a  Southern  political  and  social  point  of  view, 
there  was  trouble  and  difficulty  with  the  authorities  in  that  section 
of  the  country.  One  of  the  Boston  papers,  for  instance,  contained 
the  following  paragraph  in  November,  1842  : 

The  agent  of  the  New  World  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  writes  a  piteous  letter,  in 
which  he  states  that  he  had  been  held  to  bail  in  the  sum  of  $1000,  on  the  com- 
plaint of  the  South  Carolina  Association,  for  having  sold  a  certain  number  of  our 
journal  containing  a  discourse  by  the  late  William  Ellery  Channing  on  Emanci- 
pation in  the  West  Indies. 

Newspaper  dealers  and  agents  at  the  South  are  now  free  from 
such  troubles.  Any  publication  or  individual  can  circulate  in  the 
South,  from  Horace  Greeley  and  Benjamin  F.  Butler  to  the  Anti- 
Slavery  Standard  and  Wendell  Phillips. 

These  monster  weekly  papers  commenced,  in  a  simple  way,  the 
system  and  style  of  advertising  that  is  at  the  present  time  so  widely 
and  extensively  carried  out  in  this  country  by  Bonner  and  others. 
It  was  a  moderate  beginning.  Instead  of  the  entire  columns  and 
pages  occupied  in  typographical  display  which  is  now  indulged  in, 
Jonas  Winchester,  of  the  New  World,  headed  the  advertisement  of 
the  number  issued  on  the  4th  of  February,  1843,  as  follows  : 

THE  NEW  WORLD. — A  GREAT  NUMBER. — Two  SPLENDID  ENGRAVINGS. 

This  issue  contained  Sheridan  Knowles's  "  thrilling  tale"  of  My 
Grandfather's  Dream,  and  Lamon  Blanchard's  My  Dream  at  Hop 
Lodge. 

One  number  of  the  Boston  Notion  was  thus  announced  : 

Another  rich  Number. — The  Boston  Notion,  L.  F.  Tasistro,  Editor.  This  jour- 
nal, so  justly  celebrated  for  its  high-toned  literary  criticisms  and  racy  articles,  is 
fast  gaining  the  largest  circulation  of  any  weekly  in  this  country. 


The  Authorities  and  Cheap  Literature.       589 

So  great  and  sharp  was  the  competition  among  these  large  liter- 
ary news  sheets  that  the  Herald  uttered  the  following  predictions 
relative  to  them  in  March,  1843  : 

The  terrible  contest  and  competition  now  going  on  among  the  publishers  of 
cheap  literature  will  produce  two  or  three  results  :  ist,  the  ruin  of  all  the  publish-- 
ers  ;  ad,  the  fortunes  of  all  the  vendors  in  the  large  cities  ;  and,  3d,  the  spread  of 
literary  taste  among  the  people.  All  these  results  are  positive  and  certain. 


These  predictions  have  been  fully  verified.  In  1845  tne 
World  'was  absorbed  by  the  Emporium,  and  Park  Benjamin  became 
an  editor  in  Baltimore  in  1846.  He  was  the  father  of  cheap  litera- 
ture in  the  United  States.  The  Boston  Notion  ceased  to  exist,  and 
its  publisher  opened  a  first-class  hotel  in  New  York,  and  its  editor 
became  chief  translator  in  the  State  Department  at  Washington,  and 
afterwards,  becoming  partially  blind,  he  astonished  every  one  with 
his  extraordinary  memory  in  reciting  entire  plays  of  Shakspeare. 
John  Neal,  who  was  chief  editor  of  the  Brother  Jonathan  in  1843, 
still  lives,  with  his  brain  as  active  as  ever,  in  Portland,  Maine,  mixed 
up  in  railroads  and  literature. 

This  cheap  literature  circulated  through  the  mails  at  low  rates  of 
postage,  going,  even  when  printed  on  extra  sheets,  -as  regular  news- 
papers. This  was  an  additional  advantage  the  weekly-paper  pub- 
lisher enjoyed  over  the  old  book  publishers  ;  but  in  April,  1843,  in- 
structions were  issued  from  the  Post-office  Department  to  charge 
pamphlet  postage  on  all  the  cheap  publications  of  the  day  issued  as 
extras.  The  postage  on  the  extras  of  the  New  World  and  Brother 
Jonathan  was  two  and  a  half  cents  a  sheet.  On  the  following  July 
•these  publications  were  shut  out  of  Canada,  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  the  copyright  law,  by  the  restrictions  of  the  authorities 
of  that  province,  through  the  efforts,  it  was  asserted  at  the  time,  of 
Bulwer,  Dickens,  James,  and  other  English  authors. 

These  official  acts  were  serious  blows  to  the  cheap  publications, 
but  the  taste  of  the  public  for  the  productions  of  first-class  writers 
had  spread  and  become  standard,  and  was  seen  afterwards  in  the 
improved  class  of  literary  papers  issued  in  the  United  States. 


590  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
NEWSPAPERS  ON  THE  PACIFIC. 

THE  FLUMGUDGEON  GAZETTE,  OF  OREGON.  —  STEVENSON'S  EXPEDITION. — 
TYPE  AND  PRESSES  GO  WITH  THE  TROOPS. — THE  DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD. — 
SPECIMENS  SENT  TO  THE  NEW  YORK  HERALD. — TREMENDOUS  GOLD  EX- 
CITEMENT.—  How  NEWSPAPERS  IN  CALIFORNIA  ORIGINATED.  —  EASTERN 
JOURNALS  IN  THE  MINES. — How  EARLY  NEWS  FROM  CALIFORNIA  WAS  OB- 
TAINED.— THE  PRESENT. — THE  FUTURE. 

THE  Pacific  slope  will  not  long  be  in  the  rear  of  the  Atlantic 
slope  in  the  number  and  wealth  of  its  newspapers  ;  indeed,  the  jour- 
nalists in  that  part  of  the  world  even  think  that  they  are  now  up  to 
the  mark  in  point  of  ability  and  enterprise.  Many  of  the  papers 
published  in  San  Francisco  are  handsome  specimens  of  typography, 
and  in  talent  and  energy  they  stand  well  in  the  ranks. 

The  first  paper  printed  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  made  its  ap- 
pearance before  the  war  with  Mexico,  before  the  invasion  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  before  Marshall  and  Sutter  discovered  gold  where  the 
former  was  building  a  mill  for  the  latter  in  January,  1848.  Many 
years  previously  to  those  events  Astor  and  Gray  had  made  the 
Columbia  River  known,  and  there  was  an  excitement  in  1830  in. 
New  England  and  New  York,  among  the  young  men,  to  migrate  to 
Oregon  and  develop  that  region  of  the  Northwest.  Oregon,  there- 
fore, was  not  a  terra  incognita  when  the  Texas  Question  came  up  to 
vex  the  politicians  in  1844,  and  a  newspaper  was  printed  there  about 
that  time.  This  pioneer  in  journalism  in  that  part  of  the  continent 
was  rescued  from  oblivion  when  its  proprietor,  in  after  years,  be- 
came an  applicant  for  the  public  printing  in  California.  One  of 
his  amiable  confreres  in  San  Francisco  gives  the  following  facts  in 
regard  to  the 

FIRST  AMERICAN  NEWSPAPER  PUBLISHED  ON  THE  PACIFIC  COAST  OF  NORTH 

AMERICA. 

If  it  be  any  farther  argument  in  favor  of  the  editor  of  the  Western  American 
obtaining  the  public  printing,  we  would  add,  for  information  of  legislators,  that 
the  first  American  newspaper  ever  published  on  this  coast  was  issued  by  him  at 
Oregon  City  in  the  spring  of  1844. 

The  title  of  the  paper  was  the  Flumgudgeon  Gazette,  or  Bumble -Bee  Budget, 
edited  by  the  Long-tailed  Coon,  a  sort  of  Pike  County  Punch  affair.  The  motto 
read,  "Devoted  to  scratching  and  stinging  the  Follies  of  the  Age." 

It  was  tri-weekly,  some  eight  or  ten  numbers  being  issued,  continuing  during 
the  session  of  the  Legislative  Council  of  the  Territory.  The  paper  made  quite  a 
stir  in  those  parts,  and  kept  the  members  on  their  p's  and  q's  all  the  time.  It 


The  First  Newspaper  on  the  Pacific.         591 

was  burlesquing,  comical,  and  humorously  critical  upon  the  honorable  body, 
which,  like  the  California  Legislatures,  was  a  compound  mixture  of  Hoosierism 
and  Yankee,  without  the  addition,  as  with  us,  of  the  Chivalry,  Greasers,  and  Sour- 
Krout 

Governor  P.  H.  Burnett  got  hold  of  several  copies,  and  may  possibly  have  them 
now  among  his  papers.  Mr.  Springer,  a  German  limner,  drew  in  crayon  the  per- 
son of  the  editor  at  the  head  of  each  sheet.  Mr.  S.  is  now  living  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rio  Guadalupe,  just  in  the  edge  of  the  Pueblo  de  San  Jose,  where  he  keeps  a 
public  house,  the  best  of  liquors,  and  our  friends  will  be  doing  us  a  favor  by  call- 
ing at  his  casa  for  a  drink  on  passing. 

This  original  sheet,  more  a  copy  of  Punch  than  of  the  Weekly 
News-Letter  vn.  its  title,  made  its  appearance  in  1844.  Only  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  later,  in  1870,  there  were  thirty-four  daily,  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  weekly,  and  six  monthly  publications  in  Cal- 
ifornia and  Oregon  alone  !  There  are,  besides,  numerous  publica- 
tions in  Washington,  Colorado,  Utah,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Dako- 
tah,  Montana — all  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  all  started  since  the 
Flumgudgeon  flashed  upon  the  world  and  disappeared. 

Newspaper  brains  and  material  went  out  to  the  Pacific  with  Ste- 
venson's Expedition  in  1846.  Graduates  of  the  New  York  Herald, 
such  as  John  Nugent, William  C.  Hamilton,  Edward  Connor,  E.  Gould 
Buffum,  migrated  to  the  Dorado  of  the  West,  and  the  Alta  California 
and  the  San  Francisco  Herald  came  into  existence.  Graduates  of 
the  New  York  Tribune  and  New  York  Times  afterwards  went  out  to 
that  golden  shore,  and  the  San  Francisco  Bulletin  and  many  other 
daily  papers  were  established,  some  to  live,  and  many  to  die.  On 
the  yth  of  July,  1846,  the  following  paragraph  appeared  in  the  New 
York  Herald: 

We  are  informed,  upon  good  authority,  that,  in  company  with  the  new  regiments 
to  be  commanded  by  Colonel  Stevenson,  a  gentleman  of  this  city  will  go  with  a 
press  and  type  to  establish  a  newspaper  in  California. 

On  the  next  day  the  Herald  said  : 

Among  other  articles  to  go,  there  will  be  one  or  two  printing-presses,  accompa- 
nied by  men  to  operate  them  and  men  of  talent  to  conduct  them.  We  are  happy 
to  say  that  the  idea  of  establishing  a  government  paper  is  not  entertained  by  Col- 
onel Stevenson,  but  that  the  paper,  when  established,  will  be  perfectly  independent. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  real  journalism  on  the  Pacific.  Out  of 
the  brains  and  material  carried  to  that  region  by  this  military  expe- 
dition have  grown  the  newspapers  of  California  and  the  Pacific. 
There  are  now  twenty-seven  daily  papers  published  in  that  state, 
and  one  advertising  agency  in  New  York  in  1870  announced  that  it 
would  receive  advertisements  for  163  newspapers  in  California,  26 
newspapers  in  Oregon,  12  newspapers  in  Washington  Territory,  8 
newspapers  in  Montana,  6  newspapers  in  Idaho,  4  newspapers  in 
Dakotah,  6  newspapers  in  Wyoming,  n  newspapers  in  Nevada,  7 
newspapers  in  Utah,  2  newspapers  in  Arizona,  3  newspapers  in  New 
Mexico,  15  newspapers  in  Colorado,  i  newspaper  in  Indian  Terri- 


592  Journalism  in  America. 

tory,  40  newspapers  in  Nebraska  ;  and  among  these  there  is  a  News- 
Letter  in  San  Francisco,  and,  in  recollection  of  the  pioneer  of  Bos- 
ton, it  seems  quite  appropriate  that  its  name  should  be  perpetuated 
on  the  other  side  of  the  continent.  Alaska  is  not  included  in  the 
above  list,  but  a  paper  is  published  there  called  the  Times. 

When  Vice-president  Colfax  visited  California  a  few  years  ago, 
his  old  associates  of  the  case  and  stick,  who  had  migrated  to  the 
Pacific  to  assist  in  printing  these  papers,  presented  him  with  a  rule 
made  of  the  mere  dust  of  that  state — the  golden  rule — suitably  in- 
scribed, which  he  always  proudly  carries,  and  proudly  exhibits  as 
one  of  the  neatest  gifts  he  ever  received. 

As  already  mentioned  on  page  478,  the  first  specimen  of  gold-dust 
sent  from  California  to  the  Atlantic  was  a  pinch  of  the  rare  article, 
in  the  shape  of  small  scales,  inclosed  in  a  letter  from  Thomas  Lar- 
kin,  long  the  United  States  Naval  Agent  at  Monterey  and  Mazatlan, 
to  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  New  York  Herald.  Wonderful  dis- 
coveries of  precious  metals  in  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  other 
parts  of  the  United  States  had  been  made  known  at  various  times 
to  the  Herald,  and  announcements  of  these  discoveries  were  largely 
mixed  up  with  cupidity.  It  was  first  thought  these  discoveries  in 
California  were  of  a  similar  character ;  but  on  the  publication  in 
that  paper  of  the  analysis  of  the  tiny  specimen,  a  great  popular  ex- 
citement began,  and  as  news  arrived  overland  from  California  of  ad- 
ditional developments  and  discoveries,  it  increased  till  there  was  a 
perfect  stampede  to  the  Pacific.  There  were  no  steamers  then  ;  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama  was  crossed  with  difficulty,  and  the  passage  up 
the  coast  an  uncertain  adventure.  Small  parties  crossed  overland 
through  Mexico.  The  Pacific  Mail  Steam-ship  Company  had  been 
organized,  but  the  steamers  were  not  then  on  the  line.  It  was  dif- 
ficult to  hold  in  the  ardent  lovers  of  gold  who  wished  to  go  at  once 
to  the  new  Dorado.  Fernando  Wood  had,  curiously  enough,  dis- 
patched the  bark  John  W.  Cater  around  the  Cape  with  an  assorted 
cargo;  but  the  first  vessel  to  leave  New  York  with  gold -hunters 
was  the  John  Benson,  which  sailed  for  Chagres  with  sixty  passen- 
gers, including  Jem  Grant,  the  well-known  Herald  barber,  the  pio- 
neers of  that  immense  throng  of  gold-seekers  that  afterwards  left 
the  Atlantic  and  Middle  States  to  people  the  shores  of  the  Pacific, 
and  where  Jem  Grant  became  an  alderman  and  a  millionaire.  The 
three  regiments  composing  Colonel  Stevenson's  expedition,  of 
course,  preceded  all  these,  but  when  they  took  their  departure  from 
New  York  no  one  dreamed  of  the  wealth  so  soon  to  be  discovered 
and  developed  in  California. 

Obtaining  the  latest  news  from  the  mines  was  the  feature  of  New- 
York  journalism  till  the  steamers  commenced  their  regular  trips. 


News  from  Home  !  593 

All  other  matters,  in  Europe  or  elsewhere,  were  subordinate  in  in- 
terest to  the  freshest  advices  from  California.  News  came  at  un- 
certain times,  sometimes  by  the  way  of  Panama,  but  oftener  by  in- 
dividuals, who  came  overland  by  the  way  of  Mazatlan  and  the  City 
of  Mexico.  These  individuals  were  interviewed  and  facts  "  pump- 
ed" out  of  them.  There  were  no  newspapers  to  take  news  from. 
For  some  time  the  intelligence  was  verbal.  The  Herald  was  re- 
markably successful  in  getting  the  much-sought-for  news  in  this 
way.  Watchfulness  and  industry  thus  had  their  reward. 

After  the  discovery  of  gold  and  the  rush  of  gold-hunters  from  the 
Atlantic  States,  the  miners  were  largely  supplied  with  news  from 
home  by  California  editions  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  the  New  York 
Herald,  the  Boston  Journal,  the  New  Orleans  Delta,  and  a  few  others. 
These  sheets  were  made  up  expressly  for  that  region,  and  every 
steamer  for  the  Isthmus  from  New  York  and  New  Orleans  would 
carry  forty,  fifty,  and  sixty  thousand  copies  of  these  journals.  The 
Boston  Journal  •&'&&  New  York  Herald  would  each  send  ten  thousand 
copies  by  each  steamer. 

Scenes  on  the  arrival  of  these  papers  at  San  Francisco,  as  they 
have  been  described,  were  full  of  fun  and  sentiment.  One  month 
and  six  weeks  without  tidings  from  home  wound  up  the  feelings  of 
the  miners  to  the  highest  point  of  tension,  and  when  the  steamers 
arrived  they  found  vent  in  all  sorts  of  ways.  Some  idea  of  this 
"pent-up  Utica"  is  developed  in  the  enthusiasm  of  a  party  of  miners, 
who  had  not  seen  a  female  form  for  months,  who  danced  with  the 
wildest  glee  for  hours  around  a  cast-off  crinoline  which  had  mysteri- 
ously come  into  their  possession,  and  which  they  had  suspended  on 
a  pole,  so  that  they  could  the  more  fully  enjoy  the  sight.  Once  or 
twice,  by  the  way  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  Mazatlan,  a 
single  copy  of  the  New  York  Herald  would  reach  San  Francisco  in 
advance  of  the  steamers.  Fabulous  sums  have  been  paid  for  these 
journalistic  waifs ;  and  they  would  be  so  thoroughly  read  as  to  be 
completely  deprived  of  all  signs  of  printing-ink.  They  would  be 
worn  to  a  dirty  white  paper.  On  occasions,  as  has  already  been 
stated,  the  owners  of  the  papers  would  mount  tables,  chairs,  rocks, 
and  stumps,  and  read  the  contents  to  the  assembled  crowds  of 
deeply-excited  and  attentive  listeners. 

The  Grass  Valley  National,  in  1865,  thus  described  a  scene  which 
its  editor  witnessed  in  1850,  which  fully  illustrates  what  we  have 
said  on  the  subject : 

Arriving  in  Sacramento  from  across  th£  Plains,  we  could  not  help  but  wonder 
(although  it  was  a  natural  consequence  of  the  immense  immigration)  at  the  myr- 
iads of  people  who  thronged  the  streets.  Ahead  of  us  on  J  Street  we  saw  a 
crowd  dividing,  as  if  to  make  way  for  something  authoritative  to  pass,  and  soon 
we  beheld  a  burly  personage  of  about  forty  years,  with  a  grizzly  head,  and  a  face 

PP 


594  Journalism  in  America. 

full  of  energy,  striding  onward,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left,  and  bear- 
ing on  his  arm  an  enormous  basket  containing  papers.  As  he  went,  he  exclaimed 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Here's  the  California  True  Delta,  the  greatest  paper 
ever  published  in  the  United  States  of  America,  or  in  any  part  of  the  civilized 
world.  Any  body  that  has  money  can  throw  a  dollar  into  that  basket  and  take 
a  copy,  and  any  poor  man  may  take  a  copy  for  nothing."  Paper  after  paper  dis- 
appeared, and  dollar  after  dollar  jingled  in  the  basket.  All  this  time  the  burly 
vender  disdained  to  look  around  to  see  whether  payment  was  correctly  made  or 
not,  or  how  things  were  going.  As  unconcerned  as  if  money  were  a  mere  matter 
of  moonshine,  and  it  was  totally  indifferent  to  him  whether  he  made  $1000,  or  $50, 
or  $10,  he  moved  serenely  on,  making  a  broad  lane  as  he  went,  and  stepping  to 
the  music  of  the  silver  coins  which  played  in  his  basket.  Attracted  by  the  orig- 
inality of  this  exceedingly  eccentric  proceeding,  we  followed  in  the  track  of  this 
marvelous  disseminator  of  intelligence  until  he  got  rid  of  his  last  paper,  and  saw 
him  go  back  in  the  direction  from  whence  he  came,  with  nothing  in  his  basket 
but  a  huge  pile  of  silver,  which  he  paid  no  attention  to  whatever,  although  every 
man  that  he  passed  had  an  opportunity  to  take  out  a  handful  if  he  chose.  Still 
curious  to  see  more  of  this  unique  way  of  doing  business,  we  followed  on  until 
our  hero  arrived  at  a  huge  building,  into  a  large  room  of  which  he  entered,  as  if 
he  were  at  home,  and,  opening  a  drawer,  tumbled  the  contents  of  his  basket  into 
it  as  though  he  had  been  emptying  out  of  it  potatoes  or  onions.  The  place  was 
a  grand  depSt  for  Atlantic  newspapers,  and  the  character  described  one  of  the  no- 
tabilities of  that  primal  period  of  California  history. 

News  agents,  such  as  Gregory,  who  had  been  a  gardener  on  Stat- 
en  Island,  and  Sullivan,  who  had  been  an  active  news-boy  in  New 
York,  were  the  avant  coureurs  in  this  pursuit.  Afterwards  Adams's 
Express  Company,  and  then  Wells  &  Fargo,  energetically  and  skill- 
fully managed  the  carrying  business  of  that  remote  section  ;  but,  on 
the  establishment  of  enterprising  newspapers  in  California,  and  the 
extension  of  the  telegraph  lines  to  the  Golden  Gate,  this  enormous 
circulation  of  the  Eastern  journals  fell  off  to  almost  nothing,  and 
the  newspaper  business  there  assumed  the  same  natural  position  as 
in  other  parts  of  the  country.  Telegrams  from  New  York,  reaching 
San  Francisco,  and  published  almost  simultaneously,  the  difference 
in  time  considered,  with  their  delivery  to  the  New  York  offices,  shut 
out  newspapers  which  were  twenty-five,  or  even  seven  days  en  route. 
But  it  is  not  improbable  in  the  future,  in  the  marvelous  progress  of 
events,  and  the  wonderful  strides  of  science,  to  have  parcels  of  news- 
papers daily  distributed  all  over  the  Union  by  pneumatic  tubes,  and 
delivered,  too,  on  the  morning  of  publication  !  Then  the  leading 
papers  of  the  metropolis  may  again  largely  circulate  in  distant  cit- 
ies, where  they  have  been  suppressed  by  telegraphic  news  dispatch- 
es. San  Francisco,  New  Orleans,  Oregon,  Washington  City,  Detroit, 
Chicago,  Nashville,  Salt  Lake  City,  will  then  be,  in  a  newspaper 
point  of  view,  extended  streets,  and  wards,  and  districts  of  the  me- 
tropolis, as  the  New-England  villages  and  cities  are  now  to  the  city 
of  Boston  by  their  network  of  railways. 


The  Telegraphic  Era.  595 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 
THE  TELEGRAPHIC  ERA. 

VARIOUS  MODES  OF  TRANSMITTING  INTELLIGENCE  FOR  NEWSPAPERS. — CAR- 
RIER PIGEONS  AND  BALLOONS. — INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  TELEGRAPH. — ITS 
STRUGGLES.  —  OPINION  OF  A  WALL-STREET  MILLIONAIRE.  —  NOMINATION 
OF  SILAS  WRIGHT. — INFLUENCE  OF  THE  TELEGRAPH  ON  THE  PRESS. — CU- 
RIOUS PREDICTION  OF  LAMARTINE. — THE  BATTLES  IN  MEXICO. — MARVEL- 
OUS PROGRESS. — THE  BATTLES  IN  EUROPE. — AFFAIRS  OF  THE  WORLD  DAILY 
ELECTROTYPED  FOR  THE  JOURNALIST. — THE  LIGHTNING  EXPRESS  LINES. 

MORSE  has  been  a  benefactor  of  the  Press.  This,  it  is  true,  is 
not  the  opinion  of  every  publisher,  narrowly,  perhaps  meanly,  look- 
ing after  the  financial  affairs  of  his  establishment,  nor  of  every  jour- 
nalist desirous  of  an  influence  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city  where 
his  paper  is  published,  especially  when  he  reads  an  announcement 
that  "  the  Elmira  (N.  Y.)  Advertiser  publishes  telegraph  news  fif- 
teen hours  in  advance  of  the  receipt  of  the  New  York  dailies."  But 
newspaper  statistics  prove  our  position.  Morse  has  undoubtedly 
struck,  as  with  lightning,  many  newspapers  off  the  lists  of  journal- 
ism, yet  he  has  added  many  others,  and  increased  newspaper  enter- 
prise and  newspaper  readers  by  the  thousands.  He  has  placed  an 
electric  force  in  every  printing-office  in  the  land. 

When  the  News-Letter  was  the  only  paper  printed  in  America,  it 
had  but  three  hundred  weekly  circulation.  When  the  Gazette  and 
Mercury  in  Boston,  the  Mercury  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  Gazette  in 
New  York  were  added  to  the  number,  all  within  the  period  of  twen- 
ty years  of  the  first  issue  of  the  News-Letter,  and  with  only  a  small 
increase  in  population,  the  weekly  circulation  of  these  five  papers 
reached  an  aggregate  of  two  or  three  thousand  copies.  The  colo- 
nists had  acquired  more  taste  for  newspapers  by  their  periodical  ap- 
pearance, and  this  taste  had  increased  with  the  increase  of  papers, 
and  the  facilities  for  acquiring  news  and  spreading  it  before  the  peo- 
ple. It  is  probable  that  the  circulation  of  the  New  York  Herald  or 
the  New  York  Sun  is  as  large  to-day  as  the  united  circulation  of  all 
the  New  York  papers,  daily  and  weekly,  issued  in  1844,  when  the 
telegraph  was  first  practically  introduced  in  this  country.  Other  cit- 
ies present  the  same  fact.  This  circulation  is,  perhaps,  not  so  com- 
prehensive in  a  national  point  of  view ;  but  the  facilities  for  obtain- 
ing news  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe  are  now  so  easy  and  ex- 


596  Journalism  in  America. 

tensive,  that  nearly  every  one  acquainted  with  the  alphabet  reads 
the  papers,  and  every  one  in  New  York,  or  London,  or  Paris,  or  Ber- 
lin feels  as  much  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  rest  of  the  world  as 
they  previously  did  in  events  nearer  home.  Village  gossips  are 
magnified  into  world  gossips. 

"No  pent-up  Utica  contracts  our  powers, 
The  whole  boundless  universe  is  ours." 

Intellectual  vitality  and  physical  energy  are  constantly  at  work  de- 
vising means  to  annihilate  space.  Fast  horses  in  the  time  of  Ree- 
side,  the  great  mail  contractor  in  the  days  of  mail-coaches  ;  carrier 
pigeons,  with  their  tissue-paper  dispatches  prepared  in  cipher ;  swift 
locomotives  and  steam-boats  on  our  public  highways,  and  telegraph- 
ic lines  in  this  electric  age,  have  been  the  progressive  steps  in  de- 
veloping the  physical  forces  of  the  world.  While  canals,  railroads, 
steam-ships,  telegraphs,  have  occupied  the  minds  of  active  and  ac- 
quisitive business  men,  these  same  enterprises  have  entered  exten- 
sively into  the  dreams  and  calculations  of  journalists,  as  necessary 
parts  of  the  machinery  of  well-organized  newspaper  establishments. 
Means  of  swift  communication  have  always  been  a  study  in  the  of- 
fices of  leading  journals.  Horses,  pilot-boats,  pigeons,  steam-boats, 
locomotives,  and  semaphore  telegraphs  had  become  common  car- 
riers of  news  previous  to  1844. 

Of  all  these  means  of  communication  between  distant  points  an- 
terior to  the  magnetic  telegraph,  none  surpassed  the  carrier  pigeon 
for  speed.  Next  to  light  and  electricity,  these  beautiful  birds  are 
the  most  rapid  in  their  flights.  They  were  used  in  1249  in  the  cru- 
sade of  Louis  IX.  In  the  midst  of  the  battle  of  Mansourah,  a  pigeon 
was  dispatched  by  the  Saracens,  in  great  alarm,  to  Cairo.  This 
pigeon  carried  this  message  under  its  wing  : 

At  the  moment  of  starting  this  bird  the  enemy  attacked  Mansourah ;  a  terrible 
battle  is  being  fought  between  the  Christians  and  Mussulmans. 

This  threw  that  city  into  a  stale  of  great  commotion.  Another 
pigeon  was  sent  off  late  in  the  afternoon  announcing  the  total  de- 
feat of  the  French.  Since  then,  carrier  pigeons  have  been  more  or 
less  used  by  journalists,  speculators,  and  governments.  They  are 
swift  flyers,  and  can  go  long  distances  without  intermission.  Their 
speed  ranges  from  forty  to  seventy-five  miles  an  hour.  They  have 
been  known  to  fly,  in  a  few  instances,  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
miles  an  hour.  Nothing  practical  but  the  telegraph  can  exceed  this 
velocity.  Cannon  balls  move  at  the  rate  of  1200  miles  per  hour; 
eagles  fly  145  miles ;  swallows,  185  miles ;  and  the  ice-yachts  Quick 
Step,  Flying  Cloud,  and  Icicle  run  over  the  frozen  surface  of  the 
Hudson  at  the  rate  of  a  mile  a  minute ;  but  neither  cannon  balls,  nor 
eagles,  nor  swallows,  nor  ice-yachts  can  be  employed  as  news  mes- 


Carrier  Pigeons  and  Balloons.  597 

sengers.  Locomotive  engines  can  run  one  hundred  miles  in  sixty 
minutes,  but  they  very  rarely  accomplish  this  rate  of  speed,  and  in 
all  the  newspaper  expresses  on  railroads,  all  hinderances  considered, 
rarely  averaged  over  thirty-five  miles  per  hour.  But  pigeons  were 
not  reliable  on  distances  exceeding  four  or  five  hundred  miles. 

The  Belgians  are  fond  of  pigeon  races  from  the  southern  provinces 
of  France.  Our  best  birds  come  from  Antwerp.  There  were  over 
ten  thousand  trained  pigeons  in  Belgium  in  1870,  when  the  war  be- 
tween France  and  Germany  commenced,  and  they  were  declared 
contraband  of  war  for  fear  that  they  would  be  made  military  cour- 
iers through  the  air.  They  were  employed,  in  connection  with  bal- 
loons, to  convey  intelligence  between  the  Gambetta  government  at 
Bordeaux  and  the  Favre  government  in  Paris.  On  one  occasion, 
during  the  siege  of  the  French  capital  in  1870,  a  carrier  pigeon  car- 
ried into  that  city  a  newspaper  4f  inches  square,  with  226  dispatch- 
es microscopically  photographed  upon  it,  embracing  the  news  of  the 
day  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  This  paper  had  to  be  read  by  the 
aid  of  a  powerful  microscope  and  the  magic  lantern. 

There  are  many  curious  incidents  and  anecdotes  related  of  the 
pigeon  as  a  news-carrier.  One  is  of  an  Antwerp  journalist,  who  sent 
a  reporter  with  two  carrier  pigeons  to  Brussels  in  1846  to  await  the 
king's  speech,  and  send  it  to  Antwerp  by  these  birds.  On  his  arrival 
at  Brussels,  the  reporter  gave  the  pigeons  in  charge  to  a  waiter  at 
the  hotel  and  ordered  breakfast.  He  was  kept  waiting  for  some 
time,  but  a  delicious  fricassee  atoned  for  the  delay.  After  breakfast 
he  paid  his  bill  and  called  for  his  pigeons.  "Pigeons!"  ejaculated 
the  waiter  ;  "  why,  you  have  eaten  them  !" 

But  with  this  extraordinary  bird  there  were  great  difficulties  in  its 
use  and  management,  and  it  could  be  employed  only  on  occasions 
when  events  were  anticipated.  On  unlooked-for  emergencies  in  un- 
expected places  the  pigeon  was  of  no  value.  Something  else  was 
needed  to  satisfy  the  craving,  grasping  mind  of  a  modern  journalist. 

Telegraphs  by  signs,  arms,  flags,  and  signal-fires  on  hill-tops  had 
been  tried.  Ships  at  sea  and  in  action,  yacht  squadrons  and  mil- 
itary movements,  are  now  more  or  less  regulated  by  the  use  of  sig- 
nal flags.  Quite  a  conversation  can  be  carried  on  in  this  way.  But 
only  short  distances  are  overcome  by  such  means  as  these.  Others 
had  to  be  devised  for  newspapers.  It  was  contemplated  by  the  Her- 
ald to  bring  balloons  into  requisition  for  the  transmission  of  news. 
This  was  during  a  mania  for  aerial  flights,  and  when  several  distin- 
guished aeronauts  believed  that  the  air  could  be  navigated.  The 
subject  was  thoroughly  investigated.  All  that  the  experience  of  Du- 
rant,  Wise,  Clayton,  La  Mountain,  Green,  Godard,  Lauriat,  and  Lowe, 
the  well-known  balloonists,  could  give  on  the  matter  was  thoroughly 


598  Journalism  in  America. 

examined  and  sifted.  It  was  wisely  decided  that  regular  balloon 
expresses  were  an  impossibility;  that  the  practical  navigation  of  the 
air  was  out  of  the  range  of  probable  events.  This  conclusion  has 
since  been  amply  sustained  by  the  use  of  balloons  during  the  siege 
of  Paris  in  1870.  They  were  very  convenient  and  serviceable  in  car- 
rying dispatches  out  of  the  city.  Fifty-four  balloons  left  Paris  from 
September  23,  1870,  to  January  28,  1871.  They  carried  2,500,000 
letters  outward.  But  none  dropped  from  the  clouds  into  that  de- 
voted capital ;  and  carrier  pigeons  proved  to  be  the  only  reliable 
aerial  news  messengers  yet  discovered. 

After  all  the  experiments,  the  study,  and  investigation,  and  after 
the  employment  of  all  the  means  and  appliances  known  to  be  with- 
in the  reach  of  man,  the  great  desideratum,  in  the  form  of  the  mag- 
netic telegraph,  was  discovered  and  put  into  practical  operation  by 
Morse.  It  is  of  no  consequence  to  us  when  electricity  was  first 
known  as  an  agent  of  communication  if  it  could  not  be  brought  into 
practical  use.  The  point  was  the  power  to  transmit  a  message  in- 
stantaneously from  one  city  to  another.  News  of  a  disastrous  event 
happening  in  Chicago  at  midnight,  and  published  in  New  York  and 
London  the  next  morning  to  arouse  the  sympathy  and  sublime  gen- 
erosity of  the  people  and  millionaires  of  those  cities,  was  the  fact  to 
be  accomplished.  Morse  did  this,  and  thus  he  became  a  benefac- 
tor, not  to  the  Press  alone,  but  to  the  human  race.  Let  monuments 
to  his  honor,  therefore,  rise  in  Central  Park  and  Pennsylvania  Ave- 
nue. Let  them  rise,  as  Webster  said  of  the  obelisk  on  Bunker  Hill, 
"and  meet  the  sun  in  his  coming." 

The  Sun,  and  Herald,  and  Tribune  seized  upon  this  wonderful 
piece  of  machinery  with  great  eagerness.  The  Herald  predicted  its 
success  from  its  first  flash.  It  recommended  it  to  the  public  in  ev- 
ery way ;  it  urged  it  upon  the  Press ;  but  journalists  were  not  so 
wealthy  then  as  now ;  they  were  struggling  on  limited  resources. 

With  some  difficulty,  and  after  Morse  had  offered  to  sell  his  whole 
patent  right,  represented  to-day  in  this  country  alone  by  $50,000,000 
of  capital,  for  the  sum  of  $100,000,  Congress,  amid  the  jeers  of  some 
of  its  members,  appropriated  $30,000  for  the  construction  of  an  ex- 
perimental line  between  Washington  and  Baltimore.  This  line  was 
opened  early  in  1844,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  draw  public  at- 
tention to  this  pioneer  line.  Except  with  the  two  or  three  telegraph 
operators,  and  the  two  or  three  owners  of  the  patent  right,  there  was 
no  interest  or  excitement  about  the  marvelous  instrument.  It  was 
not  till  the  nomination  of  Silas  Wright  for  the  vice-presidency  by  the 
National  Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore  in  May  of  that  year 
that  the  value  of  this  new  and  wonderful  means  of  communication 
was  made  manifest  to  the  world.  The  Herald  of  June  4th,  1844, 


The  First  Official  Telegram.  599 

thus  placed  on  record  this  important  realization  of  the  dream  and 
hope  of  Morse.  It  is,  indeed,  the  record  of  the  first  definite  pulsa- 
tion of  the  real  nervous  system  of  the  world  : 

ANNIHILATION    OF   SPACE. 

What  has  become  of  space  ?  The  magnetic  telegraph  at  Washington  has  to- 
tally annihilated  what  there  was  left  of  it  by  steam  locomotives  and  steam-ships. 
We  give  a  certified  copy  of  ten  minutes'  conversation  between  Mr.  Wright  at 
Washington  and  Colonel  Young  at  Baltimore  in  relation  to  the  nomination  of 
Mr.  Wright.  This  shows  what  can  be  done. 

CONVERSATION. 

WASHINGTON.  Important!  Mr. Wright  is  here,  and  says,  Say  to  the  New  York  delegation  that 
he  can  not  accept  the  nomination. 

Again:  Mr. Wright  is  here,  and  will  support  Mr.  Polk  cheerfully,  but  can  not  accept  the  nomina- 
tion for  Vice-president. 

BALTIMORE.  Messrs.  Page,  Young,  Fine,  Ballard,  and  Church  are  here,  and  have  received  Mr. 
Wright's  communication,  and  hope  he  will  reconsider  it. 

WASHINGTON.  Under  no  circumstances  can  Mr.  Wright  accept  the  nomination,  and  refers  to  his 
two  former  answers. 

BALTIMORE.  Shall  Mr.  Fine  say  any  thing  to  the  Convention? 

WASHINGTON.  Yes;  what  Mr. Wright  has  already  said. 

Again :  Mr.  Wright  has  well  considered,  and  begs  his  previous  answers  may  be  satisfactory. 

ALFRED  VAIL, 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Electro-Magnetic  Telegraph  for  the  United  States. 

May  29, 1844. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  distance  from  Baltimore  to  Washington  is 
thirty-six  miles.  . 

This  was  its  start — its  first  impulse  ;  but,  with  this  positive  and 
unequivocal  result  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  wisdom  of  the 
governing  party  of  the  nation,  Morse  still  met  with  serious  obstacles. 
Faith  was  yet  needed.  With  the  complete  success  of  the  line  be- 
tween the  national  capital  and  Baltimore,  only  a  few  men  felt  its 
influence  and  stepped  forward  in  its  behalf.  Seven  months  subse- 
quently the  Herald  published  the  following  suggestive  paragraph  in 
its  favor,  in  order  to  draw  the  attention  of  Congress  to  the  fact  it 
expressed : 

Professor  Morse  offers  to  sell  his  right  to  the  magnetic  telegraph  to  the  govern- 
ment, as  he  prefers  that  government  should  possess  it,  although  he  thinks  he  could 
make  more  money  by  selling  it  to  individuals. 

Another  notice  appeared  in  the  same  paper  a  few  weeks  later,  on 
the  29th  of  March,  which  now  reads  strangely  enough  when  we  look 
at  the  innumerable  telegraph  lines  spread  over  the  surface  of  the 
globe  in  1872.  It  was  intended  as  a  "puff" — a  "first-rate  notice." 
It  reads  more  like  a  paragraph  in  favor  of  an  exhibition  of  a  useless 
automatic  chess-player  like  Maelzel's  : 

MORSE'S  TELEGRAPH. 

The  rooms  for  the  exhibition  of  the  electric  telegraph  present  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and  interesting  lounges  in  this  city.  Just  step  up  stairs  at  563  Broad- 
way, and  be  delighted,  instructed,  and  astonished  by  the  working  of  this  magical 
means  of  communication. 

All  things,  however,  must  have  a  beginning,  and  these  were  the 
incipient  steps  of  the  telegraph.  Morse,  in  this  way,  was  compelled 
to  bring  his  extraordinary  invention  before  the  people.  While  he 
was  thus  engaged,  another  ingenious  man  was  at  work — the  Talbot 


600  Journalism  in  America. 

to  our  Daguerre — in  developing  the  power  of  electricity  for  the 
public  good.  The  Herald  of  the  5th  of  June,  1845,  announced  the 
equally  astonishing  invention  of  House's  printing  telegraph: 

We  understand  that  a  magnetic  printing  telegraph  is  shortly  to  be  introduced 
to  the  world  which  is  superior  to  any  now  in  use.  Instead  of  making  lines,  each 
to  designate  a  letter,  it  makes  the  full  letter  itself,  and  with  astonishing  rapidity. 
This  new  discovery  will  be  of  great  value,  for  it  can  be  managed  by  any  one  with- 
out difficulty. 

When  the  war  with  Mexico  opened  in  May,  1846,  with  the  dash- 
ing battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  the  tidings  of  these 
engagements  were  telegraphed  from  Washington,  and  were  the  first 
to  'electrify  the  people  of  the  United  States.  With  these  brilliant 
conflicts  on  the  Rio  Grande  the  Telegraphic  Era  of  the  Press  really 
began.  What  a  commencement !  What  a  revolution ! 

On  the  23d  of  May,  1846,  two  years  after  the  experimental  line 
was  opened,  the  Herald  thus  announced  the  progress — the  slow 
progress,  indeed — of  its  early  days ;  but  on  this  impulse,  on  the  eve 
of  the  startling  news  from  the  Rio  Grande,  the  hopes  of  the  enter- 
prising journalist  were  enthusiastically  centred  : 

THE   MAGNETIC  TELEGRAPH  AND  THE  PRESS. 

We  now  publish  regularly,  in  our  morning  edition,  the  Southern  news  received 
in  Washington  up  to  six  o'clock  the  previous  evening,  together  with  the  Congres- 
sional news  of  that  day.  Our  dispatches  are  sent  from  Washington  to  Baltimore 
by  telegraph,  and  thence  to  Wilmington  by  special  steam  and  horse  express,  from 
which  point  they  are  telegraphed  to  Jersey  City.  In  a  few  days  we  shall  have  an 
uninterrupted  communication  by  telegraph  from  Washington  to  New  York,  and 
then  we  shall  be  able  to  give  the  Southern  news  in  full,  together  with  a  more  par- 
ticular report  of  the  Congressional  proceedings,  simultaneously  with  the  Wash- 
ington papers. 

Now  what  will  be  the  effect  of  the  universal  extension  of  the  tel- 
egraph on  the  Press  ?  Will  it  make  newspapers  greater  intellectual 
powers  than  they  were  previous  to  1844  ?  What  has  been  the  effect 
thus  far?  Will  not  the  common  property  in  news  compel  journal- 
ists to  employ  better,  brighter,  broader  brains  ?  With  the  events  of 
the  world  hourly  placed  before  the  conductor  of  a  leading  newspa- 
per, will  he  not  have  to  be  a  man  of  greater  and  more  comprehen- 
sive grasp  of  intellect  than  has  yet  been  seen  ?  With  dispatches 
from  every  quarter  and  nation  of  the  earth  continually  pouring  into 
the  editor's  office,  the  face  of  the  globe  becomes  to  him  a  vast  field 
of  battle — the  desperate  battle  of  life,  and  he  is  placed  like  a  Na- 
poleon, surrounded  by  his  staff,  to  decide  at  once  what  is  to  be  done, 
and  to  act.  But  there  are  other  views  and  facts  to  be  taken  into 
consideration. 

It  is  proposed  to  place  the  telegraph  lines  under  the  control  of 
government.  This  has  been  done  in  Europe.  What  will  be  the 
effect  of  such  management  ?  Will  it  not  place  the  newspaper  pub- 
lisher in  the  material  position  he  occupied  before  the  introduction 


The  Telegraph  and  the  Post-office.  60 1 

of  the  telegraph  ?  Space  is  annihilated,  and  the  daily  transactions 
of  the  world  can  be  seen  at  a  glance.  What  else  ?  When  the  tele- 
graph lines  of  the  nation  are  all  under  the  care  of  a  Secretary  of  the 
Telegraph  Department,  our  leading  journalists,  in  mind  and  money, 
will  receive  nothing  by  mail — their  special  messengers  will  be  elec- 
tric sparks.  So  far  as  events  in  other  states  and  cities  are  con- 
cerned, the  post-office  will  cease  to  exist.  All  newspaper  corre- 
spondence will  be  dropped  into  telegraph  boxes,  as  they  have  hith- 
erto been  dropped  into  the  letter-boxes  of  the  post-offices.  Instead 
of  penny  postage  we  shall  have  a  penny  telegram  agitation  ;  instead 
of  hundreds  of  different  rates  of  toll,  there  will  be  a  uniform  rate 
throughout  each  country,  without  regard  to  distance.  In  England 
the  rate  is  one  shilling  sterling  for  every  twenty  words,  and  six- 
pence for  every  additional  ten  words.  Then  the  morning  paper  of 
enterprise  will  convey  to  its  readers  at  their  breakfast  tables  the  oc- 
currences of  the  previous  day  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America, 
not  in  such  brief  and  often  unintelligible  dispatches  as  are  now  seen, 
but  in  regular  correspondence,  describing  events  fully  and  amply  to 
the  latest  moment  of  the  previous  night  in  Pekin  and  Paris,  St.  Pe- 
tersburg and  San  Francisco,  London  and  Liberia,  Canton  and  Cin- 
cinnati, Vienna  and  Valparaiso,  Berlin  and  Baltimore,  Warsaw  and 
Washington,  the  Five  Points  and  the  Fifth  Avenue.  The  newspa- 
per reader  will  have  a  fresh  photograph  of  the  world  twice  a  day, 
taken  by  electricity,  and  spread  before  him  in  all  its  amplification 
morning  and  evening.  Journalism  will  then  be  perfect.  Lamar- 
tine,  as  far  back  as  1831,  imagined  this  position  of  the  newspaper. 
It  was  a  poet's  dream  then,  as  Puck  was  Shakspeare's  dream  three 
centuries  earlier.  In  a  note  to  the  editor  of  the  Revue  Europeane, 
declining  to  write  for  that  publication,  Lamartine  made  this  predic- 
tion, which  is  rapidly  becoming  unfait  accompli : 

Do  not  perceive  in  these  words  a  superb  disdain  of  what  is  termed  journalism. 
Far  from  it ;  I  have  too  intimate  a  knowledge  of  my  epoch  to  repeat  this  absurd 
nonsense,  this  impertinent  inanity  against  the  Periodical  Press.  I  know  too  well 
the  work  Providence  has  committed  to  it.  Before  this  century  shall  run  out  jour- 
nalism will  be  the  whole  Press — the  whole  human  thought.  Since  that  prodigious 
multiplication  which  art  has  given  to  speech — multiplication  to  be  multiplied  a 
thousand-fold  yet — mankind  will  write  their  books  day  by  day,  hour  by  hour,  page 
by  page.  Thought  will  be  spread  abroad  in  the  world  with  the  rapidity  of  light ; 
instantly  conceived,  instantly  written,  instantly  understood  at  the  extremities  of 
the  earth — it  will  spread  from  pole  to  pole.  Sudden,  instant,  burning  with  the 
fervor  of  soul  which  made  it  burst  forth,  it  will  be  the  reign  of  the  human  soul  in 
all  its  plenitude.  It  will  not  have  time  to  ripen — to  accumulate  in  a  book ;  the 
book  will  arrive  too  late.  The  only  book  possible  from  to-day  is  a  newspaper. 

The  President,  in  his  message  on  the  4th  of  December,  1871,  rec- 
ommended the  purchase  of  the  existing  telegraph  lines,  and  attach- 
ing them  to  the  Post-office  Department.  The  Postmaster  General, 
on  the  same  day,  in  urging  this  important  matter  upon  the  attention 


602  Journalism  in  America. 

of  Congress  and  the  country,  gave  the  following  interesting  particu- 
lars of  the  operation  of  the  telegraphs  in  Europe,  especially  on  news 
and  newspapers  : 

The  postal  telegraph  is  by  far  the  most  important  subject  now  inviting  consid- 
eration in  connection  with  the  transmission  and  interchange  of  intelligence.  The 
governments  of  the  continental  countries  of  Europe  have,  with  few  exceptions, 
claimed  and  exercised  for  years  past  the  right  of  controlling  and  managing  the 
electric  telegraph,  and  in  every  instance  with  a  degree  of  success  commensurate 
with  the  care  and  attention  bestowed  upon  their  respective  administrations.  In 
Sweden,  Norway,  Russia,  Bavaria,  Italy,  Turkey,  Greece,  and  Spain,  great  advan- 
tages have  been  gained  by  making  the  telegraph  a  part  of  the  public  postal  sys- 
tem ;  while  in  Switzerland,  Belgium,  the  Netherlands,  Prussia,  and  France,  where 
modern  appliances  and  improvements  have  been  more  thoroughly  utilized,  the 
policy  of  governmental  control  has  been  fully  vindicated.  It  remained  for  Great 
Britain  to  give  a  practical  test  of  the  public  system  as  compared  with  the  manage- 
ment of  corporations  and  companies  of  private  stockholders.  After  a  protracted 
and  most  laborious  investigation,  Parliament  passed,  on  the  3ist  of  July,  1868,  "An 
act  to  enable  her  Majesty's  Postmaster  General  to  acquire,  work,  and  maintain 
electric  telegraphs,"  which  was  followed  on  the  gth  of  August,  1869,  by  an  act  pro- 
viding the  money  necessary  to  purchase  the  undertakings  of  the  several  telegraph 
companies  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  On  the  5th  of  February,  1870,  the  trans- 
fers were  effected,  and  the  work  of  the  postal  telegraph  began.  At  first,  serious 
difficulties  were  encountered  by  reason  of  the  delay  in  passing  the  money  bill,  and 
the  inadequate  preparations  to  accommodate  the  immense  increase  of  business 
which  immediately  followed  the  large  reduction  of  rates.  These  difficulties,  how- 
ever, were  soon  overcome,  and,  thanks  to  the  indefatigable  and  intelligent  labors 
of  Hon.  Frank  Ives  Scudamore,  second  secretary,  and  his  assistants,  the  advocates 
of  the  measure  can  already  boast  of  its  triumphant  success.  The  charges  estab- 
lished in  the  beginning  were  uniform  throughout  the  United  Kingdom,  without 
regard  to  distance,  and  were  fixed  at  the  maximum  permitted  by  law,  that  is  to 
say,  one  shilling  (24  cents)  for  the  first  twenty  words  or  part  of  twenty  words,  and 
threepence  (six  cents)  for  each  additional  five  words  or  part  of  five  words,  exclu- 
sive of  signature  and  address.  Referring  to  an  elaborate  report  of  Mr.  Scuda- 
more, it  appears  that  the  average  cost  of  inland  messages  was  about  one  shilling 
one  penny  (26  cents)  against  an  average  cost  prior  to  the  transfer  of  one  shilling 
sevenpence  (38  cents),  showing  a  reduction  in  price  of  nearly  one  third.  In  the 
first  week  after  the  transfer,  the  number  of  messages  (exclusive  of  news  and  Press 
messages)  forwarded  from  all  stations  was  128,872;  in  the  week  ending  3ist 
March,  the  number  had  risen  to  160,775.  Tne  average  weekly  number  in  13 
weeks,  to  3Oth  of  June,  was  177,410 ;  the  average  number  in  13  weeks,  to  3oth  of 
September,  was  200,787 ;  and  the  average  number  in  13  weeks,  to  315!  of  Decem 
ber,  was  203,572.  In  the  week  ending  on  the  3ist  of  December,  which  is  usually 
considered  the  worst  week  in  the  year  for  telegraphic  work,  the  number  was 
144,041,  or  nearly  16,000  in  excess  of  the  number  of  the  first  week. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  ample  provision  was  made  for  the  Press  and  news 
work.  The  companies,  before  the  transfer,  sent  news  to  306  subscribers  in  144 
towns  only  in  the  United  Kingdom  ;  the  postal  telegraph  sent  news  to  1 106  sub- 
scribers in  365  towns.  The  companies  sent  news  to  173  newspapers  only;  the 
postal  telegraph  sent  news  to  467  newspapers,  showing  an  increase  of  221  in  the 
number  of  towns  to  which  news  was  sent,  an  increase  of  800  in  the  total  number 
of  subscribers  for  news,  and  an  increase  of  294  in  the  number  of  newspapers  tak- 
ing news.  There  was,  moreover,  a  vast  increase  in  the  quantity  of  news  trans- 
mitted. The  companies  sent,  during  the  session  of  Parliament,  nearly  6000  words 
of  news  daily ;  during  the  remainder  of  the  year  they  sent  nearly  4000  words 
daily.  The  postal  telegraph  sent,  during  the  session  of  Parliament,  in  behalf  of 
the  news  associations,  nearly  20,000  words  of  news  daily ;  and  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  year,  nearly  15,000  words  daily.  The  postal  telegraph  also  trans- 
mitted from  15,000  to  20,000  words  daily  for  the  ordinary  newspaper  correspond- 
ents ;  and  seven  newspapers  rented  special  wires  during  the  night  at  the  uniform 
rate  of  .£500,  instead  of  rates  ranging  from  £750  to  ^1000  as  before.  Two  other 


The  Telegraph  Lines  of  the  World.          603 

wires  were  about  to  be  rented  to  newspaper  proprietors  at  the  close  of  the  year, 
and  many  more  could  have  been  rented  if  the  department  could  have  spared 
them.  There  has  been  doubtless  a  still  further  increase  of  messages  during  the 
current  year. 

These  facts,  all  tending,  with  overwhelming  force,  in  one  direction,  demonstrate 
conclusively  the  utility  of  the  postal  telegraph  for  both  government  and  people. 

Some  may  hesitate  to  adopt  it  in  this  country  because  of  the  great  extent  of 
our  territory,  the  paucity  of  our  population  in  some  large  sections,  and  the  great 
expense  involved  in  extinguishing  the  rights  of  telegraph  companies.  The  first 
two  are  the  same  objections  that  were  urged  for  many  years  against  all  ameliora- 
tions of  our  postal  service ;  nevertheless,  postages  have  been  cheapened  and 
made  uniform,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  postal  system  has  been  maintained  and 
improved.  Rightly  viewed,  the  extent  of  the  country  is  a  strong  argument  in  fa- 
vor of  a  postal  telegraph,  and  the  additional  facilities  and  uniform  rates  it  will  af- 
ford. It  is  only  in  countries  of  large  extent  that  the  value  of  instantaneous,  or 
nearly  instantaneous,  communication  can  be  appreciated.  Who  that  desires  to 
convey  or  acquire  any  information  would  hesitate  between  sending  a  telegram 
from  New  York  to  California  in  seven  minutes  for  twenty  cents,  and  sending  a 
letter  in  seven  days  for  three  cents  ? 

It  is  not  forty  years  since  Morse,  lying  in  his  narrow  berth  on 
board  the  packet-ship  Sully,  half  seas  over  from  Europe,  first  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  the  telegraph.  Now,  more  than  half  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  world  is  transacted  through  its  agency,  and  most  of  the 
news  of  the  universe  is  transmitted  over  its  wires.  The  first  thirty- 
six  miles  of  wire  were  put  up  in  the  United  States  in  1844,  and  in 
1872  there  are  over  180,000  miles  in  this  country,  450,000  miles 
stretched  over  Europe,  14,000  in  India,  and  10,000  in  Australia. 
There  are  30,000  miles  of  submarine  cables  in  operation.  It  is 
24,000  miles  around  the  world.  Hence  there  are  lines  enough  now 
in  use  to  encircle  the  entire  globe  nearly  thirty  times  ! 

With  these  connections  with  the  rest  of  the  world,  we  are  depend- 
ent on  our  daily  telegraphic  dispatches.  It  would  be  "a  dies  non  if 
there  was  a  suspension  of  news  between  the  rising  and  setting  of 
the  sun.  All  business  would  stop  in  the  absence  of  the  'regular 
telegrams.  We  must  hear  from  London  and  Paris  morning  and 
evening.  All  movements  in  Europe  are  watched  by  our  business 
men.  When  Bismarck  sneezes  the  vibration  is  felt  from  Berlin  to 
Pekin ;  the  crust  of  the  earth  and  the  bed  of  the  sea  are  tremulous 
with  the  electric  currents  of  the  busy,  restless  movements  of  the  hu- 
man race ;  and  if  Captain  Hall  penetrates  the  "  open  sea"  and  at- 
taches a  wire  to  the  north  pole,  Prescott  and  other  scientific  oper- 
ators will  have  much  more  to  say  about  auroral  disturbances  and 
perturbations  than  has  yet  been  recorded  in  any  of  their  interest- 
ing publications,  and  Craig,  and  Reuter,  and  Havas,  and  Bullier,  and 
Simonton,  and  Hasson,  and  other  news  agents  will  hold  a  jubilee 
around  the  statue  of  Morse  in  the  Central  Park,  while  Dodworth's 
Band  plays  the  Electric  Quick  Step. 

Operations  in  Wall  Street  and  State  Street  is  to-day  governed  by 
the  transactions  of  this  morning  in  London,  Paris,  and  Frankfort. 


604  Journalism  in  America. 

Millions  of  dollars  daily  hang  upon  the  click  of  the  telegraphic  in- 
strument. With  the  difference  of  time  in  our  favor,  our  business  be- 
gins as  that  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  closes.  While  the 
bulls  and  bears  of  Europe  are  walking  home  to  dinner,  ours  are  walk- 
ing down  from  breakfast.  Gold  is  paid  in  any  part  of  Europe  by 
the  Rothschilds  on  telegraphic  dispatch  from  Belmont  in  New  York. 
When  gold  rises  up  to  160  in  New  York,  and  Wall  Street  is  in  a 
frenzy,  it  is  knocked  down  to  130  in  an  instant  by  a  single  flash  of 
lightning  from  Washington. 

"  Mr.  Little,"  said  a  journalist  to  that  great  operator  of  Wall  Street 
in  1846 — a  Vanderbilt  and  Drew  in  a  single  pair  of  breeches  in 
those  days — "we  want  to  build  a  telegraph  Ifne  from  Boston  to  New 
York  ;  will  you  aid  us  by  subscribing  for  some  of  the  stock  ?" 

"A  telegraph  from  Boston!  Nonsense!  Money  thrown  away. 
Wouldn't  trust  it.  Won't  subscribe  a  dollar,"  was  the  prompt  and 
abrupt  reply  of  Jacob  Little.  His  mind  was  made  up. 

"  But  it  will  be  built,  Mr.  Little.  Mr.  Bennett,  Colonel  Webb,  Gree- 
ley  and  M'Elrath,  and  Mr.  Beach  have  subscribed,  but  not  enough  to 
complete  the  work.  We  thought  that  it  would  be  just  in  your  line." 

"  Pooh  !  pooh  !  I  wouldn't  trust  it,  I  tell  you.  I  will  give  you 
$100  to  help  you  along,  but  not  as  a  subscription  to  any  stock." 

"That  will  be  of  no  use,  Mr.  Little.  I  see  you  do  not  compre- 
hend the  matter.  You  will  live  long  enough  to  do  all  your  business 
by  telegraph.  When  that  time  comes,  have  the  kindness  to  think  of 
this  interview." 

"  I  tell  you,  my  young  friend,"  replied  Mr.  Little,  "  that  I  would 
not  sell  a  dollar's  worth  of  stock  on  a  telegraphic  dispatch.  I  would 
not  trust  it.  There  is  no  safety  in  those  wires,  nor  in  those  posts. 
Any  body  can  tamper  with  them,  and  any  body  can  destroy  them." 

Several  years  after  this  conversation,  after  Mr.  Little  had  lost  mil- 
lions in  Wall  Street,  and  only  a  few  months  before  his  death,  he  met 
the  same  journalist  on  a  beautiful  Sunday  morning  in  one  of  the 
Fourth  Avenue  cars.  Some  of  the  lustre  of  his  bright  eyes  was 
gone  ;  some  of  the  elasticity  of  his  quick,  nervous  manner  had  dis- 
appeared ;  he  was  in  a  philosophic  mood — meditative  and  reflect- 
ive. He  was  not  then  a  millionaire.  He  had  been  five  times  one, 
but  had  lost  enough,  he  said,  in  one  day, "  to  buy  the  whole  of  Union 
Square  and  every  body  in  it !" 

On  stepping  into  the  car  he  took  his  seat  by  the  side  of  the  jour- 
nalist, and  related  to  him  an  incident  that  had  occurred  the  previous 
night  at  a  little  party  given  by  his  son.  One  of  those  enterprising 
clothes-dealers  called  "  hall  thieves"  had  been  into  his  house  and 
made  a  clean  sweep,  carrying  off  every  hat,  cap,  and  coat  deposited 
there.  Suddenly  said  he,  "  Do  you  recollect  the  interview  you  had 
with  me  about  the  telegraph  several  years  ago  ?" 


Interview  with  Jacob  Little.  605 

"I  do,"  said  the  man  of  newspapers,  "most  clearly." 

"  Well,  sir,  that  was  the  great  mistake  of  my  life.  Strange  that  I 
should  have  had  such  an  idea  of  the  value  of  the  telegraph  ;  but  I 
hadn't  a  particle  of  faith  in  it — not  a  particle." 

"  You  were  not  alone,  Mr.  Little ;  I  found  many  connected  with 
the  Press,  even,  whose  business  was  telegraphic,  who  had  the  same 
erroneous  idea." 

"Yes,  yes,"  continued  Mr. Little ;  "but  it's  too  late — too  late — too 
late."  Then,  as  if  to  change  the  topic,  he  said, 

"  Do  you  see  that  man  walking  on  the  sidewalk  ?" 

I  looked,  and  saw  a  portly  man  evidently  on  his  way  to  church. 
"Yes,"  said  I. 

"That  is .  That  man,  sir,  would  have  gone  to  the 

dogs  in  18 —  if  I  had  not  advanced  him  $70,000  when  he  could  not 
get  a  cent — no,  sir,  not  a  cent  any  where  else  to  save  him  from  sus- 
pension. He  would  not  now  lend  me  $5.  What  do  you  think  of 
that?" 

The  car  had  reached  the  Astor  House,  and  we  parted.  In  a 
few  months  after,  Jacob  Little  left  the  whirl  of  Wall  Street  never 
to  return.  He  was  a  wonderful  man  in  his  day — abrupt  in  man- 
ner, but  honorable  in  business.  Vanderbilts,  Jeromes,  Drews,  Fisks, 
Goulds,  have  since  made  their  mark,  and  millions  are  now  counted 
where  thousands  were  counted  before.  Telegraphs  are  projected 
to  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  earth.  Every  large  establishment 
in  Europe  and  America  has  its  own  private  wire  connecting  the  city 
warehouse  with  the  country  factory ;  every  leading  editor  ties  his 
residence  to  his  printing-office  with  an  electric  string.  Beautiful  ar- 
ticles of  furniture  may  be  seen  in  Fifth  Avenue  palaces,  looking  like 
a  bijou  of  an  escritoire,  or  some  musical  instrument.  Suddenly  a  bell 
rings,  as  if  by  magic.  It  is  rung  by  electricity.  Some  one  goes  to 
this  mysterious  piece  of  furniture  and  lifts  its  cover.  It  is  a  tele- 
graphic instrument. 

"  Here  is  a  message  from  the  office." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Three  friends  have  just  arrived  from  Europe.  They  will  dine 
with  us  to-day.  We  shall  be  home  at  five  P.M." 

Some  wonderful  journalistic  achievements  have  been  accom- 
plished and  others  contemplated  by  telegraph.  The  first  feat  was 
in  sending  an  abstract  of  Henry  Clay's  speech  on  the  war  with  Mex- 
ico, which  he  delivered  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  on  the  i3th  of  No- 
vember, 1847.  It  was  expressed  to  Cincinnati,  and  thence  tele- 
graphed to  the  New  York  Herald.  This  effort  cost  $500.  It  was 
considered  an  ihstance  of  great  enterprise.  There  were  then  only 
3000  miles  of  wire  in  the  United  States.  There  was  no  line  south 
of  Charleston ;  none  west  of  Cincinnati ;  none  east  of  Portland.  The 


606  Journalism  in  America. 

next  was  reporting  one  of  John  C.  Calhoun's  famous  speeches  in 
full.  This  also  appeared  in  the  Herald.  Calhoun  was  a  telegraph- 
ic orator.  His  speeches  had  to  be  given  as  he  spoke  them :  the 
matter  was  fully  condensed  when  uttered.  It  was  contemplated  by 
Robert  Bonner,  of  the  New  York  Ledger,  if  the  first  Atlantic  cable 
had  been  successful,  to  have  a  short  original  story  telegraphed  by 
Charles  Dickens  for  the  Ledger.  After  the  success  of  the  second  ca- 
ble, and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  triangular  contest  in  1866  between 
Prussia,  Austria,  and  Italy,  the  important  speech  of  the  King  of 
Prussia  was  telegraphed  to  the  New  York  Herald  at  a  cost  of  $7000. 
This  dispatch  was  published  by  two  or  three  other  New  York  pa- 
pers, and  they  paid  their  share  of  the  tolls.  On  the  appearance  of 
Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe's  defense  of  her  very  curious  statement 
relative  to  Lord  Byron,  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette  of  London  had  a  col- 
umn of  the  defense  telegraphed  from  New  York,  a  remarkable  in- 
stance of  telegraphic  enterprise  in  an  English  journal.  Since  then, 
the  war  between  France  and  Germany  in  1870  has  still  farther  de- 
veloped the  resistless  enterprise  of  the  Press  and  the  unmeasured 
capacity  and  importance  of  the  telegraph.  The  Tribune,  Herald, 
World,  and  Times  have  had  long  and  graphic  reports  of  the  sharp 
and  decisive  battles  of  Gravelotte  and  Sedan,  the  surrender  of  Na- 
poleon, the  operations  around  Paris,  the  Commune  war,  interviews 
with  Napoleon,  Bismarck,  Von  Buest,  and  Antonelli,  obtained  and 
telegraphed  regardless  of  personal  labor,  personal  risk,  and  lavish 
expenditure  of  money.  The  interest  and  anxiety  created  by  the 
Chicago  fire  throughout  the  world  was,  in  a  measure,  owing  to  the 
telegraph,  and  the  London  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune, 
writing  on  the  2ist  of  October,  1871,  gave  the  following  particulars  : 

Nothing  could  be  a  better  proof,  if  any  proof  were  needed,  of  English  interest  in 
Chicago,  than  the  extraordinary  efforts  of  the  London  Press  to  get  early  and  full 
accounts.  A  sharp  lookout  was  kept  for  the  Silesia  at  Plymouth,  and  for  the  Java 
at  Queenstown,  bringing,  respectively,  New  York  papers  of  the  loth  and  nth. 
The  Silesia  arrived  at  8  o'clock  yesterday  morning,  and  the  Java  (Queenstown 
being  half  a  day's  sail  nearer  New  York)  late  in  the  same  afternoon.  The  Sile- 
sia's papers  were  in  season  to  be  forwarded  by  train  to  London,  but  the  Queens- 
town  dispatches  had  to  be  telegraphed.  The  Postal  Telegraph  being  seldom  equal 
to  an  emergency  without  special  preparation,  an  agent  had  been  sent  from  Lon- 
don to  facilitate  the  transmission  of  dispatches  both  to  London  and  other  parts  of 
the  kingdom.  The  newspaper  reporters  went  off  in  a  steam-tug  to  intercept  the 
Java,  caught  her  some  distance  out  at  sea,  got  papers,  and  this  morning  we  have 
from  three  to  six  columns  in  each  of  the  leading  journals,  partly  by  telegraph  and 
partly  from  the  papers  which  came  by  the  Plymouth  train.  All  this  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  sleepy  way  in  which  such  things  were  once  managed.  The  use 
of  the  inland  telegraph,  I  must  add,  must  become  far  more  common  than  it  now 
is,  and  will  be  limited  only  by  the  ability  or  inclination  of  the  post-office  to  trans- 
act the  business  which  its  customers  want  done.  Mr.  Scudamore's  idea  that  the 
newspapers  "  want  too  much  news"  may  some  day  take  its  place  among  the  fossil 
curiosities  of  the  department.  He  must  get  the  consent  of  Parliament  to  raise  the 
rates  if  he  expects  to  check  the  new  enthusiasm  of  the  British  Press.  They  put  a 
clause  into  the  bill  which  transferred  the  telegraphs  to  government,  fixing  the  tar- 
iff for  Press  dispatches  at  one  shilling  (24  cts.)  for  a  hundred  words  from  any  part 


Marvelous  Telegraphic  Enterprise.  607 

of  the  United  Kingdom.     The  actual  cost  of  these  very  showy-looking  dispatches 
is  therefore  about  $5  a  column. 

Our  newspaper  telegraphic  enterprise  is  marvelous.  It  appears 
that  the  Press  news  telegrams  alone  which  passed  over  the  wires 
in  the  United  States  in  1866  were  greater  than  the  entire  telegraph- 
ic correspondence  of  the  whole  of  Continental  Europe  in  the  same 
year.  Here  are  the  figures  : 

STATEMENT   SHOWING  THE  NUMBER  OF  TELEGRAMS  IN  CONTINENTAL  EUROPE 
AND  OF  PRESS  TELEGRAMS   IN   THE  UNITED   STATES   IN   ONE  YEAR. 


Total  number  of  messages 
transmitted  in  Continent- 
al Europe  for  1866     -     -     12,902,538 
Gross  receipts  for  above  $i  1,597,682  71 
Average  cost  of  telegrams       81  cents. 


Total  number  of  messages 
furnished  to  the  newspa- 
pers of  the  United  States 

for  1866 14,715,181 

Gross  receipts  for  above      -     $521,509 
Average  cost  of  Press  tele- 
grams       3^  cents. 

Improvements  are  being  continually  introduced  in  telegraphy. 
Accuracy  and  rapidity  are  the  points  now  sought  to  be  reached. 
The  highest  rate  of  speed  attained  in  telegraphic  communication  by 
the  Morse  instrument  was  accomplished  between  Boston  and  Prov- 
idence in  May,  1868.  Twenty-seven  hundred  and  thirty-one  words 
were  transmitted  in  one  hour  without  a  break,  and  legibly  and  cor- 
rectly copied.  This  was  equal  to  forty-five  or  forty-six  words  per 
minute.  On  short  lines  sixty  or  seventy  words  per  minute  have  been 
transmitted.  This  has  been  the  progress — the  expansion.  Since 
then,  automatic  telegraphic  instruments  have  been  invented  by 
Humiston  and  Little  in  the  United  States,  and  Wheatstone  in  En- 
gland. That  of  Little,  which  is  said  to  be  superior,  is  capable  of 
transmitting  through  perforated  paper  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hun- 
dred words  per  minute !  When  this  is  in  full  operation,  and  each 
individual  can  prepare  and  send  his  own  messages,  will  not  the  Post- 
office  Department  give  place  to  a  Telegraph  Department,  and  the  ti- 
tle of  our  Post-master  General  be  changed  to  that  of  Telegraph-mas- 
ter General  ?  Will  not  autographic  correspondence  entirely  cease  ? 

What  reflections  must  have  passed  through  the  mind  of  the  in- 
ventor of  such  a  marvelous  instrument  of  civilization  and  progress 
as  he  sat  in  his  study  at  Poughkeepsie  and  looked  over  the  result 
of  his  inspiration  in  the  narrow  berth  on  board  the  Sully  in  1832  ! 
"  No  pent-up  Utica"  to  his  thought  then.  Artist  as  he  was,  he  could 
not  picture  on  his  own  mind  the  reality  of  his  wonderful,  yet  simple 
discovery ;  but  if  he  had  lived  a  year  or  two  longer  he  would  have 
seen  the  enterprising  newspaper  of  the  metropolis  filled  every 
morning,  with  every  line  of  its  contents,  excepting  a  portion  of  its 
editorials,  some  of  its  city  news,  and  a  part  of  its  advertisements, 
made  up  of  telegrams  from  the  surrounding  world — from  the  remo- 
test corner  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  to  the  nearest  neighboring 
village,  ward,  or  street ! 


608  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
THE  NEW  YORK  ASSOCIATED  PRESS. 

ITS  ORIGIN. — ITS  NECESSITY. — ITS  OBJECT. — ITS  OPERATIONS. — WAR  WITH 
THE  TELEGRAPH  COMPANIES. — ATTEMPT  AT  MONOPOLY.  —  LEASE  OF  THE 
NEWFOUNDLAND  LINE. — INTERCEDING  STEAMERS  OFF  HALIFAX  AND  CAPE 
RACE. — WILL  THE  ASSOCIATION  BE  A  PERMANENT  INSTITUTION  ? 

THE  Associated  Press  belongs  to  the  telegraphic  era. 

But  what  is  the  Associated  Press  ?  Is  it  not  a  monster  monop- 
oly ?  Does  it  not  cripple  the  enterprise  of  individual  journals  ?  Is 
it  a  permanent  institution  ? 

These  are  common  questions  with  newspaper  editors  and  pub- 
lishers. They  are  problems  that  perplex  the  journalist.  Most  of 
the  general  news  of  the  world  is  gathered  by  the  agents  of  the  As- 
sociated Press,  and  its  title  is  known  all  over  the  globe.  There  are 
news  associations  in  Europe.  These  were  established  by  individu- 
als, and  were  considered  useful  auxiliaries,  and  encouraged  by  the 
absence  of  enterprise  in  newspaper  proprietors  until  they  became 
institutions  and  somewhat  dictatorial.  Reuter  was  the  first ;  Havas 
and  Bullier  followed.  Reuter  is  now  king  of  news  in  Europe,  and 
wears  a  ribbon  from  one  of  the  German  powers  for  special  tele- 
grams during  the  Franco-German  war.  He  is,  besides,  a  telegraph 
contractor,  and  lays  cables.  He  is  an  electric  power. 

It  is  the  common  belief  that  news  associations  were  the  result  of 
the  introduction  of  the  telegraph.  This  is  correct  so  far  as  the 
present  extensive  organizations  are  concerned ;  but  organizations 
existed  before  1844  on  a  limited  and  local  scale.  There  were  as- 
sociated arrangements  with  several  of  the  New  York  papers  prior  to 
1840  for  the  collection  of  shipping  news.  There  was  one,  at  the 
head  of  which  was  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  which  run  pony  ex- 
presses from  Washington.  There  were  three  in  existence  in  New 
York  City  in  i837~'8.  Captain  Bancker  was  at  the  head  of  one  for  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer-  and  Journal '  oj 'Commerce y  Captain  Hurley  had 
charge  of  another  for  the  Express,  Mercantile  Advertiser,  and  Gazette; 
Captain  Cisco  was  at  the  head  of  the  third  for  the  Commercial  Ad- 
vertiser, Evening  Star,  and  American.  These  were  for  marine  news. 
The  Herald  had  its  independent  establishment.  Captain  Hamil 
commanded  the  news-boat  for  that  journal.  There  was  no  unity 
then  between  the  "  Sixpenny"  and  the  "  Penny  Press."  The  Sun  aft- 


Early  News  Associations.  609 

erwards  set  up  an  enterprise  of  its  own  for  important  arrivals  only, 
one  of  the  men  with  "  a  glazed  cap,"  Captain  Brogan,  in  charge. 

The  New  York  papers  had  passed  through  their  period  of  enter- 
prise when  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  run  horse  expresses  and  news 
schooners  in  competition  with  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  Those  days 
of  spirit  and  dash,  when  James  Watson  Webb  was  in  his  glory,  had 
subsided,  only  to  be  aroused  by  the  Cheap  Press  coming  vigorously 
into  existence.  All  "pony"  expresses  had  been  stopped,  and  the 
newspapers  had  fallen  back  on  row-boats  for  the  gathering  of  ship- 
ping intelligence.  The  news  schooners  Evening  Edition,  Courier  and 
Enquirer,  and  Journal  of  Commerce  were  laid  up  "  in  ordinary"  or 
had  become  pilot-boats.  With  the  establishment  of  the  Herald  this 
journalistic  energy  revived.  It  opened  a  new  era  with  the  Amer- 
ican Press.  With  the  increase  of  this  class  of  papers,  full  of  tact 
and  spirit,  with  the  extension  of  railroads,  the  introduction  of  ocean 
steamers,  the  spread  of  express  lines,  and  the  inauguration  of  the 
magnetic  telegraph,  the  competition  of  journalists  to  keep  step  with 
these  new  forces  in  the  field  became  lively,  comprehensive,  and 
costly.  We  all  see  and  appreciate  the  splendid  result. 

The  Herald  had  its  row-boats  for  marine  news  under  the  com- 
mand of  such  men  as  Robert  Hamil,  Robert  Martin,  William  Bassett, 
Robert  Silvey,  and  John  Hall,  and  they  did  well.  They  were  a  new 
race  of  ship-news  reporters.  Besides  these,  the  pilot-boats,  a  dozen 
in  number,  clippers  in  every  sense,  favored  the  Herald,  and  that  pa- 
per, as  a  matter  of  course,  continually  eclipsed  the  older  papers  of 
New  York  in  news  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  for  most  of  the 
intelligence  from  other  parts  of  the  world,  outside  the  United  States, 
had  to  pass  Sandy  Hook.  The  "  blanket  sheets,"  the  old  Wall- 
Street  Press,  were  constantly  "  beaten"  in  European  news.  Added 
to  these  exploits,  the  Herald  began  its  expresses  from  Boston  in 
i84i-'2  with  the  advices  brought  by  the  Cunard  steamers.  The 
Sun  soon  followed  in  competition.  Expresses  were  also  run  from 
Albany  with  the  annual  messages  of  the  governors.  When  the  war 
opened  with  Mexico,  accounts  of  the  several  battles  were  expressed 
in  advance  of  the  government  dispatches.  All  this  enterprise  pro- 
duced a  great  effect.  The  Herald  and  Sun,  of  New  York,  a.nd.Ledger, 
of  Philadelphia,  began  to  make  their  mark.  The  despised  "  Penny 
Press"  were  multiplying,  and  the  "blanket  sheets"  rapidly  losing 
what  reputation  they  had  previously  acquired.  They  swelled  in 
size  only  till  many  collapsed.  The  Herald  was  alone  in  its  enter- 
prise. So  was  the  Sun.  But  with  the  progress  of  events  combina- 
tions began  to  be  formed  in  consequence  of  the  persistent  success 
of  \h&  Herald,  and  because  of  the  enormous  expense  attending  these 
operations.  • 

QQ 


I 


610  Journalism  in  America. 

The  first  combination  was  in  1846,  during  the  Oregon  excitement, 
resulting  in  dispatching  a  pilot-boat  across  the  Atlantic  especially 
for  news,  and  in  two  expresses — one  from  Halifax  and  one  from 
Boston — costing  the  combined  papers  $5000  for  the  pilot -boat, 
$4000  for  the  Halifax  express,  and  $1000  for  the  Boston  express — 
very  large  sums  to  spend  for  news  in  those  days.  These  were  ar- 
ranged for  the  purpose  of  achieving  decisive  victories  over  the  Her- 
aid.  Our  pages  give  the  details  and  the  result.  This  was  the  first 
news  combination  after  the  establishment  of  the  Cheap  Press.  The 
struggle  went  on  especially  between  the  Sun,  Tribune,  and  Herald. 
In  the  heat  of  the  fight,  the  telegraph  came  in  as  a  mediator  and 
regulator. 

When  the  first  battles  were  fought  on  the  Rio  Grande,  the  mag- 
netic telegraph  extended  from  Washington  to  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
and  soon  after  to  Jersey  City.  Efforts  were  made  to  reach  the 
southern  telegraph  office  first.  Sometimes  the  Herald  would  suc- 
ceed, and  sometimes  the  Sun.  Frequently  the  messengers  of  these 
journals  would  enter  the  office  together.  The  exclusive  use  of  the 
wires  could  not  be  given  to  either.  They  were  therefore  allowed 
fifteen  minutes  each.  Not  many  lines  of  news  could  be  transmitted 
in  that  brief  space  of  time  over  poor  lines,  with  miserable  insulation 
and  inexperienced  operators.  The  result  was  not  favorable  to  the 
enterprise  of  these  journals.  They  spent  a  good  deal  of  money,  but 
gained  very  little  advantage  over  each  other.  It  was  in  consequence 
of  this  difficulty  that  the  New  York  Herald,  in  connection  with  the 
Philadelphia  Public  Ledger  and  the  Baltimore  Sim,  established  the 
successful  express  between  Montgomery  and  Mobile. 

But  the  telegraph  lines  became  more  extended.  Wherever  the 
wires  were  stretched  the  same  trouble  manifested  itself.  The  few 
wires  could  not  send  all  the  dispatches  at  once.  Meanwhile  the 
enterprise  of  the  Cheap  Press  expanded,  and  the  few  remaining 
"  blanket  sheets"  were  aroused  to  the  reality  of  their  situation  as 
newspapers.  They  found  that  the  tether  they  gave  the  "  penny  pa- 
pers" was  a  long  one. 

Other  expresses  were  run.  Other  plans  were  maturing  for  a  ru- 
inous competition.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  interview,  al- 
ready mentioned,  took  place  between  David  Hale,  of  the  Journal  of 
Commerce,  and  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  Herald. 

In  looking  over  the  ground,  It  was  manifest  that  the  telegraph 
lines  were  not  equal  to  the  emergency.  They  did  not  expand  rap- 
idly enough.  They  could  not  transmit  all  the  dispatches  of  the 
newspapers  if  the  journals  acted  independently  of  each  other.  It 
was  apparent  that,  with  the  business  of  the  public,  the  capacity  of 
the  telegraph  was  not  equal  to  the  transmission  of  single-  dispatches 


The  Early  Troubles  with  the  Telegraph.      6 1 1 

of  one  day's  news  to  one  paper  alone.  It  became  absolutely  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  this  miraculous  invention,  for 
the  newspapers  to  form  an  association,  in  order  that  their  individual 
competition  should  not  destroy  the  early  usefulness  of  this  wonder- 
ful means  of  communication.  The  result  was,  that  representatives 
from  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  Courier  and  Enquirer,  Tribune,  Her- 
ald, Sun,  and  Express,  met  at  the  office  of  the  Sun,  and  formed,  ist, 
the  Harbor  News  Association,  and,  ad,  the  New  York  Associated 
Press.  It  was  a  Congress  of  the  Republic  of  News.  The  amiable 
and  venerable  Gerard  Hallock,  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  was 
elected  president.  This  was  in  184.8-9.  On  the  establishment  of 
the  Times  in  1851,  that  paper  became  a  member.  On  the  establish- 
ment of  the  World'\^.  1859,  that  paper  became  a  participant  in  the 
news  privileges,  and  afterwards  a  full  member  on  its  union  with  the 
Courier  and  Enquirer.  These  journals,  so  recalcitrating  to  each 
other  in  their  columns,  so  full  of  rivalry  in  their  business  affairs,  so 
incongruous  in  their  political  opinions,  thus  came  together,  and  their 
representatives  met  monthly  for  years  thereafter  harmoniously  and 
happily,  maturing  plans  for  their  mutual  interests  and  prosperity. 
It  is  said  that  there  has  been  an  occasional  flurry  within  the  past  few 
years,  but  under  the  calm  guidance  of  Editor  Hallock  there  was 
never  a  ripple. 

It  was  no  part  of  the  plan  of  the  original  organization  of  this  as- 
sociation to  do  any  more  than  obtain  news  for  its  original  six  or 
seven  members.  No  paper  published  beyond  the  limits  of  the  me- 
tropolis was  included  in  the  early  plan  of  the  organization.  Its  ex- 
tensive ramifications  and  affiliations  since  then  have  been  the  result 
of  its  superior  enterprise,  its  surpassing  geographical  position,  and 
its  supreme  advantages.  Newspapers  in  other  parts  of  the  country 
desired  to  avail  themselves  of  its  arrangements,  and  out  of  this 
combination  have  grown  up  the  New  England  Association,  the  New 
York  State  Association,  the  Western  Association,  the  Southern  As- 
sociation, and  one  or  two  others,  but  all  working  together  as  one, 
and  is  thus  generally  known  as  the  Associated  Press. 

One  of  the  first  expensive  undertakings  of  the  New  York  Associa- 
tion was  the  purchase  of  the  steamer  Naushon,  of  Boston,  for  the 
collection  of  shipping  news  off  Sandy  Hook.  She  cost  $30,000. 
Her  name  was  changed  to  that  of  the  News-boy.  She  was  kept  in 
service  about  six  months  and  then  sold.  Afterwards  the  yacht  Wan- 
derer, of  Sir  John  Harvey,  of  Nova  Scotia,  was  purchased  to  cruise 
off  Halifax  for  the  European  steamers. 

All  the  details  of  the  business  of  the  Association  are  intrusted  to 
a  general  agent.  There  is  an  executive  committee,  to  whom  all 
matters  in  dispute,  all  extensive  arrangements,  and  all  business  that 


612  Journalism  in  America. 

a  general  agent  could  not  conclusively  arrange,  are  referred  for  de- 
cision ;  but  the  general  agent  is  the  executive  officer  of  the  insti- 
tution. Three  gentlemen,  at  different  periods,  have  filled  this  im- 
portant office  and  performed  its  arduous  duties,  namely, 

ist.  Alexander  Jones. 

2d.  D.H.Craig. 

3d.  J.  W.  Simonton. 

The  first,  Dr.  Jones,  undertook  the  management  of  the  news  in  the 
infancy  .of  the  Association,  and  when  the  telegraph  lines  were  few 
in  number.  He  was  an  indefatigable  worker.  In  the  "  Historical 
Sketch  of  the  Electric  Telegraph"  prepared  by  him,  he  mentions  the 
first  news  telegram  from  the  metropolis  in  this  way : 

It  was  early  in  the  autumn  of  1846  when  the  writer  of  this  handed  in  his  first 
message  for  the  Newspaper  Press  at  No.  10  Wall  Street.  It  contained  a  brief  ac- 
count of  the  launch  of  the  United  States  sloop-of-war  Albany  at  the  Navy  Yard, 
Brooklyn,  and  was  directed  to  the  Washington  Union. 

Dr.  Jones  was  succeeded  in  1851  by  D.H.Craig.  Mr.  Craig  had 
been  an  independent  news  collector  in  1844-5,  ar"d  a  successful  one 
in  flying  carrier  pigeons,  under  great  difficulties  and  obstacles,  from 
the  Cunard  steamers  as  they  approached  Boston.  He  sold  his  news 
'to  any  one  who  would  purchase — Jacob  Little  or  James  Gordon 
Bennett — and  he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee in  i849Jor  thereabouts,  and  was  appointed  the  local  agent  of  the 
Association  at  Halifax,  to  look  especially- after  the  European  news. 
He  remained  there  for  a  year  or  two,  and  exhibited  great  tact  and 
perseverance  in  expressing  and  telegraphing  the  news  to  Boston  and 
New  York,  in  spite  of  impediments  of  no  mean  proportions ;  and  in 
the  general  management  of  his  agency  he  was  remarkably  efficient 
and  prompt — so  much  so,  indeed,  that  he  was  called  to  New  York 
in  1851  to  become  the  general  agent,  and  assist  in  arranging  the 
details  and  carrying  out  the  news  plans  of  the  Association,  now  rap- 
idly increasing,  and  becoming  huge  and  comprehensive  with  the  ex- 
tension of  the  telegraph  lines  to  all  parts  of  the  Union. 

The  Association  had  its  thorny  paths  as  well  as  its  smooth  roads 
to  pass  over.  Opposition  came  from  independent  news  agencies, 
from  disappointed  journalists,  and  from  inexperienced  as  well  as 
grasping  telegraph  managers.  New  telegraph  lines  had  to  be  en- 
couraged, rival  interests  had  to  be  conciliated,  and  local  quarrels  had 
to  be  adjusted.  Assisting  in  the  arrangement  of  these  matters,  the 
general  agent  did  not  increase  the  number  of  his  personal  friends ; 
but  amid  all  the  trials  he  fought  the  battles  mildly,  pleasantly,  and 
gentlemanly  in  conversation,  but  savagely,  bitterly,  and  ruthlessly 
on  paper.  His  correspondence  was  always  a  full-charged  galvan- 
ic battery.  His  epistolary  style  did  not  please  every  one ;  it  was 


The  Mistakes  of  Telegraph  Managers.        613 

strong  and  decided,  and  offended ;  but  he  was  a  faithful  worker,  a 
prompt  news  collector,  an  excellent  executive  officer,  always  on  duty, 
and  wrapped  up  in  the  interests  of  the  New  York  Associated  Press. 
Among  the  embarrassments  of  Morse  in  the  infancy  of  the  tele- 
graph system  was  the  necessity  of  placing  his  patent  in  the  hands 
of  so  many  individuals  acting  independently  of  each  other.  Short 
sections  of  lines  connecting  cities  and  towns  were  owned  or  con- 
trolled by  single  individuals.  The  line  between  Portland  and  Bos- 
ton was  in  the  hands  of  one  man.  While  Mr.  Craig  was  the  local 
1  agent  of  the  Association  at  Halifax  there  was  a  bitter  feud  between 
him  and  the  manager  of  this  section  of  the  telegraph.  Serious 
charges  were  made  to  the  executive  committee  of  the  Association 
against  the  agent  by  the  telegraph  manager,  and  his  discharge  from 
service  suggested  for  the  harmonious  working  of  the  two  interests. 
The  charges  not  having  been  sustained,  the  executive  committee  de- 
clined acceding  to  the  request  of  the  manager,  and  Mr.  Craig  con- 
tinued the  agent  at  Halifax.  But  the  implacable  telegraph  mana- 
ger was  not  satisfied.  One  evening  the  executive  committee,  who 
were  then  in  the  habit  of  personally  receiving  the  European  news 
coming  over  the  wires  from  Halifax,  were  notified,  as  usual,  that  the 
steamer  was  off  Halifax.  On  entering  the  telegraph  office,  they  were 
notified  by  an  official  telegram  'from  Portland  that  no  more  news 
for  the  New  York  Press  should  pass  over  the  line  from  that  city  to 
Boston  if  sent  by  Mr.  Craig — not  a  word  should  pass  that  night ! 
Here  were  sixty  miles  of  telegraph  wire  thus  placed  entirely  under 
the  control  of  one  man,  and  it  was  at  his  option,  as  he  thought, 
whether  or  not  the  coming  news  from  Europe  should  be  given  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States  in  the  next  morning's  papers.  The 
great  danger  of  placing  such  a  mighty  instrument  for  good  or  evil  in 
the  power  of  one  individual  thus  unmistakably  manifested  itself  to 
the  executive  committee,  and  they  therefore  had  a  duty  to  perform 
beyond  their  own  immediate  interests  or  those  of  the  Press.  They 
at  once  decidedly  refused  to  dismiss  Mr.  Craig.  They  asserted  the 
right  of  the  Press  and  the  public  to  use  the  telegraph  as  a  common 
carrier  of  news ;  that  no  telegraph  manager  or  company  could  dic- 
tate as  to  the  employment  of  agents ;  and  that  respectable  parties 
were  responsible  for  the  character  of  the  news  sent  and  published, 
and  not  the  telegraph  manager.  But,  in  asserting  and  maintaining 
this  right,  it  was  no  part  of  the  intention  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee to  be  deprived  of  the  approaching  news ;  it  was  telegraphed  from 
Halifax  to  Portland ;  thence  run  by  locomotive  engine  to  Boston ; 
thence  telegraphed  to  New  York  and  other  sections  of  the  country, 
and  published  the  next  morning  in  all  the  papers  in  the  United 
States  ;  and  this  arrangement  was  continued  till  a  new  line,  worked 


6 14  Journalism  in  America. 

under  the  House  system,  was  constructed  between  the  two  blockaded 
points. 

Subsequently,  in  the  multiplication  of  telegraph  lines,  a  certain 
class  of  telegraph  owners  conceived  a  vast  plan  of  placing  the  whole 
telegraphic  system  of  the  country  in  the  hands  of  one  company ; 
collect  news,  and  retail  it  out  to  any  one — broker  or  banker,  specu- 
lator or  newspaper — who  would  purchase  at  the  rates  to  be  fixed 
by  the  telegraph  managers.  Some  progress  had  been  made  in  this 
scheme  before  the  executive  committee  became  satisfied  of  its  ex- 
istence. It  was  then  ascertained  that  all  the  wires  to  the  coast  ex- ' 
cept  the  Newfoundland  line  had  been  secured  by  the  American  and 
other  telegraph  companies.  The  Newfoundland  line  was  almost  too 
big  to  touch.  There  was  no  time  to  be  thrown  away.  One  of  the 
committee  met  an  active  director  in  this  line  : 

"  Mr.  Field,"  asked  the  journalist,  "  will  the  Newfoundland  Tele- 
graph Company  lease  their  line  to  the  Press  for  five  years  ?" 

After  a  moment's  thought,  Mr.  Field,  whose  brain  is  always  driven 
by  a  powerful  steam-engine,  answered, 

"Are  you  serious?" 

"  Never  more  so,"  said  the  journalist. 

"  I  will  call  a  meeting  of  the  directors  and  let  you  know." 

"  When  ?— to-morrow  ?'" 

"No;  this  evening." 

"  Splendid.  You  are  a  man  worth  talking  to.  Then  we  shall 
have  an  answer  to-morrow,"  enthusiastically  responded  the  news- 
paper man. 

That  evening  Peter  Cooper,  Marshall  O.  Roberts,  Moses  B.  Taylor, 
David  Dudley  Field,  and  Cyrus  W.  Field  met  and  decided  that  they 
would  lease  the  Newfoundland  line  to  the  New  York  Press,  for  the 
use  of  the  public  and  Press,  for  a  term  of  five  years,  or  till  the  At- 
lantic Cable  was  laid  and  in  operation. 

Mr.  Field  met  the  executive  committee  trie  next  morning  and  said, 

"  You  can  have  the  line  for  five  years,  at  so  much  per  annum,  the 
line  to  be  restored  to  the  company  in  as  good  order  as  it  is  now  in 
at  the  expiration  of  that  period,  or  when  the  Atlantic  Cable  is  laid. 
How  will  that  do  ?" 

"We  will  take  it." 

Thus  the  New  York  Press,  to  protect  itself,  its  associates  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  and  the  public  from  a  huge  monopoly  then 
looming  up  before  them,  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the  manage- 
ment and  keeping  in  order  of  a  telegraph  line  strung  along  nine 
hundred  miles  of  a  frightfully  bleak  and  exposed  coast,  and  in  do- 
ing so  it  accomplished  the  great  object  it  had  in  view,  although  at  a 
large  extra  expense  in  money,  time,  and  labor. 


Treaty  between  the  Press  and  the  Telegraph.  615 

"  The  Newfoundland  line  leased  to  the  New  York  Press  ?  Non- 
sense !  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  said  one  of  the  most  persist- 
ent promoters  of  the  contemplated  combination. 

But  he  was  ocularly  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  the  statement ;  and 
in  this  way,  and  by  this  arrangement,  the  backbone  of  the  .threat- 
ened monopoly  was  broken.  Those  interested  in  the  telegraph  saw 
the  danger.  One  or  two  of  those  in  the  scheme  retired,  and  new  of- 
ficers were  elected.  Such  men  as  Professor  Morse,  Colonel  E.  S. 
Sanford,  and  Cambridge  Livingston  took  an  active  interest  in  the 
matter,  and  the  result  was  a  proposition,  inspired  by  Colonel  San- 
ford,  for  a  Telegraph  Committee  and  a  Press  Committee  to  meet  in 
consultation  on  the  twin  interests. 

On  the  night  of  a  monster  torch-light  procession  of  the  unterrified 
democracy  of  the  metropolis,  marshalled  under  the  renowned  Cap- 
tain Isaiah  Rynders,  illuminating  and  enlivening  that  grand  city  with 
its  bengola  lights,  its  Roman  candles,  its  music,  its  rockets,  its  cheers, 
its  Drummond  lights,  and  its  enthusiasm,  there  met,  on  an  early 
November  evening  in  1860,  at  a  room  at  Delmonico's,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Chambers  Street  and  Broadway,  Amos  Kendall,  Edwards  S. 
Sanford,  Cambridge  Livingston,  and  Zenas  Barnum  on  the  part  of 
the  telegraph  companies,  and  the  executive  committee  on  the  part 
of  the  Associated  Press.  These  gentlemen,  comprehending  the  sit- 
uation, at  this  and  three  or  four  subsequent  meetings  concluded  a 
treaty  and  a  contract  by  which  the  rights  of  the  public,  of  the  tele- 
graph, and  of  the  Press  were  fully  recognized.  On  the  basis  of  this 
arrangement  the  harmony  and  efficiency  of  these  three  great  inter- 
ests were  secured ;  and  in  accomplishing  this  happy  result  too  much 
credit  can  not  be  given  to  Colonel  Sanford  for  the  efforts  he  made 
tq  preserve  the  entente  cordiale  between  the  telegraph  and  the  Press. 

To  make  this  Newfoundland  line  efficiently  useful  to  the  Press,  it 
was  necessary  to  extend  the  arrangements  at  Cape  Race  so  that  the 
European  steamers  passing  that  point  could  be  intercepted.  Ob- 
taining the  news  off  that  cape  shortened  the  time  between  Europe 
and  New  York  from  forty  to  sixty  hours.  On  the  great  circle,  a  ma- 
jority of  the  steamers  would  pass  within  sight  of  that  station.  The 
first  attempt  to  get  news  in  this  way  was  previous  to  this  time,  and 
when  the  Collins  steamers  commenced  their  trips.  Tin  cans  were 
prepared  with  small  flag-poles.  The  news  parcels  were  placed  in 
these  in  Liverpool,  and  when  the  steamers  arrived  off  the  Cape  the 
pursers  would  throw  them  overboard.  If  the  news-boat  was  not  in 
sight,  a  gun  would  be  fired  in  the  daytime  and  in  foggy  weather, 
and  a  rocket  or  two  sent  up  in  the  night.  Captain  Ezra  Nye,  of 
the  Pacific,  successfully  initiated  the  enterprise  off  Halifax.  On  his 
second  trip,  not  seeing  the  news-boat,  he  threw  Halifax  into  a  state 


616  Journalism  in  America. 

of  great  excitement  by  running  almost  into  that  harbor,  firing  guns 
all  the  way  up.  His  news  reached  New  York  forty-eight  hours  in 
advance  of  the  arrival  of  his  steamer.  After  this  there  were  inter- 
cepted off  Cape  Race, 


In  1859, 13  steamers. 
"   1860,31         " 


In  1861,34  steamers. 
"   1862,46 


Fifteen  or  twenty  steamers  outward  bound  were  also  intercepted, 
and  two  days'  later  news  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States  placed 
on  board  for  Europe.  Arrangements  such. as  these  displayed  the 
marvelous  energy,  of  the  Press  of  the  country. 

But  nothing  is  permanent  in  this  ever- shifting  world  of  ours. 
When  the  ocean  cable  was  laid  and  in  working  order,  these  tin  cans 
and  flag-poles,  these  guns  and  rockets,  ceased  to  be  of  value ;  and 
with  these  changes  others  came.  The  Press-telegraph  embroglio,  so 
nicely  adjusted  in  1860  at  Delmonico's  and  at  the  Astor  House,  has 
experienced  some  of  the  perturbations  of  the  day,  and  a  portion  of 
the  Press  and  the  present  telegraph  managers  have  had  their  doubts 
and  differences,  their  trials  and  troubles,  their  heart-burnings  and 
heave-offerings.  The  Associated  Press  has  another  general  agent, 
and  Mr.  Craig  is  now  devoting  his  experience  and  energy  in  devel- 
oping the  power  of  Little's  Automatic  Telegraph,  capable,  it  is  as- 
serted, of  transmitting  sixty  thousand  words  per  hour.  Editor  Da- 
vid M.  Stone,  of  theffiurna/  of  Commerce,  is  the  present  president  of 
the  Associated  Press,  his  much-respected  predecessor,  Gerard  Hal- 
lock,  having  been  gathered  to  his  fathers.  James  W.  Simonton, 
once  connected  with  the  New  York  Times,  once  a  correspondent  in 
Washington,  and  now  a  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  San  Francisco 
Bulletin,  and  a  proprietor,  we  believe,  of  the  Morning  Call,  of  that 
magnificent  city  with  a  Golden  Gate,  is  the  general  agent.  It  is  a 
vast  machine,  with  its  local  agents  in  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
United  States,  and  its  correspondents  scattered  over  the  wide,  wide 
world.  It  serves  two  hundred  daily  papers  with  telegraphic  news, 
and  pays  over  $200,000  yearly  for  cable  telegrams  alone. 

Is  this  extensive  news  organization  to  last  forever  ?  It  was  not, 
probably,  expected  or  intended  by  its  originators  to  make  it  a  per- 
manent institution.  It  was  an  expedient.  It  originated  in  the  ne- 
cessities of  the  time — in  the  want  of  capacity  of  the  telegraph  lines. 
It  came  into  life  when  horses,  and  steamers,  and  carrier  pigeons 
ceased  to  be  available ;  it  will  go  out  of  existence  as  soon  as  the 
network  of  electric  wires  and  cables  are  capable  of  transmitting 
easily,  and  without  delay,  the  news  correspondence  of  the  Press  and 
the  business  dispatches  of  the  public.  Already  an  independent 
combination  has  been  formed.  In  January,  1870,  several  new  and 


The  Future  of  the  Association.  617 

cheap  papers  in  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  shut  out  of 
existing  arrangements,  organized  the  American  Press  Association. 
This  organization  met  in  Boston  in  July,  1870.  Its  president  is  Jo- 
seph Howard,  of  the  New  York  Star.  The  principal  journals  in  this 
association  are  the  Evening  Mail,  New  Yorker  Journal,  and  Daily 
News,  of  New  York ;  the  Day  and  Bulletin,  of  Philadelphia ;  the  Star, 
of  Providence ;  the  Eagle,  of  Brooklyn ;  the  Times,  of  Boston  ;  and 
the  News,  of  Washington.  Its  general  agent  is  John  Hasson.  News 
is  furnished  to  eighty-four  daily  papers  in  the  United  States. 

There  is  also  the  New  York  News  Association.  Other  local  or- 
ganizations are  in  existence.  Others  will  be  formed.  Special  tele- 
grams will  be  received  by  individual  papers  that  will  neither  be  paid 
for  nor  used  by  others ;  and  this  disintegration,  thus  commenced, 
will  go  on  till  each  leading  journal  will  have  its  own  special  dispatch- 
es from  its  own  correspondents  stationed  in  all  parts  of  the  world, 
transmitted  for  its  own  exclusive  use  and  benefit.  There  will  be 
news  associations  to  sell  news  to  any  one  who  will  purchase,  but 
they  will  be  comparatively  small  concerns,  and  overshadowed  by  the 
great  newspaper  establishments  in  the  news  centres  of  the  Union. 


618  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  NEW  YORK  TIMES. 

HOW   IT  ORIGINATED. — NEGOTIATIONS    ON    THE  ICE. — THE   TlLSIT   RAFT   OF 

THE  TIMES. — HENRY  J.  RAYMOND  ITS  EDITOR.  —  His  ABILITY  AS  A  RE- 
PORTER.— His  EARLY  CAREER  IN  POLITICS. — WHY  HE  WAS' CALLED  "LIT- 
TLE VILLAIN"  BY  HORACE  GREELEY. — TROUBLE  WITH  JAMES  WATSON 
WEBB. — THREATENED  DUEL  WITH  THOMAS  FRANCIS  MEAGHER.— SHARP 
CONTROVERSY  WITH  ARCHBISHOP  HUGHES. — THE  ELBOWS  OF  THE  MINCIO. 
— THE  DRAFT  RIOTS.  —  FORTIFYING  NEWSPAPER  OFFICES.  —  MANNERS  IN 
JOURNALISM. — SUDDEN  DEATH  OF  MR.  RAYMOND. — HENRY  WARD  BEECH- 
ER'S  EULOGY. — THE  NEW  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  TIMES. — THE  GOLD  SPEC- 
ULATIONS OF  1869. — THE  WAR  ON  THE  TAMMANY  RING. — ITS  GREAT  AND 
IMPORTANT  RESULT. 

THE  Times  originated  on  the  Hudson.  In  a  walk  across  the  ice 
at  Albany,  in  the  winter  of  i85o-'5i,  it  was  arranged  by  several 
gentlemen  to  establish  a  new  journal  in  the  metropolis. 

The  Tribune  had  boasted  of  its  large  profits.  Ninety  thousand 
dollars  it  claimed  to  have  divided  the  previous  year  among  its  stock- 
holders. "  That  boast,"  said  Greeley,  "  started  the  Times."  Henry 
J.  Raymond  was  then  Speaker  of  the  Assembly.  George  Jones,  a 
publisher,  E.  B.Wesley,  a  banker,  with  two  or  three  leading  politi- 
cians, furnished  the  money  for  the  new  enterprise.  One  hundred 
and  ten  thousand  dollars  were  subscribed  for  the  undertaking,  and 
such  was  the  feeling  created  at  the  time  by  the  large  dividends  of 
the  Tribune,  and  the  acknowledged  prosperity  of  the  Herald,  that 
two  or  three  times  that  amount  were  offered.  The  first  number  of 
the  Times  appeared  on  the  i8th  of  September,  1851.  It  was  a  one- 
cent  paper. 

Its  editor,  Henry  J.  Raymond,  had  been  connected  with  the  Press 
for  a  little  over  ten  years.  While  at  Burlington  College  he  wrote  for 
the  New  Yorker  over  the  nomme  de  plume  of  Fantome.  On  gradua- 
ting, and  while  studying  law  in  New  York,  he  became  a  constant  con- 
tributor to  that  paper,  receiving  from  Horace  Greeley,  its  editor,  a 
salary  of  eight  dollars  per  week.  He  also  wrote  news  letters  to  the 
Cincinnati  Chronicle  at  five  dollars  per  week.  When  the  Tribune 
was  started  in  the  spring  of  1841,  he  was  installed  its  assistant  edi- 
tor and  chief  reporter  at  ten  dollars  per  week.  He  remained  with 
Greeley  till  1843.  He  then  determined  to  be  a  journalist,  and  bent 
all  his  energies  to.  accomplish  this  great  end.  Although  not  a  ste- 


Henry  J.  Raymond  as  a  Reporter.  619 

nographer,  he  was  an  accomplished  reporter,  and  was  unquestiona- 
bly the  swiftest  writer  connected  with  the  Press.  He  held  his  own 
with  such  stenographers  as  Robert  Sutton  and  James  A.  Houston, 
the  two  best  reporters  in  the  country  at  that  period.  But  with  mar- 
velous rapidity  in  writing  Raymond  displayed  great  tact.  If  the 
Herald,  or  any  other  newspaper,  succeeded  by  any  especial  method 
in  accomplishing  an  important  result,  it  was  not  despised  by  him. 

On  one  occasion,  when  Daniel  Webster  was  to  speak  in  Boston, 
several  reporters  were  sent  from  New  York  to  report  his  speech. 
Raymond  attended  for  the  Tribune.  There  were  no  telegraphs  then. 
On  his  return,  instead  of  losing  time,  he  engaged  a  stateroom,  where 
he  wrote  out  his  long-hand  notes.  While  the  reporters  were  in 
Boston,  types,  cases,  and  printers  were  quietly  placed  on  board  the 
Sound  steamer,  and  as  rapidly  as  Raymond  wrote  out  the  speech 
the  printers  put  it  in  type.  On  their  arrival  at  New  York  the  speech 
was  in  type  and  ready  for  the  press,  and  appeared 'the  same  morn- 
ing in  a  late  edition  of  the  Tribune,  much  to  the  mortification  of  the 
other  reporters  and  the  surprise  of  the  other  journalists. 

Mr.  Raymond  was  also  a  very  accurate  reporter.  Mr.  Webster 
always  preferred  him  to  any  other  to  take  down  his  speeches.  When 
he  intended  making  one  any  where,  he  sent  for  Mr.  Raymond  to  be 
present. 

"Why  does  Mr. Webster  prefer  your  reporting  to  others?"  asked* 
a  journalist  one  day  of  Mr.  Raymond  ;  "I  am  told  that  you  are  not  a 
stenographer." 

"  Well,"  replied  Mr.  Raymond,  "  I  once  asked  that  question  my- 
self of  Mr.  Webster,  and  he  said  I  always  reported  him  correctly, 
and  that  I  never  spoiled  his  quotations.  Webster,  you  know,"  con- 
tinued Raymond,  "  is  very  apt  in  his  quotations.  They  are  full  of 
meaning.  His  most  beautiful  and  telling  illustrations  were  from  old 
classic  authors.  I  disliked  to  see  these  beautiful  images  broken  by 
execrable  Latin,  and  I  therefore  took  pains  to  have  them  correct. 
Mr.  Webster  appreciates  this.  Hence  he  sends  for  me,  I  suppose." 

The  most  wonderful  incident  in  reporting  occurred  after  Mr.  Ray- 
mond became  attached  to  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  Mr.  Webster 
made  an  important  speech  in  the  Senate.  Raymond  was  present. 
All  the  other  papers  were  represented.  Looking  at  the  clock,  it  just 
occurred  to  him  that  the  distinguished  senator  would  finish  about 
the  hour  of  the  closing  of  the  mail.  He  therefore  prepared  himself. 
Webster  began  his  speech.  Raymond  took  every  word  down  in 
long-hand.  The  other  reporters,  of  course,  in  short-hand.  Webster, 
it  is  true,  was  a  slow,  deliberate  speaker,  but  as  the  average  speed 
of  an  orator's  tongue  is  six  uttered  to  one  carefully  written  word,  our 
readers  can  imagine  the  rapidity  of  Raymond's  writing.  Webster 


620  Journalism  in  America. 

finished.  It  was  nearly  mail-time.  It  would  be  utterly  impossible 
to  write  out  the  speech  for  that  mail,  and  that  was  the  mail  to  carry 
the  speech.  Raymond  looked  at  his  notes,  and  again  at  the  clock. 
Rolling  all  up  in  an  envelope,  inclosing  a  private  note  to  the  fore- 
man of  the  office  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  he  dropped  the  parcel 
into  the  Editors'  Bag.  It  reached  the  office  in  Wall  Street,  the  copy 
was  distributed  among  the  compositors,  and  the  whole  speech  ap- 
peared in  the  next  edition  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  to  the  dis- 
may of  the  other  papers  and  the  chagrin  of  the  reporters.  Its  ac- 
curacy received  the  fullest  indorsement  of  Mr.  Webster. 

The  wonderful  rapidity  of  Raymond  as  a  writer,  and  the  marvel- 
ous amount  of  mental  labor  he  could  perform,  are  related  in  many 
incidents.  His  biography  of  Daniel  Webster  is  cited  as  a  striking 
instance.  Charles  S.  Halpine,  of  the  Citizen,  was  a  wonder  in  this 
quality.  The  same  can  be  said  of  William  Cobbett.  But  it  was 
not  persistent,  daily,  constant  with  either  Raymond  or  Halpine. 
Other  instances  of  these  extraordinary  powers  in  writers  are  men- 
tioned in  history  and  biography.  Dr.  Francis  said  : 

To  a  suggestion  that  I  might  instance  the  late  Wm.  Cobbett  as  associated  with 
the  Periodical  Press  of  this  country,  I  see  no  impropriety ;  unquestionably  a  mi- 
nute record  would  necessarily  include  his  Porcupine,  Gazette,  and  his  Weekly  Reg- 
ister;  the  one  the  offspring  of  his  juvenile  life,  the  other  of  his  ripened  years. 
I  had  some  personal  acquaintance  with  him  at  the  time  of  his  last  residence  in 
,New  York.  Haslitt  has,  in  his  attractive  manner,  described  him  to  the  life.  He 
was  deemed  the  best  talker  of  his  day,  and  his  forcible  pen  has  given  us  indubita- 
ble proofs  of  his  powers  in  literary  composition.  It  was  not  unusual  with  him  to 
make  a  morning  visit  at  the  printing-office  at  an  early  hour,  to  take  his  seat  at 
the  desk,  and,  after  some  half  dozen  lines  were  written,  throw  off  the  MS.  with  a 
rapidity  that  engaged  eleven  compositors  at  once  in  setting  up.  Thus  a  whole 
sheet  of  the  Register  might  be  completed  ere  he  desisted  from  his  undertaking. 
I  think  that  in  his  quickness  he  surpassed  even  the  lamented  William  Leggett, 
of  the  Evening  Post.  The  circumstance  is  certainly  a  psychological  fact,  and  yet 
may  not  be  deemed  more  curious  than  that  Priestley  should  have  made  his  reply 
to  Lind,  quite  a  voluminous  pamphlet,  in  twenty-four  hours,  or  that  Hodgkinson, 
the  actor,  was  able  to  peruse  crosswise  the  entire  five  columns  of  a  newspaper, 
and  within  two  hours  recite  it  thus  by  memory. 

With  experience  thus  acquired,  with  first-rate  journalistic  ability, 
and  with  a  knowledge  of  politics  which  he  had  obtained  in  the  of- 
fices of  the  Tribune  and  Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  as  Speaker  of 
the  Assembly,  he  assumed  the  entire  editorial  management  of  the 
Times.  In  the  spring  of  1851  he  went  to  Europe,  sending  home 
the  prospectus  of  the  new  paper,  which  he  wrote,  under  the  mild  in- 
fluence of  Neptune,  on  board  the  steamer  on  her  outward  trip.  The 
Times,  by  the  tone  of  this  announcement,  was  to  be  a  modestly  mod- 
el newspaper. 

On  the  1 8th  of  September,  1851,  the  Times,  in  accordance  with  the 
programme  thus  prepared,  was  issued.  Is  not  a  prospectus  a  pe- 
culiarly interesting  document  to  an  editor  ?  It  is  doubtless  written 
more  thoughtfully,  more  carefully,  more  hopefully  than  any  other  pa- 


The  Initial  Number  of  the  Times.  621 

per  emanating  from  the  writer.  His  future  is  wrapped  up  in  it.  Vi- 
tality pervades  every  line.  Sometimes  it  is  rather  sluggish  vitality ; 
nevertheless,  what  is  in  the  writer  at  the  time  is  there.  Announce- 
ments of  this  character,  too,  mark  the  progress  of  journalism,  and  in 
those  we  have  given,  if  simply  strung  along  chronologically,  with- 
out remarks  or  explanations,  would  form  very  interesting  historical 
chapters. 

The  introductory  article  of  the  Times  embraces  the  points  of  the 
policy  that  was  to  govern  its  editor.  Mr.  Raymond,  in  his  initial 
number,  said : 

We  publish  to-day  the  first  number  of  the  New  York  Daily  Times,  and  -we  in- 
tend to  issue  it  every  morning  (Sundays  excepted)  for  an  indefinite  number  of  years 
to  come.  As  a  newspaper,  presenting  all  the  news  of  the  day  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  we  intend  to  make  the  Times  as  good  as  the  best  of  those  now  issued  in  the 
City  of  New  York;  and  in  all  the  higher  utilities  of  the  Press,  as  a  public  in- 
structor in  all  departments  of  action  and  of  thought,  we  hope  to  make  it  decidedly 
superior  to  existing  journals  of  the  same  class.  *  *  *  We  shall  seek,  in  all 
our  discussions  and  inculcations,  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  society  in 
which  we  live  ;  to  aid  the  advancement  of  all  beneficent  undertakings,  and  to  pro- 
mote in  every  way,  and  to  the  utmost  of  our  ability,  the  welfare  of  our  fellow-men. 

Upon  all  topics — political,  social,  moral,  and  religious — we  intend  that  the  pa- 
per shall  speak  for  itself,  and  we  only  ask  that  it  may  be  judged  accordingly. 
We  shall  be  conservative  in  all  cases  where  we  think  conservatism  essential  to 
the  public  good,  and  we  shall  be  radical  in  every  thing  which  may  seem  to  us  to 
require  radical  treatment  and  radical  reform.  We  do  not  believe  that  every  thing 
in  society  is  either  exactly  right  or  exactly  wrong  ;  what  is  good  we  desire  to  pre- 
serve and  improve ;  what  is  evil,  to  exterminate  and  reform. 

We  shall  endeavor  so  to  conduct  all  our  discussions  of  public  affairs  as  to  leave 
no  one  in  doubt  as  to  the  principles  we  espouse  or  the  measures  we  advocate ; 
and  while  we  design  to  be  decided  and  explicit  in. all  our  positions,  we  shall,  at 
the  same  time,  seek  to  be  temperate  and  measured  in  all  our  language.  We  do 
not  mean  to  write  as  if  ive  were  in  a  passion  unless  that  shall  really  be  the  case, 
and  we  shall  make  it  a  point  to  get  into  a  passion  as  rarely  as  possible.  There  are 
very  few  things  in  this  world  which  it  is  worth  while  to  get  angry  about,  and  they 
are  just  the  things  that  anger  will  not  improve.  In  controversies  with  other  jour- 
nals, with  individuals,  or  with  parties,  we  shall  engage  only  when,  in  our  opinion, 
some  important  public  interest  can  be  promoted  thereby,  and  even  then  we  shall 
endeavor  to  rely  more  upon  fair  argument  than  upon  misrepresentation  or  abu- 
sive language. 

It  was  a  fortunate  period  for  the  appearance  of  a  new  journal. 
Those  in  existence  had  created  a  larger  circle  of  readers  than  they 
could  easily  and  promptly  supply  with  the  machinery  in  use.  Then 
there  was  a  middle  class  of  readers — a  class  of  quiet,  domestic,  fire- 
side, conservative  readers  that  needed  an  organ.  The  Times,  by  its 
respectability  of  tone  and  matter,  obtained  a  large  number  of  this 
class.  They  liked  neither  the  Tribune  nor  the  Herald.  There  was 
a  portion  of  even  this  class  that  were  disappointed  in  the  Times. 
They  wanted  a  paper  more  religious  in  its  tone.  This  class  has 
always  met  with  disappointment.  But  it  was  on  these  middle  men 
and  women  that  the  Times  based  its  support.  Shortly  after  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  paper  Kossuth  arrived,  and  landed  on  that  "lovely 
but  exposed  isle,"  as  the  Hungarian  patriot  called  Staten  Island, 


622  Journalism  in  America. 

on  a  cold  December  day,  in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  a  warm 
overcoat  from  an  enthusiastic  tailor.  Raymond  entered  largely  into 
the  Hungarian  sensation,  which  culminated  in  a  splendid  Press  din- 
ner to  Kossuth  and  the  organization  of  a  Press  Club  in  New  York, 
which  ate  a  weekly  dinner  at  the  Astor  House  for  a  year  or  two  after 
that  notable  event.  On  this  excitement  the  Times  gained  laurels 
and  subscribers,  and  the  Hungarians  dollars  and  sympathy,  which, 
we  are  sorry  to  say,  did  not  avail  them  much. 

"  I  must  work  hard  for  five  years,"  said  Raymond  on  the  issue  of 
the  first  number,  "  to  put  this  bantling  on  a  solid  footing."  It  made 
its  mark  in  one  year.  It  was  then  doubled  in  size  and  price.  Its 
original  proprietors  were  Henry  J.  Raymond,  George  Jones,  E.  B. 
Morgan,  D.  B.  St.  John,  and  E.  B.  Wesley.  At  one  time  the  Times 
was  published  under  the  firm  of  Raymond,  Harper  &  Co.,  one  of 
the  Harpers  having  purchased  Mr.  St. John's  shares.  Harper  shortly 
retired,  and  the  publishers  were  Raymond,  Wesley  &  Co.  Wesley 
afterwards  sold  his  shares  to  Leonard  W.Jerome,  the  well-known 
financier,  who  had  been  a  journalist  in  Rochester.  With  these 
changes  the  firm  became  Henry  J.  Raymond  &  Co.,  and  under  this 
style  the  Times  was  published  till  some  time  subsequent  to  the 
death  of  Raymond. 

It  had  its  struggles  in  its  first  years,  as  all  other  p_apers  have  had. 
When  the  Herald  was  started  the  greatest  combined  efforts  were 
made  to  crush  it.  When  the  Tribune  came  into  existence  the  Sun 
endeavored  to  kill  it  outright.  When  the  Times  made  its  appear- 
ance, the  managers  of  the  Tribune,  in  turn,  made  an  effort  to  prevent 
its  circulation.  The  Tribune  carriers  were  forbidden  to  carry  or 
touch  the  Times,  under  penalty  of  losing  their  routes.  Something  of 
the  same  feeling  still  exists.  It  is  a  mistaken  notion,  however,  on 
the  part  of  the  existing  papers,  to  prevent  the  increase  of  newspa- 
pers. If  we  place  the  statistics  of  journalism  in  the  metropolis  un- 
der our  eye,  it  will  be  found  that  the  increase  of  newspapers  increase 
the  number  of  newspaper  readers.  One  paper  only  in  New  York 
City  would  be  a  stupid  affair.  The  real  policy  of  the  New  York  Her- 
ald has  been,  so  far  as  it  can  be  known  outside  of  the  office,  to  show 
its  feeling  in  regard  to  new  papers  by  improving  the  quality  of  its 
own  columns,  and  the  books  of  that  establishment  will  unquestion- 
ably exhibit  an  increase  of  circulation  and  an  increase  in  advertise- 
ments with  the  issue  of  every  new  journal ;  and  when  the  other  pa- 
pers heap  abuse,  Ossa  upon  Pelion,  on  the  Herald,  its  editor  smil- 
ingly remarks,  "  What  nonsense  !  All  this  only  helps  me.  If  they 
want  to  kill  off  the  Herald,  why  don't  they  make  a  better  paper  ?" 

Mr.  Raymond  occupied  his  niche  in  journalism,  if  not  in  politics. 
He  loved  the  two  professions.  In  becoming  one  of  the  leading  and 


Mr.  Raymond  as  a  Politician.  623 

responsible  journalists  of  the  country,  he  should  have  given  up  pol- 
itics. He  did  not  do  so,  and  that  was  his  error.  He  therefore  had 
two  loves,  and  he  would  have  been  satisfied  with  either  "  were  the 
other  dear  charmer  away."  If  he  had  ceased  to  be  a  politician  and 
devoted  all  his  time  to  the  Times,  he  would  have  made  it  a  greater 
and  more  powerful  journal ;  yet,  with  this  adverse  influence,  the  po- 
sition of  the  Times  on  the  day  of  his  death  was  third,  if  not  second, 
in  the  country. 

Such  is  the  inevitable  logic  of  events  that  no  editor  can  make  his 
mark  in  this  country  without  a  controversy  with  some  one  or  with 
some  party.  Take  the  newspapers  of  America,  from  the  News-Let- 
ter, when  Campbell  got  into  trouble  with  Brooker  and  the  Franklins 
in  1720-5,  to  the  time  of  the  Tribune  in  New  York,  and  you  will  find 
them  filled  with  explanatory  cards.  "Just  once,"  and  a  hundred 
more.  Historically  considered,  these  cards  are  valuable  ;  they  are 
signed ;  they  mean  what  they  say ;  they  are  like  the  business  notes 
of  a  merchant.  No  one  is  to  suppose  that  Raymond  is  to  be  an  ex- 
ception. One  of  the  most  interesting  of  his  cards  is  subjoined, 
because  it  brings  him  out  in  his  dual  character  of  editor  and  poli- 
tician. It  speaks  for  itself: 

A  CARD. 

I  find,  in  the  telegraphic  correspondence  of  some  of  the  New  York  papers  of 
this  morning,  a  statement  that  "  the  following  communication  was  read  by  the 
President  of  the  Whig  National  Convention  prior  to  taking  a  recess"  on  Monday 
afternoon : 
To  the  President  of  the  Whig  Convention: 

SIR, — As  I  have  been  assailed,  without  the  privilege  of  a  reply,  may  I  ask  of  you  to  say  to  the 
Convention  that  the  dispatch  in  relation  to  H.J.Raymond  was  opened  on  the  floor  of  this  hall  by 
me  in  the  presence  of  Moses  H.Grinnell  and  George  Ashmun.  After  reading  it,  I  placed  it  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Grinnell,  with  authority  to  use  it  as  he  thought  proper,  and  that  I  gave  such  authority 
at  his  request.  In  regard  to  the  charge  of  personal  hostility  to  Mr.  Raymond,  it  is  merely  a  matter 
of  inference,  arising  from  the  fact  that  during  my  absence  in  Europe  he  was  guilty  of  a  breach  of 
trust,  and  made  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  measurably  an  abolition  paper,  and,  in  consequence, 
was  compelled  to  leave  it.  J.  WATSON  WEBB. 

Although  no  such  paper  as  this  was  read,  or,  so  far  as  I  know,  received  in  Con- 
vention at  all,  the  fact  that  it  has  been  foisted  into  the  published  reports  of  its  pro- 
ceedings renders  it  proper  that  I  should  take  some  notice  of  its  contents. 

During  Mr.Webb's  absence  in  Europe,  from  November,  1849,  until  September, 
1850,  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  was  under  my  conduct  and  control — subject  to 
no  restrictions,  so  far  as  I  was  made  aware,  except  that  it  was  to  be  conducted 
according  to  my  best  judgment. 

Without  discussing  here  the  question  whether  it  was  or  was  not  "  made"  during 
that  time  "  measurably  an  abolition  paper,"  I  desire  now  merely  to  say  that  Mr. 
Webb,  soon  after  his  return,  expressed  to  me  the  most  unqualified  approbation 
of  the  course  it  had  pursued,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  conducted ; 
that  he  subsequently  made  the  same  declarations  to  other  persons,  accompanied 
by  the  assertion  that,  had  he  been  at  home,  its  course  would  not  have  been  differ- 
ent in  any  respect ;  that  as  lately  as  in  January,  1851,  Mr.  Webb  sought  to  secure 
what  influence  the  position  I  then  held  as  Speaker  of  the  Assembly  of  the  State 
of  New  York  was  supposed  to  give,  in  order  to  be  made  the  Whig  candidate  for 
United  States  Senator  before  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York;  and  that 
he  urged  his  application  upon  the  express  plea  that  it  was  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance to  the  friends  of  Mr.  Seward  that  he  should  have  an  abler  associate  to  aid 
him  in  the  Senate  than  Governor  Fish  would  be.  It  was  not  until  more  than  three 
months  after  this  endeavor,  and  more  than  seven  months  after  his  return  from 


624  Journalism  in  America. 

Europe,  that  Mr.  Webb  first  intimated  to  me,  or,  so  far  as  I  know,  to  any  one  else, 
that  the  paper  had  not  been  properly  managed  during  his  absence.  Whether  his 
failure«*o  be  elected  senator  had  any  thing  to  do  with  this  tardy  discovery,  it  is 
not  necessary  that  I  should  express  an  opinion.  I  refer  to  the  fact  that  the  ap- 
plication was  made,  simply  because  it  shows  that  he  desired  to  avail  himself  at 
that  time  of  the  favor  of  Mr.  Seward's  political  friends,  and  that  he  did  not  then 
regard  with  special  dislike  the  "measurably  abolition"  character  which  the  Courier 
and  Enquirer  was  supposed  to  have  acquired  during  the  time  it  was  under  my 
control. 

As  to  the  statement  that,  in  consequence  of  this  "  breach  of  trust,"  I  was  "  com- 
pelled to  leave"  the  Courier  and  Enqtiirer,  I  have  only  to  say  that  I  hold  an  affi- 
davit in  which  Mr.  Webb  swears  that,  on  or  about  the  yth  of  May,  1851, 1  "  with- 
drew from  the  position  of  associate  editor  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  without  the 
consent,  and  in  opposition  to  the  will  and  wish"  of  said  Webb. 

HENRY  J.  RAYMOND. 

In  1852  Mr.  Raymond  was  sent  as  a  substitute  to  the  Whig  Na- 
tional Convention  at  Baltimore,  where  he  made  an  impression  as  a 
public  speaker.  Honors  crowding  upon  him,  he  received  in  1853, 
from  Horace  Greeley,  the  title  of  ';  Little  Villain."  Why  did  Gree- 
ley  apply  this  epithet  to  his  old  and  esteemed  associate  ?  It  was 
required  by  law,  in  1853,  to  publish  the  weekly  statements  of  all  the 
metropolitan  banks  in  some  one  newspaper.  These  statements  oc- 
cupied two  or  three  columns,  and  had  to  be  paid  for  by  the  banks 
at  the  regular  advertising  rates  of  the  paper  publishing  them.  They 
also  contained  valuable  financial  information  for  the  public.  They 
were  therefore  sought  for  by  all  the  newspaper  publishers.  All  the 
papers  would  have  published  them  as  news,  but  only  one  paper 
could  receive  pay  for  the  service.  Mr.  D.  B.  St.  John,  who  had  been 
a  shareholder  in  the  Times,  was  Superintendent  of  the  Bank  Depart- 
ment. He  selected  the  Times.  In  his  official  note  to  that  paper,  he 
desired  proof-slips  to  be  sent  to  other  journals  of  the  city.  Some 
delay  occurring  in  the  receipt  of  the  slips  at  the  office  of  the  Trib- 
une, the  editor  of  that  paper  wrote  the  following  characteristic  note 
to  the  Bank  Superintendent : 

MR.  GREELEY  TO  MR.  ST.  JOHN. 

NEW  YORK,  August  8, 1853. 

MR.  ST.  JOHN, — I  desire  most  respectfully  to  inform  you  of  the  manner  in  which 
your  directions  respecting  the  bank  returns  were  complied  with  at  the  Times  of- 
fice. 

Those  returns  were  handed  in  during  Monday  (yesterday),  and  were  all,  or  near- 
ly all,  in  the  Times  office  before  dark.  We  sent  there,  from  time  to  time,  during 
the  evening,  and  at  length  got  a  few  of  them ;  at  12$  (midnight)  we  obtained  what 
our  foreman  was  told  were  the  last.  They  were  not  the  last,  however,  and  this 
morning  our  paper  comes  out  with  an  imperfect  list,  and  the  Times  with  a  full  ac- 
count and  the  editorial,  which  you  have  doubtless  read  with  great  satisfaction. 

Mr.  St.  John,  I  feel  deeply  wronged  in  this  matter ;  and  even  if  you  are  a  partner 
in  the  Times,  and  share  in  the  profits  of  this  operation,  I  think  you  may  live  to  re- 
pent of  it.  I  have  asked  you  for  no  advertising.  I  asked  nothing  that  I  did  not 
deem  my  right  Heap  public  money  on  your  partners  or  favorites  as  you  can, 
but  it  is  not  right  to  use  the  power  of  your  office  to  supply  them  with  public  legal 
information  to  my  damage.  /  will  try  this  question  out. 

Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

D.  B.  ST.  JOHN. 


"The  Little  Villain':  625 

The  superintendent  wrote  a  reply  to  the  editor  of  the  Tribune. 
After  denying  any  pecuniary  or  personal  interest  in  the  matjpr,  he 
said  he  would  request  the  editor  of  the  Times  to  furnish  the  slips  in 
season  for  the  Tribune,  but  "  not  because  of  the  threat  contained  in" 
Mr.  Greeley's  note.  More  letters  passed  on  the  subject,  and  as  they 
contain  interesting  and  pungent  matter  affecting  the  Press  and  Gree- 
ley's  patent  of  nobility  to  Raymond,  we  give  them  here  : 

MR.  GREELEY  TO   MR.  ST.  JOHN. 

NEW  YORK,  August  n,  1853. 

Mr.  ST.  JOHN, — You  have  from  the  first  persisted  in  misunderstanding  or  mis- 
representing me.  I  did  not  ask  you  to  request  the  Times  to  furnish  slips,  but  to 
make  it  a  condition  of  giving  it  to  any  paper  that  it  should  seasonably  give  slips 
containing  the  condensed  information  to  all  the  papers  that  wanted  them.  If  you 
had  done  this,  all  would  have  been  right,  and  any  paper  in  the  city  would  have 
gladly  taken  the  job  on  that  condition.  By  doing  this,  you  would  have  secured 
the  publication  in  all  the  papers,  while  only  one  would  be  paid  for  it ;  and  if  the 
publication  be  worth  any  thing,  the  wider  its  publication  the  better.  You  have 
all  along  tried  to  understand  me  as  asking  something  else  than  what  I  did  ask, 
and  I  am  now  satisfied  that  the  law  was  passed  expressly  to  favor  the  Times  at 
the  expense  of  its  rivals.  As  I  don't  like  this,  and  don't  mean  to  forget  it,  I  thought 
it  but  candid  and  honest  to  tell  you  so.  And  I  believe  that,  though  you  are  not 
now  a  partner  of  the  Times,  you  were  when  this  bill  was  concocted  and  pushed 
through  the  Legislature.  I  don't  think  this  was  fair. 

Yours,  HORACE  GREELEY 

D.  B.  ST.  JOHN,  Esq.,  Bank  Department,  Albany. 

MR.  ST.  JOHN  TO   MR.  GREELEY. 

Bank  Department,  ALBANY,  August  13,  1853. 

HORACE  GREELEY,  Esq., — I  have  your  letter  of  the  i  ith.  If  I  have  heretofore 
been  so  unfortunate  as  to  not  understand  you,  I  certainly  can  not  misunderstand 
your  last  communication. 

You  no  doubt  intended  it  as  a  direct  personal  insult,  and  as  such  I  regard  it. 
At  the  same  time,  I  pronounce  the  charge  you  make,  that  I  had  a  personal  or  pe- 
cuniary interest  in  the  Times  at  the  time  the  law  you  refer  to  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature,  as  utterly  and  totally  false.  I  go  farther  and  say,  as  to  the  intimation 
or  insinuation  that  I  had  any  thing  to  do  with  concocting  the  bill  or  getting  it 
passed  by  the  Legislature,  that  it  is  entirely  and  totally  false.  I  never  saw  the 
bill  until  after  it  became  a  law.  When  Mr.  Smith,  the  Chairman  of  the  Bank  Com- 
mittee, told  me,  a  short  time  prior  to  the  passage  of  the  law,  that  he  intended  to 
get  such  a  bill  through  the  Legislature,  I  dissented  from  his  views,  and  told  him 
frankly  that  I  thought- it  was  a  law  that  would  create  much  dissatisfaction  in  New 
York.  To  my  knowledge,  I  never  had  a  word  of  conversation  with  any  person 
connected  with  the  Times,  prior  to  the  passage  of  the  law,  in  relation  to  the  selec- 
tion of  that  or  any  other  paper ;  and  when  you  say  that  the  law  was  got  up  and 
passed  expressly  to  help  the  Times  at  the  expense  of  its  rivals,  you  say  what  I  be- 
lieve is  untrue ;  and  I  state  distinctly  that  I  never  had  any  knowledge  or  suspicion 
of  any  such  thing,  I  never  advocated  the  passage  of  the  law,  nor  was  I  instrument- 
al in  any  way  or  shape  in  getting  the  bill  through  the  Legislature. 

If  the  selection  of  the  Times  has  given  you  offense,  be  it  so ;  but  I  still  insist 
that  it  is  no  excuse  for  your  personal  insults  and  abuse. 

Yours,  D.  B.  ST.  JOHN. 

MR.  GREELEY  TO   MR.  ST.  JOHN. 

NEW  YORK,  August  16, 1853. 

Mr.  D.  B.  ST.  JOHN, — What  share  you  had  in  getting  up  the  bank  law,  which  has 
subjected  me  to  gross  injustice  and  needless  insult,  I  only  professed  to  infer  from 
the  facts  which  appear  on  the  surface.  There  was  no  occasion  for  your  passion 
on  the  subject.  I  take  your  denial  with  reasonable  abatement,  because  your  pre- 
vious letter  denied  with  equal  particularity  and  emphasis  that  you  were  a  partner 

R  R 


626  Journalism  in  America. 

in  the  Times,  whereas  a  letter  from  an  Albany  friend  of  the  same  date  informed 
me  that  you  had  been  a  partner  in  that  paper,  and  had  sold  out  to  a  Mr.  Harper. 
All  this  is  immaterial.  The  essential  case  is  this:  Months  ago,  before  I  was 
aware  of  the  purpose  for  which  this  law  was  evidently  got  up  by  somebody,  and 
when  I  supposed  the  Tribune  as  likely  to  be  selected  for  this  service  as  any  other 
paper,  I  wrote  requesting  you  to  make  it  a  condition  of  your  selection  of  a  paper 
that  said  paper  should  agree,  as  a  matter  of  justice  to  the  residue  of  the  New 
York  Press,  to  furnish  them  slips  of  this  intelligence.  I  did  not  solicit  this  pat- 
ronage, but  I  probably  told  you  that  I,  if  selected,  would  willingly  do  this,  and  that 
any  other  paper  would  do  it  if  made  a  condition  of  the  selection  by  you.  I  dare 
you  to  submit  to  Mr.  Weed,  or  any  other  person  qualified  to  judge  in  the  prem- 
ises, whether  this  was  not  a  reasonable  and  proper  request,  which  you  ought  to 
have  complied  with.  You  have  chosen  to  misrepresent,  to  quibble  about  it,  and 
to  (in  effect)  refuse  it.  The  consequence  is,  that  I  and  others  are  put  to  a  serious 
expense  to  collect  these  returns,  which  the  official  paper  might  give  us  without 
expense  or  trouble.  I  have  a  most  insolent  and  scoundrelly  letter  from  your  fa- 
vorite, Raymond,  offering  to  send  me  these  returns  at  his  own  convenience  if  I  will 
credit  them  to  the  Times  (not  the  Bank  Department,  of  which  only  have  I  asked 
them),  and  talking  of  his  willingness  to  grant  favors  to  those  who  prove  worthy 
of  them,  but  not  to  be  "  kicked  into  benevolence,"  etc.  All  this  insolence  of  this  little 
villain  is  fotmdcd  on  your  injustice.  I  have  not  written  to  him  ;  I  have  asked  no 
favor  of  him ;  and  I  shall  not  answer  him.  I  am  sorry  to  find  one  of  his  false- 
hoods copied  into  your  letter — that  which  speaks  of  my  being  offended  at  your 
selection  of  the  Times  to  print  the  advertisements  !  You  both  know  a  great  deal 
better — that  I  have  never  asked  you  for  advertising  of  any  sort,  but  solely  for  the 
information  to  publish  without  charge.  Have  I  not  reason  to  despise  alike  the 
author  and  propagator  of  this  unfounded  imputation  ? 

Indignantly,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

D.  B.  ST.  JOHN,  Esq. 

"  Little  Villain"  adhered  to  Raymond  through  life.  Epithets  al- 
ways stick.  Old  Hickory,  for  instance,  to  Jackson  ;  Little  Giant  to 
Douglas ;  Rough  and  Ready  to  Taylor ;  Old  Bullion  to  Benton  ;  the 
Little  Magician  to  Van  Buren ;  Old  Poins  to  Poindexter;  Little  Cor- 
poral to  Napoleon.  Raymond  first  published  the  above  correspond- 
ence, and  he  said  soon  after,  "  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  accept  the 
title,  as  I  first  gave  it  publicity." 

In  1854  Raymond  was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor  of  New  York. 
In  1856  he  wrote  the  "Address  to  the  People"  which  was  adopted 
by  the  Republican  Party  at  its  first  National  Convention,  held  in 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  These  political  honors  made  the  Times 
more  antagonistic  to  the  Tribune.  The  chief  editors  of  these  two 
journals  were  equally  desirous  of  political  offices  in  addition  to  their 
journalistic  positions.  More  favors  were  showered  upon  Raymond 
than  upon  Greeley,  and  the  latter  looked  upon  the  fact  as  one  of  in- 
gratitude in  every  way  and  sense. 

Our  modern  journalists  are  not  yet  wholly  exempt  from  the  "  code 
of  honor."  Occasionally  an  editor  is  annoyed  with  a  challenge.  It 
is  not  two  years  ago  that  an  editor  of  a  Spanish  paper  felt  con- 
strained to  exchange  shots  with  an  opponent.  These  pages  will  re- 
late many  instances  of  this  kind  that  have  occurred  since  the  insti- 
tution of  the  Press  in  this  country,  but  as  years  roll  on  and  civiliza- 
tion advances  they  become  less  frequent.  They  never  occur  now- 


Almost  an  Affair  of  Honor.  627 

adays  in  England.  In  France,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  of  weekly 
occurrence  among  the  fraternity.  Time  is  rapidly  obliterating  this 
code  from  our  books.  But  it  was  Mr.  Raymond's  experience  to  go 
through  a  correspondence  which  fortunately  did  not  end  in  coffee 
and  pistols.  .  It  came  on  the  tapis  in  this  way.  The  following  ar- 
ticle appeared  in  the  Times  on  the  a8th  of  November,  1856  : 

A  REGULAR  IRISH  REBELLION. 

The  whole  Irish  (cis  -  Atlantic)  race  is  flying  to  arms.  The  blood  of  the 
O'Dowdys  and  the  O'Mulligans  is  up.  The  soul  of  the  Celt  is  roused  and  eager 
for  revenge.  The  Times' 's  squib  about  Irish  servant-girls  has  stirred  the  heart  of 
Irishdom  to  its  profoundest  depths.  Scores  of  epistolary  fulminations  from  the 
"  illigant  bould  boys"  who  espouse  the  battle  of  the  Bridgets  lumber  our  waste 
basket.  Our  old  friend  of  the  Irish  American  was  first  in  the  field  with  his  proc- 
lamation ;  but  that  thrice  valiant  hero,  his  brother  of  the  Irish  News,  Thomas 
Francis  Meagher,  lags  not  far  behind,  and  makes  up  in  fury  what  he  lacks  in  time. 
He  wields  adjectives  and  epithets  as  ferociously  as  he  wielded  his  pike  at  that  fa- 
mous Irish  battle — we  forget  the  name  of  it — where  he  delivered  his  country  from 
the  Saxon  tyrant,  and  bound  his  victorious  brow  with  wreaths  which  not  even 
his  flight  from  Australia  has  availed  to  wither.  "  Mean,"  "  cowardly,"  "  neither 
high-minded  nor  gentlemanly,"  are  some  of  the  sweet  phrases  he  scatters  be- 
hind him,  while  he  talks,  meanwhile,  lamentingly  about  "irresponsibility,"  and 
mourns  over  the  days,  departed  long  ago,  when  he  could,  at  discretion,  fight  with- 
out breaking  the  law,  or  run  away  without  breaking  his  parole.  Poor  man  !  Per- 
haps he  may  feel  better  when  he  gets  over  his  passion ;  we  hope  he  will  have 
nothing  worse  to  reflect  upon  than  the  consciousness  of  having  made  an  ass  of 
himself. 

Thomas  Francis  Meagher,  the  well-known  Irish  orator,  and  an  ed- 
itor too,  immediately  on  reading  this  paragraph  sent  a  hostile  note 
to  the  editor  of  the  Times,  resulting  in  the  following  correspondence  : 

MR.  MEAGHER  TO   MR.  RAYMOND. 

Irish  News  Office,  No.  29  Ann  Street,  November  28,  1856. 

SIR, — I  inclose  an  article  which  appeared  in  the  New  York  Daily  Times  of  this 
morning.  I  notice  an  expression  in  it  which  I  have  underlined. 

You  will  gratify  me  by  stating  whether  by  that  observation  you  mean  to  charge 
that  I,  at  any  time,  broke  my  parole. 

A  direct  answer  will  oblige  your  obedient  servant, 

THOMAS  FRANCIS  MEAGHER. 

Lieutenant  Governor  RAYMOND,  Editor  of  the  New  York  Daily  Times. 

MR.  RAYMOND'S  REPLY. 

NEW  YORK,  Friday,  November  28,  1856. 

SIR, — In  reply  to  your  note,  which  has  just  been  handed  to  me  by  Mr.  Clason, 
I  have  merely  to  say,  that,  as  the  expression  you  have  underscored  in  the  para- 
graph cut  from  the  Daily  Times  speaks  only  of  your _ being  able  to  "run  away 
without  breaking  your  parole,"  I  am  unable  to  see  how  it  affords  any  ground  what- 
ever for  the  question  you  ask. 

I  am  your  obedient  servant,  HENRY  J.  RAYMOND. 

T.  F.  MEAGHER,  Esq. 

MR.  A.  W.  CLASON  TO   MR.  RAYMOND. 

Friday,  'November  28,  1856. 

DEAR  SIR, — I  have  called  twice  to  see  you.since  we  parted. 
Mr.  Meagher  requests  me  to  return  your  letter  to  him  received  through  me.     '. 
inclose  it.     That  letter  is  rejected  by  Mr.  Meagher  as  an  answer.     Therefore  I 
occupy  the  position  I  did  this  morning  on  handing  you  his  note. 
I  beg  an  early  answer  to  the  letter  I  had  the  honor  of  bearing. 

Most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  A.  W.  CLASON. 

H.  J.  RAYMOND,  Esq. 


628  Journalism  in  America. 


MR.  RAYMOND  TO    MR.  CLASON. 

NEW  YORK,  Saturday,  November  29,  1856. 

DEAR  SIR, — Your  note  of  yesterday,  with  its  inclosure,  was  handed  to  me  this 
morning. 

Mr.  Meagher  had  asked  whether  an  expression  which  he  quoted  from  the  Daily 
Times  was  intended  to  charge  him  with  having  broken  his  parole.  In  reply,  I  di- 
rected his  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  language  quoted  expressly  excludes  the 
idea  of  his  having  done  so. 

Until  I  am  favored  with  some  reason  for  Mr.  Meagher's  "  rejection"  of  this  an- 
swer, I  must  decline  giving  him  any  other. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  HENRY  J.  RAYMOND. 

A.  W.  CLASON,  Esq. 

MR.  CLASON   TO   MR.  RAYMOND. 

Saturday,  November  29,  1856. 

DEAR  SIR, — In  your  letter  to  Mr.  Meagher  you  point  to  the  expression  in  the 
Times  and  exclude  the  right  of  inquiry  into  its  meaning.  In  other  words,  you  as- 
sume that  a  phrase  which  is  susceptible  of  double  meaning  and  an  offensive  in- 
terpretation does  not  need  a  disclaimer  of  intended  offense.  To  this  assumption 
I  can  not  subscribe.  An  imputation  of  dishonor  can  be  conveyed  by  indirection. 
Mr.  Meagher  has  a  right  to  know  whether  any  imputation  upon  his  honor  was 
intended  to  be  conveyed  by  the  expression  in  the  Times,  and,  moreover,  that  the 
disclaimer  shall  be  as  public  as  the  phrase  which  necessitated  it. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  A.  W.  CLASON. 

II.  J.  RAYMOND,  Esq. 

MR.  RAYMOND  TO   MR.  CLASON. 

NEW  YORK,  December  i,  1856. 
A.  W.  Clason,  Esq.  : 

DEAR  SIR, — Your  note,  bearing  date  November  29,  did  not  reach  me  until 
late  last  evening. 

My  letter  to  Mr.  Meagher  was  not  designed  to  "  exclude  the  right  of  inquiry" 
into  the  meaning  of  the  expression  to  which  he  had  taken  exception,  but  rather 
to  express  my  own  decided  conviction  that  its  terms  were  so  explicit  as  to  leave 
no  room  for  such  inquiry. 

I  assumed  that  the  language  employed  was  the  best  evidence  of  the  intent  with 
which  I  had  employed  it,  and  that  it  indicated  clearly  enough — what  was  the  fact 
— that  I  did  not  intend  by  its  use  to  charge  Mr.  Meagher  with  having  broken  his 
parole.  I  did  not  intend  then  to  express  any  opinion  whatever  on  the  subject, 
nor  do  I  intend  to  do  so  now. 

You  are  at  liberty,  if  you  see  fit,  to  present  this  note  to  Mr.  Meagher  ;  and  he 
is  at  liberty  to  consider  it  a  reply  to  his  letter,  and  to  publish  it  in  the  Times,  or 
elsewhere,  at  his  discretion. 

Your  obedient  servant,  HENRY  J.  RAYMOND. 

At  the  date  of  the  above  Mr.  Meagher  was  out  of  town.  When 
he  returned,  in  pursuance  of  a  suggestion  from  Mr.  Clason  that  the 
communication  should  be  made  direct  to  Mr.  Meagher,  the  following 
note  was  sent : 

MR.  RAYMOND  TO   MR.  MEAGHER. 

.  NEW  YORK,  December  4,  1856* 

_  SIR,— Referring  to  your  note  of  November  28, 1  can  say  with  pleasure  that  I 
did  not  intend  by  the  expression  you  quote  to  charge  that  you  had  at  any  time 
broken  your  parole.  The  language  of  the  article  does  not  seem  to  me  to  import 
any  opinion  on  that  subject  ;  it  certainly  was  not  intended  to  express  any  such 
opinion.  Your  obedient  servant,  H.  T.  RAYMOND. 

T.F.  MEAGHER,  Esq. 

Two  days  after  this  note  of  Mr.  Raymond  to  Mr.  Meagher,  on  the 
6th  of  December,  the  following  paragraph  was  inserted  in  the  Times  : 

A  PERSONAL  EXPLANATION. 

We  have  received  a  note  from  Mr.  T.  F.  Meagher,  inquiring  whether,  by  an  ex- 


Controversy  with  Archbishop  Hughes.         629 

pression  used  in  a  recent  paragraph  in  the  Times,  \ve  intended  to  charge  that  he 
had  at  any  time  "  broken  his  parole  ?"  Certainly  not.  We  did  not  suppose  that 
the  language  used  conveyed  any  suck  meaning,  or,  indeed,  expressed  any  opinion 
upon  that  point.  Although  the  paragraph  in  which  it  occurred  was  written  un- 
der the  provocation  of  a  very  offensive  personal  article  in  Mr.  Meagher's  paper, 
The  Irish  News,  it  was  not  intended  to  transcend  the  ordinary  limits  and  proprie- 
ties of  newspaper  controversy,  or  to  cast  any  reproach  upon  the  personal  character 
of  Mr.  Meagher. 

This  did  not  quite  end  the  matter,  for  the  Times  afterwards  gave 
a  full  account  of  the  escape  of  Meagher  from  Australia,  and  this 
closed  the  affair. 

If  Raymond  had  one  forte  in  which  he  felt  at  home,  and  was  al- 
ways ready  to  indulge  in,  it  was  a  controversy.  With  Greeley  on 
Fourierism,  it  was  conceded  that  he  came  off  with  flying  colors. 
Afterwards  he  got  into  a  serious  one  with  Archbishop  Hughes.  Now, 
if  the  editor  of  the  Times  was  fond  of  a  controversy,  the  Archbishop 
of  New  York  was  more  so.  He  seemed  perfectly  delighted  when 
engaged  in  one.  Vide  the  bitter  personal  one  with  James  Gordon 
Bennett,  of  the  Herald,  and  then  on  the  School  Question  in  New 
York.  This  affair  with  Raymond  grew  out  of  an  article  written  by 
the  archbishop  on  the  Catholic  Press,  and  the  publication  of  a  reply 
in  the  Times  signed  Equitas,  and  purporting  to  come  from  a  Catho- 
lic clergyman.  It  seems  that  Mr.  Raymond  had  been  imposed  upon 
as  to  the  authorship  of  the  communication,  but  Archbishop  Hughes 
endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  public  mind  that  Raymond  was  the 
real  author  of  Equitas,  and  that  he  was  endeavoring  to  shuffle  out 
of  the  responsibility.  The  controversy  became  very  personal,  the 
archbishop  using  the  columns  of  the  Herald  and  Tribune,  and  Mr. 
Raymond  those  of  the  Times,  in  three- column  communications. 
They  seemed  well  matched — perfect  terriers  in  mental  grip.  Spec- 
imens of  the  style  of  each  of  these  intellectual  gladiators  are  an- 
nexed : 

Archbishop  Hughes  closes  his  communication  of  July  20, 1857: 

Forger,  you  do  not  fabricate  as  adroitly  as  an  unprincipled  editor  of  the  Times 
might  be  expected  to  do.  The  first  sermon  preached  by  the  archbishop  on  his 
return  from  Rome  was  in  honor  of  the  solemn  definition  by  our  holy  father  the 
Pope,  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  It  was  not  a  written,  nor  even  a  well-pre- 
pared sermon,  but  it  was  taken  down  by  a  reporter  of  the  New  York  Herald,  and, 
through  the  circulation  of  that  paper,  found  its  way,  uncorrected  as  it  was,  into  the 
Eternal  City.  Imperfect  as  it  was,  it  was  deemed  worthy  of  translation,  and  of 
being  deposited  among  other  similar  documents  in  the  archives  of  Rome.  The 
archbishop,  at  the  same  time,  announced  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  new  church 
in  honor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  And  then,  forger,  you  are  equally  unfor- 
tunate in  your  allusion  to  Archbishop  Bedini.  You  say  that  Archbishop  Hughes 
turned  his  back  on  the  nuncio  of  Pius  IX.  while  the  said  nuncio  was  being  as- 
sailed by  the  Press,  hooted  and  stoned  by  the  mob,  and  burned  in  effigy  in  a  hun- 
dred cities  and  villages,  during  a  period  in  which  he  most  needed  "  his"  (the  arch- 
bishop's) support. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  as  long  as  the  nuncio  honored  the  archbishop  with  his 
presence  and  society,  he  was  treated,  both  in  New  York  and  elsewhere,  with  all 
the  courtesy,  and  not  a  few  of  the  honors,  to  which  a  distinguished  foreigner  vis- 


630  Journalism  in  America. 

iting  the  United  States  on  lawful  business  would  be  entitled.  But  the  Archbish- 
op of  New  York,  during  his  tour  with  the  nuncio,  contracted  a  violent  cold,  which 
threatened  the  most  serious  consequences,  as  it  was  thought  by  his  physicians  that 
his  lungs  were,  or  would  be  soon,  deeply  affected.  They  advised  his  going  to 
Cuba  ;  but,  previous  to  his  departure,  no  personal  insult  had  been  offered  to  the 
amiable  and  learned  nuncio  Bedini. 

Rome,  therefore,  has  no  complaint  against  the  archbishop  for  having  neglected 
to  honor  the  definition  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  nor  for  having  turned  his 
back  on  the  nuncio  of  Pius  IX. 

********* 
The  writer  of  this  can  state  on  the  highest  authority  that  the  Archbishop  of  New 
York  has  not  the  slightest  idea  of  asking  for  a  coadjutor,  and  that  there  is  not  the 
slightest  probability  of  one  being  appointed  during  his  life,  except  at  his  own  re- 
quest. Then,  as  to  resignation,  he  will  take  that  into  serious  reflection  about  the 
year  1879,  if  his  life  should  be  prolonged  to  that  remote  period.  It  may  not  be 
amiss,  however,  to  state,  that  if  St.Peter,  in  the  person  of  Pius  IX.  or  his  success- 
or, should  wish  his  resignation  at  any  time,  he  will  descend  the  steps  of  his  archie- 
piscopal  throne  with  a  more  willing  and  a  lighter  heart  than  he  had  when  he 
mounted  them  for  the  first  time.  As  to  administrators  and  all  that,  if  the  forger 
were  not  as  ignorant  as  he  is  malicious,  he  should  know  that  they  can  have  no 
place  in  the  Catholic  Church.  It  does  not  recognize  "standing  committees"  to 
play  bishops  in  the  vacancy  of  a  Catholic  see. 

********* 

Oh,  forger  !  ambitious  as  you  suppose  the  archbishop  to  be,  he  would  not  have 
the  courage  to  see  the  bishops  who  are  to  take  charge  of  his  diocese  bowing  and 
burning  incense  before  him,  and,  especially,  upholding  his  train  or  kissing  his  ring. 
This  would  be  too  much. 

********* 

+  JOHN,  Archbishop  of  New  York. 

Editor  Raymond,  not  at  all  alarmed,  it  would  seem,  closed  his  re- 
ply to  the  above  on  the  2oth  of  August,  two  or  three  days  after  his 
return  from  Europe,  as  follows  : 

The  object  of  this  paragraph  was  to  convince  the  public  that  you  had  discov- 
ered the  author  of  "  Equitas."  Who  he  was  you  do  not  disclose  ;  but,  after  a  long 
and  wholly  needless  apology  for  using  private  and  confidential  letters  for  such  a 
purpose,  you  close  your  second  epistle  with  the  following  threat  : 

''''This  matter,  however,  is  somewhat  serious.  If  it  should  turn  out  to  be  as  the 
experts  think  it  is,  the  consequences  will  place  Mr.  Raymond  in  a  position  that  will 
disarm  his  worst  enemies  of  every  sentiment  except  pity.  Mr.  Raymond  is  now  ab- 
sent, and  it  woiild  be  iingenerous  to  press  this  matter  further  until  he  shall  be  on  the 
spot  to  answer  for  himself." 

Mr.  Raymond  is  at  last  on  the  spot  to  answer  for  himself;  and  he  now  de- 
mands at  the  hands  of  Archbishop  Hughes  a  distinct  explanation  of  these  conven- 
iently vague,  but  evidently  serious  insinuations.  The  impression  sought  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  public  is,  that  "  Equitas"  was  either  myself,  or  some  one  writing 
with  my  knowledge  and  connivance  ;  that  when  called  upon  for  the  author  I  re- 
sorted to  the  pretense  of  having  supposed  it  to  come  from  Rev.  Dr.  M'Elroy,  and 
of  having  corresponded  with  him  upon  the  subject,  and  sent  the  correspondence 
to  Archbishop  Hughes  as  a  means  of  evading  the  demand ;  that  I  resorted  to  all 
this  machinery  because  I  was  afraid  to  write  or  publish  any  thing  against  the 
archbishop  upon  my  own  responsibility ;  and  that  he  has  now  in  his  hands  the 
documents  which  will  prove  all  this  to  the  satisfaction  of  "  experts"  and  of  the 
public.  You  think  it  would  be  "  ungenerous"  to  do  more  in  my  absence  than  to 
publish  these  slanders  ;  you  content  yourself,  therefore,  with  infusing  them  into  the 
public  mind,  giving  them  the  weight  of  your  official  influence  and  authority,  and 
withholding  all  evidence  of  their  truth  on  account  of  my  absence  from  the  coun- 
try. This  is  the  generosity  of  an  archbishop  !  This  is  the  justice  and  the  cour- 
tesy of  a  prelate  who  permits  himself  to  talk  of  the  "instincts  of  a  gentleman,"  and 
who  professes  to  have  been  instructed  concerning  plausible  treachery  by  "mutual 
friends."  Permit  me  to  remind  you  that  the  manuscripts  by  which  you  threaten 


"The  Elbows  of  the  Mincio."  631 

to  overwhelm  me  were  placed  in  your  hands  by  myself,  and  that  I  have  from  the 
beginning  been  quite  as  anxious  as  you  could  be  to  detect  the  authorship  of 
"  Equitas."  You  pretend  to  have  done  so  ;  you  will  oblige  me,  then,  by  placing 
before  the  public  whatever  discoveries  you  may  have  made.  So  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned, you  are  at  full  liberty  to  use  any  private  letter,  or  any  confidential  commu- 
nication that  may  ever  have  been  made  to  you  upon  any  subject ;  and  I  shall  be 
especially  happy  to  aid  you  in  submitting  these  papers,  or  any  others  that  I  can 
furnish,  to  any  jury  of  "  experts"  you  may  select — provided,  only,  it  be  not  made 
up  of  such  "  mutual  friends"  as  the  one  upon  whom  you  rely  for  your  impressions 
of  my  character. 

You  will  have  no  difficulty,  sir,  I  trust,  in  perceiving  the  necessity  of  respond- 
ing to  this  demand,  and  of  either  establishing  or  retracting  the  menacing  insinua- 
tions which  you  have  placed  before  the  public.  I  am  fully  prepared  to  meet  the 
disastrous  consequences  of  the  threatened  revelations ;  and  you  must  be  aware 
that  your  failure  to  make  them  will  put  you  in  a  position  that  will  not  leave  room 
even  for  pity,  either  to  your  friends  or  foes.  I  trust,  moreover,  that  this  letter 
may  have  at  least  the  effect  of  disabusing  your  mind  of  the  strange  impression  it 
seems  to  have  received,  that  I  am  under  any  necessity  of  speaking  my  opinions  in 
regard  to  you  by  stealth,  or  that  I  have  any  hesitation  in  doing  it  openly,  and  upon 
my  own  responsibility.  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  J.  RAYMOND. 

Mr.  Raymond  refused  the  nomination  for  Governor  of  New  York 
in  1857.  His  thoughts  were  then  on  the  Times.  He  had  made  ar- 
rangements for  the  erection  of  the  building  now  occupied  by  that 
establishment.  It  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  kind  erected  in  the 
metropolis.  They  are  now  almost  as  common  as  newspapers  or  ho- 
tels. The  Herald  and  Tribune  then  had  large  establishments,  but 
they  were  a  sort  of  patchwork.  When  the  old  Brick  Church  prop- 
erty was  on  the  market,  and  Horace  Holden  interested  in  its  sale, 
it  was  proposed  that  the  proprietors  of  the  Herald,  Tribune,  and 
Times  should  purchase  the  entire  site  and  erect  a  block  of  buildings 
thereon  for  the  use  of  their  respective  establishments — to  make  a 
Printing-house  Row.  That  scheme  fell  through.  The  proprietors  of 
the  Times  then  entered  into  negotiations  which  resulted  in  the  pur- 
chase of  one  end  of  the  site,  where  the  Times  establishment  now 
stands,  an  architectural  ornament  to  the  city. 

There  is  an  amusing  incident  affecting  the  Times  that  has  been  as 
adhesive  to  Raymond  as  the  sobriquet  given  him  by  Greeley.  In 
1859,  during  the  Italian  War,  a  remarkable  article  appeared  in  the 
Times  on  the  war,  as  it  was  intended  to  be,  but  it  really  embraced 
three  or  four  topics.  Such  a  literary  curiosity  would  have  been  im- 
mortalized by  Disraeli.  We  append  it  in  full,  in  order  that  it  may 
not  be  wholly  lost  in  the  bound  volumes  of  a  newspaper,  and  shelved 
in  the  Historical  Rooms  : 

THE   DEFENSIVE   SQUARE  OF  AUSTRIAN   ITALY, 

When  the  Austrians  were  beaten  at  Magenta,  a  sudden  conviction  seems  to 
have  seized  upon  their  leaders  that,  if  they  could  once  put  their  forces  in  safety 
beyond  the  lines  of  the  Chiese  and  the  Mincio,  they  would  be  able  to  make  head 
against  the  courage  and  skill  of  France.  The  extraordinary  speed  with  which  the 
French  troops  were  moved  across  the  Alps  to  the  succor  of  Turin  and  of  the  Pied- 
montese  provinces  seems  to  have  paralyzed  for  a  moment  the  energy  of  the  Sa- 


632  Journalism  in  America. 

voyards,  and  the  skillful  movements  by  which  the  Sardinian  troops  were  brought 
into  relations  with  the  village  insurrections  of  the  Lombard  people  combined  to 
make  the  Austrian  authorities  understand  the  impossibility  of  holding  their  ground 
against  a  disorganized  and  revolutionary  people.  The  Austrians,  following  up 
the  strategic  plans  of  Marshal  Radetsky  in  1848,  abandoned  with  an  unwise  haste 
their  first  lines  of  defense  upon  the  Mincio,  and  threw  themselves  beyond  the  riv- 
er, in  the  empty  hope  of  beating  back  the  allied  troops. 

The  result  of  this  mad  enterprise  has  been  their  complete  imprisonment  within 
their  famous  strategic  square. 

The  square  is  closed  to  the  north  by  the  last  spur  of  the  Alps  on  the  shores  of 
the  Lago  di  Garda ;  to  the  west  it  is  defended  by  the  Mincio,  which  leaves  the 
Lake  of  Garda  at  Peschiera,  waters  the  plains  of  Mantua,  and  joins  the  Po  at 
fifteen  leagues'  distance  from  its  springs  at  Governolo,  after  opening  a  real  lake, 
on  the  banks  of  which  lie  the  fortresses  of  Mantua  ;  to  the  south  the  strategic 
square  is  defended  by  the  line  of  the  River  Po,  which  flows  beneath  the  walls  of 
Cremona,  and  draws  to  itself  all  the  torrents  flowing  from  the  Alps  ;  to  the  east 
the  boundary  of  the  Austrian  defences  is  formed  by  the  Adige,  which  descends 
from  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,  and  flows  on  a  parallel  line  with  the  Po,  after 
passing  by  Trent,  Roveredo,  Verona,  and  Legnago.  The  strength  of  a  position 
so  fortified  by  nature  and  by  art  does  not  need  to  be  developed.  It  borrows 
strategic  importance  from  the  numerous  breaks  of  the  ground,  which — if  we  may 
be  pardoned  for  the  expression — seem  but  to  have  formed  the  successive  steps  in 
the  natural  defense  of  Austrian  Italy. 

But  if  nature  has  done  much  for  the  "  strategic  square,"  art  has  done  more. 

Austria  has  neglected  nothing  which  might  assure  her  dominion  over  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Danube.  She  has  done  all  in  her  power  to  favor  the  development  of 
Europe,  which  is  the  pacific  development  of  England.  She  has  dealt  with  edged 
tools — boldly,  but  not,  we  feel  sure,  in  utter  vanity. 

In  1848  Peschiera  was  captured  by  the  Sardinians  under  King  Charles  Albert ; 
but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  French  bore  away  from  the  first  fight  of  Ma- 

S:nta  very  questionable  compliments.  At  this  time  the  Sardinians,  under  the 
uke  of  Genoa,  were  ready  to  defend  the  famous  Quadrilateral.  To-day  the 
Quadrilateral  has  ceased  to  exist. 

The  fortress  of  Peschiera  lies  on  an  isle  near  the  scene  of  the  late  conflict. 

A  broad  road  has  been  made  by  Austria  in  the  direction  of  the  Alps,  to  unite 
the  regions  of  the  Vorarlberg  ana  the  Tyrol  with  Lombardy  by  the  pass  of  the 
Steivio.  This  road  passes  through  the  Valtelline,  runs  around  the  Lake  of  Como, 
and  ends  at  Bergamo.  It  may  serve  as  well  for  the  retreat  of  the  beaten  Austri- 
ans into  the  Tyrol  as  for  the  advance  of  the  victorious  Austrians  upon  Italy. 
Two  railways  pass  also  by  this  central  point  of  the  Austrian  position.  One  of 
these  railways  unites  Lombardy  with  Vienna  by  circling  around  the  crescent  of 
the  North  Adriatic  ;  the  other,  leaving  Botzen,  in  the  Tyrol,  skirts  the  Lago  di 
Garda,  touches  Trent,  Roveredo,  and  Verona,  and  by  a  branch  road  reaches  Man- 
tua, and  thus  unites  the  two  main  angles  of  the  famous  square.  The  New  York 
Herald,  in  giving  yesterday  a  pretended  map  of  this  square,  carefully  omitted  the 
bridge-head  of  Legnago,  and  thus  converted  the  square  into  a  triangle.  The 
strength  of  Peschiera  and  Legnago  is  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  besieging  force. 
The  main  merit  of  Peschiera  is  that  this  fortress  lies  on  an  island,  and  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Duke  of  Genoa  in  1848.  At  this  time  the  Sardinians  crossed  the 
Mincio  after  several  hours'  hard  fighting;  and  if  -we  follow  the  windings  of  the 
Mincio,  we  shall  find  countless  elbows  formed  in  the  elbows  of  the  regular  army 
at  places  like  Salianza,  Molini,  and  Borghetto.  These  places  make  up  the  base 
of  the  allied  army.  The  line  of  the  Mincio  is  the  base  of  the  new  campaign  we 
are  about  to  open. 

Almost  at  the  southern  end  of  the  River  Mincio  lies  the  strong  fortress  of 
Mantua,  the  only  Gibraltar  of  Austria  in  Italy,  guaranteed  by  the  treaties  of  1815. 
Mantua,  as  we  have  said,  lies  on  a  lake  of  the  River  Mincio.  In  spite  of  the  la- 
bors spent  upon  it,  Mantua  still  holds  the  next  rank  to  Verona.  It  is  a  post  of 
danger  for  the  army  shut  between  its  walls  rather  than  for  the  enemy  without. 
After  a  battle  of  several  hours'  duration,  the  Sardinians  at  Goito  gave  way ;  and 
if  we  follow  up  the  course  of  the  Mincio,  we  shall  find  innumerable  elbows  formed 
by  the  sympathy  of  youth.  Defended  by  Wurmser  in  1797,  Austria  surrendered 


"The  Sympathy  of  Youth?  633 

lo  Napoleon  III.  in  1859.  Notwithstanding  the  toil  spent  by  Austria  on  the  spot, 
we  should  have  learned  that  -we  are  protected  by  a  foreign  fleet  suddenly  coming  up 
on  our  qztestion  of  citizenship.  A  canal  cuts  Mantua  in  two  ;  but  we  may  rely  on 
the  most  cordial  cabinet  minister  of  the  new  power  in  England. 

Mantua  is  protected  in  the  centre  by  five  detached  forts  :  the  Citadel,  Pradella, 
Castle  of  Faith,  St.  George,  and  Migliaretto,  which  commands  Cremona,  Borgo 
Forte,  and  Governolo. 

A  canal  divides  Mantua,  and  makes  a  small  port  in  the  lake,  communicating  by 
five  fortified  roadways  with  the  land. 

At  Roverbello  are  machines  for  flooding  the  whole  region,  and  in  the  upper 
lake  floats  an  Austrian  squadron.  The  region  between  Mantua  and  the  Po  is  im- 
practicable for  an  army.  '  Tis  a  marsh  full  of  fevers.  On  this  side  the  square 
seems  impregnable.  But  how  with  the  line  from  Afantua  to  Legnago  ?  Legnago 
is  no  stronger  than  Peschiera,  but  it  has  the  double  advantage  of  a  bridge  over 
the  Adige,  and  of  dikes  ready  to  inundate  the  whole  Adriatic  region.  The  fourth 
face  of  the  square  links  Verona  to  Legnago.  This  is  the  best  defensive  line  of 
Ausjtria  in  Italy.  At  Verona  the  last  features  of  the  opposition  lingered.  The 
Adige  is  swift  and  deep  at  Verona ;  it  can  only  be  passed  at  Cerpi  and  Bussolen- 
go  in  the  face  of  a  thousand  perils.  Paris  is  strong  in  her  circle  of  fortifications. 

All  the  credit  of  this  extraordinary  production,  all  the  fame  it  has 
acquired,  is  unreservedly  given  to  Mr.  Raymond.  He  is  not  en- 
titled to  it  at  all.  When  it  appeared  he  was  in  Europe,  on  that 
very  field  of  battle,  in  the  vicinity  of  these  "  elbows  of  the  Mincio" 
described  so  topographically,  and  was  wholly  ignorant  of  the  sensa- 
tion the  article  had  produced  at  home  for  weeks  after  it  appeared 
in  the  Times,  After  that  number  of  the  paper  had  reached  Paris, 
and  after  the  laugh  had  subsided,  Mr.  Raymond  returned  to  that 
gay  city,  and  was  quietly  walking  along  the  Place  de  la  Bourse, 
when  a  friend  met  him  facetiously  and  spoke  of  the  "  elbows  of  the 
Mincio"  and  the  "  sympathy  of  youth." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  Raymond,  who  had  witnessed  the 
battles  of  Solferino  and  Magenta,  and  could  see  no  joke  in  the  afore- 
said elbows. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Raymond,  haven't  you  seen  the  Times  ?" 
• "  No,  not  wholly ;  I  have  just  returned  from  Italy,"  replied  the 
editor. 

"Well,  well,  my  dear  friend, I'll  not.  say  another  word.  Reserve 
yourself.  Go  to  the  reading-room  and  carefully  read  the  editorials 
of  the  Times.  I  have  the  date.  Read  that  paper ;  it  will  pay  you 
for  the  trouble.  Au  revoir". 

Mr.  Raymond's  curiosity  was  aroused.  Off  he  posted  to  the  read- 
ing-room ;  he  examined  the  files  ;  he  read  article  after  article ;  final- 
ly he  read  one  that  seemed  a  little  confused  ;  he  read  it  again,  and 
it  became  more  cloudy ;  he  read  it  for  the  third  time,  and  then  he 
saw  the  cause  of  that  sparkle  in  the  eye  and  that  peculiar  wreath 
around  the  mouth  of  the  friend  who  had  stopped  him  on  the  Place 
de  la  Bourse. 

How  was  such  an  article  written  ?  How  did  it  get  into  the  pa- 
per? Two  simple  questions.  On  the  day  before  its  appearance,  a 


634  Joiirnalism  in  America. 

distinguished  literary  gentleman  of  New  York  took  his  departure 
for  Europe.  Several  of  his  friends  ate  breakfast  with  him  that 
morning,  and  accompanied  him  to  the  steamer.  They  had  a  very 
pleasant  time ;  they  enjoyed  themselves.  One  of  these  gentlemen 
had  been  selected  by  the  editor  of  the  Times,  ad  inter im,\.Q  write  three 
articles  on  three  different  subjects.  On  the  return  of  the  party  from 
the  steamer,  this  gentleman  proceeded  to  the  Times  editorial  rooms 
to  comply  with  his  instructions.  He  wrote  a  few  lines  on  one  of 
the  chosen  subjects,  and  then  reflected.  Resuming  his  pen,  he  con- 
tinued his  article  with  one  of  the  other  subjects.  Again  reflecting 
over  the  parting  scenes  of  the  morning,  he  again  resumed  his  article 
with  the  third  subject  on  his  mind,  and  finished  it,  evidently  to  his 
own  satisfaction.  When  the  proof-sheet  came  to  the  proof-reader 
he  was  puzzled.  "  Is  it  in  pi  ?"  asked  he.  He  looked  at  the  manu- 
script; the  printers  had  clearly  followed  copy.  "It  must  be  all  right," 
he  said,  and  it  appeared  the  next  morning,  and  threw  New  York 
into  convulsions. 

"  Why  didn't  you  leave  it  out,"  asked  the  managing  editor  of  the 
foreman  on  the  day  of  its  publication. 

"  Because  the  writer,  two  days  before,  remonstrated  with  me  for 
altering  one  of  his  articles,  and  gave  me  strict  orders  never  again  to 
change  a  word,  but  insert  the  articles  precisely  as  he  wrote  them." 

Newspaper  work  did  not  suffice  for  Mr.  Raymond.  On  his  return 
from  Europe  in  1860,  he  took  an  active  part  iu  the  campaign  result- 
ing in  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  1861  he  was  again 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  and  again  chosen  Speaker  of  the 
Assembly.  Always  weakening  his  journalistic  power  in  his  efforts 
to  gain  political  position,  he  entered  earnestly  in  politics  in  1863. 
He  was  a  candidate  in  that  year  for  the  United  States  Senate.  Wil- 
liam M.  Evarts  and  Governor  Morgan  were  also  before  the  Legisla- 
ture for  the  same  office.  The  superior  tactics  of  the  latter  secured 
the  prize. 

Mr.  Raymond  wrote  the  Baltimore  resolutions  of  1864,  and  was 
elected  Chairman  of  the  Republican  National  Committee.  In  that 
year  he  was  sent  to  Congress  from  New  York  City,  and  became  a 
strong  conservative  Republican  in  the  councils  of  the  nation.  He 
wrote  the  "Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln"  in  1865,  afterwards  enlarging 
it  to  the  more  pretentious  title  of  "  Life,  Public  Services,  and  State 
Papers  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 

One  of  Raymond's  qualities  was  pluck.  It  is  an  excellent  qual- 
ity in  an  editor.  Moral  courage,  especially,  is  a  necessary  element 
in  a  journalist.  When  the  metropolis  was  in  partial  possession. of 
the  mob  in  the  draft  riots  of  1864,  the  newspaper  offices  were  threat- 
ened with  demolition.  That  of  the  Tribune  was  attacked,  and  ef- 


Newspaper  Offices  on  a  War  Footing.        635 

forts  made  to  set  the  building  on  fire,  as  we  have  described.  Im- 
mediately after  this  attack,  it  was  thought  prudent  to  place  the  of- 
fices of  the  Times  and  Tribune  on  a  war  footing.  They  were  accord- 
ingly fortified.  The  two  establishments  were  on  opposite  corners, 
both  facing  Printing-house  Square  and  the  Park,  an  area  capable 
of  holding  ten  thousand  persons.  Printing-house  Square  can  be 
approached  across  the  Park,  down  Chatham  and  Centre  Streets,  up 
Park  Row,  Nassau,  Spruce,  and  Frankfort  Streets.  Expecting  the 
mob  to  approach  from  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  the  editor  of  the 
Times  had  two  pieces  of  artillery  of  a  new  invention,  a  sort  of  mi- 
trailleuse, capable  of  one  hundred  discharges  per  hour,  placed  in  po- 
sition in  front  of  his  office,  so  as  to  rake  Chatham  and  Centre  Streets. 
Leonard  W.  Jerome  had  command  of  one  of  these  cannon,  and  Ray- 
mond the  other,  with  the  necessary,  assistants  —  both  remarkably 
cool  men  in  emergencies.  Scouts  were  out  in  all  directions,  and 
every  thing  was  in  readiness  for  instant  action.  On  each  night  of 
the  riot,  in  order  to  show  that  the  Times  was  prepared,  the  entire  es- 
tablishment was  brilliantly  illuminated.  In  the  midst  of  the  fears 
and  anxieties  of  that  dreadful  riot,  the  Times  presented  a  remarkable 
sight.  The  Tribune  fortified  its  establishment  inside.  It  had  its 
windows  barricaded  with  bales  of  printing  paper,  as  Guy  Mannering 
had  his  mansion  with  books.  Who  the  Dominie  Sampson  was  we 
did  not  see.  Loop-holes  were  made  for  Minie  rifles,  and  apertures 
through  which  to  throw  hand-grenades  upon  the  mob,  if  Raymond's 
artillery  did  not  succeed  in  repelling  the  rioters.  Major  General 
Wool  aided  the  Tribune  with  men  and  material,  and  a  young  naval 
officer  was  on  duty  to  direct  operations  in  Fort  Greeley.  These 
preparations,  fortunately,  answered  the  purpose ;  there  was  no  farther 
demonstration  in  that  quarter.  In  a  day  or  two  the  riots  ceased, 
and  the  journalists  laid  aside  the  weapons  of  war,  and  resumed  the 
pen,  which  again  was  proved  to  be  "  mightier  than  the  sword." 

The  policy  of  President  Johnson  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr. 
Raymond,  and  he  became  one  of  its  active  supporters  in  1866,  pre- 
paring the  address  adopted  at  the  National  Convention  held  in  Phil- 
adelphia on  the  i4th  of  August.  The  struggle  between  the  radical 
portion  of  the  Republican  Party  and  the  President  had  become  very 
bitter;  and  in  the  failure  of  Johnson,  those  who  pinned  their  faith 
to  him  failed  also.  But,  previous  to  the  retirement  of  the  President, 
the  editor  of  the  Times  was  appointed  minister  to  Austria.  This 
honor  he  very  properly  declined.  This  political  fiasco  with  the  Pres- 
ident induced  the  editor  of  the  Times  to  abandon  politics  profession- 
ally, and  he  publicly  stated  his  determination.  He  resigned  the  po- 
sition of  Chairman* of  the  National  Committee.  It  was  his  purpose 
thereafter  to  devote  his  time  and  thoughts  entirely  to  the  Times. 


636  Journalism  in  America. 

It  was  one  purpose  of  Mr.  Raymond  to  preserve  the  dignity  and 
decorum  of  the  Press.  If  he  was  abused  he  would  never  make  use 
of  his  columns  to  abuse  his  antagonist  in  reply.  Perhaps  the  best 
illustration  of  his  policy  on  this  point  in  the  management  of  a  news- 
paper is  to  be  found  in  the  following  article  that  appeared  in  the 
Times  on  the  i5th  of  April,  1868  : 

GOOD   MANNERS   IN  JOURNALISM. 

The  Tribune  headed  a  leading  editorial  article  a  day  or  two  ago,  "  Governor 
Seymour  as  a  Liar,"  and  proceeded  to  vindicate  the  epithet  by  showing  that,  in  a 
political  speech  in  Connecticut,  Governor  Seymour  had  largely  overstated  the  an- 
nual expenses  of  the  government.  The  World  came  to  the  governor's  defense,  and 
tried  to  show  that  the  statements  he  had  made  were  substantially  correct ;  where- 
upon the  Tribune  replies  statistically,  and  then  adds  that  the  editor  of  the  World 
is  a  liar  as  well  as  the  governor.  And  in  yesterday's  issue  the  Tribune  under- 
takes to  vindicate  not  only  the  truth  of  its  statement,  but  the  gentlemanly  charac- 
ter and  perfect  propriety  of  its  language,  "  taking  issue,"  as  it  says,  with  the  code 
that  assumes  that  it  is  "  rude  and  ungentlemanly"  to  call  a  man  a  liar,  and  insist- 
ing that  "  it  is  only  the  liar  who  proves  himself  to  be  no  gentleman." 

We  do  not  propose  to  discuss  the  morality  of  lying,  or  the  manners  of  men 
guilty  of  it.  But  as  the  editor  of  the  Tribune  is  to  preside  at  the  dinner  to  be 
given  to  Mr.  Dickens  on  behalf  of  the  Press  of  the  United  States,  and  thus  be- 
comes in  a  certain  sense  a  representative  of  American  newspapers,  we  deem  it 
worthwhile  to  dissent  from  his  theory  cf  journalistic  manners.  We  do  not  think 
it  either  "  gentlemanly"  or  proper  for  a  newspaper  to  call  Governor  Seymour  or 
any  other  man  a  "  liar,"  because  we  do  not  think  the  use  of  such  epithets  proper 
any  where.  Mr.Greeley  would  not  use  them  in  conversation.  He  would  not  use 
them  in  personal  intercourse,  nor  would  he  invite  a  man  who  did  use  them  to  so- 
jcial  relations  with  himself  or  his  family. 

The  fact  that  language  of  this  sort  is  used  only  by  the  coarsest,  lowest,  and  most 
ignorant  people,  is  a  sufficient  reason  why  it  should  not  be  used  by  newspapers. 
If  Mr.  Greeley  will  go  into  the  grog-shops  of  the  Five  Points,  he  will  hear  it  on 
every  side  of  him.  If  he  goes  into  the  houses  of  the  respectable,  virtuous,  and 
cultivated,  he  will  not  hear  it  at  all.  This  fact  alone  is  entitled  to  a  good  deal  of 
•weight  as  to  the  propriety  of  its  use  in  the  columns  of  respectable  newspapers. 
Mr.Greeley  would  scarcely  care  to  imitate,  from  choice  and  as  a  matter  of  taste, 
the  language  of  low  sailors  in  Cherry  Street,  rather  than  the  language  of  civilized 
people  in  respectable  quarters  of  the  town.  He  would  not  do  it  in  personal  in- 
tercourse ;  why  should  he  do  it  in  the  columns  of  the  Tribune  ?  He  has  the 
same  excuse  for  it  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  The  language  itself  is  stronger  ; 
it  is  more  direct ;  it  corresponds  more  accurately,  perhaps,  with  the  feeling  of  the 
moment,  and  only  expresses  the  truth ;  why,  then,  says  Mr.  Greeley,  should  it  not 
be  used  ?  Simply  because  it  is  indecent.  It  shocks  the  taste,  the  sense  of  pro- 
priety of  every  man.  It  is  coarse,  brutal,  and  it  is  used  only  by  coarse  and  brutal 
people  ;  and  the  reason  why  they  use  it  is  because  it  corresponds  with  the  coarse- 
ness and  brutality  of  their  natures. 

Mr.Greeley  has  probably  chanced,  at  some  time  of  his  life,  to  be  present  at  a 
sharp  personal  dispute  between  very  low,  coarse  ruffians,  or  between  degraded, 
voluble,  and  enraged  women,  whose  main  object  at  the  moment  was  to  express 
their  opinions  of  each  other — to  give  each  other  "  a  piece  of  their  minds."  He  has 
had  on  such  occasions  a  chance  to  see  his  theories  as  to  the  use  of  language  put 
into  practice.  The  epithets  which  he  thinks  so  just  and  proper  were  fully  ap- 
preciated and  vigorously  used,  and  were  doubly  re-enforced  by  the  use  of  various 
adjectives  and  other  expletives,  all  falling  strictly  in  the  line  of  the  Tribune 's  ar- 
gument, and  adding  decided  weight  to  the  naked,  unadorned  epithets  themselves. 
As  a  matter  of  personal  taste,  we  do  not  believe  Mr.  Greeley  enjoys  hearing  men 
calling  each  other  liars,  or  d— -d  liars,  or  any  of  the  other  epithets,  more  or  less 
ornamented  with  theological  adjectives,  which  come  so  easily  into  use  at  such  en- 
counters, and  which,  upon  careful  inquiry,  may  prove  to  be  literally  just  and  true. 
Why,  then,  does  he  put  them  into  his  newspaper  ?  And  why,  on  his  theory  of 


Good  Manners  in  Journalism.  637 

epithets,  does  he  not  "  go  the  whole  figure,"  and  use  them  "  mixed"  as  well  as 
"  straight  ?"  Why  not  head  his  editorial  "  Governor  Seymour  as  a  d — dliar"  or 
make  it  even  stronger  than  this,  if  he  thinks  the  case  deserves  it  ?  He  would  find 
it  just  as  easy  to  vindicate  the  one,  on  the  score  of  taste,  as  the  other. 

We  do  not  deny  that  there  is  a  certain  public  appetite  which  relishes  this  style 
of  discussion.  But  there  is  also  a  public  appetite  for  a  still  lower  and  a  still 
coarser  style.  There  are  people  who  relish  obscenity  and  profanity,  just  as  there 
are  people  who  enjoy  prize-fights,  dog-fights,  or  cock-fights,  or  any  other  low  and 
brutalizing  exhibition ;  but  it  is  not  always  proper  or  decent  to  pander  to  such 
tastes,  and  the  number  of  American  newspapers  which  adopt  it  as  their  standard 
of  manners  and  propriety  is  much  less  than  it  once  was. 

We  see  no  reason  why  the  language  of  a  newspaper  should  be  very  different 
from  the  language  of  decent  society,  from  the  language  used  by  gentlemen  in  their 
daily  intercourse.  Mr.  Greeley,  if  he  were  conversing  with  Governor  Seymour  on 
the  expenses  of  the  government,  would  not  call  him  a  "liar,"  even  if  the  governor 
should  put  them  higher  than  he  did  himself.  He  would  scarcely  style  his  neigh- 
bor at  table  a  "villain,"  even  if  he  ate  mustard  with  his  beef,  while  he  himself  did 
not.  He  would  not  feel  called  upon  to  say,  in  every  society,  every  thing  that  he 
thought  true  about  every  body  present,  nor  would  he  quite  relish  the  frankness 
and  candor  of  every  one  who  should  apply  to  him,  in  straightforward  and  un- 
mistakable English,  every  epithet  which  he  might  think  he  deserved.  Why 
should  he  assert,  or  act  upon,  a  different  theory  of  manners  and  decorum  in  the 
editorial  conduct  of  a  newspaper  ? 

It  seems  that  Horace  Greeley  thought  differently.  Webster,  and 
Worcester,  and  Johnson,  in  their  dictionaries,  embraced  these  ex- 
pressive expletives  ;  they  were  a  part  of  the  English  language ;  they 
were  strong  and  emphatic,  and  meant  what  they  said.  So  Editor 
Greeley  believed  in  their  use  when  he  desired  to  say  that  any  one 
was  guilty  of  telling  a  falsehood.  So  Cambronne,  of  the  Old  Guard, 
believed,  when  he  gave  expression  to  his  contempt  for  the  English 
in  the  utterance  of  a  single  word,  found  only  in  Bailey's  Dictionary, 
when  called  upon  to  surrender  at  Waterloo.  But  here  is  the  opin- 
ion of  the  editor  of  the  Tribune  on  this  subject,  as  it  appeared  on 
the  i8th  of  April,  1868,  in  reply  to  his  mild-mannered  neighbor,  the 
journalistic  Chesterfield : 

The  New  York  Times  favored  us  with  a  column  lecture  on  manners  and  profes- 
sional courtesies  apropos  of  the  Tribune  and  Governor  Seymour,  wherein  it  com- 
pared the  matter  at  issue  between  us  to  the  diversity  of  taste  between  two  gentle- 
men, one  of  whom  should  prefer  to  eat  his  beef  with  mustard,  the  other  without. 
We  received  the  rebuke  with  due  meekness,  and  only  ventured,  at  its  close,  to  pro- 
pound the  question, "  Is  it  true  or  is  it  false  that  our  government  is  now  spend- 
ing $300,000,000  per  annum,  apart  from  payments  on  account  of  the  national  debt, 
and  that  $150,000,000  of  this  is  the  cost  of  holding  the  South  in  subjugation  by 
means  of  a  great  standing  army  ?"  Hereupon  the  Times  favors  us  with  another 
column  of  moralities  and  courtesies,  but  never  a  word  of  answer  to  our  questions. 
It  appears  to  have  no  choice  between  beef  with  mustard  and  beef  without. 
*******#* 

We  would  have  the  Times  use  such  terms  as  most  forcibly  express  its  ideas. 
We  especially  beg  it  not  to  be  "  mealy-mouthed"  in  speaking  of  the  Tribune.  So 
far  from  deeming  it  "  unfortunate"  for  us  that  other  journals  should  be  abusive, 
\ve  insist  that  no  one  is  ever  harmed  by  any  bad  language  but  his  own. 

But  politics  had  taken  possession  of  Raymond.  In  spite  of  his 
best  intentions,  he  could  not  keep  out  of  the  pool.  He  entered  the 
presidential  campaign  of  1868  not  as  an  independent  journalist,  and 


638  Journalism  in  America. 

he  was  Chairman  of  the  Republican  Committee  in  New  York  till  a 
few  days  before  his  death ;  and  on  the  eve  of  that  sudden  and  sad 
event — indeed,  the  last  known  of  him  alive — was  in  attendance  at 
a  political  meeting.  He  died  June  18, 1869. 

On  the  afternoon  previous  to  his  death,  he  had  been  to  Green- 
wood with  his  daughter  to  select  a  family  burial-place,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  having  the  remains  of  his  youngest  son  Walter,  named  after 
the  editor  of  the  London  Times,  transferred  thither.  Meeting  Mr. 
Joseph  H.  Medill,  founder  of  the  Chicago  Tribune,  Mr.  Raymond  en- 
tered into  conversation  with  him,  in  the  course  of  which  Mr.  M. 
referred  to  a  letter  which  he  had  just  received  from  Chicago  an- 
nouncing the  death  of  a  friend  there  by  apoplexy.  Mr.  Raymond 
remarked,  "Well,  after  all,  that  is  the  kind  of  death  I  would  myself 
prefer  to  die.  I  have  always  had  a  dread  of  a  lingering  death  from 
paralysis,  or  a  nervous  disorder,  or  some  kindred  slow  disease. 
Sudden  death  is  far  preferable." 

This  incident  recalls  the  expressed  wish  of  James  Otis,  one  of  the 
brilliant  and  ardent  writers  for  the  Revolutionary  Press  of  Boston 
from  1766  to  1776,  that  when  his  time  should  come  he  might  be 
struck  by  a  flash  of  lightning.  One  day,  standing  in  the  doonvay 
of  his  house,  a  single  thunderbolt  from  a  small  passing  cloud  struck 
and  instantly  killed  him. 

Among  those  present  at  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Raymond  was  the 
Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  He  delivered  the  funeral  address,  which 
was  characteristic.  After  a  few  introductory  remarks,  he  said  : 

His  was  the  career  of  the  journalist,  and  he  spoke  from  a  pulpit  whence  his 
words  were  echoed  and  re-echoed  throughout  the  world.  The  lawyer  speaks  with- 
in the  narrow  sphere  of  the  court-room ;  the  senator  and  representative  within  the 
legislative  walls ;  the  minister  preaches  from  the  pulpit,  and  his  words  are  con- 
fined within  the  walls  of  his  church,  and  he  rarely  speaks  beyond  it ;  but  he 
spoke  from  a  pulpit  that  has  no  limit — the  Press.  Thence  comes  forth  a  louder 
voice  than  that  of  all  the  others — the  voice  of  one  who  speaks,  who  cries  in  the 
wilderness  ;  for  all  across  this  populous  land,  across  the  territory  from  the  Atlan- 
tic to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  the  Daily  Press  speaks  to  all  the  people.  This  is  the 
great,  the  all-important  civilizer.  There  is  no  power  for  good  that  can  compare 
with  the  Daily  Press  ;  no  pulpit  like  it  for  disseminating  knowledge  among  men. 
And  among  those  who  have  been  the  builders  of  this  grent  moral  agency,  this 
great  agency  of  civilization — not  the  founders,  but  the  finishers  of  the  institution — 
stood  Mr.  Raymond  pre-eminent.  Aside  from  the  general  ability  with  which  he 
conducted  the  Press,  it  is  gratifying  to  remark  here  how  singularly  free  his  whole 
public  career  has  been  from  bitterness  ;  how  nobly  and  persistently  he  refused  to 
lend  his  paper  to  passionate  discussions  ;  how  he  never  lent  himself  to  passionate 
invective,  and  never  permitted  his  paper  to  be  the  medium  in  this  respect  for  oth- 
ers ;  how  sagacious  reasoning  and  a  high  moral  strength  breathed  in  his  words  ; 
and  now  that  he  has  departed  from  among  us,  it  is  gratifying  to  look  back  on  his 
career,  and  to  say  that  the  work  he  was  engaged  in,  of  giving  a  higher,  a  nobler, 
and  a  purer  moral  sentiment  to  the  Press,  covers  a  multitude  of  imperfections. 
This  was  the  work  he  was  engaged  in  ;  this  is  the  work  he  did.  I  have  it  in  my 
heart  to  say  here  that  instability  of  character  in  his  conduct  of  the  Press  was 
charged  against  him.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  he  was  weak,  and  never  believed 
in  the  principles  or  things  he  advocated ;  but  I  recall  a  time  when  the  nation  shiv- 


The  Editorial  Changes  on  the  Times.         639 

ered  like  an  aspen  leaf;  I  recall  a  time  when  a  man  was  worth  an  army — those 
days  when  what  was  needed  most  was  open,  manly,  patriotic  courage.  And  you 
and  I  should  never  forget  to  be  grateful  for  the  example  he  set  to  those  brave 
men  who  at  once  pressed  to  the  front  through  his  appeals.  He  let  his  voice  ring 
out  clear,  and  without  variability,  and  without  weakness  or  changing,  to  the  very 
end,  and  the  great  conflict  for  national  life  was  brought  to  a  successful,  a  glorious, 
and  blessed  termination.  If  this  be  instability  and  variability,  oh  that  there  had 
been  more  of  such  men  among  us.  The  services  he  rendered  the  country  then 
should  enshrine  his  memory  in  our  hearts  and  make  his  name  dear  to  all.  I  still 
thank  him,  and  I  am  glad,  my  friends,  to  make  mention  and  to  bear  testimony  to 
his  fidelity  in  this  great  struggle,  which,  to  be  consistent  in  at  all  times  and  under 
all  circumstances,  required  greatness  of  soul.  My  friends,  it  is  painful  to  speak  of 
one  who  was  so  short  a  time  ago  among  us ;  of  one  who  has  been  stricken  down 
by  press  of  work  in  our  midst ;  of  one  the  next  ten  years  of  whose  life,  had  he 
lived,  should  have  been  worth  more  than  twenty  of  the  past — fallen  from  the  wrong 
he  has  done  to  himself.  He  so  taxed  his  mental  and  physical  resources — he  so 
unduly  taxed  his  life — that  he  was  suddenly  and  prematurely  cut  down  in  his  vig- 
or. Because  he  did  not  live  within  the  bounds  of  moderation,  he  left  himself  an 
easy  captive  to  death. 

********** 

And  now,  my  friends,  he  who  is  departed,  his  name  will  not  be  forgotten.  His 
name  will  be  cherished  so  long  as  his  work  lives  and  is  remembered ;  but  in  the 
great  thundering  city,  like  as  in  the  ocean,  like  one  who  has  fallen  overboard,  the 
cry  rings  out,  the  simple  fact  is  known,  the  ship  moves  on,  the  waves  encircle  him, 
and  then  all  the  ripples  that  showed  the  spot  where  he  fell  are  rubbed  out,  and 
the  ocean  flows  on  and  is  no  fuller  than  before.  So,  in  this  great  city,  life  follows 
life.  A  prominent  man  dies  in  our  midst ;  it  is  the  voice  on  the  ocean — a  "  man 
overboard ;"  but  the  next  moment  the  great  multitude  will  forget  him  and  pass 
on.  And  thus  the  matter  of  importance  to-day  will  be  insignificant  to-morrow. 
And  you  who  are  to-day  in  the  springtime  of  life  will  pass  away  even  like  the 
noise  of  thunder  that  breaks  over  our  heads  and  passes  away.  God  grant  that 
the  scene  of  this  solemn  occasion  may  sink  into  your  hearts,  and  make  your  life 
one  that  you  can  lay  down  here  and  take  it  up  again,  even  beyond  the  grave,  by 
beginning  now  a  nobler,  a  manlier,  and  a  purer  life,  which  may  God  in  his  infinite 
blessing  grant. 

The  course  of  the  Times,  subsequent  to  the  death  of  its  chief 
founder  and  chief  editor,  is  of  interest  to  the  public  and  to  journal- 
ism. Mr.  George  Jones,  who  had  been  the  business  partner  and 
cherished  friend  of  Mr.  Raymond  from  the  origin  of  the  Times,  as- 
sumed the  entire  management  of  the  concern,  and  placed  its  old  at- 
taches over  its  several  departments.  It  was  thought  necessary,  how- 
ever, to  obtain  the  services  of  an  experienced  journalist  to  take  Mr. 
Raymond's  place.  Mr.  John  Bigelow,  formerly  of  the  Evening  Post, 
and  more  recently  minister  to  France,  was  selected ;  but,  as  he  had 
never  managed  a  paper  of  the  modern  school,  and  as  he  had  im- 
bibed some  peculiar  notions  on  journalism  that  belonged  even  an- 
terior to  the  present  Evening  Post,  he  did  not  make  a  brilliant  suc- 
cess, and  he  resigned  his  position. 

While  Mr.  Bigelow  was  editor-in-chief,  one  of  the  most  important 
features  connected  with  the  famous  gold  speculation  in  New  York  in 
September,  1869,  was  the  connection  of  the  Times  with  the  affair,  in- 
nocently and  guilelessly,  but  in  such  a  way  as  to  produce  an  effect, 
and  show  the  great  care  necessary  in  the  management  of  a  leading 
organ  of  public  opinion.  It  will  be  recollected  that  the  names  of 


640  Joitrnalism  in  America. 

President  Grant,  Mrs.  Grant,  General  Butterfield,  A.  R.  Corbin,  the 
brother-in-law  of  the  President,  Jay  Gould,  and  James  Fisk,  Jr.,  were 
mixed  up  in  the  operations  in  Wall  Street  on  this  memorable  occa- 
sion. Gold  run  up  from  130  to  160  almost  in  as  many  minutes,  and 
back  again  to  the  old  price  in  a  flash  of  the  telegraph.  Numerous 
failures  and  lawsuits  were  the  result.  It  was  stated  that  the  trans- 
actions reached  $300,000,000 — of  course,  on  honor  and  on  paper. 
The  speculation  was  so  extraordinary  in  its  character  that  Congress 
ordered  an  investigation,  and  took  an  immense  amount  of  evidence, 
which  will  make  a  volume  exceeding  in  interest  any  work  of  fiction 
extant.  Jay  Gould's  testimony  affecting  the  New  York  Times  was 
as  follows  : 

Question.  You  stated  something  in  another  part  of  your  testimony  concerning 
an  editorial  that  was  being  prepared.  Did  you  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the 
preparation  qf  that  editorial,  and  if  so,  what  ? 

Answer.  Mr.  Corbin  prepared  an  editorial,  submitted  it  to  me,  and  wanted  my 
views  of  it.  He  said  it  embodied  the  policy  of  the  administration.  I  looked  it 
over  very  carefully,  and  it  agreed  with  my  views.  Then  he  wanted  me  to  get  it  in 
the  papers.  Mr.  Bigelow  was  then  the  editor  of  the  Times.  I  gave  it  to  James 
M'  Henry,  and  he  had  it  put  in. 

Ques.  Did  it  appear  as  it  was  prepared,  or  as  you  saw  it  ? 

Ans.  It  was  changed  slightly,  but  not  substantially.  This  article  said  that  the 
government  would  not  sell  gold  while  the  crops  were  being  moved. 

Ques.  Do  you  know  whether  the  news  of  the  fact  that  the  Treasury  was  going 
to  sell  reached  any  body  in  New  York  before  it  was  officially  announced  ? 

Aits.  I  guess  every  body  knew  it  pretty  nearly. 

Ques.  Do  you  know  the  fact  that  it  did  get  to  New  York  and  was  known  before 
the  official  announcement  of  it  ? 

Ans.  I  only  know  it  from  evidences  of  observation,  which  are  very  difficult  to 
describe. 

Ques.  Repeating  the  same  question,  do  you  say  yes  or  no  ? 

Ans.  I  should  not  want  to  say  either  very  positively. 

Ques.  From  your  knowledge  of  the  transactions  of  that  day,  do  you  believe  that 
it  was  known  in  New  York  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  had  ordered  the  sale 
of  gold  before  the  official  announcement  of  the  fact  ? 

Ans.  Certainly. 

Ques.  How  long  before  ? 

Ans.  I  think  it  was  known  an  hour  in  advance. 

Ques.  What  made  gold  break  down  ? 

Ans.  It  broke  down  because  I  was  selling,  and  had  been  selling  all  the  morning. 

Ques.  Did  the  Treasury  order  cause  gold  to  break  down  ? 

Ans.  No,  sir. 

Ques.  Did  it  break  before  the  order  came  ? 

Ans.  Certainly. 

Ques.  Did  it  break  before  the  order  was  known  to  be  issued  ? 

Ans.  No ;  the  announcement  of  the  order  had  no  effect  on  gold  at  all.  Gold 
had  been  sold  all  the  morning,  and  I  expected  the  order  would  come. 

Ques.  How  did  you  become  satisfied  in  your  own  mind  that  the  government 
was  going  to  sell  gold  ? 

Ans.  An  editorial  came  out  in  the  NeivYork  Times  that  morning  which  went  on 
to  state  that  parties  interested  in  gold  used  very  freely  the  name  of  the  highest 
potentate  in  the  land,  his  brother-in-law,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  etc.  I 
understood  that  that  editorial  was  written  for  the  purpose  of  being  telegraphed  to 
Washington  to  frighten  the  officials  down  here,  and  that  it  would  probably  have 
the  effect  it  did.  I  did  not  want  any  further  information  to  come  to  me  anyhow. 
That  editorial  led  me  to  believe  that  the  government  would  sell,  and  I  acted  ac- 
cordingly. I  sold  all  the  morning. 


The  Famous  Gold  Speculations  of  1869.       641 

The  Chairman  of  the  Congressional  Committee,  in  his  report,  after 
stating  the  schemes  of  the  speculators  in  part,  said  : 

They  therefore  sought  by  a  stratagem  to  make  an  impression  to  that  effect  on 
the  public  mind  through  the  Press,  and  in  this  they  came  near  being  successful, 
as  will  presently  appear.  On  the  ifth  of  August,  Mr.  John  Bigelow,  editor  of  the 
New  York  Times,  had  an  interview  with  the  President,  during  which  the  financial 
condition  and  prospects  of  the  country  were  discussed.  The  statements  in  two 
editorial  articles,  which  appeared  in  the  Times  of  August  6  and  7,  were  under-  ' 
stood  to  represent  the  President's  views,  if  they  were  not  directly  inspired  by  him. 

On  the  1 9th  of  August  the  President  again  passed  through  New  York,  and  im- 
mediately thereafter  the  conspirators  sought  to  use  the  columns  of  the  Times  for 
the  publication  of  an  article  which  should  appear  to  be  a  semi-official  declaration 
of  the  financial  policy  of  the  administration,  but  which  should  have  the  effect  to 
raise  the  price  of  gold,  and  thus  aid  their  speculation.  At  the  suggestion  of  Jay 
Gould,  Mr.  Corbin,  on  the  23d  day  of  August,  had  completed  an  article  (the  man- 
uscript text  of  which,  in  his  own  hand-writing,  is  in  possession  of  the  committee) 
in  which  it  was  declared  to  be  the  policy  of  the  administration  to  advance  the 
price  of  gold,  and  in  which  the  transportation  theory  of  Gould  and  Fisk  was 
strongly  advocated.  This  article  was  headed  "Grant's  Financial  Policy."  It 
was  agreed  that  it  should  be  published  as  a  leading  editorial,  for  only  in  that  form 
could  the  purposes  of  its  authors  be  accomplished.  This  delicate  business  was 
to  be  managed  by  Mr.  Gould ;  and,  lest  his  personal  application  to  the  editor  of 
the  Times  should  carry  with  it  a  flavor  of  Wall  Street,  he  secured  the  services  of 
Mr.  James  M'Henry,  a  prominent  English  capitalist  and  personal  friend  of  Mr. 
Bigelow,  who  called  at  the  Times  office  and  presented  the  article  as  the  expres- 
sion of  a  person  in  the  intimate  confidence  of  the  President,  and  whose  utterances 
were  the  faithful  pictures  of  the  President's  mind.  The  article  was  put  in  type, 
and  double  leaded  for  a  leading  editorial ;  but,  on  reading  it  over,  suspicions  were 
aroused,  and  the  financial  editor,  Mr.  Norvell,  was  sent  for.  He  testified :  "  Not 
knowing  where  the  article  came  from,  yet,  from  whatever  source  it  origina'ted,  I 
suspected  there  might  be,  from  the  statements  of  the  last  paragraph,  a  sinister 
purpose  to  bull  gold,  so  the  double  leads  were  taken  out,  the  tail  of  the  article 
stricken  off,  and  the  article,  as  it  appears,  published  on  the  25th ;  the  intention,  I 
have  no  doubt,  was  that  it  should  appear  just  as  much  semi-official  as  the  other 
article  of  the  6th  of  August,  which  Mr.  Bigelow  himself  wrote  after  his  interview 
with  the  President."  The  article  as  it  was  written,  and  the  amended  article  as 
published,  appear  in  parallel  columns  of  Mr.  Norvell's  testimony.  A  comparison 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  two  will  show  how  cunning  was  the  fraud  attempted. 

On  the  3oth  of  August  Mr.  Gould  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  with  the  manifest  purpose  of  drawing  out  a  denial  or  admission  that 
the  article  in  the  Times  correctly  reflected  the  financial  policy  of  the  administra- 
tion for  the  next  three  or  four  months.  This  letter  is  made  a  part  of  Mr.  Bout- 
well's  testimony.  The  brief  and  formal  reply  of  the  secretary  gave  Gould  no  clew 
to  the  purposes  of  the  government. 

On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Bigelow,  the  position  of  managing  editor 
was  given  to  Mr.  George  Sheppard.  He  retired  after  a  brief  period, 
and  after  a  short  and  sharp  controversy  with  a  contemporary.  Mr. 
Jones  then  appointed  Mr. L.J.Jennings  as  editor  in  chief,  and  that 
gentleman  still  holds  that  important  position.  Mr.  Jennings  had 
been  connected  with  the  London  Times,  and  was  for  some  time  the 
correspondent  of  that  paper  in  the  United  States. 

The  New  York  Times,  towards  the  close  of  1870,  began  to  criticise, 
freely  and  independently,  the  financial  management  of  the  metrop- 
olis by  the  political  leaders,  who  had  formed  a  "  ring"  for  the  purpose 
of  controlling  the  local  government  of  New  York.  This  combina- 
tion was  styled  the  "Tammany  Ring."  The  Times  was  general  in 

Ss 


642  Journalism  in  America. 

its  remarks  at  first,  as  the  comptroller  had  refused  its  reporters  all 
access  to  his  books.  In  addition  to  this  annoyance,  some  threats 
had  been  uttered  against  that  journal.  In  March,  1871,  one  of  the 
city  papers  published  the  following  paragraph  : 

We  are  informed  that  negotiations  are  in  progress  for  the  sale  of  the  New  York 
Times  to  a  company,  in  which  Mr.  Peter  Cooper,  Moses  Taylor,  Cyrus  W.  Field, 
A.  Oakey  Hall  James  Fisk  Jr.,  Jay  Gould,  Peter  B.  Sweeny,  and  William  M.  Tweed 
are  to  be  the  principal  stockholders.  The  present  managers  of  the  establishment 
will  leave  as  soon  as  the  purchase  is  concluded.  The  intention  of  those  who  pro- 
pose to  buy  is  to  run  the  paper  for  the  present  ostensibly  in  the  Republican  in- 
terest; but  as  soon  as  the  Hon.  A.  O' Hall  has  completed  his  term  as  mayor,  he 
will  become  the  editor,  and  then  the  political  character  of  the  concern  will  doubt- 
less be  changed.  We  learn,  also,  that  the  first  overtures  for  this  transaction  were 
made  by  George  Jones,  through  a  third  party,  to  Mr.  Sweeny,  about  six  months 
ago,  but  that  the  plan  has  not  been  entertained  until  recently. 

This  was  too  much  for  the  manager  of  the  Times  to  read  with 
patience  and  resignation.  He  had  too  much  spirit  to  submit  to- 
such  a  statement.  On  the  28th  of  March,  the  following  manifesto, 
in  reply,  appeared  in  the  Times : 

The  above  statement  appears  in  a  journal  which  is  said  to  be  controlled  by  the 
Tammany  Ring. 

It  is  my  duty  to  say  that  the  assertion  that  I  have  ever  offered  to  dispose  of  my 
property  in  the  Times  to  Mr.  Sweeny,  or  any  body  connected  with  him,  or  that  I 
have  ever  entered  into  negotiations  for  that  purpose,  or  am  ever  likely  to  do  so, 
directly  or  indirectly,  is  a  fabrication  from  beginning  to  end.  I  am  aware  that 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Sands,  Secretary  of  the  Citizens'  Association,  has  been  for  some 
time  actively  engaged  in  the  effort  to  purchase  or  otherwise  silence  this  journal, 
in  the  interest  of  his  Tammany  employers.  But,  believing  that  the  course  which 
the  Times  is  pursuing  is  that  which  the  interests  of  the  great  body  of  the  public 
demand,  and  that  it  would  be  a  base  betrayal  of  the  public  to  turn  aside  from  that 
course  until  an  honest  government  and  an  incorruptible  judiciary  are  restored  to 
the  community,  no  money  that  could  be  offered  should  induce  me  to  dispose  of  a 
single  share  of  my  property  to  the  Tammany  faction,  or  to  any  man  associated 
with  it,  or,  indeed,  to  any  person  or  party  whatever,  until  this  struggle  is  fought 
out.  I  have  the  same  confidence  in  the  integrity  and  firmness  of  my  fellow-pro- 
prietors, and  believe  that  they  will  decline  to  sell  their  honor  to  a  corrupt  clique 
at  the  instigation  of  "  Republicans"  who  are  as  unprincipled  as  their  employers. 

Rather  than  prove  false  to  the  public  in  the  present  crisis,  I  would,  if  necessity 
by  any  possibility  arose,  immediately  start  another  journal  to  denounce  those 
frauds  upon  the  people  which  are  so  great  a  scandal  to  the  city,  and  I  should 
carry  with  me  in  this  renewal  of  our  present  labors  the  colleagues  who  have  al- 
ready stood  by  me  through  a  long  and  arduous  contest.  Even  if  the  Times  could 
be  silenced  by  some  fresh  abuse  of  judicial  authority,  as  I  believe  it  can  not  be,  it 
would  not  cause  a  week's  cessation  of  the  exposures  which  we  are  now  making 
of  the  frauds  committed  by  the  "  Ring."  I  have  from  the  first  number  of  the 
Times  taken  too  active  a  part  in  its  management,  and  feel  far  too  deep  a  solici- 
tude for  its  good  name,  to  dishonor  it  by  making  it  the  advocate  of  mendacity 
and  corruption.  I  pledge  myself  to  persevere  in  the  present  contest,  under  all 
and  any  circumstances  that  may  arise,  through  good  report  and  evil  report,  in 
success  or  in  failure  ;  and  even  though  the  "  Ring"  and  its  friends  offered  me  for 
my  interest  in  the  property  as  many  millions  of  dollars  as  they  annually  plunder 
from  the  city  funds,  it  would  not  change  my  purpose.  This  determination  is,  I 
have  every  reason  to  believe,  fully  shared  by  my  co-proprietors,  and  by  the  staff 
who  act  with  me  in  the  paper.  GEORGE  JONES. 

It  was  clear  from  this  that  although  Mr.  Jones  was  determined 
not  to  abate  one  jot  or  tittle  the  exposures  he  had  commenced  of 


The  War  on  the  "Tammany  Ring?          643 

the  corruptions  of  the  Tammany  leaders,  yet  he  was  not  certain  of 
always  having  the  Times  ready  to  spread  these  corruptions  before 
the  people.  But  this  point  was  settled  on  the  igth  of  July,  1871, 
and  was  thus  announced  : 

The  shares  in  the  New  York  Times  attached  to  the  Raymond  estate,  represent- 
ing about  one  third  of  the  property,  were  yesterday  purchased  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Mor- 
gan, of  Aurora,  Cayuga  County.  Mr.  Morgan  was  an  original  stockholder,  and 
has  been  for  some  time  past  one  of  the  managing  partners  of  the  paper,  in  con- 
junction with  Mr.  George  Jones,  another  of  the  original  proprietors.  These  two 
gentlemen  now  hold  eighty-two  out  of  the  hundred  shares  of  stock  in  their  own 
hands.  It  has  been  repeatedly  asserted  that  the  Raymond  shares  were  likely  to 
fall  into  the  possession  of  the  New  York  "  Ring,"  and  it  is  in  order  to  assure  our 
friends  of  the  groundlessness  of  all  such  statements  that  we  make  known  the  ac- 
tual facts.  The  price  paid  in  ready  money  for  the  shares  in  question  was  $375,000. 
Down  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Raymond's  death,  the  shares  had  never  sold  for  more 
than  $6000  each.  Mr.  Morgan  has  now  paid  upward  of  $11,000  each  for  thirty- 
four  of  them,  and  this  transaction  is  the  most  conclusive  answer  which  could  be 
furnished  to  the  absurd  rumors  sometimes  circulated  to  the  effect  that  the  course 
taken  by  the  New  York  Times  toward  the  Tammany  leaders  had  depreciated  the 
value  of  the  property. 

The  public  may  feel  assured  that  the  Times  will  not  swerve  from  the  policy 
which  it  has  long  pursued,  but  that  it  will  hereafter  be  more  persistent  than  ever 
in  its  efforts  to  bring  about  those  political  reforms  which  the  people  require  and 
expect. 

The  Times  thus  placed  entirely  under  the  control  of  two  gentle- 
men of  decided  character  and  energy,  the  war  against  the  "  Tam- 
many Ring"  was  carried  on  with  the  utmost  vigor,  and  the  end' was 
the  utter  annihilation  of  the  immense  power  the  leaders  of  the 
"  Ring"  had  acquired  in  the  metropolis.  The  particulars  of  this  ex- 
traordinary affair  are  too  fresh  on  the  public  mind  to  need  repeating 
here.  There  has  been  nothing  equal  to  the  result  thus  obtained 
in  the  history  of  journalism.  The  developments  of  the  stupendous 
corruptions  in  the  city  government  made  by  the  Times  aroused  the 
indignation  of  the  people  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land.  The  gigantic  increase  of  the  public  debt ;  the  enormous 
wealth  acquired  in  two  or  three  years  by  a  few  men  in  office ;  the 
way  the  State  Legislature  was  influenced,  corrupted,  and  controlled, 
were  fully  exposed  in  the  Times.  It  was  boldly  and  fearlessly  done 
by  that  paper,  and  Messrs.  Jones  and  Morgan  deserve  well  of  their 
country.  The  only  similar  instance  on  record  is  that  of  the  Lon- 
don Times  in  exposing,  regardless  of  all  risk,  a  well-laid  plan  for 
defrauding  the  bankers  of  Europe  of  immense  sums  of  money  by  a 
"  ring"  of  skillful  and  expert  forgers.  This  exposure  led  to  a  vexa- 
tious and  costly  libel  suit.  The  merchants  and  bankers  of  London, 
in  appreciation  of  the  great  and  important  service  thus  rendered 
them,  subscribed  a  large  sum  to  reimburse  the  journalists  for  the 
costs  incurred.  The  proprietor  of  the  London  Times  very  properly 
refused  the  money.  He  had  simply  done  his  duty  to  the  public. 
The  subscribers  to  the  fund  thereupon  decided  to  appropriate  the 


644  Journalism  in  America. 

amount  in  a  testimonial  to  that  influential  journal.  It  was  divided 
into  four  parts  :  one  paid  for  a  mural  slab  inserted  in  the  principal 
room  of  the  Exchange  in  London,  bearing  a  suitable  inscription ; 
another  was  paid  for  a  similar  slab,  and  placed  in  the  office  of  the 
Times  ;  the  remaining  two  parts  established  two  scholarships,  always 
to  be  known  as  the  Times  scholarships,  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge ; 
and  thus  journalism,  in  its  highest  state  of  usefulness  and  value  in 
the  community,  was  fully  and  appropriately  recognized  and  re- 
warded. 

If  the  merchants  and  bankers  of  the  English  metropolis  thus  ap- 
preciated the  service  rendered  by  the  London  Times,  how  should 
the  taxpayers  of  the  American  metropolis  recognize  that  rendered 
by  the  New  York  Times  to  them,  and,  indeed,  to  the  entire  commu- 
nity ?  Is  it  not  made  clear  by  these  statements  that  the  Press  is  the 
real  palladium  of  the  rights  and  interests  of  the  public  ?  that  the 
Press  is,  in  fact,  no  longer  the  Fourth  Estate,  but  the  first  and  the 
highest  in  the  land  ?  that,  with  a  free  and  independent  Press,  there 
is  safety  for  the  people  from  the  corruptions  and  machinations  of 
political  leaders  and  office-holders  ? 

The  effect  of  the  developments  made  in  the  Times  was  seen  at  the 
polls  throughout  the  state  at  the  November  elections.  Instead  of 
electing  every  candidate  by  overwhelming  majorities,  as  had  been 
the  usual  custom  of  the  metropolis,  only  two  or  three  of  the  Tam- 
many nominations  succeeded ;  and  the  change  in  the  popular  vote 
on  the  state  ticket,  which  was  divested  as  far  as  possible  of  the  cor- 
rupt influence,  is  an  indication  of  this  power  of  the  newspaper  when 
properly  wielded. 

.  Tammany.      Anti-Tammany. 

Vote  in  New  York  City,  1870  -  86,668  34,39* 

"      1871       -        -        -  83,326  54,137 

Vote  in  New  York  State,  1870  -        -        -        -    399,532  366,436 

"      1871       -        -        -         368,204  387>i°7 

This  is  a  revolution  of  23,000  votes  in  the  city,  and  nearly  52,000 
in  the  state.  But  the  revolution  in  the  metropolis  was  much  more 
thorough  than  these  figures  indicate.  On  the  local  tickets  the  pop- 
ular vote  was  as  follows : 

Tammany.  Anti-Tammany. 

For  Judge  of  Supreme  Court    ....      45,916  89,127 

Superior  Court         ...  56,885  80,424 

"    Register 54,448  82,565 

The  Tammany  majority  in  the  city  in  1870  was  52,277.  The 
Anti-Tammany  majority  in  1871  was,  on  the  Supreme  Court  ticket, 
43,21 1.  Popular  change  in  one  year,  95,488  votes — one  of  the  most 
wonderful  political  revolutions  on  record ! 

In  its  annual  announcement  for  1872  the  Times  said  : 
This  journal  is  now  thoroughly  identified  with  the  greatest  political  necessity 


The  Future  of  the  Times.  645 

of  the  hour — uncompromising  warfare  against  all  forms  of  corruption,  whether  in 
national  or  local  government.  For  years  past  the  Times  has  been  exposing  the 
demoralizing  schemes  of  self-interested  politicians,  and  its  recent  warfare  upon  the 
Tammany  Democrats  has  been  received  with  universal  approval.  *  *  *  * 
They  purpose  that  the  Times  shall  continue  to  keep  clear  of  all  narrow  and  un- 
worthy influences  and  cliques,  and  aim  to  represent  the  great  body  of  the  public 
as  distinguished  from  personal  factions.  It  occupies  a  perfectly  independent  po- 
sition, and  is  free  to  speak  the  truth  on  all  subjects  and  about  all  men.  Its  great- 
ly-increased circulation  throughout  the  country  adds  to  its  power  and  influence. 
It  will  continue  to  be  a  faithful  exponent  of  Republican  principles,  and  advocate 
with  untiring  energy  every  cause  which  tends  to  further  the  welfare  of  the  people. 

This  is  twenty  years'  history  of  the  New  York  Times, 


646  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER   XL. 
THE  NEW  YORK  LEDGER. 

ITS  ORIGIN. — ITS  FIRST  NAME.  —  WHY  BONNER  BOUGHT  IT.  —  How  HE 
BROUGHT  IT  INTO  NOTICE. — MRS.  SlGOURNEY  THE  FIRST  CONTRIBUTOR. — 
WHO  WRITES  FOR  THE  LEDGER  ? — BONNER'S  ADVERTISEMENTS. — HOW  HE 
MANAGED  THE  HERALD.— HlS  SYSTEM. — ANXIETY  OF  HIS  PASTOR. — NOV- 
ELS  BY  TELEGRAPH.  —  INTERESTING  INCIDENT.  —  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH 
GENERAL  GRANT  AND  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER. — His  HORSES. — His  COUN- 
TRY SEAT  AND  THE  FEVER  AND  AGUE. — CIRCULATION. 

WHAT  is  in  a  name  ?  Is  that  of  the  New  York  Ledger  a  suitable 
one  for  such  a  paper  ?  The  Public  Ledger  of  Philadelphia  is  appro- 
priately named,  because  it  keeps  the  public  posted  in  the  affairs  of 
the  world.  The  Herald  is  a  good  name  for  a  newspaper  as  the  har- 
binger of  the  tidings  of  the  day  to  every  one.  The  Times  is  excel- 
lent, because  it  is  "the  embodiment  of  the  times."  The  Journal  of 
Commerce  and  the  Commercial  Bulletin  are  capital  titles  for  purely 
commercial  sheets.  The  Daily  Advertiser  is  good  for  a  paper  de- 
voted to  business  notices.  The  Post  is  not  a  bad  name  if,  as  with 
the  Ledger,  all  are  correctly  posted  therein.  The  Intelligencer  is  not 
an  inappropriate  name ;  nor  is  the  Sun  for  a  morning  paper ;  nor 
are  the  Dispatch,  the  Express,  the  Telegram,  in  bad  taste.  The  News 
is  the  name  for  a  paper  that  always  gives  the  latest  intelligence. 
Such  names  as  the  Triune,  the  World,  the  Opinion,  the  Record,  the 
Nation,  the  Commonwealth,  are  after  the  style  of  the  French.  There 
are  the  Opinion  Nationale,  the  Monde,  the  France,  the  Peuple,  pub- 
lished in  Paris. 

It  is  only  since  the  Revolution  of '76  that  new  names  have  been 
given  to  newspapers.  The  old  titles  of  Gazette,  News-Letter,  and 
Mercury,  which  run  through  previous  generations,  were  only  varied 
by  the  names  of  the  places  where  they  were  printed,  and  the  artistic 
devices  which  adorned  the  first  page.  Now,  in  addition  to  the  Her- 
ald, Journal,  Tribune,  Times,  Sun,  World,  Traveller,  and  Star,  which 
are  in  the  nineteenth  century,  we  find  such  curious  names  as  the 
following  list  exhibits  : 


Iowa  Haivkeye. 
The  Billet  Doux. 
Corn-stalk  Fiddle. 
St.  Louis  Picket  Guard. 
Presque  Isle  Sunrise. 
The  Election  Bell. 


The  Daily  Lever. 
The  Artery. 
Our  Society. 
Nashville  Orthopolitan. 
The  Coon-skinner. 
The  Eye  of  Mississippi. 


Why  Banner  bought  the  Ledger. 


647 


The  Mutual  Alliance. 

The  Gimlet. 

Anti-monopolist. 

Mountain  Warrior. 

Territorial  Enterprise. 

Seaside  Oracle. 

Round  Table. 

Hickory-nut. 

The  Live  Giraffe. 

Kettle-drum. 

Helping  Hand. 

Warning  Words. 

Evening  Caterwaul. 

Established  Fact. 

Pontiac  Bill-poster. 

Frontier  Index. 

Wabashaw,  or  Red-headed  Herald. 

Iberia  (La.)  Sugar-bowl. 

Tattler. 

Run  and  Read. 

Aurora. 

The  Sand-piper. 

Examiner. 

The  Bazoo. 

Truth-teller. 

Transcript. 

Boston  Notion. 

Arctums. 

Corsair. 


Bartram's  Cheek. 

Copperhead. 

The  Moonly  Voice. 

The  Paper. 

Tidal  Wave. 

Citizen. 

Billiard  Cue. 

Cosmopolite. 

Head  Light. 

Hawkeye. 

Lean  Wolf. 

Town  and  Stage. 

Rough- hewer. 

Interior. 

Ultra  Ku-khtx. 

Common  Sense. 

Evening  Signal. 

Planet. 

Autograph  and  Remarker. 

Plaindealer. 

Day-book. 

Plebeian. 

The  Yankee. 

Calumet. 

Picayune. 

Subterranean. 

Iron  Age. 

Log  Cabin. 


Some  of  these  names  indicated  the  object  of  the  publication. 
Some  were  merely  campaign  papers,  intended  only  for  a  presiden- 
tial election.  The  Log  Cabin,  Whig,  for  instance,  in  1840  ;  and  the 
Corn-stalk  Fiddle,  also  Whig,  and  the  Coon-skinner,  Democratic,  in 
1842. 

But  it  is  \h&New  York  Ledger  that  we  have  to  speak  of  here.  Its 
inappropriate  name  led  us  off  on  this  digression.  Mais  revenons. 

The  New  York  Ledger  was  originally  called  the  Merchants'  Ledger. 
It  was  devoted  to  mercantile  affairs  previous  to  1851,  largely,  we 
believe,  to  the  dry  goods  interest,  and  had  less  than  three  thousand 
circulation.  Our  researches  produced  an  unpresuming  and  unim- 
pressive advertisement  of  the  paper  as  it  appeared  before  its  name 
and  character  were  modified  or  changed — an  advertisement  as  un- 
like the  recent  monster  ones  of  Bonner  as  the  "  tall  and  pillared 
Alleghany"  is  unlike  the  Observatory  Hill  in  Central  Park. 

It  was  originally  started  by  an  ex-merchant,  who  conceived  the 
idea  of  making  a  paper  that  would  interest  country  merchants.  It 
was  purchased  by  Robert  Bonner  in  1851.  Bonner  at  that  time 
owned  a  small  printing-office,  in  which  he  set  up  the  type  of  the 
Ledger,  and  of  one  or  two  other  small  papers.  He  had  been  a  prac- 
tical printer  in  the  office  of  the  Hartford  Courant,  and  a  proof-reader 
of  the  Evening  Mirror.  It  appears  that  the  first  proprietor  of  the 
Ledger  had  invented  a  printing-press  which  he  thought  would  super- 


648  Journalism  in  America. 

sede  Hoe's  lightning  machines,  and  wished  to  devote  his  whole  time 
and  attention  to  its  development,  for  with  success  there  was  a  for- 
tune. With  an  eye  to  the  main  chance,  Bonner  did  not  like  to  lose 
the  weekly  job  of  setting  the  type  of  the  Ledger,  and  this,  as  much 
as  any  other  reason,  induced  him  to  purchase  the  paper.  "  There 
is  a  tide,"  it  seems,  with  printers  as  well  as  with  politicians  and  other 
patriots. 

This  is  the  way  Bonner  became  a  newspaper  proprietor  and  the 
owner  of  Dexter. 

Having  secured  the  establishment,  he  scarcely  knew  what  to  do 
with  it ;  but,  not  being  desirous  of  publishing  a  purely  class  paper 
of  limited  circulation,  he  gradually  dropped  its  mercantile  features, 
and  substituted  family  reading  matter  for  the  quotations  of  flour,  and 
bank-note  tables  and  reports.  This  increased  the  circulation  some- 
what, which  encouraged  the  new  proprietor,  who  was  a  man  of  com- 
mon sense  and  tact.  It  then  occurred  to  him. that  he  might  branch 
out  a  little.  He  therefore,  in  1853,  engaged  Mrs.  Sigourney  to  write 
for  his  paper,  and  she  continued  to  be  a  contributor  till  the  day  of 
her  death.  She  was  the  first  to  "write  for  the  Ledger"  Two  years 
later,  or  in  1855,  feeling  still  more  encouraged,  he  made  arrange- 
ments with  Fanny  Fern,  who  had  acquired  quite  a  reputation  in  her 
peculiar  style.  Then  the  new  journalistic  star  made  a  brilliant  dash 
in  publishing  her  famous  "one  hundred  dollars  a  column"  story. 
This  created  a  sensation,  caused  the  news-dealers  to  seek  the  pa- 
per, and  the  New  York  Ledger  began  its  prosperous  career. 

Stronger  and  stronger  intellectually  and  financially,  Mr.  Bonner 
expanded  his  literary  enterprises  till  he  embraced  all  the  leading 
writers  of  the  day :  Everett,  Bancroft,  Bryant,  Beecher,  Bennett,  Gree- 
ley,  Raymond,  Dickens,  Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  Mrs.  Southworth,  Mrs. 
Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  Alice  Gary,  and  George  D.  Prentice.  No 
less  than  twelve  college  presidents,  and  a  dozen  bishops,  clergymen, 
and  deacons,  wrote  regularly  for  the  Ledger. 

After  Fanny  Fern's  "one  hundred  dollars  a  column"  story  had 
produced  its  effect  on  the  public  mind,  Mr.  Bonner  was  prepared 
with  another  literary  wonder.  About  this  time  an  immense  effort 
was  being  made  to  purchase  Mount  Vernon  by  public  subscription. 
Edward  Everett,  full  of  patriotism  and  brains,  lent  his  powerful  aid 
to  this  object,  and  he  visited  every  part  of  the  country,  delivering 
his  famous  lecture  on  Washington  to  swell  up  the  sum  to  the  nec- 
essary amount.  It  is  said  that  he  uttered  this  eulogy  on  Washing- 
ton over  two  hundred  times  without  changing  a  word  or  altering  a 
line.  It  was  considered  one  of  the  most  finished  and  masterly  pro- 
ductions of  the  age.  It  was  at  this  period  "  in  the  affairs  of  men" 
that  Mr.  Bonner  made  an  offer  of  $10,000  to  Mr.  Everett  for  a  series 


The  Ledger  Advertisements  in  the  Herald.    649 

of  short  articles  to  be  called  the  "  Mount  Vernon  Papers."  Aft- 
er some  hesitation,  Mr.  Everett  accepted  the  offer,  and  devoted  the 
money  to  the  Mount  Vernon  Fund ;  and  he  continued  ever  after,  till 
his  death,  a  constant  contributor  to  the  Ledger,  and  a  warm  friend  of 
its  proprietor.  It  was  the  most  brilliant  success  of  all  of  Bonner's 
efforts. 

Meanwhile  it  became  necessary  to  let  the  public  know  of  these 
wonderful  intellectual  feats  of  Bonner.  How  was  this  to  be  done  ? 
Only  by  making  use  of  the  other  papers.  Then  began  the  system 
of  advertising  that  became  continental  in  practice  and  world-wide  in 
fame.  Single  columns  would  at  first  be  occupied ;  then  half  a  page ; 
then  an  entire  page ;  then  all  the  available  space  any  leading  news- 
paper would  let  him  have,  with  what  appeared  a  reckless  disregard 
to  cost,  economy,  or  common  sense.  The  repetition  system  of  ad- 
vertisements, which  has  since  become  so  common,  originated  with 
Bonner  in  the  New  York  Herald.  One  day  he  desired  to  have  his 
advertisement  displayed.  Mr.  Bennett  objected  to  any  display ;  he 
had  very  sensibly  discarded  pictures  and  displayed  advertisements 
in  the  Herald,  and  Mr.  Bonner  must  come  under  the  rule. 

"  What  are  your  rules  ?"  asked  the  indomitable  Bonner. 

On  being  informed  what  they  were,  he  had  his  notices  repeated 
ad  infinitum.  This  was  objected  to  after  one  or  two  insertions. 

"  What  do  you  want  now  ?"  again  asked  the  irrepressible  Bonner. 

"  Not  so  much  display,"  replied  the  sagacious  proprietor  of  the 
Herald. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Bonner ;  and  he  had  published  one  sentence, 
announcing  a  new  story,  and  ordered  it  to  be  repeated  to  fill  an  en- 
tire column,  all  to  be  "run  in,"  professionally  speaking, with  no  blank 
lines  —  all,  indeed,  in  one  solid  paragraph.  What  was  the  result  ? 
It  was  the  most  conspicuous  advertisement  in  the  Herald  that  morn- 
ing. 

"  How  do  you  like  that  ?"  asked  Bonner  the  next  day.  Mr.  Ben- 
nett laughed  and  said, 

"  Well,  I  guess  we  had  better  let  you  have  your  own  way  here- 
after." 

The  proprietor  of  the  Ledger  has  paid  as  high  as  $27,000  for  one 
week's  advertising ;  he  has  paid  $150,000  in  one  year ;  yet,  strange 
to  say,  not  an  advertisement  is  inserted  in  the  Ledger,  and  no  money 
will  obtain  the  insertion  of  one.  He  once  paid  the  Herald  $2000 
for  a  single  advertisement,  and  Mr.  Bennett  was  compelled  to  issue 
a  quadruple  sheet  to  accommodate  his  enterprising  neighbor.  This 
was  in  1858,  and  was  the  first  sheet  of  this  size  ever  issued  in  Amer- 
ica. It  was  a  Ledger- Her  aid,  or  vice  versa.  When  this  advertise- 
ment appeared,  the  good  pastor  of  the  church  where  Mr.  Bonner 


650  Journalism  in  America. 

and  family  attended  became  very  much  agitated.  On  looking  over 
the  Herald  that  morning  at  his  breakfast-table,  he  said  to  his  wife, 

"  I  must  call  upon  Mr.  Bonner  immediately  after  breakfast ;  I  am 
really  anxious  about  him." 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  ?     Is  he  sick  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  that  he  is  sick,"  replied  the  kind-hearted  clergy- 
man, "  but  I  think  he  must  be  insane.  Just  look  at  the  Herald ;  it 
is  Bonner  on  every  page.  If  he  has  paid  for  that  he  will  be  ruined. 
Give  me  my  hat." 

Mr.  Bonner  was  surprised  at  an  early  call  from  his  spiritual  ad- 
viser. 

"  I  have  called,"  said  the  clergyman, "  to  talk  with  you  about  the 
advertisement,  or,  rather,  series  of  advertisements  which  appeared 
in  the  Herald  this  morning.  May  I  ask  if  you  paid  the  regular  rates 
for  them  ?" 

"  I  gave  my  check  for  $2000  for  a  single  insertion,"  coolly  an- 
swered Bonner. 

The  clergyman,  with  a  deep  sigh,  wiped  his  forehead  with  his  hand- 
kerchief. 

"  Two  thousand  dollars  !  two  thousand  dollars !" 

After  a  moment's  reflection,  as  if  overcome  with  the  magnitude 
of  the  sum  thus  recklessly  thrown  away,  he  said, 

"  Mr.  Bonner,  I  have  called  upon  you  as  a  friend.  You  know  that 
I  am  one.  I  felt  that  there  was  something  wrong.  What  a  waste 
of  money !  Two  thousand  dollars  for  one  publication  of  one  adver- 
tisement ?  Would  not  a  single  square,  like  that,  for  instance,"  point- 
ing out  a  ten-line  advertisement — "would  not  that,  at  a  cost  of  three 
or  four  dollars,  have  answered  your  purpose  as  well  as  all  that  dis- 
play and  costly  space  ?" 

Much  amused  at  the  perplexity  of  his  amiable  pastor,  Mr.  Bonner, 
in  reply,  said, 

"  I  see  how  it  strikes  you,  my  good  friend.  But  if  I  had  put  in 
the  single  square  you  mention,  would  you  have  taken  the  trouble  to 
call  upon  me  to  remonstrate?  Would  you  have  even  noticed  my 
advertisement  from  any  of  the  others  in  the  paper  ?" 

"Why,  no,  I  don't  think  I  should  have  noticed  the  matter  at  all." 

"Then,"  said  Mr.  Bonner, triumphantly,  "you  have  demonstrated 
the  correctness  of  my  policy.  Every  other  reader  of  the  Herald  is 
as  much  astonished  as  you  are.  This  is  the  secret  of  advertising. 
Eureka !" 

Alive  to  the  intellectual  needs  of  his  paper,  he  conceived  the  idea 
of  having  the  three  lions  of  the  Daily  Press  in  New  York — Bennett, 
Greeley,  and  Raymond — write  for  the  Ledger.  He  accomplished  this, 
and  the  public  were  astonished  with  advertisements  in  all  the  papers 


The  Writers  for  the  Ledger.  65 1 

that  they  would  each  contribute  an  original  article ;  and  they  did, 
and  the  productions  appeared  in  the  same  number  of  the  Ledger. 
This  gave  him  considerable  eclat,  and  created  a  sensation.  Then 
he  induced  twelve  distinguished  clergymen  to  write  twelve  stories. 
Afterwards  he  obtained  as  many  contributions  from  twelve  presi- 
dents of  colleges.  Then  Horace  Greeley's  Autobiography  was  a  feat- 
ure. Norwood,  a  novel,  by  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  costing  $20,000, 
had  its  famous  run.  The  Life  of  General  Grant,  by  his  father,  Jesse 
Grant,  not  only  sold  thousands  of  the  Ledger,  but  obtained  as  many 
votes  for  the  general  for  the  presidency.  Its  peculiar  incidents  and 
style  made  it  a  first-class  campaign  document.  It  took  with  the 
masses.  After  this  manner  Bonner  met  the  wants,  and  tastes,  and 
feelings  of  the  different  classes  of  the  reading  community. 

When  the  first  Atlantic  cable  was  being  laid  by  the  Niagara  and 
Agamemnon,  it  was  contemplated  by  Bonner  to  have  a  short  orig- 
inal story,  written  by  Charles  Dickens,  sent  by  telegraph  across  the 
ocean  to  the  Ledger,  like  a  regular  news  dispatch  to  the  Herald  or 
Times.  The  failure  of  that  cable  prevented  the  scheme  from  being 
carried  into  effect ;  but  a  story  was  written  about  that  time  by  Dick- 
ens for  which  Bonner  paid  $5000.  It  was  this  idea  that  no  doubt 
suggested  to  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette,  of  London,  the  costly  telegram 
of  the  introductory  chapter  of  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe's  rejoin- 
der in  the  famous  Byron  slander. 

If  the  Ledger  has  not  yet  produced  any  new  writers,  it  has  been 
the  means  of  developing  the  talents  and  genius  of  many  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Sylvanus  Cobb  has  been  its  most  prolific  con- 
tributor. He  was  employed  on  G/eason's  Pictorial  before  he  wrote 
for  the  Ledger.  "The  Gunmaker  of  Moscow,"  written  by  him,  had 
a  "great  run,"  as  they  say  on  the  play-bills.  Mrs.  Southworth's 
"Island  Princess"  and  "Hidden  Hand"  were  also  popular,  and  in- 
creased the  circulation  of  the  paper.  Leon  Lewis,  and  his  wife,  Har- 
riet Lewis,  are  both  employed  exclusively  on  the  Ledger.  She  wrote 
"  The  Double  Life,"  and  he  produced  "Kit  Carson's  Last  Trail,"  the 
best  Indian  story,  it  is  averred,  since  the  days  of  Fenimore  Cooper. 
How  ample  the  editorial  basket  must  be  to  hold  the  discarded  man- 
uscripts of  such  an  establishment ! 

Among  the  recent  writers  are  Miss  Dupuy,  Mrs.  Dallas,  Mrs.  Eth- 
el Lynn  Beers,  John  G.  Saxe,  James  Parton,  Professor  Wm.  Henry 
Peck,  and  Judge  Clarke.  Immense  sums  are  paid  for  the  reading 
matter  of  the  paper.  If  any  thing  is  worth  publishing,  it  is  worth 
paying  for.  Of  course,  the  revenue  is  commensurate?.  The  income 
tax  returns,  that  fickle  barometer  of  the  wealth  of  America,  place 
Mr.  Bonner  high  on  the  scale  of  millionaires. 

One  feature  in  the  character  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Ledger  is  his 


652  Journalism  in  America. 

originality.  It  has  enabled  him  to  give  his  paper  a  position  of  its 
own.  When  he  appears  in  public,  whether  behind  Dexter  and  Peer- 
less, or  in  an  advertisement  offering  the  Ledger  or  his  country  seat 
for  sale,  he  attracts  attention.  Worn  down  with  fatigue,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  the  metropolis,  where  he  intended  to  recuperate, 
and  give  himself  and  family  the  advantages  of  fresh  air.  After  re- 
siding there  for  two  or  three  seasons,  the  following  advertisement 
made  its  appearance  in  the  papers  : 

A  COUNTRY  SEAT  FOR  SALE  WHERE  THERE  IS  FEVER  AND  AGUE. 
I  hereby  offer  for  sale  my  country  residence  at  West  Morrisania,  near  Melrose 
Station,  where  I  have  lived  for  the  past  three  summers,  but  do  not  think  I  could 
live  much  longer.  I  have  heard  that  people  looking  for  a  place  to  purchase  could 
never  find  one  where  they  have  chills  and  fever ;  they  always  have  it  about  a  mile, 
a  mile  and  a  half,  or  two  miles  off,  but  never  right  there,  at  the  place  that  is  for 
sale.  Now  I  offer  for  sale  a  curiosity — something  rare — the  precise,  exact  spot 
where  the  fever  and  ague  is.  I  will  warrant  it  to  be  there.  Three  of  my  children 
have  it ;  my  gardener  has  it ;  my  groom  has  the  sure  premonitory  symptoms ; 
and  I  have  a  sufficient  inkling  of  it  myself.  Any  doctor,  with  a  large  family,  who 
has  a  specific  for  fever  and  ague,  would  find  this  a  most  eligible  situation.  The 
neighborhood  is  full  of  the  disease,  and  if  he  could  keep  it  out  of  his  own  family 
it  would  give  him  a  reputation  which  would  insure  his  fortune.  Besides  the  fever 
and  ague,  the  estate  consists  of  a  fine  double  house,  with  all  modern  conveniences 
and  improvements,  such  as  hot  and  cold  water,  furnace,  range,  etc.,  and  about  two 
acres  of  land,  with  a  pretty  fair  barn,  and  some  good  box-stalls  for  good  horses. 
It  is  really  a  beautiful  place  ;  the  grounds  are  handsomely  laid  out,  and  covered 
with  trees  and  shrubbery  of  the  choicest  kind.  These  trees  afford  not  only  a  de- 
lightful shade,  but  a  nice  harbor  for  musquitoes.  The  musquitoes,  thue  far,  have 
not  been  so  much  affected  by  the  fever  and  ague  as  to  prevent  their  biting — in 
fact,  it  is  a  good  place  for  musquitoes.  I  bought  it  to  please  my  wife,  and  shall 
leave  it  to  please  my  whole  family.  Terms,  cash.  I  am  afraid  any  security  on  it 
would  get  the  fever  and  ague  and  become  shaky.  Those  wishing  to  purchase  will 
please  apply  immediately.  I  want  to  get  away  from  it  as  fast  as  Dexter  can  car- 
ry me.  ROBERT  BONNER. 

Ledger  Office,  No.  90  Beekman  Street,  September  18,  1867. 

P.S. — The  town  authorities  have  begun  to  make  alterations  in  the  street  ad- 
joining, and  if  they  drain  the  place  as  well  as  they  do  the  pockets  of  the  landhold- 
ers, it  may  become  healthy. 

When  President  Grant  got  into  trouble  with  the  gold-dealers  of 
Wall  and  Broad  Streets,  in  the  memorable  gold-gambling  operations 
of  September,  1869,  Bonner  came  to  the  rescue,  and  caused  any 
amount  of  envy  and  jealousy  in  the  other  newspaper  offices  of  New 
York  by  the  following  correspondence,  which  appeared  in  almost 
every  journal  in  the  land  : 

EDITOR   BONNER  TO  PRESIDENT  GRANT. 

Office  of  the  Ledger,  corner  of  Spruce  and  William  Streets,  ) 

NEW  YORK,  October  n,  1869. 

MY  DEAR  GENERAL, — As  I  stated  to  you  immediately  after  your  election  that 
there  was  no  office  which  I  desired  either  for  myself  or  any  friend,  I  have  had  no 
occasion  to  write  to  you  in  regard  to  such  matters.  There  is  a  matter  now,  how- 
ever, that  concerns  you  personally,  and  in  which  I  feel  that  I  discern  your  interest 
so  plainly  that  I  take  the  liberty  to  write  to  you  with  reference  to  it.  I  do  this 
with  less  hesitation,  because  you  did  me  the  honor,  after  your  election,  to  confide 
to  me  pretty  fully  your  views.  In  the  present  disturbed  state  of  the  public  mind 
concerning  the  recent  gold  combination,  is  it  not  the  quickest  and  surest  way  to 
set  at  rest  the  great  excitement  and  uneasiness  which  prevail  for  you  to  make  a 


General  Grant  and  Henry  Ward  Beecher.     653 

brief  denial  over  your  own  signature  of  all  foreknowledge  of  that  combination,  in 
order  to  relieve  yourself  entirely  from  all  responsibility  for  the  acts  of  others  ?  Of 
course,  those  who  know  you  personally  do  not  require  such  a  disclaimer  ;  but  the 
great  public,  whose  minds  are  liable  to  be  warped  by  the  determined  and  persist- 
ent efforts  to  injure  you,  will  be,  it  seems  to  me,  at  once  satisfied  and  quieted  by 
such  a  statement.  Sincerely  yours,  ROBERT  BONNER. 

President  GRANT. 

PRESIDENT  GRANT  TO   EDITOR  BONNER. 

WASHINGTON,  D.C.,  October  13, 1869. 
Robert  Banner,  Esq. : 

DEAR  SIR, — Your  favor  of  the  nth  inst.  is  received.  I  have  never  thought  of 
contradicting  statements  or  insinuations  made  against  me  by  irresponsible  parties, 
as  those  are  alluded  to  in  your  letter ;  but  as  you  have  written  to  me  on  the  sub- 
ject in  so  kind  a  spirit,  I  will  say  that  I  had  no  more  to  do  with  the  late  gold  ex- 
citement in  New  York  City  than  yourself,  or  any  other  innocent  party,  except  that 
I  ordered  the  sale  of  gold  to  break  the  ring  engaged,  as  I  thought,  in  a  most  dis- 
reputable transaction.  If  the  speculators  had  been  successful,  you  would  never 
have  heard  of  any  one  connected  with  the  administration  as  being  connected  with 
the  transaction.  Yours  truly,  U.  S.  GRANT. 

P.S. — I  have  written  this  in  great  haste,  and  without  exercising  judgment  as  to 
the  propriety  of  writing  it,  but  I  submit  it  to  your  judgment.  U.  S.  G. 

So,  too,  with  the  cause  celebre  of  M'Farland  and  Richardson.  Bon- 
ner  saw  that  his  protege,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  had  made  a  mistake, 
and  he  therefore  saved  him  by  giving  the  Plymouth  pastor  an  op- 
portunity to  free  himself  by  open  confession.  This  was  neatly  done 
in  this  way,  and  it  "  went  the  rounds"  of  the  Press.  Bonner  took 
infinite  pleasure  in  doing  these  kind  acts. 

MR.  BONNER   TO   MR.  BEECHER. 

Office  of  the  Ledger,  NEW  YORK,  December  n,  1869. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  BEECHER, — According  to  the  corrected  report  in  the  Tribune 
of  your  remarks  at  the  Astor  House,  you  seem  to  charge  M'Farland  with  the  only 
offense  which  is  a  scriptural  ground  for  divorce.  His  friends  most  emphatically 
deny  the  truth  of  such  a  charge.  From  many  years'  intimate  acquaintance  with 
you,  I  know  you  to  be  incapable  of  an  act  of  intentional  injustice  towards  any  one, 
especially  towards  a  man  about  to  be  tried  for  his  life.  If,  in  the  haste  and  ex- 
citement of  the  occasion,  you  took  this  statement  without  time  to  investigate  it, 
on  mere  hearsay  evidence,  and  without  any  legal  proof  to  sustain  it,  is  it  not  a 
plain  matter  of  duty  on  your  part  towards  the  accused  to  come  out  and  say  so 
publicly  ?  I  never  saw  M'Farland  in  my  life — never  expect  to  see  him ;  but  I 
know  that  you  would  be  as  unwilling  as  I  to  be  the  cause  of  any  unjust  prejudice 
against  him  at  the  time  of  his  trial.  I  know,  in  common  with  your  other  friends, 
that  if  you  have  been  misled  in  regard  to  any  one  circumstance,  it  is  owing  to  the 
warmth  and  readiness  of  your  sympathy  for  suffering,  however  caused,  even  if  by 
a  man's  own  sins.  Your  friend,  ROBERT  BONNER. 

MR.  BEECHER'S  REPLY 

BROOKLYN,  December  n,  1869. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  BONNER, — I  took  every  statement  of  every  kind  respecting  the 
affair  of  which  you  write  me  "  without  time  to  investigate."  The  man  was  dying. 
Was  that  a  time  for  sifting  evidence?  What  was  to  be  done  must  be  done 
quickly.  I  asked  only  such  things  as  should  determine  whether  I  had  a  right  to 
go  forward.  It  was  for  my  own  sake,  therefore,  that  I  hastily  inquired,  and  not 
to  inculpate  or  to  exculpate  any  one. 

But  as  you  now  call  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  what  I  did  for  my  own  justifi- 
cation is  hanging  over  M'Farland  to  his  injury,  and  tends  to  forestall  a  verdict 
against  him,  I  agree  with  you  that  I  ought  not  to  let  it  remain  uncorrected.  I 
should  be  as  unwilling  to  do  an  act  of  injustice  towards  Wm  as  towards  any  one 
else.  Concurring,  therefore,  with  you,  that  it  is  now  due  to  M'Farland  for  me  to 


654  Journalism  in  America. 

state  that  I  know  of  no  legal  proof  against  him  on  that  point,  I  do  so  unhesitat- 
ingly. At  the  time  that  I  stated  what  I  did,  I  thought  of  its  relation  only  to  other 
parties.  I  did  not  dream  of  its  bearing  upon  M'Farland. 

I  am  truly  yours,  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER. 

This  journalist,  who  has  accomplished  so  much,  has  another  hobby 
besides  the  Ledger.  He  rides  two.  The  second  is  the  horse.  No 
man  has  spent  so  much  money,  nor  devoted  so  much  study  to  this 
noble  animal  as  Bonner.  It  is  estimated  that  the  horses  in  his 
stables  are  worth  $150,000.  He  would  not  take  that  money  for 
them.  They  are  the  fastest  in  the  country.  They  are  splendid  in 
every  point  of  view.  No  other  man  better  understands  the  diseases 
of  the  animal,  especially  of  the  feet,  so  important  to  keep  in  order 
in  a  horse.  No  veterinary  surgeon  can  excel  him  in  this  knowl- 
edge. He  was  lately  asked  which  he  enjoyed  the  most,  the  Ledger 
or  Dexter  ? 

"  That  is  difficult  to  answer,"  he  said.  "  One  is  business,  the 
other  pleasure :  I  enjoy  both.  Some  people  are  silly  enough  to  think 
that  I  bought  Dexter  as  an  advertisement.  I  bought  him  because 
I  wanted  to  beat  Commodore  Vanderbilt  and  to  have  the  fastest 
horse  in  the  world." 

"  But  you  do  some  things  partly  as  an  advertisement  ?"  interroga- 
ted his  friend. 

"  I  never  engaged  a  writer,  or  bought  any  thing,  or  did  any  thing 
as  an  advertisement.  What  I  have  done  has  been  natural  to  me, 
and  because  I  wanted  to  do  them,  but  never  was  the  impelling  mo- 
tive the  notoriety  that  was  likely  to  follow.  When  I  want  advertise- 
ments I  pay  for  them  as  advertisements." 

Whether  these  matters  of  pleasure  and  taste,  as  affecting  his  busi- 
ness, were  the  impelling  motives  or  not,  it  is  manifest  that  what  such 
a  man  does  invariably  attracts  general  attention,  and  tends  to  the 
same  result  as  if  he  really  did  buy  Dexter  or  write  to  the  President 
as  a  means  to  notoriety.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  if  the  Ledger  was 
not  a  good  paper,  and  worth  its  subscription  price,  all  the  Dexters 
in  Christendom  would  not  make  it  the  great  success  it  has  proved  to 
be.  It  has  a  circulation  of  nearly  four  hundred  thousand.  This,  we 
believe,  is  confined  almost  wholly  to  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
One  news  company — the  American — takes  all,  except  what  are  call- 
ed the  mail  subscribers,  which  go  direct  from  the  office  of  publica- 
tion. That  company  takes  weekly  nearly  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  copies,  and  pays  cash  for  them.  About  fifty  thousand  are 
sent  by  mail.  Forty  thousand  copies  go  to  Boston,  twenty  five  thou- 
sand to  Philadelphia,  twelve  thousand  to  Baltimore,  seven  thousand 
to  St.  Louis,  six  thousand  to  Providence,  and  so  on  throughout  the 
country. 

The  Ledger,  like  many  other  prosperous  and  wealthy  newspaper 


The  Ledger  Building.  655 

establishments  in  New  York,  Boston,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Chica- 
go, and  New  Orleans,  has  a  building  of  its  own.  It  is  constructed 
of  marble,  and  is  a  palace  in  appearance,  and  comfort,  and  conven- 
ience. Its  press-room  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country. 
It  has  eight  drum  cylinder  presses — four  of  Hoe's  and  four  of 
Taylor's — and  an  Andrews  engine. 

Thus  the  Ledger  stands  superior  in  the  periodical  and  news  liteA- 
ture  of  America,  and,  with  increased  wealth,  will  do  much  towards 
developing  the  fresh,  robust,  and  prolific  intellect  of  the  New  World. 
En  avant. 


656  Journalism  in  America. 


9  CHAPTER  XLL 

THE  PRESS  CLUBS  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  PRESS  CLUB  OF  NEW  YORK. — KOSSUTH'S  RECEPTION  AND 
SPEECH.  —  THE  DICKENS  BANQUET.  —  SPEECHES  OF  GREELEY,  DICKENS, 
RAYMOND,  CURTIS,  AND  HAWLEY. — THE  PRESS  SOCIAL  ASSOCIATIONS. — 
WHAT  THEY  DO. — No  CONNECTION  WITH  THE  NEWS  ASSOCIATIONS. 

ONE  Saturday  evening  in  the  month  of  November,  in  1851,  there 
was  a  gathering  of  journalists  at  the  Astor  House  in  New  York,  to 
see  what  the  Press  should  do  in  recognition  of  Kossuth,  who  was 
then  flashing  over  the  country  like  a  meteor.  Kossuth  had  been 
an  editor  in  Hungary.  He  had  been  a  lawyer,  a  politician,  a  patriot, 
a  statesman.  He  had  been  feted  by  each  of  these  classes  and  pro- 
fessions. It  was  therefore  considered  to  be  the  duty  of  the  Press 
also  to  fete  him  as  an  editor.  These  journalists  met  at  the  Astor 
House  for  this  purpose.  Three  gentlemen,  Parke  Godwin,  of  the 
Evening  Post,  Henry  J.  Raymond,  of  the  Times,  and  one  of  the  edit- 
ors of  the  Herald,  were  selected  as  a  Committee  of  Arrangements. 
It  was  decided  to  give  the  distinguished  Magyar  a  dinner. 

The  banquet  took  place  at  the  Astor  House  on  the  i3th  of  De- 
cember, 1851.  It  was  a  splendid  affair.  Speeches  were  made,  and 
Kossuth,  as  usual,  uttered  a  brilliant  one.  The  Press  were  delighted. 
William  Cullen  Bryant,  of  the  Evening  Post,  presided.  George  Ban- 
croft, the  historian,  made  some  remarks,  concluding  with  the  senti- 
ment, 

The  American  Press — it  is  responsible  for  the  liberties  of  mankind. 

That  part  of  Kossuth's  speech  respecting  the  Press,  and  its  power 
and  influence,  we  give  : 

*  *  *  *  I  address  you  with  joy,  because,  conscious  of  the  immensity  of  the 
power  which  you  wield,  it  is  natural  to  feel  some  awe  in  addressing  those  in  whose 
hands  the  success  or  the  failure  of  our  hopes  is  placed.  Still,  I  equally  know  that 
in  your  hands,  gentlemen,  the  independent  republican  Press  is  a  weapon,  but  a 
weapon  to  defend  truth  and  justice,  and  not  to  offend.  It  is  no  screen  to  hide, 
no  snuffers  to  extinguish  the  light,  but  a  torch  lit  at  the  fire  of  immortality,  a 
spark  of  which  is  glistening  in  every  man's  soul,  to  prove  its  divine  origin ;  a 
torch  which  you  wield  loftily  and  high,  to  spread  light  with  it  to  the  most  lonely 
regions  of  humanity.  And  as  the  cause  of  my  country  is  the  cause  of  justice  and 
truth,  as  it  has  in  no  respect  to  fear  light,  but  rather  wants  nothing  but  light  to  see 
secured  to  it  the  support  and  protection  of  every  friend  of  freedom,  of  every  noble- 
minded  man,  these  are  the  reasons  why  I  address  you  with  joy,  gentlemen — the 
more  with  joy,  because,  though  it  is  sorrowful  to  see  that  ill-willed  misrepresenta- 
tions or  secret  Austrian  intrigues,  distorting  plain,  open  history  to  a  tissue  of 
falsehood  and  lies,  know  how  to  find  their  way  even  to  a  small,  insignificant  part 


Kossutk  before  the  New  York  Press.          657 

of  the  American  Press,  still  I  am  proud  and  happy  to  see  that  the  immense  ma- 
jority of  the  American  Press  not  only  proved  inaccessible  to  these  venomous  in- 
trigues, but,  conscious  of  the  noble  vocation  of  an  independent  Press,  and  yielding 
to  the  generous  inclination  of  freemen,  of  protecting  truth  and  justice  against  the 
dark  plots  of  tyranny,  has,  without  any  interference  on  my  part,  come  forth  to 
protect  the  sacred  cause  of  Hungary.  The  independent  Press  of  this  great  repub- 
lic has  in  this  very  case  also  proved  to  the  world  that  even  against  the  mischiev- 
ous power  of  calumnies  the  most  efficient  protection  is  the  freedom  of  the  Press, 
and  not  preventive  measures,  condemning  human  intellect  to  eternal  minority.  I 
address  you,  gentlemen,  the  more  with  joy,  because  through  you  I  have  the  inval- 
uable benefit  to  address  the  whole  university  of  the  great,  glorious,  and  free  people 
of  the  United  States.  That  is  a  great  word,  gentlemen,  and  yet  it  is  literally  true. 
While,  eighty  years  ago,  immortal  Franklin's  own  press  was  almost  the  only  one 
in  the  colonies,  now  there  are  over  three  thousand  newspapers  in  the  United 
States,  having  a  circulation  of  five  millions  of  copies,  and  amounting  in  their 
yearly  circulation  to  the  prodigious  number  of  nearly  four  and  a  half  hundred  mil- 
lions ;  every  grown  man  in  the  Union  reads  on  the  average  two  newspapers  a 
week,  and  one  hundred  and  five  copies  a  year ;  nearly  eighteen  copies  fall,  in  the 
proportion  to  the  population,  to  every  human  being  in  the  Union,  man,  woman, 
and  child.  I  am  told  that  the  journals  of  New  York  State  alone  exceed  in  num- 
ber those  of  all  the  rest  of  the  world  beyond  your  great  Union,  and  the  circulation 
of  the  newspapers  of  this  city  alone  nearly  exceeds  those  of  the  whole  empire  of 
Great  Britain.  But  there  is  yet  one  particularly  remarkable  fact  which  I  can  not 
forbear  to  mention,  gentlemen.  I  boldly  declare  that  beyond  the  United  States 
there  exists  scarcely  a  practical  freedom  of  the  Press — at  least  in  Europe,  not  ex- 
cept perhaps  Norway,  of  whose  condition,  in  that  respect,  I  am  not  quite  aware. 
You  know,  gentlemen,  how  the  Press  is  fettered  throughout  the  European  conti- 
nent— even,  for  the  present,  in  France  itself,  whose  great  nation,  by  a  strange  fate, 
sees,  under  a  nominally  republican  but  centralized  government,  all  the  glorious 
fruits  of  their  great  and  victorious  revolutions  wasting  between  the  blasting  fingers 
of  centralized  administrative  and  legislative  omnipotence.  You  know  how  the 
independent  Press  of  France  is  murdered  by  imprisonment  of  their  editors  and 
by  fees ;  you  know  how  the  present  government  of  France  feels  unable  to  bear 
the  force  of  public  opinion,  so  much  that  in  the  French  republic  the  very  legitimate 
shout  of  "  Vive  la  Reptiblique"  has  almost  become  a  crime.  This  very  circum- 
stance is  sufficient  to  prove  that  in  that  glorious  land,  where  the  warm  and  noble 
heart  of  the  French  nation  throbs  with  self-confidence  and  noble  pride,  a  new 
revolution  is  an  unavoidable  necessity.  It  is  a  mournful  view  which  the  great 
French  nation  now  presents,  but  it  is  also  an  efficient  warning  against  the  pro- 
pensities of  centralization,  inconsistent  with  freedom,  become  inconsistent  with 
self-government,  and  it  is  also  a  source  of  hope  for  the  European  continent,  be- 
cause we  know  that  things  in  France  can  not  endure  thus  as  they  are ;  we  know 
that  to  become  a  true  republic  is  a  necessity  for  France,  and  thus  we  know  also 
that  whoever  be  the  man  who  in  the  approaching  crisis  will  be  honored  by  the 
confidence  of  the  French  nation,  he  will,  he  must  be  faithful  to  that  grand  principle 
of  fraternity  towards  the  other  nations,  which,  being  announced  by  the  French  Con- 
stitution to  the  world,  raised  such  encouraging  but  bitterly  disappointed  expecta- 
tions through  Europe's  oppressed  continent.  But  it  is  chiefly,  almost  only  Great 
Britain  in  Europe  which  boasts  to  have  a  free  Press,  and  to  be  sure,  during  my 
brief  stay  in  England,  I  joyfully  saw  that  really  there  is  a  freedom  to  print,  almost 
an  unlimited  one,  so  far  that  I  saw  printed  advertisements  spread  at  every  corner, 
and  signed  by  the  publishers,  stating  that  Queen  Victoria  is  no  lawful  queen ;  that 
she  ought  to  be  sent  to  the  Tower,  and  all  those  who  rule  ought  to  be  hanged. 
Men  laughed,  and  nobody  cared  about  the  foolish  extravagancy.  And  yet  I  dare 
say,  and  I  hope  the  generous  people  of  Great  Britain  will  not  feel  offended  at  my 
stating  the  fact,  that  there  is  no  practical  freedom  of  the  Press.  The  freedom  of 
the  Press,  to  be  a  practical  one,  must  be  a  common  benefit  to  all,  else  it  is  no  free- 
dom, but  a  privilege.  It  is  wanting  two  ingredients — freedom  of  printing  and  free- 
dom of  reading.  Now  there  is  no  freedom  of  reading  there,  because  there  is  no 
possibility  for  the  people  at  large  to  do  so — because  the  circulation  of  newspa- 
pers, the  indispensable  moral  food  of  human  intellect,  is,  by  a  heavy  taxation, 
checked.  The  Press  is  a  source  of  public  revenue,  and  by  the  incumbrance  of 

TT 


658  Journalism  in  America. 

stamp  and  paper  duties,  made  almost  inaccessible  to  the  poor.  Hence  it  is  that 
the  newspapers  in  the  United  States  are  only  one  tenth,  and  in  some  cases  one 
twentieth  the  price  of  English  or  French  papers,  and  hence,  again,  is  the  immense 
difference  in  their  circulation.  In  the  United  States  several  of  the  daily  papers 
every  morning  reaching  from  thirty  to  forty  thousand  readers,  whereas  the  Lon- 
don Times  is  considered  to  be  a  monster  power  because  it  has  a  circulation  of 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  thousand  copies,  of  which  I  was  told  during  my  stay  in 
England  that  the  good,  generous  sense  of  the  people  has  abated  some  six  thou- 
sand copies  in  consequence  of  its  foul  hostility  to  the  just  and  sacred  cause  of 
Hungary.  Such  being  the  condition  of  your  Press,  gentlemen,  it  must,  of  course, 
be  a  high  source  of  joyful  gratification  to  me  to  have  the  honor  to  address  you, 
gentlemen,  because  in  addressing  you  I  really  address  the  whole  people  of  the 
United  States — not  only  a  whole  people,  but  a  whole  intelligent  people,  gentlemen. 
That  is  the  highest  praise  which  can  upon  a  people  be  bestowed,  and  yet  it  is  no 
praise — it  is  the  acknowledgment  of  a  real  fact.  The  very  immensity  of  the  circu- 
lation of  your  journals  proves  it  to  be  so,  because  this  immense  circulation  is  not 
only  due  to  that  constitutional  right  of  yours  to  speak  and  print  freely  your  opin- 
ions ;  it  is  not  only  due  to  the  cheap  price  which  makes  your  Press  a  common 
benefit  to  all,  and  not  a  privilege  to  the  rich,  but  it  is  chiefly  due  to  the  univer- 
sality of  public  instruction,  which  enables  every  citizen  to  read.  It  is  a  glorious 
thing  to  know  that  this  flourishing  young  city  alone,  where  streets  of  splendid 
buildings  proudly  stand,  where  a  few  years  ago  the  river  spread  its  waves,  or  the 
plow  tilled,  nearly  one  hundred  thousand  children  receive  public  education  an- 
nually. Do  you  know,  gentlemen,  where  I  consider  the  most  glorious  monu- 
ments of  your  country  ?  If  it  be  so  as  I  have  read  it  once,  it  is  that  fact  that 
when,  in  the  steps  of  your  wandering  squatters,  your  engineers  go  on  to  draw  geo- 
metrical lines,  even  in  the  territories  where  the  sound  of  a  human  step  never  yet 
has  mixed  with  the  murmurs  by  which  virginal  nature  is  adoring  the  Lord — in 
every  place  marked  to  become  a  township,  on  every  sixteenth  square,  you  place 
a  modest  pole,  with  the  glorious  mark,  "  Popular  Education  Stock."  This  is  your 
proudest  monument.  However,  be  this  really  the  case  or  not,  in  every  case,  in 
my  opinion,  it  is  not  your  geographical  situation,  not  your  material  power,  not  the 
bold,  enterprising  spirit  of  your  people  which  I  consider  to  be  the  chief  guarantee 
of  your  country's  future,  but  the  universality  of  education  ;  because  an  intelligent 
people  never  can  consent  not  to  be  free.  You  will  be  always  willing  to  be  free, 
and  you  are  great  and  powerful  enough  to  be  so  good  as  your  will.  My  humble 
prayers  to  benefit  my  country's  cause  I  must  so  address  to  the  public  opinion  of 
the  whole  intelligent  people  of  the  United  States.  You  are  the  mighty  engineers 
of  this  sovereign  power  upon  which  rest  my  country's  hopes ;  it  must  be,  there- 
fore, highly  gratifying  to  me  to  see,  not  isolated  men,  but  the  powerful  complete 
of  the  great  word  "  PRESS"  granting  me  this  important  manifestation  of  generous 
sentiments  and  of  sympathy  ;  still  I  address  you  with  fear,  gentlemen,  because  you 
are  aware  that  since  my  arrival  here  I  had  the  great  honor  and  valuable  benefit 
to  see  my  whole  time  agreeably  occupied  by  the  reception  of  the  most  noble  man- 
ifestations of  public  sympathy,  so  much  that  it  became  entirely  impossible  for  me 
to  be  thus  prepared  to  address  you,  gentlemen,  in  a  language  which  I  but  very  im- 
perfectly speak,  as  the  great  importance  of  this  occasion  would  have  required,  and 
my  high  regards  for  yourselves  had  pointed  out  as  a  duty  to  me.  However,  I 
hope  you  will  take  this  very  circumstance  for  a  motive  of  excuse.  You  will  gen- 
erously consider  that  whenever  and  wherever  I  publicly  speak,  it  is  always  chiefly 
spoken  to  the  Press  ;  and,  lowering  your  expectations  to  the  humility  of  my  abili- 
ties, and  to  the  level  of  the  principal  difficulties  of  my  situation,  you  will  feel  in- 
clined to  sorrte  kind  indulgence  for  me,  were  it  only  out  of  brotherly  generosity  for 
one  of  your  professional  colleagues,  as  I  profess  to  be  one.  Yes,  gentlemen,  it  is 
a  proud  recollection  of  my  life  that  I  commenced  my  public  career  in  the  humble 
capacity  of  a  journalist.  And  in  that  respect  I  may  perhaps  be  somewhat  entitled 
to  your  brotherly  indulgence,  as  you,  in  the  happy  condition  which  the  institutions 
of  your  country  insure  to  you,  can  have  not  even  an  idea  of  the  tortures  of  a  jour- 
nalist who  has  to  write  with  fettered  hands,  and  who  is  more  than  fettered  by  an 
Austrian  arbitrary  preventive  censorship.  You  have  no  idea  what  a  torture  it  is 
to  sit  down  to  your  writing-desk,  the  breast  full  of  the  necessity  of  the  moment, 
the  heart  full  of  righteous  feelings,  the  mind  full  of  convictions  and  of  principles, 


Von  Beust  on  the  Press.  659 

and  all  this  warmed  by  the  lively  fire  of  a  patriot's  heart,  and  to  see  before  your 
eyes  the  scissors  of  the  censor  ready  to  (all  upon  your  head  like  the  sword  of 
Damocles,  lopping  your  ideas,  maiming  your  arguments,  murdering  your  thoughts ; 
and  his  pencil  before  your  eyes,  ready  to  blot  out,  with  a  single  draught,  the  work 
of  your  laborious  days  and  of  your  sleepless  nights ;  and  to  know  that  the  people 
will  judge  you,  not  by  what  you  have  felt,  thought,  and  written,  but  by  what  the 
censor  wills ;  to  know  that  the  ground  upon  which  you  stand  is  not  a  ground 
known  to  you,  because  limited  by  rules,  but  an  unknown,  slippery  ground,  the 
limits  of  which  lie  but  within  the  arbitrary  pleasure  of  your  censor,  doomed  by 
profession  to  be  stupid,  and  a  coward,  and  a  fool ;  to  know  all  this,  and  yet  not 
to  curse  your  destiny,  not  to  deny  that  you  know  to  read  and  to  write,  but  to  go 
on,  day  by  day,  in  the  torturing  work  of  Sisyphus. — oh  !  it  is  the  greatest  sacri- 
fice which  an  intelligent  man  can  make  to  fatherland  and  humanity.  And  this  is 
the  present  condition  of  the  Press,  not  in  Hungary  only,  but  in  all  countries  cursed 
by  Austrian  rule.  Our  past  revolution  gave  freedom  to  the  Press  not  only  in  my 
fatherland,  but  by  indirect  influence  also  to  Vienna,  Prague,  Lemberg — in  a  word, 
to  the  whole  empire  of  Austria.  This  very  circumstance  must  be  sufficient  to 
insure  your  sympathy  to  my  country's  cause,  as,  on  the  contrary,  the  very  cir- 
cumstance that  the  victory  of  the  Hapsburgian  dynasty,  achieved  by  treason  and 
Russian  arms,  was  a  watchword  to  oppress  the  Press  in  Hungary,  in  Austria,  in 
Italy,  in  Germany,  nay,  throughout  the  European  continent.  The  contemplation 
that  the  freedom  of  the  Press  on  the  European  continent  is  inconsistent  with  the 
preponderance  of  Russia,  and  the  very  existence  of  the  Austrian  dynasty,  this 
sworn  enemy  of  freedom  and  of  liberal  thought,  your  generous  support  will  sweep 
away  those  tyrants  and  raise  liberty  where  now  foul  oppression  proudly  rules. 

Among  the  speakers  were  Charles  King,  formerly  of  the  New  York 
America7i,  and  then  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  Henry  J.  Raymond, 
of  the  Times,  Parke  Godwin,  of  the  Evening  Post,  Charles  A.  Dana, 
of  the  Tribune,  and  Freeman  Hunt,  of  the  Merchants'  Magazine. 

Au  contraire  of  these  opinions  of  Kossuth  in  1851,  we  annex  the 
views  of  Count  Von  Beust,  the  present  leading  statesman  of  Austria, 
who  so  recently  and  quietly  settled  the  very  troubles  that  Kossuth 
so  elaborately  ventilated  through  the  Press  of  America.  In  an  in- 
terview with  the  Vienna  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Herald  on 
the  2ist  of  December,  1869,  Count  Von  Beust  said : 

The  condition  of  our  Press  is  by  no  means  as  satisfactory  as  it  might  be.  In- 
stead of  seriously  ventilating  important  political  questions,  and  arriving  at  the 
best  means  of  their  solution,  as  is  done  by  journalism  in  your  and  other  countries, 
they  adopt  the  inferior  tactics  of  dealing  in  vituperations  and  personalities,  and 
thus  forget  the  real  cause  at  issue.  So  violently  has  this  "  national  autonomy" 
question  been  brought  forward,  that  it  has  completely  put  in  the  shade  the  Con- 
cordat excitement,  and  individual  dissensions  have  been  mixed  up  with  it  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  undermine  the  harmony  of  the  cabinet.  Much  fault  must  be  at- 
tached to  the  venom  of  the  Press  ;  and,  of  all  reforms,  this  is  the  most  necessary. 
Up  to  1848  the  different  nationalities  lived  peaceably  enough  together.  After  the 
revolution,  and  with  the  setting  in  of  the  reactionary  period,  bickerings  com- 
menced, which  have  slowly  increased.  The  clamors  of  the  Magyars  of  Hungary 
have  much  engrossed  the  attention  of  his  (the  count's)  predecessors,  though  none 
of  them  had  been  able  to  find  a  remedy.  One  thing  they  considered  unavoidable, 
namely,  the  protection  of  the  German  minority,  and  Count  Schmerling's  ingen- 
ious system  of  apportionment  of  franchise  and  qualifications  of  voters  had  an- 
swered its  purpose  most  wonderfully.  The  increasing  clamors  of  the  non-German 
element  were  not  hushed  by  the  catastrophe  of  1866 ;  indeed,  they  became  so  loud 
in  Hungaria — which,  by  ancient  privileges  and  the  compact  mass  of  the  Magyars, 
was  the  most  entitled  to  be  heard — that,  when  entering  office  in  Austria  after  the 
war,  I  felt  the  necessity  of  grappling  with  the  subject,  and  determined,  as  the  only 
means  of  quieting  the  country,  upon  instituting  the  present  dualistic  form  of  gov- 


66o  Journalism  in  America. 

ernment.  The  ultra  Magyar  party,  going  still  further  in  its  pretensions,  was  suc- 
cessfully beaten ;  the  moderados,  or  ^address  party,  willing  to  obtain  reforms  by 
petition,  gained  the  upper  hand ;  the*  emperor  was  then  crowned  at  Pesth,  and 
great  was  the  joy  and  general  satisfaction.  In  doing  this  I  had  to  revive  the  for- 
mer constitution,  which  had  been  rather  illegally  suspended  by  one  of  my  predeces- 
sors. But,  then,  when  the  Reichsrath  was  called  in  the  Tcheckians  of  Bohemia, 
Moravia  staid  away  and  would  have  no  share  in  it.  Now  their  affair  has  be- 
come the  paramount  question,  and  it  is  useless  to  deny  that  something  must  be 
done  for  them  and  their  grievances.  But  here  again  you  may  see  the  want  of 
judgment  of  our  public  Press,  and,  I  may  add,  of  many  of  our  public  men  and  rep- 
resentatives, who  waste  time  in  endless  rhodomontades  without  ever  arriving  at 
any  tangible  or  practical  result. 

Well,  this  editorial  banquet  originated  the  Press  Club  in  New  York. 
It  dined  every  Saturday  at  the  Astor  House.  Every  distinguished 
stranger  was  invited  to  dine  with  the  club.  It  became  an  institution 
with  a  large  portion  of  the  journalists  of  the  metropolis.  We  don't 
suppose  its  dinners,  or  its  speeches,  or  the  intercourse  of  its  mem- 
bers improved  the  tone  of  the  Press ;  intellectual  and  material  com- 
petition is  more  effective  in  that  direction.  It  made  the  editors  of 
New  York  better  acquainted  with  each  other,  and  they  were  brought 
more  closely  together ;  but,  like  merchants,  lawyers,  and  clergymen 
— indeed,  as  in  all  other  professions  and  trades — they  continued  to 
criticise  and  abuse  each  other,  as  they  always  did  and  always  will. 

The  dinners  of  the  Press  Club  were  always  considered  private. 
It  was  never  mentioned  in  the  newspapers  who  dined  with  them,  or 
xvhat  they  said.  Much  wit  was  thus  lost  to  the  world.  All  was  al- 
ways under  the  beautiful  rose  that  hung  over  their  table — the  scent 
went  no  farther.  But  when  Charles  Dickens  was  invited  to  dine 
with  the  club  in  1868  the  occasion  was  made  an  exception  to  the 
general  rule.  This  banquet  took  place  on  the  i8th  of  April  of  that 
year,  at  Delmonico's. 

Among  the  names  of  the  journalists  present  were  Horace  Gree- 
ley,  of  the  New  York  Tribune;  Henry  J.  Raymond,  of  the  New  York 
Times ;  Samuel  Bowles,  of  the  Springfield  Republican  ;  W.  H.  Hurl- 
bert,  formerly  of  the  Times  and  World;  George  William  Curtis,  of 
Harper's  Weekly;  James  Parton,  of  the  North  American  Review  ;  M. 
Halstead,  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial;  J.  T.  Fields,  of  the  Atlantic 
Monthly;  Charles  F.  Briggs,  of  Putnam's  Magazine;  D.  G.  Croly,  of 
the  New  York  World;  Oliver  Johnson,  of  the  Independent;  Charles 
Nordhoff,  of  the  Evening  Post;  John  Russell  Young,  formerly  of  the 
New  York  Tribune,  and  afterwards  of  the  Philadelphia  Post ;  John 
R.  G.  Hassard,  of  the  New  York  Tribune  ;  C.  P.  Dewey,  of  the  Com- 
mercial Advertiser;  General  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  of  the  Hartford  Cour- 
ant;  G.W.  Demers,  of  the  Albany  Evening  Journal ;  the  Rev.  H.  M. 
Field,  of  the  Evangelist;  Samuel  Sinclair,  of  the  New  York  Tribune ; 
A.  J.  Schem,  of  the  New  York  Tribune;  F.  J.  Ottarson,  of  the  New 
York  Tribune;  Colonel  T.  B.  Thorpe  and  D.W.  Judd,  of  the  Commer- 


The  Dickens  Dinner.  66 1 

cial  Advertiser ;  J.  W.  Simonton,  of  the  Associated  Press ;  Augustus 
Maverick,  of  the  Evening  Post ;  S.  S.  Conant,  of  the  New  York  Times ; 
George  Shepparcl,  of  the  New  York  Times ;  W.  W.  Harding,  of  the 
Philadelphia  Inquirer ;  A.  D.  Richardson,  of  the  New  York  Tribune ; 
C.  B.  Seymour,  of  the  New  York  Times  ;  F.  B.  Carpenter  and  Henry 
E.  Sweetser,  of  the  New  York  World;  Charles  H.  Sweetser,  of  the 
Evening  Mail;  Thomas  M'Elrath,  formerly  of  the  New  York  Tribune; 
J.  F.  Cleveland,  of  the  Tribune;  the  Hon.  William  Orton  ;  Thomas 
Nast,  of  Harper's  Weekly  ;  E.  H.  Clement,  of  the  New  York  Tribune; 
Edwin  De  Leon,  of  the  New  York  Citizen ;  J.  Smith  Homans,  of  the 
Bankers'  Magazine;  Whitelaw  Reid,  of  the  Cincinnati  Gazette,  after- 
wards of  the  New  York  Tribune  ;  B.  C.  Howard,  of  the  Evening  Mail '; 
W.  W.  Warden,  of  the  Philadelphia  Inquirer  ;  William  Stuart,  former- 
ly dramatic  critic  of  the  New  York  Tribune  ;  John  Bonner,  formerly 
of  the  Herald  and  Harper's  Weekly ;  William  Young,  formerly  of  the 
Albion. 

Our  intention,  in  giving  a  few  extracts  of  the  speeches  delivered 
on  that  interesting  occasion,  is  to  exhibit  the  tone  of  the  speakers 
in  regard  to  their  own  profession,  rather  than  to  occupy  any  of  our 
space  in  the  splendid  praise  bestowed  upon  Dickens.  These  remarks 
are  somewhat  autobiographical  in  character,  and  therefore  form  a 
part  of  our  compilation.  Horace  Greeley  presided.  He  said  : 

It  is  now  a  little  more  than  thirty-four  years  since  I,  a  young  printer,  recently 
located  in  the  city  of  New  York,  had  the  audacity  to  undertake  the  editing  and 
publishing  a  weekly  newspaper  for  the  first  time.  Looking  around  at  that  day  for  * 
materials  with  which  to  make  an  engaging  appearance  before  the  public,  among 
the  London  magazines  which  I  purchased  for  the  occasion  was  the  old  Monthly, 
containing  a  story  by  a  then  unknown  writer — known  to  us  only  by  the  quaint  des- 
ignation of  "  Boz."  That  story,  entitled,  I  think,  at  that  time  "  Delicate  Atten- 
tions," but,  in  its  present  form,  entitled  "  Mr.  Watkins  Tottle,"  I  selected  and  pub- 
lished in  the  first  number  of  the  first  journal  with  which  my  name  was  connected. 
Pickwick  was  then  an  unchronicled,  if  not  uncreated  character.  Sam  Weller  had 
not  yet  arisen  to  increase  the  mirth  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  We  had  not  heard, 
as  we  have  since  heard,  of  the  writer  of  those  sketches,  whose  career  then  I  may 
claim  to  have  in  some  sort  commenced  with  my  own  [great  laughter],  and  the  re- 
lation of  admirer  and  admired  has  continued  from  that  day  to  the  present.  I  am 
one  of  not  more  than  twenty  of  the  present  company  who  welcomed  him  in  this 
country,  on  an  occasion  much  like  this,  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  When  I  came 
to  visit  Europe,  now  seventeen  years  ago,  one  of  my  most  pleasant  experiences 
there,  and  one  of  my  pleasantest  recollections  of  Europe,  is  that  of  buying  in  the 
farthest  city  I  visited — the  city  of  Venice,  on  the  Adriatic — an  Italian  newspaper, 
and  amusing  myself  with  what  I  could  not  read — a  translation  of  "  David  Cop- 
perfield,"  wherein  the  dialogue  between  Ham  and  Peggotty,  with  which  I  was  fa- 
miliar in  English,  was  rendered  into  very  amusing  Italian.  *  *  *  *  Friends 
and  fellow-laborers,  as  I  am  to  set  you  an  example  to-night  of  a  short  speech,  I 
will,  without  further  prelude,  ask  you  to  join  me  in  this  sentiment :  "  Health  and 
happiness,  honor  and  generous,  because  just,  recompense  to  our  friend  and  guest, 
Charles  Dickens." 

After  the  applause  Mr.  Dickens  replied.  We  merely  give  that 
part  of  his  speech  relating  to  his  connection  with  the  Pfess : 

I  can  not  do  better  than  take  my  cue  from  your  distinguished  president,  and 


662  Journalism  in  America. 

refer  in  my  first  remarks  to  his  remarks  in  connection  with  the  old,  natural  asso- 
ciation between  you  and  me.  When  I  received  an  invitation  from  a  private  as- 
sociation of  working  members  of  the  Press  of  New  York  to  dine  with  them  to-day, 
I  accepted  that  compliment  in  grateful  remembrance  of  a  calling  that  was  once 
my  own,  and  in  loyal  sympathy  toward  a  brotherhood  which,  in  the  spirit,  I  have 
never  quitted.  To  the  wholesome  training  of  severe  newspaper  work  when  I  was 
a  very  young  man  I  constantly  refer  my  first  successes,  and  my  sons  will  here- 
after testify  of  their  father  that  he  was  always  steadily  proud  of  that  ladder  by 
which  he  rose.  If  it  were  otherwise,  I  should  have  but  a  very  poor  opinion  of 
their  father — which,  perhaps,  upon  the  whole,  I  have  not.  Hence,  gentlemen,  un- 
der any  circumstances,  this  company  would  have  been  exceptionally  interesting 
and  gratifying  to  me.  But  whereas  I  supposed  that,  like  the  fairies'  pavilion  in 
the  Arabian  Nights,  it  would  be  but  a  mere  handful,  and  I  find  it  turn  out,  like  the 
same  elastic  pavilion,  capable  of  comprehending  a  multitude,  so  much  the  more 
proud  am  I  of  the  honor  of  being  your  guest ;  for  you  will  readily  believe  that  the 
more  widely  representative  of  the  Press  in  America  my  entertainers  are,  the  more 
I  must  feel  the  good  will  and  the  kindly  sentiments  toward  me  of  that  vast  insti- 
tution. 

The  president  then  remarked  that,  as  the  Press  was  to  "celebrate 
itself,"  he  called  upon  Mr.  Raymond  to  respond  to  the  toast  of"  The 
New  York  Press."  Mr.  R.  said  : 

The  Press  of  New  York,  from  its  geographical  position,  to  say  nothing  else, 
maintains  a  quasi  prominence  among  the  Press  of  the  country.  That  Press  has 
maintained  an  independent  existence,  not  only  in  itself,  but  through  its  organiza- 
tion. For  many  years  (if  I  may  say  many  in  speaking  of  the  few  years  during 
which  I  have  been  connected  with  it)  it  has  had  an  organization  in  form  as  a 
Press  Club  ;  and  it  is  among  the  most  pleasant  of  my  recollections  in  connection 
with  the  Press  of  New  York  that,  in  that  form  of  organization,  it  has  been  our 
good  fortune,  at  various  times,  to  greet  as  guests  and  to  entertain,  with  whatever 
hospitality  we  were  able  to  extend  to  them,  gentlemen  of  distinction  and  position 
who  did  us  the  honor  to  visit  us  from  the  countries  of  Europe.  I  remember  al- 
most the  first  of  those  occasions,  when  that  truly  great  man,  then  recently  ex- 
pelled from  the  office  of  governor  of  Hungary — Kossuth,  the  exile — came  to  this 
country,  and  charmed  so  many  of  our  people  by  the  sea-shore,  and  in  the  depths 
of  the  densest  wilderness  of  the  West,  and  in  great  cities,  and  every  where  he  went, 
by  the  silver  voice  in  which  he  uttered  such  sweet  words  in  behalf  of  liberty  and 
freedom,  and  by  that  sad,  solemn  eye  with  which,  as  our  eloquent  orator,  Rufus 
Choate,  has  said,  "  he  seemed  constantly  to  be  beholding  the  sad  procession  of 
unnamed  demigods  who  had  died  for  their  native  land."  He  was  one  of  the  most 
honored  guests  of  the  New  York  Press.  Then  came  to  us,  and  honored  us  by  his 
presence,  as  he  has  honored  England  and  the  world  by  his  services,  that  great 
statesman  whom  your  people,  sir  (turning  to  Mr.  Dickens),  now  honor  as  they  hon- 
or few  among  their  dead  or  their  living — Richard  Cobden.  Then,  too,  came  to 
us,  and  greeted  us  with  the  right  hand  of  brotherhood,  your  great  brother  in  lit- 
erature, William  M.  Thackeray.  And  I  may  say  that,  of  the  many  things  that 
touched  the  hearts  of  our  people,  none  touched  them  more  nearly,  or  struck  home 
more  closely,  than  the  feeling  and  eloquent  words  of  the  heart  in  which  he  spoke 
to  us  of  his  brother  in  letters,  Charles  Dickens.  We  did  not  need,  sir,  that  he 
should  tell  us  how  much  that  name  was  cherished  by  the  lovers  of  humanity  all 
the  world  over,  wherever  the  English  tongue  was  spoken  or  read ;  but  he  never 
said  one  word  in  praise  of  that  name  that  did  not  meet  with  as  hearty  a  response 
here  as  human  words  ever  brought  from  human  hearts.  He  told  us  then  what 
was  true  then,  and  what  has  been  growing  more  and  more  true  ever  since,  that  the 
writings  of  that  illustrious  brother  of  his  in  the  world  of  letters  had  done  more 
than  any  other  event  or  occurrence,  more  than  any  other  service  which  he  could 
call  to  mind,  to  make  the  men  of  the  world  feel  that  they  were  brothers,  that  they 
had  common  interests,  that  they  were  all  sons  of  one  father,  striving  and  march- 
ing toward  one  end,  and  that  each  deserved  and  ought  to  have  the  love,  the  sym- 
pathy, the  cordial  good  offices  and  kindly  feeling  of  every  other.  These,  sir,  are 
among  the  felicities  of  the  New  York  Press.  The  Press  of  other  parts  of  the 


The  Journalists  as  Orators.  663 

country  have  enjoyed  them  also  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  I  know  they  have 
all  sympathized  with  the  feelings  which  pervaded  our  hearts  at  our  good  fortune 
in  meeting  such  men,  and  hearing  them  speak  such  words  of  brotherly  kindness 
and  love.  *  *  *  We  are  all  laboring  in  a  common  cause.  I  think  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  the  Press,  the  free  Press,  all  over  the  world,  has  but  one  common  mission 
— to  elevate  humanity.  It  takes  the  side  of  the  humble,  the  lowly,  and  the  poor — 
always  of  necessity,  a  necessity  of  its  own  existence — as  against  those  who  from 
mere  position  and  power  hold  in  their  hands  the  destinies  of  the  lowly  and  the 
poor,  for  whom  the  Press  is  instituted.  We  are  all  of  us,  more  or  less  directly, 
more  or  less  exclusively,  connected  with  the  movements  of  governments — govern- 
ments of  various  forms — in  different  parts  of  the  world,  and  through  different  agen- 
cies and  ways,  in  that  common  effort  to  elevate  the  great  mass  of  our  fellow-men, 
to  improve  their  material  condition,  and  give  them  a  higher  ground  to  stand  upon 
and  a  stronger  foot  to  go  through  the  weary  task  that  all  of  us,  in  some  degree, 
have  to  undergo  before  we  fulfill  our  pilgrimage  here  on  earth. 

Mr.  Greeley  now  called  upon  the  Weekly  Press.  He  said : 
When  we  speak  of  the  Press  of  New  York,  we  are  too  apt — we  gentlemen  of 
the  daily  journals  are  too  apt — to  monopolize  the  phrase  as  peculiarly,  if  not  ex- 
clusively our  own.  The  Daily  Press  has  a  certain  conspicuous  position  in  the 
public  eye.  By  means  of  the  telegraph  and  its  connections  it  seems  more  directly 
related  to  the  leading  minds  of  the  country  than  any  other  portion  of  the  Press ; 
but  we  must  remember  that  where  one  man  reads  a  daily  journal  there  are  several 
who  read  a  weekly  journal,  and  that  the  position  of  the  Daily  Press,  though  im- 
portant, is  certainly  not  solitary.  I  propose  "  The  Weekly  Press,"  and  I  call  upon 
George  William  Curtis  to  respond. 

Mr.  Curtis,  in  a  very  neat  and  professional  way,  said  : 
As  I  now  look  around  upon  this  cheerful  company,  I  like  to  think  that  this 
pleasant  feast  is  not  merely  a  tribute  to  an  author  whose  books  have  made  all  his 
readers  his  friends,  but  is  a  fraternal  greeting  of  welcome  and  farewell  from  us, 
who  are  all  in  various  ways  reporters,  to  our  comrade,  a  late  reporter  of  The  Lon- 
don Morning  Chronicle,  who  shall  here  and  now,  and  at  no  other  time,  and  no- 
where else  in  the  world,  be  nameless.  He  has  ceased,  indeed,  to  write  for  The 
Morning  Chronicle,  but  he  has  not  ceased  to  be  a  reporter.  He  is  a  famous  story- 
teller ;  but  I  ask  this  table  of  experts  whether  that  shows  him  to  be  no  longer  a 
reporter  ?  He  is  a  great  novelist ;  but  what  are  novelists  ?  They  are  men  com- 
missioned by  nature  to  see  human  life  and  the  infinite  play  of  human  character, 
and  write  reports  upon  them.  So  a  certain  Spaniard  inspected  the  grotesque  as- 
pect of  decaying  chivalry,  and  wrote  his  famous  report,  "  Don  Quixote."  So  a 
certain  Scotchman  beheld  the  romantic  splendor  of  the  Crusader,  and  called  his 
report  "  Ivanhoe."  So  a  sad-eyed  countryman  of  ours  saw  a  tragic  aspect  in 
early  New  England  life,  and  called  his  marvelous  report  the  "  Scarlet  Letter." 
And  so  our  nameless  friend  oiTke  Morning  Chronicle,  with  the  same  commission 
as  that  of  Cervantes,  of  Scott,  of  Hawthorne,  observing  the  various  aspects  of  life 
in  his  own  time,  has  written  his  prodigious  series  of  reports,  which  have  become 
household  words  all  the  year  round.  They  have  not  only  revealed  wrongs,  but 
have  greatly  helped  to  right  them.  One  he  called,  for  instance,  Nicholas  Nickle- 
by,  and  with  hilarious  indignation  Dotheboys  Hall  was  laughed  and  cried  away. 
Perhaps  he  called  another  Oliver  Twist,  and  the  cold  poor-house  was  turned  in- 
side out,  and  warmed  with  the  sun  of  human  charity.  Upon  another  I  read  Bleak 
House  ;  and,  as  I  turn  the  pages,  the  long,  bitter  winter  of  the  law's  delay  lies  ex- 
posed. He  turns  his  eye  backward,  and  it  seems  to  me  nobody  truly  understands 
the  terrible  form  and  spirit  of  the  French  Revolution,  although  he  may  have  read 
all  the  historians,  if  he  has  not  read  that  wonderful  report,  The  Tale  of  Two  Cities. 
And  still,  thank  Heaven,  the  good  work  goes  on.  The  eye,  and  the  heart,  and 
the  hand  are  untiring.  The  eager  world  reads,  and  reads,  and  reads ;  and  the  re- 
porter's genial  magic  makes  it  a  great,  good-natured  Oliver  asking  for  more. 
If,  in  the  pursuit  of  his  calling,  he  came  to  us  who  loved  and  honored  him,  he  still 
faithfully  and  frankly  reported  his  observations.  The  old  proverb  says  nobility 
obliges ;  but  genius  obliges  still  more.  Fidelity  to  his  own  observation  is  all 
that  we  can  ask  of  any  reporter.  However  grateful  he  may  be  for  our  hospitality, 


664  Journalism  in  America. 

we  can  not  insist  that  he  shall  pour  our  Champagne  into  his  eyes  so  that  he  can 
not  see,  nor  stuff  our  pudding  into  his  ears  so  that  he  can  not  hear.  He  was 
obliged  to  hear  and  see,  and  report  many  things  that  were  not  pleasant  nor  flat- 
tering. It  is  the  fate  of  all  reporters.  I  do  not  remember  that  those  very  com- 
petent observers,  Mr.  Emerson  and  Mr.  Hawthorne,  whom  we  sent  to  England, 
represented  that  country  as  altogether  a  paradise,  and  John  Bull  as  a  saint  with- 
out blemish.  They  told  a  great  deal  of  truth  about  England,  as  it  seems  to  me 
our  friend  told  a  great  many  wholesome  and  valuable  truths  about  us.  Naturally 
we  did  not  find  every  part  of  his  report  very  entertaining ;  but  neither,  I  suppose, 
did  Lord  Dedlock  find  Bleak  House  very  amusing,  and  I  am  sure  that  to  this 
day  neither  Sergeant  Buzfuz  nor  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  Stareleigh  have  ever  been 
able  to  find  the  least  fun  in  Pickwick.  For  my  undivided  thirty-millionth  part 
of  the  population  I  thank  the  reporter  with  all  my  heart,  and  I  do  not  forget  that 
if  his  touch,  like  the  ray  of  a  detective's  lantern,  sparkled  for  a  moment  upon 
some  of  our  defects,  the  full  splendor  of  its  light  has  been  always  turned  upon  the 
sins  and  follies  of  his  own  country.  If  I  seem  to  have  wandered  from  my  text, 
Mr.  Chairman,  it  only  seems  so.  The  members  of  the  Weekly  Press,  for  whom  I 
have  the  honor  of  speaking,  pursue  literature  as  a  profession,  and  I  know  not 
where  we  could  study  the  fidelity,  the  industry,  the  conscience,  the  care,  and  the 
enthusiasm  which  are  essential  to  success  in  our  profession  more  fitly  than  in  the 
example  of  the  editor  of  All  the  Year  Round.  M.  Thiers,  in  a  recent  speech,  says 
that  the  world  now  needs  every  day  a  new  book  written  every  day.  Hence  the 
newspaper.  The  responsibility  of  the  authors  of  that  book  is  enormous.  The 
world  is  governed  by  public  opinion,  and  nothing  moulds  that  opinion  more  pow- 
erfully than  the  Press.  Its  great  divisions,  as  we  know  them,  are  two — the  liter- 
ary and  the  political.  The  paramount  duty  of  the  Literary  Press  is  purity ;  of 
the  Political  Press,  honesty.  Our  copyright  law,  as  you  are  aware,  Mr.  Chairman, 
inflicts  a  fine  for  every  repetition  of  the  offense,  so  that  the  fine  is  multiplied  as 
many  times  as  there  are  copies  of  the  book  printed ;  so  the  man  who,  as  a  writer 
for  the  Press,  says  what  he  does  not  believe,  or  defends  a  policy  that  he  does  not 
approve,  or  panders  to  a  base  passion  or  a  mean  prejudice  for  a  party  purpose, 
is  so  many  times  a  traitor  to  the  craft  represented  at  this  table  as  there  are  copies 
of  his  newspaper  printed ;  and  as  honest,  or  even  dishonest  difference  of  opin- 
ion is  entirely  compatible  with  courtesy,  as  even  denunciation  is  a  thousand-fold 
more  stinging  and  effective  when  it  is  not  vituperation,  decency  of  manner  becomes 
the  Press  no  less  than  decency  of  matter.  When  the  manners  of  the  Press  be- 
come those  of  Tombs  pettifoggers,  or  Old  Bailey  shysters,  or  the  Eatans-will  Ga- 
zette, its  influence  upon  society  will  be  revealed  by  a  coarse  and  brutal  public  opin- 
ion. While  we  boast  of  the  tremendous  power  of  the  Press,  let  us  remember  that 
the  foundations  of  its  power  as  a  truly  civilizing  influence  are,  first,  purity,  then 
honesty,  then  sagacity  and  industry.  It  may  sometimes  seem  otherwise  ;  but  it  • 
is  an  illusion.  A  man  may  build  up  a  great  journal  as  he  may  amass  any  other 
great  fortune,  and  seem  to  be  a  shining  miracle  of  prosperity ;  but  if  he  have  nei- 
ther love,  nor  honor,  nor  troops  of  friends,  his  prosperity  is  a  fair  orchard  bearing 
only  apples  of  Sodom.  It  is  a  curious  and  interesting  fact  that,  at  an  official  in- 
vestigation made  a  few  years  since  in  England,  a  newspaper  dealer,  in  reply  to  a 
question  of  Mr.  Cobden's,  gave  it  as  the  result  of  twenty  years'  experience  that 
objectionable  newspapers,  daily  or  weekly,  were  short-lived,  while  the  publica- 
tions of  the  highest  intellectual  and  moral  quality  constantly  increased  in  circula- 
tion. It  is  impossible  to  determine  the  limits  or  the  merits  of  individual  agency, 
but  there  is  no  doubt  that  among  the  most  vigorous  forces  in  the  elevation  of  the 
character  of  the  Weekly  Press  had  beenffouse/wtd  Words  xn&  All  the  Year  Round ; 
and  since  the  beginning  of  the  publication  of  Household  Words,  the  periodical  lit- 
erature of  England  has  been  born  again. 

The  President  then  called  upon  General  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  of 
the  Connecticut  Courant,  one  of  the  centenarian  newspapers,  to  re- 
spond for  "  the  New  England  Press."  General  H.  said  : 

It  is  but  a  few  hours,  comparatively,  since  I  received  warning  that  I  should  be 
called  upon,  and  as  I  was  obliged  to  work  diligently  upon  other  matters  in  order 
to  secure  the  pleasure  of  being  here  at  all,  I  had  hoped  to  be  "  off  duty"  this  even- 


The  Increase  of  Clubs.  665 

ing.  I  feel  somewhat  as  might  a  very  respectable  and  very  courteous  old  bache- 
lor if  he  should  kindly  consent  to  hold  a  small  bundle  for  a  few  minutes  while  the 
lady  stepped  round -the  corner,  and  should  then  find  himself  the  responsible  hold- 
er of  a  strange  baby,  growing  to  be  a  very  big  elephant  on  his  hands.  This  chair, 
just  vacated  by  my  side,  belongs  to  the  gentleman  who  should  have  responded 
for  the  New  England  Press — our  excellent  friend,  Sam.  Bowles,  of  the  Spring- 
field Republican,  the  model  newspaper  of  the  Provincial  Press.  But  there  will  be 
one  merit — brevity — in  what  I  shall  have  to  say.  One  still  July  afternoon  the 
city  items  man  of  the  journal  upon  which  I  worked,  in  despair  of  matter  for  his 
column,  sat  meditatively  observing  a  small  boy  climbing  up  to  and  upon  the  fig- 
ure of  Madame  Justice  upon  the  State-house  cupola.  Said  he,  "  If  that  boy  should 
fall  he  would  make  about  so  much" — measuring  a  "  stickful"  on  his  finger.  If  I 
were  to  speak  of  and  not  for  the  New  England  Press,  perhaps  I  may  claim  that 
New  England  has  spoken  already,  and  speaks  for  herself  through  her  newspaper 
men  every  where.  The  honored  chairman  [Mr.  Greeley]  is  one  of  our  New  En- 
gland boys ;  and  so  also  is  the  gentleman  who  has  just  spoken  so  eloquently 
upon  the  right  of  our  distinguished  guest.  [Mr.  Raymond  shook  his  head.]  Well, 
we  certainly  educated  him,  and  I  thought  from  his  versatile  and  characteristic 
ability  that  he  must  be  one  of  our  own  Yankees.  The  venerated  senior  of  the 
Post,  whose  absence  we  all  regret,  went  from  us,  and  the  able  editors  of  the 
World  and  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  the  other  eloquent  gentleman  upon  my 
left  [Mr.  Curtis],  were  ours.  There  is  then  little  necessity  that  I  should  continue. 
But  I  am  right  glad  and  proud  to  have  an  opportunity  of  gratefully  acknowledg- 
ing our  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Dickens.  Twenty-five  years  ago,  as  a  school-boy,  I 
hung  upon  the  timbers  of  a  bridge  that  I  might  have  a  fair  opportunity  to  look 
upon  the  man  whose  books  were  my  delight  beyond  all  others,  and  I  could  not 
have  dreamed  that  after  such  a  lapse  of  time  I  should  have  the  happiness  of 
thanking  him.  It  is  sometimes  said  that  there  is  something  rigid  and  severe  in 
the  traditional  New  England  character,  though  we  have  been  unable  to  see  it  as 
clearly  as  some  of  our  critics  outside.  Whether  it  be  so  or  not,  I  do  most  hearti- 
ly thank  him  in  behalf  of  many  thousands  of  Yankee  boys  who  have  grown  up 
his  devoted  readers  and  admirers, 'and  whom  he  has  for  a  generation  wonderfully 
delighted  and  greatly  instructed,  whom  he  has  taught  to  look  tenderly  upon  the 
weaker  side  of  humanity,  whom  he  has  taught  that  it  is  not  unmanly  to  cry,  and 
certainly  not  to  laugh  most  heartily.  Those  who  have  preceded  me  have  spoken 
of  the  debt  we  owe  him.  Newspaper  men  owe  no  small  share  of  it.  What  a 
deal  of  trouble  it  saves  us,  for  example,  to  say  of  an  opponent  that  he  is  a  Peck- 
sniffian !  You  anticipate  me  by  seeing  at  a  glance  the  numberless  instances  in 
which  a  word  from  Dickens,  by  a  sort  of  stenographic  system  of  allusions  and 
characterizations  well  comprehended  by  a  universal  public,  saves  you  whole  col- 
umns of  writing. 

Out  of  this  club,  and  in  sympathy  with  the  idea  originating  it, 
Press  Associations  have  been  formed  in  many  cities  and  in  many 
states.  The  Press  of  New  Jersey  has  its  annual  dinner  ;  the  Press 
of  Boston  its  annual  supper  ;  and  the  Press  of  the  interior  of  New 
York  enjoy  the  same  sort  of  pleasure.  There  is  the  Maine  Press 
Association ;  the  New  England  Press  Association ;  and  the  West- 
ern Press  Association.  There  is  also  the  Massachusetts  Editors' 
and  Publishers'  Association.  There  is  an  organization  in  New  Or- 
leans called  the  Association  of  American  Medical  Editors.  They 
throw  their  "  physic  to  the  dogs"  the  day  before  their  banquet. 
The  members  of  these  associations  have  their  regular  meetings, 
where  they  talk  over  the  business  of  their  profession,  eat  the  most 
recherchk  dinners  and  suppers,  plan  pleasant  excursions  to  distant 
parts  of  the  country,  and  are  happier  mortals. 


666  Journalism  in  America. 

These  organizations  are  entirely  distinct  from  what  is  known  as 
the  Associated  Press.  That  is  purely  a  news  institution,  and  has 
been  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  existence  ;  that  deals  in  facts, 
and  not  in  fricassee  ;  that  originated  in  the  introduction  of  the  mag- 
netic telegraph  as  a  news-carrier.  The  clubs  are  social  gatherings. 
Besides  those  formed  of  editors  and  proprietors,  the  reporters  have 
organized  separate  associations  of  their  own,  not  only  for  mutual 
enjoyment,  but  for  mutual  benefit  in  the  event  of  illness,  or  acci- 
dent, or  death. 

None  of  these  social  circles  are  destined  for  a  long  life,  but  they 
are  useful  while  they  last. 


The  New  York  World.  667 


CHAPTER  XLII. 
THE  NEW  YORK  WORLD. 

HOW  IT  WAS  STARTED. — ITS  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER. — T\VO  HUNDRED  THOU- 
SAND DOLLARS  LOST  IN  THE  ENTERPRISE.  —  ITS  CHANGE  OF  BASE.  —  ITS 
UNION  WITH  THE  COURIER  AND  ENQUIRER. — THE  BOGUS  PROCLAMATION. 
— SUSPENSION  OF  THE  WORLD  BY  THE  GOVERNMENT. — ITS  REAPPEARANCE 
AND  MANIFESTO.  —  REPUDIATION  OF  SEYMOUR  AND  BLAIR.  —  THE  LITER- 
ARY CHARACTER  OF  THE  PAPER.  —  ITS  ENTERPRISE.  —  MANTON  MARBLE, 
ITS  EDITOR. 

THE  New  York  World  appeared  in  June,  1860.  Why  was  it  start- 
ed ?  What  has  it  accomplished  ? 

The  Herald,  Tribune,  and  Times  were  active  and  had  large  circu- 
lations. The  Journal  of  Commerce,  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  the 
Neu>s,  the  Sun,  and  the  Express  were  published  every  morning  ;  the 
Commercial  Advertiser,  Evening  Post,  and  Express  appeared  every 
evening.  They  represented  all  classes  apparently ;  where  was  the 
place  for  the  World  ? 

It  was  at  this  period  that  the  Times,  Herald,  and  'Tribune  had  be- 
come representative  papers.  The  Herald  had  its  own  community 
of  readers,  and  the  Tribune  its  peculiar  class  ;  the  Times  represent- 
ed the  juste  milieu.  It  was  thought  that  these  famous  journals  met 
the  wants  of  the  community ;  and  if  not,  the  remaining  papers,  the 
staid  Journal  of  Commerce,  the  impulsive  Courier,  the  semi-religious 
Commercial,  the  poetic  and  free-trade  Post,  the  plebeian  Sun,  and  the 
democratic  News  would  meet  any  deficiency.  But  all  the  journalists 
of  that  day  were  in  error.  What  was  wanted  was  a  daily  religious 
paper — a  daily  moral  paper — to  give  all  the  news,  to  shut  out  the 
wretched  criminal  police  reports,  to  ignore  the  slander-suits  and  pru- 
rient divorce  cases ;  not  to  shock  the  public  with  the  horrid  details 
of  murders,  but  to  give  the  news,  such  as  ought  to  satisfy  any  rea- 
sonable being — indeed,  it  was  to  publish  a  paper  conducted  on  high 
moral  principles,  excluding  advertisements  of  theatres,  as  the  Trib- 
une for  a  time  had  done ;  excluding  all  improper  matter,  as  the  Times 
for  a  time  had  done ;  and  giving  all  the  news,  as  the  Herald  always 
had  done. 

With  this  high  purpose  in  view,  a  large  sum  of  money  was  sub- 
scribed by  some  of  the  best  men  in  the  metropolis.  Alexander 
Cummings,  formerly  of  the  North  American,  and  afterwards  of  the 


668  Journalism  in  America. 

Evening  Bulletin,  of  Philadelphia,  was  selected  as  its  manager.  He 
had  evidently  full  powers.  He  was  editor  plenipotentiary  and  jour- 
nalist extraordinary  in  this  new  enterprise.  His  chief  assistant  was 
James  R.  Spalding,  a  classmate  of  Henry  J.  Raymond,  and  for  some 
time  a  writer  on  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  He  was  a  tall,  dignified, 
scholarly  editor.  Hoe  made  one  of  his  fastest  lightning  presses  for 
the  new  establishment.  The  splendid  new  building  on  the  block 
with  the  Times  was  leased.  One  of  the  largest  and  most  dangerous 
looking  signs  ever  seen  was  erected  on  its  roof.  Park  Row  and 
Beekman  Street  were  excavated  for  deep  vaults  for  press-room  and 
paper-room.  Besides  all  this,  the  new  concern  unwisely  became  a 
member  of  the  Associated  Press.  Editors  and  reporters  were  en- 
gaged. All  the  arrangements  were  made  and  completed,  and  one 
bright  morning  in  1860  the  Wbrltttcd&t  its  appearance. 

It  was  a  dignified  and  a  moral  sheet.  When  we  take  the  religious 
statistics  of  New  York  City  into  consideration,  we  find  a  religious 
community  large  enough  to  support  such  a  paper  as  the  World was 
intended  to  be,  and  to  support  it  handsomely — magnificently ;  but  it 
lacked  something ;  it  did  not  fill  the  eye  of  the  religious  portion  of 
the  public  ;  they  would  look  at  the  World,  but  they  would  not  go  to 
bed  without  reading  the  Herald,  or  the  Times,  or  the  Tribune.  There 
was  evidently  something  wrong.  What  was  it  ?  The  World  had  all 
the  telegraphic  and  all  the  shipping  intelligence  that  the  other  pa- 
pers had,  and,  with  its  contemporaries,  it  had  the  world,  physically 
and  mentally,  before  it — as  full  of  events,  as  full  of  news,  as  full  of 
meat,  in  a  word,  as  an  oyster.  But  the  universal  world  was  Pan- 
dora's box  to  the  New  York  World.  It  refused  to  give  any  details 
of  the  evils  that  filled  the  box,  and  waited  patiently  and  expensive- 
ly for  the  appearance  of  that  sleeping  beauty,  Hope,  which  was  so 
snugly  and  cosily  coiled  up  at  the  bottom. 

Two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  it  was  maintained,  were  spent 
in  the  effort  to  make  the  World  a  success.  Those  who  subscribed 
this  money  became  disgusted.  No  wonder  they  did.  Alexander 
Cummings  became  not  only  disgusted,  but  he  afterwards  became 
Governor  of  Wyoming  Territory.  The  World  changed  hands.  It 
then  became  a  secular  paper — a  worldly  World,  and  has  not  since 
deviated  from  its  new  path.  The  Herald,  after  this,  in  speaking  of 
its  three  contemporaries,  called  them  "  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil." 

No  better  men  than  the  originators  of  this  paper  ever  lived.  They 
wished  to  inculcate  sound  principles  and  sound  morals  among  the 
masses.  Their  intentions  were  excellent,  but  difficult  to  carry  out. 
Colonel  Cummings  was  a  journalist  of  great  experience  in  Philadel- 
phia ;  he  was  educated  under  the  wing  of  the  Hon.  Simon  Cam- 


Union  of  the  World  and  Courier  and  Enquirer.  669 

eron  ;  he  was  shrewd,  active,  intelligent ;  every  one  supposed  that, 
if  any  one  knew  the  requirements  of  a  first-class  paper,  he  did ;  but 
he  failed.  The  Tribune  was  started  on  high  moral  grounds;  so 
was  the  Times ;  but  the  managers  of  these  papers  found  that  they 
could  not  ignore  the  facts  of  the  day.  They  live.  So  it  was  with 
the  World;  but  its  financial  supporters,  in  the  fullness  of  their  own 
integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose,  would  not  consent  to  a  change  of 
policy  in  that  paper  for  all  the  pecuniary  gain  in  the  world.  They 
preferred  to  sink  the  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Their  motto 
was  Principles  with  Principal,  or  nothing. 

'On  the  ist  of  July,  1861,  the  World  and  the  Morning  Courier  and 
New  York  Enquirer  were  united,  and  appeared  on  that  morning  un- 
der the  double  name  of  the  two  papers.  The  Courier  and  Enquirer 
of  the  27th  of  June,  i86i,thus  announced  its  partial  disappearance 
from  the  field  of  journalism  : 

TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

On  Monday,  July  ist,  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  will  change  its  form  from  folio 
to  the  more  popular  quarto  shape.  This  change  of  issue  we  have  long  had  in 
contemplation,  having  several  years  since  advanced  so  far  in  that  direction  as  to 
cause  a  portion  of  the  necessary  machinery  for  such  a  change  to  be  prepared,  but 
the  advice  of  timid  friends  dissuaded  us.  The  intended  change  will  not  affect  our 
business  relations  with  advertisers  in  any  respect,  except  that,  for  the  future,  their 
favors  will  have  the  important  advantage  of  an  immensely  increased  circulation. 
Our  advertising  and  publication  office  will  continue,  as  heretofore,  at  No.  162  Pearl 
Street ;  and  in  the  absence  of  the  senior  editor,  General  Webb,  from  the  country, 
he  will  be  represented  by  his  son,  Mr.  Robert  S.  Webb,  who  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  for  the  last  twelve  years,  and  who  has 
justly  won  the  reputation  of  being  the  equal  of  any  associate  editor  ever  employed 
on  the  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

*****  Fashions  change,  and  so  do  the  tastes  of  the  public ;  and  in 
nothing  has  this  change  been  more  apparent  than  in  regard  to  newspapers.  The 
folio  form  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  is  less  attractive  than  formerly,  and  a  very 
large  majority  of  the  public  demand  cheap  newspapers,  which  may  be  purchased 
at  the  corners  of  the  streets  and  upon  every  thoroughfare  of  the  country.  We 
have  long  felt  the  necessity  of  conforming  to  this  change  in  public  taste,  but,  in 
consequence  of  the  number  of  competitors  already  in  the  field,  we  have  hesitated 
to  make  an  experiment  which  would  necessarily  involve  a  very  large  outlay  of 
capital,  and  greatly  increased  labor  in  the  mechanical  department  of  the  paper. 

We  are  happy  to  announce,  however,  that  we  have  completed  an  arrangement 
with  the  World  newspaper,  which,  while  it  accomplishes  in  a  single  day  all  that 
we  have  desired,  secures  to  the  readers  of  the  Courier  and  Enqiiircr,  and  all  who 
favor  us  with  their  advertisements,  every  advantage  which  energy,  enterprise,  and 
an  enormous  outlay  of  capital  could  have  promised  them.  In  one  word,  from  and 
after  the  ist  day  of  July,  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  and  the  World  become  one 
newspaper,  and  will  be  published  as  the  World  and  Courier  and  Enquirer  in  the 
form  and  on  the  terms  and  conditions  of  the  World. 

We  need  not  dwell  on  the  advantages  of  this  union  to  the  readers,  and  the 
friends  and  advertisers  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer.  There  is  not  one  of  them 
who  would  not  greatly  rejoice  to  know  that  we  had  received  an  addition  of  some 
THIRTY  THOUSAND  to  our  subscription  list,  and  it  certainly  would  not  be  cause  of 
regret  to  them  that  the  price  of  subscription  to  the  joint  paper  is,  at  the  same 
time,  reduced  more  than  a  third.  And  such  is  precisely  the  intelligence  which  we 
this  morning  have  the  pleasure  to  communicate. 

The  leading  feature  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  has  been  its  identification  with 
the  commercial  interests  of  our  city,  and  for  years  past  the  question  has  been 


670  Journalism  in  America. 

asked,  Why  can  you  not  combine  the  benefits  of  the  sale  papers  and  their  extended 
circulation  with  your  peculiar  commercial  character  ?  We  have  always  admitted 
the  necessity  of  such  a  Press,  and  have  repeatedly  promised  that,  when  practica- 
ble, it  should  be  furnished,  and  we  indulge  the  hope  that  that  promise  is  about 
to  be  redeemed.  Most  assuredly  there  shall  be  no  faltering  on  our  part  to  render 
our  commercial  department  even  more  attractive  than  it  heretofore  has  been,  and, 
to  accomplish  this  object,  great  additional  labor  will  be  expended  in  condensing 
in  the  smallest  possible  space  every  species  of  information  which  has  heretofore 
rendered  this  department  of  our  paper  so  acceptable  to  every  class  of  readers. 
We  pledge  ourselves  to  the  readers  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  to  the  pub- 
lic at  large,  that  whatever  may  be  the  shortcomings  of  the  joint  newspaper  in 
other  respects,  its  commercial  character  shall  not  only  be  sustained,  but,  if  pos- 
sible, improved.  We  flatter  ourselves,  however,  that,  with  the  combined  talent  of 
the  two  papers,  "  The  World  and  Courier  and  Enquirer"  will  in  all  respects  com- 
mend itself  to  the  intelligent  reader  as  being  at  least  equal  in  every  department 
to  its  enterprising  rivals,  at  the  same  time  that  it  will  sustain  and  advance  the 
reputation  which  has  been  honestly  won  by  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  of  being 
the  leading  commercial  newspaper  in  the  Union. 

Thus  passed  away  one  more  of  the  "  blanket  sheets" — one  more 
'of  the  "respectable  sixpenny"  papers — one  more  of  the  old  class  of 
newspapers  in  the  metropolis,  to  become  another  of  the  reviled 
cheap  papers,  verifying  the  prediction  of  Snowden  that  "Raymond 
would  not  be  satisfied  till  he  saw  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  a  two- 
cent  paper." 

These  absorptions  of  newspapers  are  not  always  beneficial  to  the 
absorber.  Of  the  papers  now  in  existence,  the  Herald,  Tribune, 
Times,  Sun,  and  Evening  Post  never  bought  out  or  took  in  other  pa- 
pers as  a  means  of  success.  The  Journal  of  Commerce,  Evening  Ex- 
press, and  Commercial  Advertiser  have  done  so.  The  old  Gazette  was 
merged  with  the  Journal,  the  old  Daily  Advertiser  with  the  Express, 
and  \\\z  Evening  Star  with  the  Commercial.  The  World  is  now  made 
up  of  the  Morning  Courier,  the  New  York  Enquirer,  the  New  York 
American,  and  Weekly  Argus,  these  five  in  one — the  World  and 
Courier  and  Enquirer ;  but,  finally,  with  a  determination  to  stand 
alone  in  its  glory,  it  quietly  dropped  the  latter  name,  and  sensibly 
adheres  to  that  of  The  World  alone. 

There  was  a  lamentable  episode  in  the  career  of  the  World,  which 
occurred  in  1864,  that  gave  it  a  marked  position  with  the  conserva- 
tive portion  of  the  community.  It  was  one  of  those  events  that  will 
happen  in  any  age  and  in  any  country,  and,  in  fact,  was  of  little  real 
consequence,  as  it  afterwards  proved,  as  the  forged  proclamation, 
the  cause  of  the  suspension  of  the  World  and  Journal  of  Commerce, 
at  that  time  merely  antedated  a  few  weeks  a  bonajide  proclamation 
of  similar  purport.  The  suspension  of  these  journals  was  "  an  un- 
toward event,"  and  was  a  mistake,  or  rather  a  blunder,  of  Secretary 
Stanton.  It  is  our  duty  to  place  on  record  the  letter  of  the  editor 
of  the  World  which  he  addressed  to  the  President  on  resuming  the 
publication  of  his  paper.  Historically  and  journalistically  it  is  a 
communication  of  importance : 


The  Bogus  Proclamation.  671 

SIR, — "That  the  king  can  do  no  wrong"  is  the  theory  of  a  monarchy.  It  is 
the  theory  of  a  constitutional  republic  that  its  chief  magistrate  may  do  wrong.  In 
the  former  the  ministry  are  responsible  for  the  king's  acts.  In  the  latter  the  Pres- 
ident is  responsible  for  the  acts  of  his  ministers.  Our  Constitution  admits  that 
the  President  may  err  in  providing  for  a  judgment  upon  his  doings  by  the  people 
in  regular  elections.  In  providing  for  his  impeachment,  it  admits  that  he  may  be 
guilty  of  crimes. 

In  a  government  of  laws  and  not  of  men,  the  most  obscure  citizen  may  without 
indecorum  address  himself  to  the  chief  magistrate  when  to  the  Constitution 
whence  you  derive  your  temporary  power,  and  he  the  guarantee  of  his  perpetual 
rights,  he  has  constantly  paid  his  unquestioning  loyalty,  and  when  to  the  laws, 
which  your  duty  is  to  care  for  a  faithful  execution  of,  he  has  rendered  entire  obe- 
dience. 

If  the  matter  of  his  address  be  that  in  his  person,  property,  and  rights  the  Con- 
stitution has  been  disregarded  and  the  laws  disobeyed ;  if  its  appeal  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  justice  be  no  more  earnest  than  the  solicitude  of  its  regard  for  truth,  and 
if  the  manner  of  his  address  be  no  less  temperate  than  firm,  he  does  not  need 
courtly  phrases  to  propitiate  an  attentive  hearing  from  a  magistrate  who  loves  his 
country,  her  institutions,  and  her  laws. 

In  the  World  of  last  Wednesday  morning  was  published  a  proclamation,  pur- 
porting to  be  signed  by  your  excellency,  and  countersigned  by  the  Secretary  of 
State,  appointing  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  and  calling  into  military  service,  by 
volunteering  and  draft,  four  hundred  thousand  citizens  between  the  ages  of  eigh- 
teen and  forty-five.  That  proclamation  was  a  forgery,  written  by  a  person  who, 
ever  since  your  departure  from  Springfield  to  Washington  in  i86i,has  enjoyed 
private  as  well  as  public  opportunities  for  learning  to  counterfeit  the  peculiarities 
of  your  speech  and  style,  and  whose  service  for  years  as  a  city  editor  of  the  New 
York  Times  and  upon  the  New  York  Tribune  acquainted  him  with  the  entire  news- 
paper machinery  of  the  city,  and  enabled  him  to  insert  his  clever  forgery  into  the 
regular  channels  by  which  we  receive  news  at  a  time  when  competent  inspection 
of  its  genuineness  was  impossible,  and  suspicion  of  its  authenticity  was  improba- 
ble. The  manifold  paper,  resembling  in  all  respects  that  upon  which  we  nightly 
receive  from  our  agents  news,  and  from  the  government  itself  orders,  announce- 
ments, and  proclamations,  was  left  with  a  night  clerk  about  3  or  4  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  after  the  departure  of  every  responsible  editor,  and  was  at  once  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  printers,  put  in  type,  and  published.  No  newspaper  in  the 
country  but  would  have  been  deceived  as  we  were. 

Our  misfortune  was  complete.  At  an  early  hour,  however,  before  the  business 
of  the  city  had  fairly  begun,  it  was  discovered  that  we  had  been  imposed  upon,  and 
were  being  made  to  appear  the  instruments  of  a  deception  of  the  public.  There 
was  no  delay  in  vindicating  our  character.  Our  whole  machinery  for  spreading 
news  was  set  in  motion  instantly  to  announce  that  we  had  been  deceived  by  a  for- 
gery— that  your  excellency  had  issued  no  proclamation.  The  sale  of  papers  over 
our  counters  was  stopped.  Our  bundles  to  the  Scotia,  bound  for  Europe  that 
day,  were  stopped.  The  owners'  and  purser's  files  were  stopped.  News-room 
bundles  and  files  were  stopped,  and  the  agent  of  the  line  was  informed  that  the 
proclamation  was  a  forgery.  Our  printers  and  pressmen  were  brought  from  their 
homes  and  beds  to  put  in  type  and  publish  the  news  of  our  misfortune.  Our  bul- 
letin-boards were  placarded  with  the  offer  of  reward  for  the  discovery  of  the  for- 
ger ;  and  to  the  agent  of  the  Associated  Press  I  sent  a  telegram  reciting  all  the 
facts,  for  him  to  transmit  at  once  to  nearly  every  daily  paper  in  the  North,  from 
Maine  to  California.  Thus,  before  the  Scotia  sailed — before  your  Secretary  of 
State  had  officially  branded  the  forgery,  the  wings  which  we  had  given  to  Truth 
had  enabled  her  to  outstrip  every  where  the  falsehood  we  had  unwittingly  set  on 
foot,  and  in  many  places  the  truth  arrived  before  the  forger  had  come  to  tell  his 
tale. 

For  any  injury  done  to  ourselves,  to  the  government,  or  to  the  public,  this  pub- 
licity was  ample  antidote.  It,  indeed,  made  injury  impossible. 

But  the  insult  to  your  excellency  was  the  greater  in  proportion  to  the  eminence 
of  your  station.  Early  in  the  afternoon  of  Wednesday,  therefore,  I  went  with  Mr. 
Wm.  C.  Prime,  the  chief  editor  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  which  had  been  de- 
ceived precisely  as  we  were,  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  Department  of  the  East, 


672  Journalism  in  America. 

. V" ~ 

and  we  laid  before  the  commanding  general  every  clew  in  our  possession  which 
could  lead  to  the  discovery  of  the  guilty  persons.  All  the  facts  above  recited  were 
telegraphed  at  once  to  you  through  the  Secretary  of  War  by  General  Dix.  I  as- 
sert our  utter  blamelessness.  I  assert,  moreover,  that  I  have  never  known  a  mind 
so  prejudiced  in  which  acquaintance  with  these  facts  would  not  enforce  the  con- 
viction of  our  utter  blamelessness. 

Here  was  the  absence  of  an  intent  to  do  wrong ;  here  was  an  antidote  for  an 
injury  unwittingly  assisted,  more  complete  and  effectual  than  the  injury  itself; 
here  was  alacrity  in  search  of  the  wrong-doer,  and  assistance  rendered  to  your 
subordinate  to  discover  the  author  of  the  insult  done  to  you. 

With  these  facts  set  fully  before  you  by  the  general  commanding  this  depart- 
ment, you  reiterated  an  order  for  my  arrest  and  imprisonment  in  Fort  Lafayette  ; 
for  the  seizure  and  occupation  of  the  World  office  by  a  military  guard,  and  the 
suppression  of  its  publications.  The  Journal  of  Commerce,  its  editors  and  publish- 
ers, were  included  in  the  same  order. 

I  believe,  though  I  can  not  state  of  my  own  knowledge,  that  to  the  commanding 
general's  assertion  of  our  entire  blamelessness  it  was  owing  that  the  order  for  our 
arrest  and  incarceration  was  rescinded.  But  the  order  for  the  suppression  of  the 
World  was  not  rescinded.  Under  your  orders,  General  Dix  sent  a  strong  milita- 
ry force  to  its  publication  office  and  editorial  rooms,  who  ejected  their  occupants, 
and  for  two  days  and  three  nights  held  possession  there,  injuring  and  abstracting 
some  of  their  contents,  and  permitting  no  one  to  cross  the  threshold. 

Not  until  Saturday  morning  did  this  occupation  cease.  Not  until  to-day  has 
the  World  been  free  to  speak.  But  to  those  who  have  ears  to  hear  its  absence 
has  been  more  eloquent  than  its  columns  could  ever  be. 

To  characterize  these  proceedings  as  unprecedented  would  be  to  forget  the  past 
history  of  your  administration,  and  to  characterize  them  as  shocking  to  every 
mind  would  be  to  disregard  that  principle  of  human  nature  from  which  it  arises 
that  men  submitting  once  and  again  to  lawless  encroachments  of  power,  with  ev- 
ery intermission  of  a  vigilance  which  should  be  continual,  lose  something  of  the 
old,  free,  keen  sense  of  their  true  nature  and  real  danger. 

Charles  was  doubtless  advised  to,  and  applauded  for  the  crimes  by  which  he 
lost  his  crown  and  life  ;  nor  can  you  do  any  such  outrageous,  oppressive,  and  un- 
just a  thing  that  it  will  not  be  applauded  by  those  whose  prosperity  and  power 
you  have  created  and  may  destroy.  To  characterize  these  proceedings  as  arbi- 
trary, illegal,  and  unconstitutional,  would  seem,  if  such  weighty  words  have  not 
been  emptied  of  all  significance,  to  befit  better  an  hour  at  which  you  have  not  ar- 
rived, and  a  place  where,  not  public  opinion,  but  the  authority  of  law  speaks,  after 
impeachment,  trial,  conviction,  and  judgment. 

But,  sir,  the  suppression  of  two  daily  journals  in  this  metropolis — one  the  organ 
of  its  great  commercial  public,  the  other  a  recognized  exponent  of  the  democratic 
principles  which  are  shared  by  half,  or  nearly  half  your  fellow-citizens — did  shock 
the  public  mind ;  did  amaze  every  honest  and  patriotic  citizen ;  did  fill  with  in- 
dignation and  alarm  every  pure  and  loyal  breast.  There  were  no  indignation 
meetings  ;  there  were  no  riots  ;  there  was  no  official  protest ;  but  do  not  imagine, 
sir,  that  the  governor  of  this  state  has  forgotten  to  do  his  duty ;  do  not  imagine 
that  the  people  of  this  city,  or  state,  or  country  have  ceased  to  love  their  liberties, 
or  do  not  know  how  to  protect  their  rights.  It  would  be  fatal  to  a  tyrant  to  com- 
mit that  error  here  and  now.  A  free  people  can  at  need  devise  means  to  teach 
their  chief  magistrate  the  same  lesson. 

To  you,  sir,  who  have  by  heart  the  Constitution  which  you  swore  to  "  preserve, 
protect,  and  defend,"  it  may  be  an  impertinence  to  cite  those  natural  and  char- 
tered rights  therein  enumerated,  among  which  are  these :  That  the  people  shall 
be  secure  in  their  persons,  houses,  papers,  and  effects,  against  unreasonable  seiz- 
ures, and  that  no  warrant  even  shall  issue,  except  upon  probable  cause,  supported 
by  oath,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to  be  searched  and  the  persons  or 
things  to  be  seized ;  that  no  person  shall  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property 
without  due  process  of  law.  Yet  these  are  the  most  priceless  possessions  of  free- 
men, and  these  you  took  away  from  me. 

Even  a  captured  and  guilty  criminal,  who  knew  that  his  crime  would  be  proved, 
and  that  the  law  would  assuredly  visit  upon  him  condign  punishment,  might  with 
propriety  plead  these  rights,  and  demand  of  the  chief  magistrate  to  throw  over 


Manton  Marbles  Manifesto.  673 

him  these  shields.  Assaulted  by  the  bayonets  of  a  military  commander,  he  might 
protest  and  assert  his  inalienable  right  to  the  orderly  processes,  the  proofs,  and 
the  punishment  of  the  law ;  but  has  the  Saxon  tongue  any  terms  left  for  him  to  use 
who,  being  the  victim  of  crime,  has  been  made  also  the  victim  of  lawless  power  ? 
It  is  the  theory  of  the  law  that,  after  the  commission  of  any  crime,  all  proceed- 
ings taken  before  trial  shall  be  merely  preventive ;  but  the  proceedings  taken 
against  the  World  were  of  the  nature  of  a  summary  execution  of  judgment.  Would 
trial  by  law  have  been  denied  ?  would  the  law  itself  have  been  set  aside  for  the 
bayonet  ?  would  a  process  as  summary  as  a  drum-head  court-martial  have  been 
resorted  to  by  you  in  a  peaceful  city,  far  from  the  boundaries  of  military  occupa- 
tion, had  the  presses  which  consistently  applaud  your  course  been,  as  we  were,  the 
victims  of  this  forger  ?  Had  the  Tribune  and  Times  published  the  forgery  (and 
the  Tribune  candidly  admits  that  it  might  have  published  it,  and  was  prevented 
only  by  mere  chance),  would  you,  sir,  have  suppressed  the  Tribune  and  Times  as 
you  have  suppressed  the  World  3.\\&Journal  of  Commerce  ?  You  know  you  would, 
not.  If  not,  why  not  ? 

********* 

Can  it  be  possible,  sir,  that  for  a  moment  you  supposed  that  journals  like  ours 
could  afford  to  be  guilty  of  this  forgery  ?  Let  the  unanimous  voice  of  your  own 
Press  answer.  Such  a  trick  would  hardly  have  succeeded  in  Sangamon  County, 
iflinois.  For  a  party  which  is  about  to  go  before  the  people,  and  ask  them  to 
commit  to  its  hands  the  administration  of  affairs — which  has  been  more  generous 
and  forbearing  to  your  errors  than  you  have  been  just  to  its  guides — permit  me 
to  say  that  it  was  less  possible  to  be  true  of  any  one  of  them  than  it  was  of  any 
man,  high  or  low,  who  suspected  them. 

And  so  the  end  has  proved.  The  confessed  and  guilty  forgers  were  your  own 
zealous  partisans.  Joseph  Howard,  Jr.,  who  has  confessed  his  crime,  was  a  Re- 
publican politician  and  Loyal  Leaguer  of  Brooklyn.  Consider,  sir,  at  whose  feet 
he  was  taught  his  political  education,  and  in  whose  cause  he  spent  his  political 
breath.  Mr.  Howard  has  been  from  his  very  childhood  an  intimate  friend  of  the 
Republican  clergyman,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  and  a  member  of  his  Church.  He 
has  listened,  year  in  and  year  out,  to  the  droppings  of  the  Plymouth  sanctuary. 
The  stump  speeches  which  there  follow  prayer  and  precede  the  benediction  he  for 
years  reported  in  the  journal  which  is  your  devoted  organ  in  this  city.  For  years 
he  was  the  city  editor  of  that  journal,  the  New  York  Times ;  for  a  long  time  he 
was  the  Washington  correspondent  of  the  chief  abolition  newspaper  of  the  coun- 
try, the  New  York  Tribune ;  he  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  columns 
of  the  Independent ;  he  journeyed  with  you  from  Springfield  to  Washington  ;  he 
represents  himself  a  favored  visitor  at  the  White  House  since  your  residence 
there. 

By  a  curious  felicity,  the  stylus  with  which  his  amanuensis  copied  on  tissue  pa- 
per the  proclamation  and  signed  your  name  was  abstracted  from  the  editorial 
rooms  of  the  Tribune.  The  party  principles  upon  which  you  were  pledged  to  ad- 
minister the  government  have  been  the  daily  meat  and  drink  of  this  forger.  He 
has  denounced  as  faithfully  as  you  the  party  by  .whose  defeat  you  rose  to  power. 
He  has  been  the  noisy  champion  of  an  exclusive  loyalty ;  he  has  preached  in  club- 
houses and  at  street  corners  those  politics  which  stigmatize  constitutional  oppo- 
sition to  the  administration  as  disloyalty  to  the  government.  The  stock-brokers 
who  were  his  confederates  will  be  found  to  be  of  the  same  kidney.  They  all  ad- 
vocated a  paper-money  legal  tender  ;  they  have  all  countenanced  the  paper  infla- 
tion ;  they  have  all  been  heedless  of  the  misery  to  poor  men  which  such  inflations 
breed ;  they  have  all  rejoiced  at  the  speculation  thus  fostered,  and  by  speculation 
they  had  hoped  to  thrive. 

********* 

Yet  no  citizen  who  regards  his  duties  should  ever  hesitate  at  the  last  to  oppose 
lawless  deeds  with  legal  remedies.  The  law  may  break  down.  It  will  then  dis- 
close to  a  watchful  people  the  point  of  greatest  danger.  Courts  may  fail ;  judges 
may  be  intimidated  by  threats  or  bribed  by  the  allurements  of  power,  and  those 
who  have  sworn  to  execute  the  laws  may  shrink  from  the  fulfillment  of  their  oaths. 
A  craven  Congress  may  sit  silent  and  idly  watch  the  perishing  liberties  of  the 
people  whom  they  represent,  but  this  can  not  deter  him  who,  in  defending  his 
rights,  is  determined  to  do  his  whole  duty,  and  to  whom  it  is  competent  at  last  to 

Uu 


674  Journalism  in  America. 

commit  the  issue  to  that  Power*  omnipotent  and  inscrutable,  who  presides  in 
events,' and  sways  the  destinies  of  nations  and  the  hearts  of  men. 

MANTON  MARBLE. 

NEW  YORK,  May  23, 1864. 

Such  an  event  as  this,  of  course,  produced  a  profound  sensation. 
The  suspension  was  undoubtedly  the  hasty  result  of  impulse,  and 
had  to  be  sustained,  if  possible,  by  the  Secretary  of  War.  But  the 
government  had  to  succumb  to  such  an  arbitrary  and  unnecessary 
measure.  The  Albany  Evening  Journal,  the  organ  of  Thurlow 
Weed  and  Secretary  Seward,  in  mentioning  the  circumstance,  pub- 
lished a  few  interesting  facts  of  a  precedent  which  are  worth  repro- 
ducing : 

FROM  THE  ALBANY  JOURNAL,  MAY,  1864. 

Howard,  the  Brooklyn  reporter,  is  not  the  first  one  who  issued  a  bogus  missive 
in  war-time  in  order  to  affect  the  stock-market.  A  remarkable  precedent  to  his 
case  is  found  in  the  history  of  English  Criminal  Proceedings ;  and  as  it  may  at 
once  interest  and  afford  a  guide  for  the  course  of  our  authorities  toward  the  pres- 
ent offender,  it  may  be  worth  while  to  refer  to  it. 

The  case  occurred  in  1814,  during  the  great  war  between  France  and  England. 
Charles  Random  de  Berenger,  Sir  Thomas  Cochrane,  Andrew  Cochrane,  John- 
stone,  Richard  Gathorne  Butt,  Ralph  Sandom,  Alexander  M'Rae,  John  Peter  Hal- 
loway,  and  Henry  Lyte,  subjects  of  Great  Britain,  were  large  operators  in  the 
funds.  It  occurred  to  them  that  by  forging  a  document  announcing  decisive  re- 
sults on  the  Continent,  stocks  would  suddenly  go  up,  they  might  sell  at  a  large 
advance,  and  make  their  fortunes.  Accordingly,  the  first-named  of  their  number 
wrote  a  letter  purporting  to  have  been  addressed  by  a  high  government  official 
to  the  British  admiral  commanding  at  Deal,  announcing  the  defeat  of  the  French, 
the  death  of  Napoleon,  etc.,  etc.  The  document  is  so  curious  that  we  copy  it  in 
full: 
To  the  Honorable  J.  Foley,  Port  Admiral,  Deal,  etc. : 

DOVER,  i  o'clock  A.M.,  February  14, 1814. 

SIR, — I  have  the  honor  to  acquaint  you  that  theL'Aig-te,  from  Calais,  Pierre  Duquin,  master, 
has  this  moment  landed  me  near  Dover,  to  proceed  to  the  capital  with  dispatches  of  the  happiest 
nature.  I  have  pledged  my  honor  that  no  harm  shall  come  to  the  crew  of  the  L'Aigle ;  even 
with  a  flag  of  truce  they  immediately  stood  for  sea.  Should  they  be  taken,  I  have  to  entreat  you 
immediately  to  liberate  them.  My  anxiety  will  not  allow  me  to  say  more  for  your  gratification 
than  that  the  Allies  obtained  a  final  victory ;  that  Bonaparte  was  overtaken  by  a  party  of  Sach- 
en's  Cossacks,  who  immediately  slaid  him,  and  divided  his  body  between  them.  General  Pla- 
toff  saved  Paris  from  being  reduced  to  ashes.  The  allied  sovereigns  are  there,  and  the  white 
cockade  is  universal ;  and  immediate  peace  is  certain.  In  the  utmost  haste,  I  entreat  your  con- 
sideration, and  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant,  R.  Du  BOURG, 

Lieut.  Colonel  and  Aid-de-camp  to  Lord  Cathcart. 

The  news  was  believed,  the  funds  took  a  sudden  start,  and  the  cunning  forgers 
reaped  a  golden  harvest. 

They  were  subsequently  arrested  on  a  charge  of  conspiracy  against  the  public 
welfare  and  the  interests  of  the  realm,  and  tried  in  the  Court  of  King's  Bench. 
The  trial  was  fully  reported,  and  may  be  found  in  the  State  Library.  It  lasted 
two  days,  and  was  sharply  conducted  on  both  sides.  Some  of  the  evidence  is  very 
amusing,  while  the  speeches  of  the  counsel  were  most  elaborate  and  exhaustive. 
The  forgery  was  proved,  and  the  defendants  found  guilty. 

Cochrane  and  Butt  were  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  of  one  thousand  pounds  each, 
Holloway  to  pay  a  fine  of  five  hundred  pounds  ;  all  six  to  be  "  severally  impris- 
oned in  the  custody  of  the  marshal  of  the  Marshalsea  of  our  lord  and  king  for  twelve 
calendar  months,"  and  Beranger,  Cochrane,  and  Butt  to  be  "  set  in  and  upon  the 
pillory  opposite  the  Royal  Exchange,  in  the  city  of  London,  for  one  hour,  between 
the  hours  of  twelve  at  noon  and  two  in  the  afternoon  ;"  and  that  they  "  be  sever- 
ally committed  to  the  custody  of  the  marshal,  and  severally  imprisoned  until  their 
fines  be  paid." 

We  have  spoken  of  the  two  cases  as  parallel.  They  are  not  so,  strictly  speak- 
ing. The  offense  in  the  case  of  Howard  is  the  greater.  The  English  forgers 


The  Enterprise  of  the  World.  675 

sought  to  put  money  in  their  pockets  by  stimulating  the  public  confidence ;  the 
American  forger  aimed  at  a  similar  result  by  making  it  appear  that  the  country 
was  on  the  verge  of  ruin.  The  former  played  upon  the  hopes,  the  latter  upon 
the  despair  of  the  people.  The  one  endeavored  to  compass  no  public  mischief 
beyond  the  narrow  circle  of  stock-jobbers  ;  the  other  committed  an  act  that  might 
have  for  its  effect,  if  it  did  not  have  for  its  design,  the  destruction  of  the  national 
credit  and  the  overthrow  of  the  government.  If  Cochrane  and  his  confreres  were 
put  in  the  pillory,  what  punishment  should  be  meted  out  to  Howard  ? 

It  has  become  chronic  with  the  World  to  be  the  property  of  mil- 
lionaires. After  it  ceased  to  be  the  organ  of  the  wealthy  religious 
coterie  that  brought  it  into  existence,  numerous  reports  were  in  cir- 
culation that  it  belonged  to  August  Belmont,  the  well-known  bank- 
er, Mayor  Fernando  Wood,  John  Anderson,  the  wealthy  tobacconist, 
Collector  Augustus  Schell,  Thurlow  Weed,  Benjamin  Wood,  and  half 
of  the  bankers  in  Wall  Street.  Then  that  Thurlow  Weed  was  its 
editor.  Anon  it  became  the  property  of  Samuel  L.  M.  Barlow  and 
•the  Albany  Regency,  with  a  large  slice  disposed  of  to  Manton  Mar- 
ble, who  became  its  responsible  editor.  Finally,  that  the  whole  con- 
cern passed  into  the  hands  of  Marble.  It  has  been  through  fire. 
Starting  full  of  religious  sentiments,  it  became  a  half-and-half  Dem- 
ocratic sheet ;  then  it  swallowed  two  or  three  Old  Whig  and  Re- 
publican organs,  and  became  more  Democratic  than  before,  even  to 
the  status  of  what  is  called  a  Copperhead  organ  in  silks  and  satins. 

The  World  has  tact  and  energy.  Sometimes  it  is  too  sensational, 
which,  in  a  modern  point  of  view,  is  exaggerated  high-pressure  en- 
terprise. Such  enterprise  has  to  be  managed  with  great  skill  and 
boldness  to  be  successful  in  the  end.  It  needs  a  safety-valve  in  its 
news  arrangements.  But  the  World  has  enterprise.  It  threw  away 
one  chance  in  1859.  It  threw  away  another  in  1866.  There  was 
an  unpleasant  feeling  in  the  Associated  Press  in  that  year.  Its  old 
agent  was  dismissed.  Not  being  of  that  mild  type  of  the  human 
race  that  succumb  to  any  trifling  event,  this  agent  organized  an  op- 
position news  association.  Circumstances,  inclinations,  a  glimmer 
of  some  bright  object  in  the  future,  placed  the  World  at  the  head  of 
this  new  enterprise.  It  left  the  old  association.  It  was  alone  in  its 
glory  in  the  metropolis.  Owing  to  the  want  of  money,  or  want  of 
courage,  or  want  of  confidence,  or  want  of  something,  it  abandoned 
the  newly-arranged  association  and  lost  its  chance.  Opportunity 
made  Napoleon,  and  Grant,  and  Bismarck.  Opportunity  makes  a 
newspaper.  It  should  never  be  thrown  away. 

The  World  is  a  party  paper,  but  at  the  same  time  it  is  an  inde- 
pendent organ  of  public  opinion.  All  party  papers  are  now  semi- 
independent  papers.  We  are  happy  to  record  this  fact.  There  is 
very  little  of  real  party  dictation  in  our  modern  journalism.  The 
World  \s  an  instance  of  this.  During  the  presidential  campaign  of 
1868  it  became  manifest  to  a  portion  of  the  democracy  that  their 


676  Journalism  in  America. 

nominations  for  the  offices  of  President  and  Vice-president  were 
not  strong  enough  to  be  elected  in  the  face  of  the  enthusiasm  for 
Grant.  The  World  boldly  and  recklessly  came  out  almost  on  the 
eve  of  election  day,  and  demanded  the  withdrawal  of  the  candidates 
and  the  substitution  of  others  in  their  place.  It  produced  an  im- 
pression and  created  a  sensation ;  it  showed  the  independence  of 
the  journal  favoring  such  an  enterprise  in  the  midst  of  an  exciting 
political  campaign,  if  it  did  not  exhibit  power  and  influence  enough 
to  accomplish  its  object. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1869,  Manton  Marble,  who  commenced 
his  journalistic  career  on  the  Boston  Traveller,  continuing  it  on  the 
New  York  Evening  Post,  culminated  by  becoming  sole  proprietor  of 
the  World,  paying  $100,000  for  one  fourth  of  the  stock.  It  is  proba- 
ble, therefore,  of  all  the  leading  daily  papers  in  New  York,  the  World 
and  Herald  are  the  only  two  owned  by  single  individuals,  and  not 
bound  to  the  depressing  influence  of  a  batch  of  shareholders  whose 
eyes  are  constantly  fixed  on  dividends. 

The  World  has  assumed  an  excellent  position  as  a  literary  news- 
paper. Its  reviews  of  books  are  considered  superior  to  those  of 
many  other  daily  newspapers,  and  we  believe  a  number  of  the  es- 
says of  that  journal  have  been  published  in  a  book  and  met  with  a 
large  sale ;  and  its  conductor  is  called  by  some  of  his  contempora- 
ries "  the  Student  Editor." 

Newspapers  of  a  political  character  have  for  years  deemed  it  nec- 
essary to  define  their  position  annually  in  a  showy  announcement 
of  the  future  policy  of  the  journal.  It  has  become  a  custom  with 
the  Times,  Tribune,  and  World  to  do  this.  It  assumes  the  shape  of 
an  appeal  for  subscriptions  and  advertisements.  In  the  platform  of 
the  World 'for  1872  there  are  seven  planks,  with  the  following  intro- 
duction : 

In  the  year  1872  General  Grant's  successor  is  to  be  chosen;  the  Forty-third 
Congress  to  be  elected. 

The  people's  votes,  white  and  black,  North  and  South,  will  thus  decide  the 
future  destiny  of  the  republic,  select  its  rulers,  prescribe  their  course. 

How  to  influence  the  people's  votes  ? 

By  the  newspaper — for  it  includes  every  other  agency.  It  makes  known  events 
and  facts — among  all  influences  the  chief.  It  assembles  the  vaster  outside  audi- 
ences which  can  not  gather  to  the  state-house,  the  pulpit,  or  the  stump.  It  is  the 
constant  interpreter  of  men's  affairs,  and  of  error  or  truth  is  the  daily  seed-sower. 

Next  November  is  our  political  harvest-time.     As  we  sow  we  shall  reap. 

The  World's  seed-sowing  will  be  fruitful  to  the  extent  that  its  circulation  is  widely 
pushed  by  those  who  approve  its  aim. 

It  closes  with  a  claim  to  be  the  organ  of  the  Democratic  Party, 
and  that  "  the  ballot-box  Is  the  true  battle-field  of  republics." 


The  New  York  Sun.  677 


CHAPTER  XLIIL 

THE   NEW  YORK   SUN. 

ITS  MODERN  CHARACTER. — ITS  SALE  TO  CHARLES  A.  DANA  AND  ASSOCIATES. 

— IT  IS  NO  LONGER  A  PENNY  PAPER. — WHO  IS  EDITOR  DANA  ? — HlS  CON- 
NECTION WITH  THE  TRIBUNE. — ASSISTANT  SECRETARY  OF  WAR. — EDITOR 
OF  THE  CHICAGO  REPUBLICAN. — EDITOR  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  SUN. 

THE  New  York  Sztn,  no  longer  the  penny  paper,  now  conducted 
by  Charles  A.  Dana,  dates  its  new  existence,  under  its  new  manage- 
ment, from  January,  1868.  It  is  an  entirely  new  luminary,  more  ar- 
dent in  its  policy  and  more  brilliant  in  its  sunshine.  It  is  owned  in 
shares  by  the  Sun  Company. 

Mr.  Dana  is  a  journalist.  The  first  we  know  of  him  was  as  a 
member  of  the  famous  Brook-Farm  Community,  composed  of  such 
men  as  Nathaniel  Hawthorne,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  William  E. 
Channing,  A.  Bronson  Alcott,  George  Ripley,  and  Charles  A.  Dana. 
Some  of  these  were  merely  ornamental  appendages.  Some,  like 
Dana,  were  the  real  operatives  of  the  concern.  It  failed.  Emerson, 
we  believe,  considered  it  a  success,  on  the  idea,  we  suppose,  of 
Thoreau,  that  there  is  more  war  in  peace  than  in  war  itself. 

After  Brook  Farm,  Dana  wrote  for  the  Chronotype  in  Boston,  and 
then  naturally  drifted  into  the  Tribune  office.  This  happened  in 
1846  or  thereabouts.  Ripley,  being  on  the  same  raft,  also  floated 
into  that  haven  at  the  same  time.  Dana,  being  an  accomplished 
linguist,  and  full  of  European  ideas,  facts,  and  the  rights  of  man, 
took  charge  of  the  foreign  department  of  that  paper  at  $12  per 
week,  and  Ripley,  who  had  been  a  Unitarian  clergyman,  became  its 
hard-working  and  scrupulously  neat  literary  editor  at  $5  per  week. 
So  neat  was  Ripley  that  he  could  never  allow  the  smallest  scrap  of 
waste  paper  to  remain  on  the  floor  between  his  desk  and  his  nobil- 
ity. While  these  two  Brook-Farm  philosophers  were  thus  engaged, 
they  managed  to  edit  the  New  American  Cyclopaedia,  a  work  of 
ability  and  value,  and  now  a  standard  work  in  American  literature. 
In  the  course  of  events,  and  as  brains  will  tell,  Dana  became  the 
managing  editor  of  the  Tribune,  and,  as  such,  Greeley  held  him  in 
high  estimation,  and  felt,  at  one  time,  that  he  was  an  indispensable 
adjunct  to  that  establishment. 

But  it  became  manifest,  in  the  development  of  brains  in  the  Trib- 
une editorial  rooms,  that  Greeley  and  Dana,  valuable  as  the  latter 


678  Journalism  in  America. 

was,  could  not  entirely  agree  on  the  affairs  of  the  day  or  the  logic 
of  events.  There  was  a  little  difficulty,  and  then  a  separation.  It 
became  necessary  for  one  to  leave  the  establishment.  Dana  left. 
This  happened  early  in  1862,  and  had  something  to  do  with  the 
"On  to  Richmond"  movement  which  resulted  so  disastrously  at 
Bull  Run.  What  then  ?  Secretary  Stanton,  who  wrote  the  famous 
Joshua  and  Lord  of  Hosts  letter  to  the  Tribune,  took  to  Dana,  and 
Dana  took  to  the  field.  He  was  appointed  Assistant  Secretary  of 
War,  and  sent  to  the  West  to  co-operate  personally  with  General 
Grant  in  his  operations  against  the  rebels.  He  filled  this  position 
with  ability  from  August,  1863,  to  August,  1865.  Activity  marked  his 
course  during  the  war.  On  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion  it  was 
thought  that  a  new  paper  was  necessary  in  Chicago.  The  Chicago 
Tribune,  the  representative  journal  there,  bright  and  enterprising  as 
it  was,  did  not  fill  the  measure  of  the  hopes  of  those  who  did  not 
control  the  columns  of  that  organ  of  the  Republican  Party  in  that 
wealthy  and  growing  metropolis  of  the  West,  leading  to  a  split  in 
the  Republican  Party  respecting  the  election  of  Senator  Yates.  The 
Chicago  Republican,  organized  on  an  extensive  scale  with  a  large  cap- 
ital, was  therefore  started,  but  not  by  Mr.  Dana.  He  was  editor-in- 
chief  at  $7000  a  year,  and  one  fifth  of  the  profits  of  the  concern.  It 
was  not  a  first-class  success.  Many  who  believed  that  Dana  was  a 
journalist  were  disappointed.  Others,  who  had  lived  in  France, 
shrugged  their  shoulders.  None  knew  the  facts  in  the  case.  On 
making  an  investigation  as  to  the  causes  that  led  to  this  apparent 
failure,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  Republican  had  more  than  one 
head,  and  no  paper  can  succeed  brilliantly  with  more  than  one. 
That  was  the  real  secret  of  the  difficulty.  The  result  was  the  re- 
turn of  Dana  to  New  York,  which  was  the  true  field  for  him,  after 
receiving  $10,000  for  surrendering  his  interest. 

Newspapers,  meanwhile,  were  increasing  in  wealth  and  influence. 
Editors  were  becoming  more  independent  in  their  pockets  and  in  the 
utterance  of  their  own  views.  The  Tribune  in  New  York  was  daily 
becoming  less  an  organ  of  political  leaders.  Seward  and  Weed  had 
ceased  to  be  a  power  with  Greeley.  The  Times  could  not  be  so 
fully  controlled  by  mere  politicians  as  they  desired.  The  Herald 
always  uttered  the  sentiments  of  its  editor.  The  World  was  largely 
democratic.  The  Republican  Party  had  one  set  of  leaders  in  Al- 
bany and  another  set  in  New  York.  One  of  these  sets,  not  too 
friendly  with  the  Tribune,  needed  an  organ.  They  had  abundance 
of  money,  but  no  journalist.  Dana,  like  Blucher,  arrived  at  this 
juncture.  It  was  then  arranged  that  he  should  establish  a  new  pa- 
per, to  be  called  the  Evening  Telegraph.  This  fact  became  the  talk 
of  editors  and  reporters  all  over  the  country.  There  was  a  long  de- 


The  Sun  under  its  new  Regime.  679 

lay.  Numerous  reports  as  to  the  cause  were  in  circulation.  It  was 
then  ascertained  that,  owing  to  the  opposition  of  two  or  three  mem- 
bers of  the  Associated  Press,  the  new  paper  could  not  have  the  tele- 
graphic news  of  that  institution,  and  without  that  news  the  contem- 
plated paper  could  not  succeed  ;  indeed,  it  would  be  folly  to  bring 
out  the  first  number.  So  these  newspapers  believed,  and  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  became  an  autocrat.  But  it  seems  that  every  great 
event  must  have  its  crisis,  and  in  the  crisis  of  this  journalistic  event 
the  genius  of  Dana  exhibited  itself. 

The  New  York  Sun  was  a  member  in  full  and  good  standing  in 
the  Association.  Its  proprietor  had  paid  the  dues,  and  had  done  his 
share  of  the  work  for  its  benefit.  He  would  sell  his  establishment, 
with  all  its  brains,  news  arrangements,  patrons,  and  good  will,  for 
$175,000.  One  morning  the  opposition  members  of  the  Associated 
Press  were  informed  that  that  concern  had  changed  hands,  and  that 
the  Sun  of  Moses  S.  Beach  had  set,  and  the  Sun  of  Charles  A.  Dana 
had  risen  to  "  shine  for  all"  who  wished  for  and  would  pay  two  cents 
per  ray  for  its  genial  and  fructifying  warmth.  In  this  way  the  first 
penny  paper  of  the  country,  after  a  prosperous  existence  of  over 
thirty  years  with  its  democratic  tendencies,  became  an  independent 
organ  of  the  Republican  Party  in  the  metropolis,  and  a  thorn  in  the 
side  of  the  Tribune.  In  a  short  time  the  old  establishment  was  re- 
moved to  Tammany  Hall,  which  Dana  had  also  purchased  for 
$175,000,  and  where,  with  its  new  motto  "Excelsior"  added  to  the 
old  one,  the  Sun  has  continued  to  make  its  daily  appearance.  Of 
the  first  number  under  Mr.  Dana's  management  43,000  were  print- 
ed. Since,  over  100,000  copies  have  been  sold  in  one  day. 

If  the  policy  of  the  late  Emperor  of  France  had  been  fully  fore- 
shadowed in  the  Idees  Napoleonnes  which  he  published  before  the 
Revolution  of  1848,  the  journalistic  policy  of  the  new  editor  of  the 
Sun  had  been  clearly  foreshadowed  in  the  Tribune  before  he  became 
an  independent  newspaper  manager.  In  an  article  on  "The  News- 
paper Press,"  written  by  Dana  and  published  in  that  paper  in  1850, 
he  said : 

American  journalism,  like  the  American  national  character,  is  less  convention- 
al, more  versatile,  various,  and  flexible  than  European.  A  German,  French,  or 
English  journalist  can  not  put  his  paper  to  press  without  one  or  more  regular  long 
editorials,  wrought  out  with  due  attention  to  all  the  rules  of  rhetoric,  in  a  style 
smacking  often  quite  as  much  of  the  scholar's  study  as  of  the  crowded  and  rapid 
world  in  which  a  real  editor  has  his  being.  The  American  is  more  a  journalist, 
that  is,  a  writer  who  seizes  upon  the  events  of  the  day  and  holds  them  up,  now  in 
this  aspect,  now  in  that,  flinging  on  them  the  most  condensed  and  lively  light. 
He  does  not  seek  to  make  elaborate  essays ;  his  ambition  lies  not  in  fine  writing; 
he  spends  no  long  hours  in  polishing  the  turn  of  his  periods.  All  that  presup- 
poses a  certain  degree  of  leisure,  and  perhaps  a  kind  of  taste  to  which  he  is  a 
stranger.  At  any  rate,  he  has  too  many  things  to  look  after,  too  many  subjects  to 
discuss,  too  large  a  round  of  affairs  to  understand  and  write  about,  to  cultivate 


680  Journalism  in  America. 

with  assiduity  the  mere  perfumeries  and  pigeon-wings  of  his  profession.  From 
necessity,  he  had  rather  be  brief  and  pointed  than  elegant  and  classical ;  his  best 
triumph  as  a  writer  is  an  occasional  felicity,  which  is,  after  all,  often  an  accident. 
It  is  remarkable  that  the  only  paragraph  writers  are  Americans.  In  fact,  para- 
graphs are  a  natural  invention  of  the  more  youthful  period  of  journalism,  before  a 
great  variety  of  talent,  or  thorough  study  and  treatment  of  subjects  are  required 
in  the  editorial  columns  of  newspapers.  The  tendency  seems  to  be  to  abandon 
them  as  the  Press  is  improved.  Take,  for  instance,  a  file  of  any  leading  London 
journal  of  sixty,  or  even  thirty  years  ago,  and  you  will  find  these  brief,  pithy  edi- 
torials quite  frequent,  though  the  same  paper  has  since  ceased  to  use  them.  And 
yet  a  paragraph  of  two  or  three  brief  sentences  will  often  have  more  force  and 
produce  a  greater  effect  on  the  convictions  of  its  readers  than  the  same  idea  ex- 
panded through  two  .or  three  columns,  though  set  forth  with  the  richest  resources 
of  the  language,  and  illustrated  and  supported  by  all  the  suggestions  of  wit  and 
learning.  Not  that  the  whole  warfare  of  journalism  can  be  accomplished  with 
light  weapons  ;  but  the  editor  should  have  every  sort  of  arms  in  his  arsenal,  and 
know  when  to  strike  with  the  small-sword  and  when  to  fire  off  his  big  guns.  For 
the  rest,  this  kind  of  writing  requires  a  genius  to  do  it  in  perfection.  Many  a 
quill-driver  will  turn  off  indefinite  lengths  of  correct  and  even  elegant  English, 
not  deficient  in  sense  either,  who  can  not  achieve  a  dozen  lines  such  as  every  body 
shall  read  and  nobody  forget  the  point  of.  Well,  this  sort  of  writing  is  peculiarly 
American.  A  German  or  French  paper  may  employ  it,  but  never  in  its  editorial 
columns,  nor  on  subjects  which  have  a  serious  importance.  Conceive,  if  you  can, 
of  a  genuine  paragraph  among  the  editorial  articles  of  the  London  Times  or  the 
Journal  des  Debats.  The  thing  is  impossible  ;  it  would  be  against  all  the  rules ; 
it  would  infringe  on  the  stately  dignity  of  the  journal.  The  American  editor  is 
luckily  shackled  by  no  such  consideration.  On  the  contrary,  he  prefers  an  article 
of  ten  lines  to  one  of  ten  hundred,  provided  he  can  thereby  hit  the  nail  on  the 
head ;  and  if  he  has  one  or  two  long  articles,  he  seeks  to  relieve  them  by  several 
short  ones.  Thus  his  solid  leader  on  some  question  requiring  thorough  discus- 
sion may  be  preceded  by  one  or  two  paragraphs  on  subjects  of  most  immediate 
importance.  By  this  means,  his  most  elaborate  and  carefully-reasoned  articles 
are,  as  it  were,  combined  with  matters  of  universal  interest,  and  gain  force  and 
freshness  from  the  connection.  And,  indeed,  he  feels  himself  under  no  absolute 
obligation  to  have  a  "  leader"  at  all.  His  first  business  is  to  have  the  news,  that 
being  what  the  public  most  desires  to  read,  and,  accordingly,  he  does  not  hesitate 
to  occupy  the  columns  else  given  to  his  own  disquisitions  with  the  latest  and  most 
important  intelligence  that  has  reached  him,  whether  it  be  in  the  shape  of  a  tele- 
graphic dispatch  or  the  letter  of  a  correspondent. 

American  journalism  is  no  less  remarkable  for  its  variety  and  comprehensive- 
ness than  the  German.  It  has,  perhaps,  an  even  greater  range  of  subjects,  at  the 
same  time  that  it  is  superior  in  a  certain  living  interest  with  which  it  treats  them. 
The  American  regards  nothing  with  indifference,  and,  even  where  he  does  not 
take  sides  as  a  partisan,  he  carries  with  him  a  degree  of  genuine  sympathy  in  the 
event  and  its  actors  which  renders  him  an  excellent  observer  and  reporter.  He 
is  no  dull  analyzer,  and  sees  the  thing  before  he  attempts  to  speculate  on  its  phi- 
losophy and  consequences.  He  is  the  most  practical  of  men,  and  thus  his  enthu- 
siasm— of  which  he  has  a  large  stock — concentrates  itself  upon  persons  and  deeds, 
and  makes  him  almost  a  part  of  the  occurrence  he  describes.  His  element  is  ac- 
tion, and  his  method  rapidity ;  his  weakness,  if  he  has  one,  is  a  too  excitable  pa- 
triotism, and  -the  habit  of  forever  glorifying  his  country,  its  institutions,  and  its 
people,  as  if  they  stood  in  need  of  laudation,  as  well  of  rather  fiercely,  or  even 
gaseously  resenting  any  foreign  disrespect  to  the  same,  as  if  his  own  confidence  in 
their  comparative  superiority  were  somewhat  shaky.  This  fault,  however,  grows 
out  of  a  certain  immaturity  of  the  national  character,  and,  with  the  rapid  rate  at 
which  our  journalism  goes  ahead,  it  ought  soon  to  be  free  of  such  impolitic  exag- 
gerations. 

It  is  true  that  our  American  brevity,  speed,  and  variety  are  too  often  accompa- 
nied by  a  superficial  apprehension  of  ideas,  and  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  facts, 
especially  such  as  have  happened  at  a  distance— characteristics  more  natural  to 
youth  than  creditable  to  the  energy  and  pretensions  of  manhood,  and  which  may 
well  make  us  regret  the  penetration  of  the  French,  and  the  thorough  information 


Editor  Dana  refusing  an  Office.  68 1 

of  the  Germans ;  but  these  are  faults  which  Svery  day  helps  to  diminish,  and  which 
must  soon  be  reduced  to  mere  exceptions.  Moreover,  they  are  faults  which  indi- 
cate deficient  organization  in  the  editing  of  newspapers  quite  as  much  as  personal 
deficiency  in  the  writers.  Most  of  our  leading  papers  have  hitherto  depended  on 
single  individuals,  not  merely  to  give  the  tone  to  their  columns,  but  also  to  write 
almost  every  thing  in  the  way  of  editorials.  But  this  has  already  changed  con- 
siderably within  a  few  years,  and  is  destined  to  entire  alteration.  The  time  will 
soon  arrive,  if  it  has  not  arrived  already,  when  the  chief  editor  of  a  daily  paper 
which  aspires  to  circulation  and  influence  will  not  presume  to  treat  evory  topic 
that  may  arise,  or  to  venture  into  every  region  of  thought  and  science,  but  will 
confine  himself  to  a  comparatively  limited  sphere  of  writing,  and  leave  the  rest 
to  the  labors  of  the  most  numerous  and  able  corps  of  assistants  at  his  command. 
Let  those,  then,  who  find  American  journalism  less  philosophic  than  the  French, 
and  less  finished  and  artistic  in  its  productions  than  the  English,  take  courage 
and  believe  that  they  will  not  always  have  reason  for  such  criticism.  Besides, 
having  admitted  the  charge,  we  have  a  right  to  ask  if  French,  German,  and  En- 
glish papers  are  so  uniformly  well-informed,  and  so  profound  in  thought  upon 
American  ideas  and  events,  as  to  be  fit  standards  of  perfection  in  comparison  with 
their  contemporaries  on  this  side  of  the  water  ? 

Started  on  this  platform,  it  began  its  new  career  on  the  first  of 
January,  1868.  One  year  after  this  event,  its  spirit  showed  itself 
in  an  advertisement  of  one  of  its  cheap  editions  : 

The  Dollar   Sun. 

CHAS.  A.  DANA,  EDITOR. 

The  cheapest,  smartest,  and  best  New  York  newspaper.  Every  body  likes  it. 
Three  editions  :  DAILY,  $6  ;  SEMI -WEEKLY,  $2  ;  and  WEEKLY,  f  1  a  year. 
ALL  THE  NEWS  at  half  price.  Full  reports  of  markets,  agriculture,  Farmers'  and 
Fruit-growers'  Clubs,  and  a  complete  story  in  every  Weekly  and  Semi- Weekly 
number.  A  present  of  valuable  plants  and  vines  to  every  subscriber.;  induce- 
ments to  canvassers  unsurpassed.  $1000  Life  Insurances,  Grand  Pianos,  Mowing 
Machines,  Parlor  Organs,  Sewing  Machines,  etc.,  among  the  premiums.  Speci- 
mens and  lists  free.  Send  a  Dollar  and  try  it. 

I.  W.  ENGLAND,  Publisher  Sun,  New  York. 

True  to  his  education,  the  publisher  could  not  resist  premium 
inducements  for  subscribers.  If  the  Tribune,  where  Dana  and  En- 
gland both  graduated,  increased  its  weekly  circulation  by  gifts  of 
strawberry  plants,  and  gold  pens,  and  steel  engravings  of  its  editor, 
certainly  "  valuable  plants  and  vines,"  added  to  "  life  insurances, 
grand  pianos,  mowing  machines,  parlor  organs,  sewing  machines," 
especially  when  these  are  only  "among  the  premiums"  offered, 
ought  assuredly  to  run  the  Dollar  Sun  high  up  on  the  list  of  suc- 
cessful newspapers,  and  reach  the  very  zenith  of  prosperity. 

Secretary  Boutwell,  of  the  Treasury  Department,  although  he 
must  have  known  the  office  was  neither  to  the  "  taste"  nor  "  inclina- 
tion" of  Mr.  Dana,  offered  him  the  position  of  appraiser  in  the  New 
York  Custom-house  in  1869,  and  this  is  the  polite  way  the  editor 
snubbed  the  secretary  for  the  offer : 

NEW  YORK,  April  17, 1869. 

MY  DEAR  SIR, — Your  unexpected  favor  of  the  I4th  instant  was  duly  received. 
It  would  have  been  more  speedily  answered  but  for  the  personal  request  with 
which  it  closes.  In  these  days  of  corruption  in  high  places  as  well  as  low  places, 
no  upright  citizen  ought  hastily  to  refuse  such  a  request ;  but,  after  due  consid- 


682  Journalism  in  America. 

eration,  I  find  myself  constrained  to  decline  this  mark  of  your  esteem  and  confi- 
dence. I  beg  you,  however,  to  believe  that  this  is  not  done  from  either  of  the 
reasons  which  you  suggest.  Having  been  educated  to  commercial  pursuits,  the 
office  is  not  repugnant  to  my  tastes ;  and  as  for  serving  the  government  at  some 
sacrifice  of  my  own  interest  and  convenience,  I  trust  that  during  the  past  few  years 
I  have  sufficiently  proved  my  readiness  to  do  it.  But  I  already  hold  an  office  of 
responsibility  as  the  conductor  of  an  independent  newspaper,  and  I  am  persuaded 
that  to  abandon  it  or  neglect  it  for  the  functions  you  offer  me  would  be  to  leave 
a  superior  duty  for  one  of  much  less  importance.  Nor  is  it  certain  that  I  can  not 
do  more  to  help  you  in  the  pure  and  efficient  administration  of  the  Treasury  De- 
partment by  remaining  here  and  denouncing  and  exposing  political  immorality 
than  I  could  do  as  appraiser  by  the  most  zealous  effort  to  insure  the  faithful  and 
honest  collection  of  the  customs.  Very  sincerely  yours, 

CHARLES  A.  DANA. 

Hon.  GEORGE  S.  BOUTWELL,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

The  Sun  became  sensational  and  personal,  and  increased  in  cir- 
culation. Judgment  of  a  superior  order  is  requisite  to  manage  a 
journal  on  this  basis,  because  there  must  sometimes  be  a  change 
in  policy  in  order  to  accomplish  the  great  intellectual  purpose  of  a 
newspaper.  In  this  new  position  of  Mr.  Dana  he  did  not  forget 
his  old  confrere  of  the  Tribune,  and  when  the  opportunity  came,  as 
it  did  in  the  Young  bouleversement,  he  published  a  broadside  of  let- 
ters and  comments  under  the  head  of  "At  Last — At  Last."  Some 
of  the  points  of  this  affair  we  have  mentioned  in  the  sketch  of  the 
Tribune.  Managing  Editor  Young  immediately  commenced  a  libel 
suit  against  the  Sun,  laying  his  damages  at  §100,000.  The  affi- 
davit on  which  Mr.  Dana  was  arrested  is  a  curious  and  interesting 
development  of  persons  and  papers  : 

SUPREME  COURT,  KINGS  COUNTY. 

The  Sun  Printing  and  Publishing  Association,  Charles  A.  Dana,  individually,  and 
as  President  of  said  Association,  and  Thomas  Hitchcock,  John  H,  Sherwood,  F. 
A.  Conkling,  Marshall  B.  Blake,  and  F.  A.  Palmer,  as  Trustees  of  said  Associa- 
tion. 

John  Russell  Young,  being  duly  sworn,  says,  that  he  is  a  resident  and  house- 
holder in  the  city  of  Brooklyn.  That  since  the  month  of  May,  1866,  he  has  been 
and  now  is  the  managing  editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  a  daily  and  weekly 
newspaper,  published  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  also  a  stockholder  and  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Tribune  Association,  an  association  organized  under  the  law 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  being  the  owners  and  having  the  control  of  the  said 
newspapers  and  their  publication.  That  the  daily  circulation  of  said  Tribune  is 
about  50,000  copies,  and  the  weekly  is  about  200,000  copies.  That  on  the  27th 
day  of  April,  1869,  the  defendants  above  named  were  the  publishers,  owners,  and 
proprietors  of  the  Sim,  a  newspaper  by  them  published,  printed,  and  sold  daily, 
semi-weekly,  and  weekly  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  having  a  large  circulation 
in  the  city  of  Brooklyn  and  in  other  places.  That  on  the  said  27th  day  of  April, 
1869,  the  defendants  above  named,  contriving  and  maliciously  designing  to  injure 
the  plaintiff  in  his  good  name,  fame,  and  credit,  and  to  bring  him  into  public  scan- 
dal, infamy,  contempt,  and  disgrace  with  and  among  all  his  neighbors,  employers, 
associates,  and  other  good  and  worthy  citizens,  and  to  harass  and  oppress  this 
plaintiff,  did  falsely,  wickedly,  and  maliciously  compose  and  publish,  and  cause 
and  procure  to  be  published  in  said  newspaper  called  the  Sun,  so,  as  aforesaid, 
owned  and  published  by  said  defendants,  of  and  concerning  this  plaintiff,  a  false, 
malicious,  and  defamatory  libel,  containing  the  false,  scandalous,  malicious,  defam- 
atory, and  libelous  matter  following,  that  is  to  say — [Here  appears  the  article.] 
Deponent  further  says  that  by  reason  of  the  said  grievances  committed  by  the 
said  defendants  the  plaintiff  has  been  and  still  is  greatly  injured  in  his  good  name, 


The  Quarrel  between  the  Sun  and  Tribune.    683 

fame,  credit,  and  character,  and  brought  into  public  scandal,  infamy,  and  disgrace 
with  and  among  all  his  neighbors,  associates,  employers,  and  other  good  and  wor- 
thy citizens,  and  has  been  and  still  is  greatly  harassed  and  oppressed  by  rea- 
son of  said  false  and  malicious  libel,  and  has  suffered  damages  by  reason  of  the 
premises  in  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Deponent  further  says 
that  he  has  commenced  an  action  against  said  defendants  upon  said  sufficient  cause 
of  action,  and  has  issued  a  summons  therein.  Deponent  further  says  that  he  is 
informed  and  believes  that  Charles  A.  Dana,  S.  B.  Chittenden,  Roscoe  Conkling, 
Edward  D.  Morgan,  Charles  Gould,  A.  A.  Low,  C.  E.  Detmold,  David  Dows, 
George  Opdyke,  William  T.  Blodgett,  Marshall  O.  Roberts,  A.  L.  Brown,  T.  G. 
Churchill,  F.  A.  Palmer,  F.  A.  Conkling,  A.  B.  Cornell,  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Thomas 
Hitchcock,  M.  B.  Blake,  E.  D.  Smith,  T.  Murphy,  P.  M'Martin,  are  stockholders 
of  said  association,  holding  and  owning  a  majority  of  the  capital  stock  of  said  as- 
sociation. And  deponent  further  states  that  the  said  article  speaks  of  "  how 
Chase,  Cameron,  Grow,  and  Brewster  were  fleeced,"  meaning  thereby  that  this 
deponent  obtained  certain  sums  from  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron,  Hon.  S.  P.  Chase, 
the  Hon.  G.  A.  Grow,  and  the  Hon.  B.  H.  Brewster,  in  a  corrupt  manner,  for  im- 
proper purposes,  all  of  which  defendant  denies  as  without  the  least  foundation  in 
truth,  and  as  false  and  scandalous.  And  deponent  further  states  that  the  said  ar- 
ticle says  that "  the  commodore  (meaning  deponent)  ordered  all  hands  to  go  a 
fishing  and  to  bait  for  Salmon,"  meaning  thereby  that  the  deponent  was  engaged 
in  a  clandestine  manner  in  endeavoring  to  obtain  from  the  Hon.  Salmon  P.  Chase 
sums  of  money  to  secure  his  (deponent's)  support  for  his  nomination  for  the  office 
of  President  of  the  United  States,  all  of  which  deponent  denies  as  without  the 
least  foundation  in  truth,  and  as  false  and  scandalous,  he  never  having  directly  or 
indirectly  received,  or  endeavored  to  receive,  or  expected  to  receive  any  sum  of 
money  from  the  Hon.  Salmon  P.  Chase,  or  from  any  friend  of  the  Hon.  Salmon 
P.  Chase.  And  deponent  further  states  that  the  said  article  contains  the  follow- 
ing :  "  The  commodore  (meaning  deponent),  however,  reminded  Mr.  M'Clure  that 
the  fourth  page  of  the  Tribune  was  all-powerful ;  that  its  influence  was  a  valua- 
ble consideration,  and  would  prove  worth  more  than  the  price  paid  for  the  Post" 
all  of  which  deponent  denies  as  without  the  least  foundation  in  truth,  and  as  false 
and  scandalous.  And  deponent  further  states  that  said  article  contains  the  fol- 
lowing :  "  Grow  struck  heavily ;"  thereby  meaning  that  the  Hon.  Galusha  A. 
Grow  was  asked  or  compelled  by  corrupt  means  to  pay  certain  sums  of  money  to 
this  deponent,  all  of  which  deponent  denies  as  without  the  least  foundation  in 
truth,  and  as  false  and  scandalous.  And  deponent  further  states  that  said  article 
contains  the  following :  "  It  is  understood  at  this  time  Cameron  was  bled  to  the 
tune  of  $5000,"  thereby  meaning  that  the  Hon.  Simon  Cameron  was  corruptly 
compelled  to  pay  $5000  to  deponent  for  the  influence  of  the  Post  or  the  Tribune, 
all  of  which  deponent  denies  as  without  the  least  foundation  in  truth,  and  as  false 
and  scandalous.  And  deponent  further  states  that  the  said  article  contains  the 
following  :  "  It  is  also  stated  that  the  Hon.  Thomas  N.  Rooker,  the  veteran  fore- 
man of  the  Tribune  composing-room,  became  an  eyesore  to  the  commodore 
(meaning  deponent),  who  resolved  to  dig  him  out,"  thereby  meaning  that  this  de- 
ponent was  endeavoring  to  have  Mr.  Rooker  removed  from  the  office  of  foreman, 
all  of  which  deponent  denies  as  without  the  least  foundation  in  truth,  and  as  false 
and  scandalous.  And  deponent  further  states  that  said  article  contains  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  PHILADELPHIA,  April  21,  1869. 

"DEAR  SIR, —  *  *  *  Since  Mr.  Young  assumed  the  duties  of  the  position  he  now  holds  on  the 
New  York  Trihtne,  he  has  repeatedly  assured  me,  up  to  the  time  when  the  troubles  commenced 
on  one  of  his  daily  newspapers  in  this  city,  in  August  last,  that  I  would  be  the  publisher  of  the 
Tribune.  He  said  that  Mr.  Sinclair  was  an  old  fogy,  like  Mr.  Brown,  the  manager  of  the  Press  in 
this  city,  and  that  the  stockholders  would  soon  make  a  change.  In  fact,  the  last  time  he  visited 
me  at  my  present  residence,  shortly  before  the  Morning  Post  moved  into  its  new  building  at  Sev- 
enth and  Jayne  Streets,  he  stated,  while  sitting  at  the  breakfast  table,  '  that  every  thing  was  work- 
ing nicely,  and  that  inside  of  six  months  I  should  be  publisher  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  keep 
myself  in  readiness  to  leave  Philadelphia  at  short  notice.'  CHAS.  M'CLINTOCK." 

Thereby  meaning  that  deponent  had  promised  to  Charles  M'Clintock  the  office 
of  publisher  of  the  Tribune,  which  allegation  is  without  the  least  foundation  in 
truth,  and  is  false  and  scandalous  ;  and  deponent  further  states  that  he  is  desirous 
of  vindicating  his  good  name,  fame,  credit,  and  character  among  his  said  neigh- 
bors, associates,  employers,  and  other  good  and  worthy  citizens,  and  for  that  pur- 


684  Joitrnalism  in  America. 

pose  prays  that  an  order  of  arrest  may  issue  against  the  said  defendants  and  each 
of  them.  JNO.  RUSSELL  YOUNG. 

Sworn  before  me,  April  27, 1869 — A.  B.  TAPPAN,  Justice  Supreme  Court. 

With  the  peculiar  state  of  society  and  politics  in  New  York,  with ' 
the  tactics  of  the  management  of  the  Sun,  with  the  low  price  of 
subscription,  and  with  the  character  and  reputation  of  its  chief  edi- 
tor, the  Sun  could  not  but  have  a  large  circulation,  and  in  May, 
1870,  we  find  in  the  New  York  Herald  the  following  advertisement, 
which  is  a  journalistic  curiosity: 

AND  A  HALF  MILLIONS  A  MONTH. 


THE  NEW  YORK  SUN  < 

AHEAD  OF  ALL  COMPETITORS. 
The  circulation  of 

THE  SUN 

is  many  thousands  larger 

than  that  of  any  other  daily  newspaper. 

The  aggregate  daily  editions  of 

THE  SUN 
last  week  were 

SIX   HUNDRED   AND  TWENTY-TWO   THOUSAND   FOUR 
HUNDRED 

(622,400). 
The  daily  circulation  of  THE  SUN  for  the  four  weeks  of  May  was  as  follows  : 

First  week 611,800 

Second  week 620,100 

Third  week .'-•-••     614,600 

Fourth  week    -•-        -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -.  622,400 

Total  in  four  weeks  2,468,900 

or  nearly  two  millions  and  a  half.  This  is  equal  to  a  daily  average  of  102,870 
(one  hundred  and  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy)  for  the  twenty-four 
days  of  publication.  This  simple  statement  of  facts  is  sufficient  evidence  of  im- 
mense and  growing  popularity  of  the  Sun.  It  demonstrates  conclusively  that  the 
Sun  is  no  servant  of  a  clique  or  class,  but 

THE  GREAT  ORGAN  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

As  such  it  will  continue  to  uphold  with  all  its  might  that  which  is  good  and 
true,  while  it  will  fearlessly  expose  knavery,  corruption,  and  imbecility  in  high  or 
low  places,  wherever  their  practice  imperils  public  safety  or  private  virtue. 

THE  SUN  IS  THE  BEST  AND  MOST  READABLE  NEWSPAPER 
published.    Its  news  is  the  freshest,  most  interesting  and  sprightliest  current,  and 
no  expense  is  spared  to  make  it  just  what  the  great  mass  of  the  people  require. 

As  a  matter  of  information  for  such  as  may  not  be  aware  of  the  fact,  we  may 
mention  that  the  Sun  sheds  its  genial  beams  upon  all  at  the 
MODEST  PRICE  OF  TWO  CENTS. 

The  Sim  has  introduced  a  new  feature  in  one  department  of  that 
paper.  For  some  time  the  newspapers  of  this  country  gave  only 
the  marriages  and  deaths.  European  papers  published  the  births. 
Several  years  ago  this  feature  was  introduced,  but  not  very  exten- 
sively carried  out  by  our  people.  'American  mothers  have  been 
opposed  to  such  announcements.  But  the  Sun  now  daily  publishes 
the  divorces.  They  are  inserted  with  the  other  domestic  announce- 
ments, and  in  chronological  order,  ist,  "Born."  2 d,  " Married." 
3d, "  Divorced."  4th, "  Died."  That  journal  also  gives  under  these 


Births,  Marriages,  and  Deaths.  685 

heads  all  those  of  prominence  in  any  community  that  have  met  with 
any  of  these  incidents  or  accidents. 

James  Grant  tells  a  story  of  the  origin  of  the  custom  of  requiring 
payment  for  the  insertion  of  marriage  announcements  in  the  London 
Times.  They  were  published  gratuitously  in  all  the  English  papers 
till  then.  So  were  the  announcements  of  deaths.  The  same  custom 
prevailed  in  the  United  States.  It  appears  to  have  been  the  early 
practice  of  the  Times,  in  announcing  a  marriage,  to  state  the  amount 
of  the  bride's  dowry — ^"20,000  or  .£30,000,  whatever  it  might  hap- 
pen to  be.  One  morning  at  breakfast  Mr.  Walter  threw  out  the  sug- 
gestion that  if  a  man  married  all  that  money  he  might  certainly  pay 
a  trifling  percentage  upon  it  to  the  printer  for  acquainting  the  world 
with  the  fact.  "  These  marriage  fees  would  form  a  nice  little  pock- 
et-money for  me,  my  dear,"  added  Mrs.  Walter,  and,  as  a  joke,  her 
husband  agreed  to  try  the  experiment.  The  charge  at  first  was  but 
a  trifle,  and  the  annual  amount  probably  not  much ;  but  Mrs.  Walter, 
at  her  death,  passed  this  prescriptive  right  to  her  daughter,  and  when, 
a  few  years  ago,  the  right  was  repurchased  by  the  present  proprietor, 
it  was  assessed  at  ^4000  or  £5000. 

Our  papers  formerly  published  these  announcements  as  interesting 
items  of  domestic  news.  Mr.  Bennett,  of  the  Herald,  first  made  the 
change  in  this  country.  Now  the  income  from  this  source  alone  to 
that  paper  is  not  far  from  $30,000  per  annum.  There  is  rarely  less 
than  a  column  daily  of  marriage  and  obituary  notices  in  the  Herald. 

"  No  cards"  has  become  a  familiar  announcement  in  the  marriage 
notices  of  newspapers.  Several  years  ago,  about  1865,  a  lady  and 
gentleman  were  married  in  New  York.  They  were  quietly  united  in 
the  bonds  of  matrimony.  They  had  many  friends  and  acquaintances. 
Not  wishing  any  display,  and  not  wishing  to  have  it  appear  that  they 
had  slighted  any  one,  the  gentleman,  in  having  the  announcement 
of  the  marriage  inserted  in  the  Herald,  added  "  No  cards"  to  the  no- 
tice. These  cabalistic  words,  on  the  morning  of  their  publication, 
puzzled  the  fashionable  world.  "  No  cards  !  What  does  that  mean  ?" 
asked  every  one.  Their  inventor  was  famous  for  nine  days  in  Go- 
tham. But  now  a  large  number  of  the  daily  marriage  announce- 
ments, to  the  disgust  of  the  card  engravers,  have  these  words  as  the 
"  amen"  of  the  ceremony. 

The  Sun,  too,  has  its  platform  for  1872.  It  lays  down  the  issues 
of  the  campaign  in  these  six  paragraphs : 

I.  One  term  of  office  for  the  President,  and  no  more ;  the  Constitution  to  be 
amended  to  secure  this  reform. 

II.  Both  Grantism  and  Tweedism  to  be  abolished  in  national  affairs  by  laws  for 
the  summary  punishment  of  present-taking  and  bribe-taking  as  well  as  of  public 
robbery. 

III.  Universal  amnesty  and  restoration  of  political  rights  to  all  persons  con- 
cerned in  the  late  rebellion. 

IV.  Reform  in  the  Civil  Service,  so  that  appointment  to  office  will  no  longer 


686  Journalism  in  America. 

depend  on  party  patronage,  and  can  not  be  used  as  a  means  of  corrupting  the 
politics  of  the  country  and  perpetuating  unworthy  men  in  high  places ;  and  so 
that  the  President  can  not  appoint  his  own  relations  or  those  of  his  wife  to  any 
office  whatever. 

V.  Reform  of  the  revenue ;  reduction  in  the  number  of  revenue  officers  and  the 
expenses  of  collecting  duties  and  taxes  ;  fixed  salaries  for  all  revenue  officers ; 
the  abolition  of  import  duties  on  all  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  the  reduction  of 
other  duties  to  a  consistent,  rational,  and  moderate  system ;  the  abolition  of  un- 
constitutional and  superfluous  internal  taxes,  leaving  only  stamps,  tobacco,  and  - 
distilled  spirits  as  the  subjects  of  such  taxation. 

VI.  Legislation  to  prevent  the  levy  of  blackmail  upon  clerks  and  other  public 
officers  for  party  political  purposes,  and  for  the  summary  punishment  alike  of 
those  who  demand  and  those  who  pay  such  contributions. 

Consistent  with  the  above,  the  Sun  made  serious  charges  against 
Secretary  Robeson,  of  the  Navy  Department,  and  was  so  persistent 
in  them  as  to  call  forth  the  following  summons : 

Forty-second  Congress  U.  S.,  House  of  Representatives,  ) 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  16,  1872.  ) 

SIR, — I  am  instructed  to  notify  you  that  in  pursuance  of  the  terms  of  the  in- 
closed resolution  adopted  by  the  House  of  Representatives  on  the  nth  instant, 
the  committee  appointed  in  accordance  therewith  are  now  ready  to  receive  any 
communication  that  you  may  desire  to  make  in  support  of  the  charges  appearing 
in  the  New  York  Sun,  of  which  you  are  understood  to  be  the  responsible  editor, 
against  the  Hon.  George  M.  Robeson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

The  committee  will  be  glad  either  to  have  you  appear  before  them  and  make 
any  statements  likely  to  lead  to  a  full  discovery  of  all  the  facts,  or  to  receive  in- 
formation from  you  or  any  of  your  associates  in  any  way  most  convenient  for  you. 
The  committee  will  be  ready  to  subpoena  any  witnesses  you  may  name,  and  to 
give  a  full  hearing  of  the  entire  case,  and  have  for  that  purpose  adjourned  to 
Thursday  next,  the  2ist  instant,  at  10  o'clock,  A.M.,  from  which  time  they  desire 
to  proceed  with  the  investigation  as  fast  as  possible. 

I  am  very  respectfully  yours,  HENRY  H.  SMITH, 

Clerk  of  Select  Committee,  etc. 

How  did  not  the  Sun  meet  this  letter  ?  That  "  of  course  we  shall 
appear  before  the  committee,"  which  is  responsible  journalism  in  a 
few  words. 

The  Sun  is  now  entered  for  the  race  of  newspapers  for  the  next 
ten  years.  While  it  has  the  advantage  in  price  for  circulation,  it 
has  the  disadvantage  in  size  for  news  and  advertisements.  It  is  at 
the  head  of  a  class  of  newspapers.  Of  this  class  there  are  the  Star, 
the  Witness,  the  Mail,  the  Telegram,  in  New  York ;  the  Herald  and 
the  Times  in  Boston ;  the  Public  Ledger  and  the  Post  in  Philadel- 
phia. They -occupy  the  same  position  in  1872  to  the  Tribune,  the 
Herald,  the  Times,  and  the  World,  in  New  York,  that  the  Herald,  Trib- 
une, and  Sun  did  in  1842  to  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  Journal  of 
Commerce,  and  New  York  Express,  but  only  in  cheapness.  The  Trib- 
une andHera/J,  in  1842,  were  the  cheap,  energetic  Press  at  two  cents 
per  copy.  The  Courier  and  Enquirer  and  the  Journal  of  Commerce 
were  the  dear,  heavy  newspapers  at  six  cents  per  copy.  The  Sun 
and  Star,  in  1872,  are  the  two-cent  papers,  and  \heHerald,  World, 
Tribune,  and  Times  are  double  that  price.  But — and  there  is  as 
much  virtue  in  this  but  as  in  an  if — the  high-priced  newspapers  of 
to-day,  all  things  considered,  are  as  cheap  as  the  low-priced  journals  ; 


Circulation  of  the  New  York  Papers.          687 


and  then  the  age  is  an  electric  one.  All  are  high-strung  like  the 
telegraphic  wires.  So  long,  therefore,  as  the  Tribune,  and  Herald, 
and  their  class  keep  up  their  enterprise,  they  are  safe  from  any  in- 
roads from  their  competitors. 

In  closing  our  sketch  of  the  Sun  the  subjoined  statement  of  one 
year's  sale  of  newspapers  in  the  metropolis  comes  in  very  appropri- 
ately. It  is  the  return  of  the  Assistant  Assessor  of  the  gross  re- 
ceipts from  the  sales  of  the  various  New  York  newspapers  in  1869. 
Each  return  is  in  excess  of  $1250  per  quarter  allowed  by  law : 


Newspapers. 

Quarte 
June  30. 
1869. 

ending 
Sept.  30, 
1869. 

Total  for 

]>:  St   12 

Months. 

Newspapers. 

June  30, 
1869. 

ending 
Sept.  30, 
1869. 

Total  for 

past  11! 
Months. 

Herald  
World  
Tribune  

$204,919 
127,261 
102,780 
118,643 
63>750 
49,683 
23,021 
24,763 
69,750 
23,000 
21,714 
23,850 
5,000 
10,317 
I55,oi4 
130,981 

113,098 

38,087 
I3,i59 
10,339 
7,468 
8,575 
20,574 

II,OI2 
16,150 

$206,256 
146,127 
88,950 
100,350 
68,750 
58,315 
22,423 
27,822 
70,75° 
22,OOO 
20,920 
23,506 
",035 
8,073 
163,187 
116,488 

112,649 
7,687 
36,325 
9,141 
16,250 
3,015 
6,644 
19,742 
10,125 
14,600 

$801,327 
689,040 
514,207 
445,211 
217,250 
186,707 
100,435 

99,472 
269,000 
99,500 
86,302 
77,265 
26,511 
41,050 
699,828 
488,595 

444,934 
21,840 
J51,  907 
73,oi4 
52,589 
22,766 

37>°'7 
77,24i 
43,298 
59,744 

Irish  Republic  
Methodist  
Christ.  Intelligencer.. 
Wilkes's  Spirit  
Leader  

$  6,950 
2,885 
3,430 
6,854 
6,210 
6,322 
5,151 
4,98o 
2,830 
io,334 
2,880 
5,927 
•  1,538 
2,615 
710 
3,72i 
5,120 
13,859 
18,950 
17,974 
6,835 
835 
1,883 

1,900 
4,672 
3,558 

$  6,850 
1,905 
3,430 
7,750 
6,132 
6,987 
3,524 
12,925 
4,600 
i,953 
3,222 
2,450 
1,059 
1,235 
2,933 
5,i36 
6,310 
11,042 
20,251 
27,281 
18,853 
654 
2,75o 

1,810 
2,700 
3,639 

$  28,564 
21,487 
14,760 
25,243 
24,702 
33,86o 
18,112 

37,491 
15,500 
42,166 
10,592 
18,147 
5,635 

7,869 

6,851 
27,535 
12,703 
24,901 

39,201 
86,714 
135,677 
3,242 
7,619 

5,40Q 
13,823 
10,  108 

Times....  
Staats  Zeitung  
Sun  

Post  

Scottish  American  .  .  . 

ArmyandNavyJourn. 
Examiner  and  Chron. 

Journal  of  Commerce 
Belletristichesjournal 
Democrat  

Demokrat  
Commerc'  1  Advertiser 

Produc.  Price  Current 
Irish  People  
Handel  Zeitung.  

Harper's  Weekly  and 

Turf,  Field,  and  Farm 
Time-Table  

Sunday  Times  

New  Yorker  Journal. 
Fireside  Companion.. 
Rural  New  Yorker... 
Yankee  Notions  
Liberal  Christian  
Counting-house  Mon- 
itor   
Comic  Monthly  
Telegram  

Observer  
Hearth  and  Home.  .  . 
Atlas  

Scientific  American  .  . 
Irish  American  
Dispatch  

The  New  York  Citizen  and  Round  Table,  consolidated  during  the  last  quarter, 
made  a  return  of  $8023.  . 

Within  the  last  six  months  the  Clipper  and  the  Franco- American  removed  from 
the  district. 

If  we  look  back  to  1833,  when  the  Sun  was  started,  we  find  that 
the  total  number  of  copies  of  all  the  papers  printed  in  New  York 
City  was  6,000,000  to  8,000,000  in  that  year,  valued  then  at  $400,000 
or  $500,000.  The  total  sales  in  1869  reached  the  enormous  sum  of 
7,000,000.  It  is  probable  that,  against  the  8,000,000  copies  issued 
in  1833,  the  number  in  1869  came  up  to  150,000,000  to  200,000,000, 
almost  twice  as  many  copies  as  were  issued  in  the  whole  country  in 
the  year  that  the  first  penny  paper  made  its  appearance. 

It  is  to  be  considered,  in  analyzing  this  table,  that  the  sums  men- 
tioned there  do  not  include  the  receipts  from  advertisements  except 
in  the  returns  of  the  World,  the  proprietor  of  which,  it  is  mentioned, 
made  a  mistake  in  one  or  two  quarters,  and  returned  his  total  re- 
ceipts. But  this  inadvertence  is  not  sufficient  to  change  the  won- 
derful aggregate  result  of  the  statement. 


688  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER    XLIV. 
THE  COMIC  PAPERS. 

THEIR  FAILURE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  SUCCESS  IN  EUROPE.  — THE 
CAUSE.  —  WIT  AND  HUMOR  HERE  AND  ELSEWHERE.  —  MARK  TWAIN  ON 
ARTEMUS  WARD. — INTERVIEW  WITH  PETROLEUM  V.  NASBY. — WHAT  ONE 
HUMORIST  SAYS  OF  ANOTHER. — ABUNDANCE  OF  WIT  IN  AMERICA. 

Quid  rides  ? 

While  comic  journalism,/^  se,  does  not  thrive  in  the  United 
States,  we  have  plenty  of  comic  writers  and  talkers,  who  have  grown 
fat,  made  money,  set  the  nation  in  a  roar,  and  thrown  Momus  into 
ecstasies  of  delight  over  the  fresh,  free,  funny,  and  broad  humor  of 
our  numerous  raconteurs,  and  wits,  and  punsters. 

One  of  the  earliest  writers  in  this  special  department  of  our  liter- 
ature was  the  original  Joe  Strickland,  whose  productions  were  short 
and  witty.  They  were  written  by  George  W.  Arnold,  who  kept  a 
lottery  office  in  Broadway,  New  York,  and  graced  the  newspapers  in 
1826,  '27,  and  '28.  The  Croaker  papers  of  Drake  and  Halleck  were 
also  full  of  points.  Seba  Smith,  of  Portland,  Maine,  then  wrote  the 
queer  and  quaint  letters  of  Major  Jack  Downing,  of  Downingsville. 
They  had  their  sensation  in  their  day.  Andrew  Jackson  was  in  the 
height  of  his  popularity  at  that  time,  and  he  was  the  subject  of  these 
epistles.  Charles  Augustus  Davis,  of  New  York,  was  Jack  Down- 
ing the  second.  Then  Judge  Halliburton  came  out  with  Sam  Slick 
of  Slickville.  He  was  a  Nova  Scotian,  it  is  true,  but  his  droll 
sketches  and  humor  belong  to  the  Western  Hemisphere.  Then  Jo- 
seph C.  Neale,  an  editor  in  Philadelphia — not  John  Neal,  of  Port- 
land— "  not  this  man,  but  that" — appeared  with  his  curious  "  Char- 
coal Sketches,"  and  created  some  pleasure  and  merriment.  Then 
such  wits  as  Prentice,  Greene,  Bennett,  Lewis  Gaylord  Clarke,  John 
Waters,  Kendall,  Felix  Merry,  Henry  J.  Finn,  Oliver  W'endell  Holmes,- 
Lumsden,  Cornelius  Matthews,  and  Briggs  came  before  the  foofr- 
lights  of  our  continental  theatre. 

There  was  a  lithographer,  named  Robinson,  who  lined  the  curb- 
stones and  covered  the  old  fences  of  New  York  with  his  peculiarly 
characteristic  caricatures  during  Jackson's  and  Van  Buren's  admin- 
istrations, which  frequently  produced  a  broad  grin  on  the  face  of  the 
metropolis  in  those  days.  Since  that  period  a  number  of  humorists 


Comic  Papers.  689 

and  wits  of  purely  native  growth  have  become  well  known  through- 
out the  land.  Artemus  Ward,  Mark  Twain,  John  Phoenix,  Doe- 
sticks,  Josh  Billings,  Bret  Harte,  Petroleum  V.  Nasby,  who  seems  to 
be  a  descendant  of  Jack  Downing,  Leland,  Wilkins,  Congdon,  and 
Mrs.  Partington,  in  their  real  names  and  in  noms  des  plumes,  have  in- 
troduced a  new  order  of  comic  literature,  which,  for  quaintness,  and 
richness,  and  freshness,  is  a  feature  of  the  times.  Still  later,  Orpheus 
C.  Kerr,  Captain  Watt  A.  Lyre,  Yuba  Dam,  Eli  Perkins,  Oofty  Koof- 
ty,  Will  M.  Carleton,  M.  T.  Jugg,  and  Si  Slokum  have  turned  up  in 
the  fertile  soil  of  the  East  and  West.  Humor  is  a  specialty  with 
them ;  yet  none  of  these  writers,  nor  all  of  them  combined,  have 
been  able  to  establish  and  keep  in  prosperous  existence  a  publica- 
tion like  Punch  for  a  single'  year.  Our  people  don't  want  their  wit 
on  a  separate  dish.  These  wits  and  humorists  write  when  the  spir- 
it moves  them.  No  one  can  always  be  funny.  Weekly  drafts,  like 
a  run  upon  a  bank,  tend  to  exhaust  them.  Specie  payments  would 
cease  at  the  treasury  of  wit.  Nickel  would  take  the  place  of  silver 
and  gold,  and  we  should  no  longer  hear  the  real  ring  of  the  true 
metal.  There  must  be  variety  in  wit ;  one  style  is  not  sufficient  for 
Americans.  Wit,  and  humor,  and  fun  are  spontaneous  productions 
in  the  United  States,  and  effervesce  and  bubble  up  like  the  oil-wells 
of  Pennsylvania ;  they  are  as  rich  and  golden  as  the  mines  in  Cal- 
ifornia— indeed,  no  crowd  is  without  its  wit,  no  riot  without  its  jest ; 
there  is  a  laugh  in  every  street.  America*  is  filled  with  Tom  Hoods 
to  keep  the  Niagara  in  a  roar.  They  find  no  vent  in  special  publica- 
tions ;  their  safety-valves  are  in  the  regular  weekly  and  daily  papers. 
Each  newspaper  has  one  or  more.  Some  of  the  leading  editorial 
articles  sparkle  with  wit  as  a  duchess  does  with  diamonds. 

No  single  publication,  like  Judy,  Vanity  Fair,  Yankee  Doodle,  Lan- 
tern, Puck,  or  Fun,  answer  the  needs  of  this  country.  Wit  can  not 
be  measured  off  like  tape,  or  kept  on  hand  for  a  week ;  it  would 
spoil  in  that  time.  Hence  the  failure  of  such  papers  in  New  York. 
Thus,  while  London  generously  sustains  a  publication  like  Punch, 
Paris  laughs  over  the  real  hits  of  Charivari  and  nineteen  or  twenty 
other  comic  papers ;  while  Germany  enjoys  her  lager  bier  with  the 
Kladderadatsch  and  more  than  thirty  other  humorous  journals,  with 
a  circulation  of  three  hundred  thousand  copies,  Italy  eats  her  mac- 
caroni  with  her  illustrated  fun  for  seasoning,  and  Spain,  with  her 
cheap  and  slovenly  journalism,  has  her  bull-fights,  with  her  comic 
publications  printed  in  large  type,  with  illustrations  done  in  chalk. 
Australia,  too,  has  not  been  able  to  make  her  rapid  progress  in  gold 
and  glory  without  a  Punch,  in  imitation  of  the  original  in  London, 
and  full  of  smartness  and  wit.  But  the  United  States  lives,  and 
breathes,  and  prospers,  builds  the  longest  railroads,  and  suppresses 

X  x 


690  Journalism  in  America. 

the  biggest  rebellions  without  a  Punch,  or  a  Charivari,  or  a  Klad- 
deradatsch. 

We  have  tried  all  kinds  of  comic  periodicals.  Vanity  Fair,  which 
was  started  in  New  York  in  1859,  probably  lived  the  longest.  It 
was  not  stopped  till  1863.  George  Arnold  wrote  over  a  hundred  ar- 
ticles for  it,  including  the  M'Arone  Letters.  Mrs.  Grundy  was  is- 
sued in  July,  1865.  Twelve  numbers  only  were  published.  The 
Jolly  Joker,  Momus,  John  Donkey,  and,  without  much  exaggeration, 
fifty  others,  were  issued  at  different  times  and  at  different  places  with 
the  same  result.  They  came  into  existence  with  a  laugh,  but,  poor 
fellows  !  how  did  they  make  their  exit  ? 

It  was  announced  early  in  1870  that  fifty  thousand  dollars  had 
been  subscribed  for  the  establishment  of  a  new  comic  paper  in  New 
York.  After  so  many  failures,  the  mention  of  this  sum  was  deemed 
necessary  in  order  to  assure  the  public  that  permanency  was  se- 
cured. Shortly  after,  advertisements  appeared  of  the  publication  of 
Punchinello  by  the  Punchinello  Publishing  Company.  Its  first  num- 
ber promised  well.  It  contained  this  journalistic  pun  to  start  with, 
divided  into  four  equal  parts  : 

Let  Stone,  o{t\izJournaIofCommerce,Vfoo&,o{\hz  News,  Marble,  of  the  World, 
and  Brick,  of  the  Democrat,  put  their  heads  together  and  make  a  new  conglom- 
erate pavement. 

But  neither  this  quadruple  pun  nor  the  fund  of  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars was  sufficient.  The  competition  of  the  lay  papers  was  too 
much  for  even  genuine  wit  or  greenbacks.  No  one  can  wait  a  week 
for  a  laugh  ;  it  must  come  in  daily  with  our  coffee.  What  has  been 
the  fate  of  the  Punster,  lately  issued  in  Mobile,  we  have  not  ascer- 
tained. If  alive,  it  has  our  best  wishes.  And  Puck,  in  St.  Louis, 
how  is  he  ? 

It  is  probable  that  the  original  comic  paper  was  the  Merrie  Mer- 
curic, which  was  printed  in  London  in  1700.  The  world  has  always 
been  full  of  wit,  but  it  never  came  from  any  other  than  the  wine-' 
press  till  then.  The  Scourge,  not  a  very  funny  name,  was  published 
in  England.  It  appeared  in  1811.  George  Cruikshanks  made  his 
debut,  we  believe,  on  this  periodical.  Since  then,  Figaro,  Diogenes, 
Charivari,  Puck,  Punchinello,  Puppet-show,  Asmodeus,  Squib,  Lion, 
Town  Talk,  Fun,  Porcupine,  Mephistopheles,  Chat,  Odd  Fellow,  Sal- 
loon,  Judy,  Banter,  Zou-Zou,  Punch,  and,  indeed,  many  others,  have 
appeared.  Punch,  the  real  Comus  of  all,  made  its  bow  on  the  i7th 
of  July,  1841,  and  has  lived,  and  laughed,  and  become  rotund  on  wit, 
and  wisdom,  and  wine  ever  since.  It  is  now  a  universally  recog- 
nized character.  It  has  developed  more  wit  with  pen  and  pencil, 
and  has  accomplished  more  good,  socially  and  politically,  in  England 
than  any  politician  or  statesman  is  willing  to  accord  to  its  influence. 


American  Wit.  691 


Charles  Philopon  is  the  head  of  this  description  of  art  and  liter- 
ature in  France.  He  established  a  comic  paper  in  July,  1830,  which 
he  called  La  Caricature.  This  overwhelmed  him  with  lawsuits,  and 
his  paper  was  suppressed.  He  then  started  the  Charivari.  What 
Mark  Lemon,  the  manager  of  Pimc/i,  accomplished,  after  his  fash- 
ion, in  London,  Charles  Philopon  achieved,  after  his  style,  in  Paris. 
John  Leech  was  developed  and  made  famous  in  England,  and  Am- 
edee  de  Noe,  the  celebrated  Cham,  and  Gustave  Dore,  brought  out 
to  shine  in  France ;  but  these  wonderful  artists  were  only  a  part  of 
the  result  and  use  of  these  comic  papers.  La  Lune,  of  Paris,  ob- 
tained permission  from  great  men  to  lampoon  them.  Victor  Hugo 
seemed  delighted  with  the  pasquinades  on  him.  In  a  note  to  the 
editor  in  regard  to  a  caricature  of  him  that  was  to  appear,  he  said, 
"  I  applaud  it  in  advance.  You  are  a  legion  of  charming  writers 
and  sparkling  artists.  I  give  myself  up  entire  to  Mr.  Gill,  who  has 
so  often  enchanted  me.  There  is  d  painter  in  this  caricaturist ;  there 
is  a  thinker  in  this  parodist." 

Wit  and  humor,  politics  and  religon,  science  and  philosophy,  are 
taken  in  separate  doses  in  Europe.  Each  has  its  place.  The  Epis- 
copal and  Catholic  churches,  Oxford  and  the  Sorbonne,  the  Lon- 
don Times  and  Le  Journal  Officiel  of  Paris,  Punch  and  Charivari,  beer 
and  claret,  meet  the  mental,  physical,  and  psychological  wants  of  the 
people,  each  in  its  own  way,  and  in  accordance  with  the  recognized 
rules  of  society.  No  joke  appears  in  the  London  Times  except  by 
accident.  All  is  solemnly  grand  there.  Is  there  any  wit  in  the 
official  journal  of  France  ?  Only  the  grim  humor  of  Napoleon  or 
Thiers  pointed  with  bayonets.  Occasionally  a  smile  creeps  over 
the  face  of  a  hearer  of  Spurgeon  in  London  when  an  outre  illustra- 
tion escapes  from  the  preacher's  lips.  When  an  Englishman,  or  a 
Frenchman,  or  a  German  is  in  need  of  wit,  he  goes  to  Punch,  or  Char- 
ivari, or  Kladderadatsch,  or  to  the  theatre,  where  there  is  a  supply. 
They  want  it  concentrated.  Hence  the  pecuniary  success  of  these 
publications  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Very  different  is  the  love  of  wit  in  America.  It  is  not  a  specialty 
here ;  it  is  e^very  where  ;  it  is  in  the  bright,  clear  atmosphere ;  we 
are  crammed  with  wit  from  the  attic  down ;  it  blooms  in  every  thing ; 
it  is  on  the  field  of  battle,  in  the  newspaper,  on  the  plantation,  in 
the  pulpit,  in  the  court-room,  at  the  polls,  in  Congress,  at  the  fireside, 
in  the  state  prison,  in  the  railway  car,  on  steam-boats,  at  fires,  in 
theatres,  on  the  gold  exchange,  where  men  are  ruined  by  scores,  in 
the  gambling  houses,  at  the  dinner-table,  in  the  kitchen,  and  even 
in  the  sick-room — indeed,  the  face  of  America  seems  always  wreath- 
ed in  smiles  at  the  last  ban  mot. 

Our  wits  lecture  on  each  other.     Artemus  Ward  is  a  subject  for 


692  Journalism  in  America. 

Mark  Twain.     He  spoke  of  Artemus  in  a  lecture  in  Brooklyn  in 
November,  1871,  as  follows  : 

Artemus  Ward's  real  name,  as  most  of  you  are  probably  aware,  was  Charles  F. 
Brown.  He  was  born  in  Waterford,  Me.,  in  1834.  His  personal  appearance  was 
not  like  that  of  most  Maine  men.  He  looked  like  a  glove-stretcher  ;  his  hair,  red, 
and  brushed  well  forward  at  the  sides,  reminded  one  of  a  divided  flame.  His 
nose  rambled  on  aggressively  before  him  with  all  the  strength  and  determination 
of  a  cow-catcher,  while  his  red  mustache,  to  follow  out  the  simile,  seemed  not  un- 
like the  unfortunate  cow. 

Ward  never  had  any  regular  schooling ;  he  was  too  poor  to  afford  it  for  one 
thing,  and  too  lazy  to  care  for  it  for  another.  He  had  an  intense,  ingrained  dis- 
like for  work  of  any  kind ;  he  even  objected  to  see  other  people  work,  and  on  one 
occasion  went  so  far  as  to  submit  to  the  authorities  of  a  certain  town  an  invention 
to  run  a  tread-mill  by  steam.  Such  a  notion  could  not  have  originated  with  a 
hard-hearted  man.  Ward  was  a  dutiful  son,  and  his  first  act,  when  money  began 
to  come  in  on  him  from  his  lectures,  was  to  free  from  incumbrance  the  old  home- 
stead in  his  native  town  and  settle  it  upon  his  aged  mother. 

His  first  literary  venture  was  type-setting  in  the  office  of  the  old  Boston  Car- 
pet-Bagger, and  for  that  paper  he  wrote  his  first  squib.  He  tried  every  branch  of 
writing,  even  going  so  far  as  to  send  to  the  Smithsonian  Institute — at  least,  so  he 
himself  said— an  essay  entitled  "  Is  Cats  to  be  Trusted  ?"  He  soon  tired  of  set- 
tled life  and  poor  pay  in  Boston,  and  wandered  off  over  the  country  to  better  his 
fortune,  obtaining  a  position  in  Cleveland  as  a  reporter  at  $12  per  week.  It  was 
while  in  Cleveland  that  he  wrote  his  first  badly-spelled  article,  signing  it  "  Arte- 
mus Ward."  He  did  not  think  much  of  it  at  the  time  of  writing  it,  but  it  gave 
him  a  start  that  speedily  sent  him  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  without  touching  a 
single  rung. 

He  soon  left  Cleveland,  and,  going  to  New  York,  assumed  the  editorship  of 
Vanity  Fair.  Settled  employment,  however,  did  not  suit  him,  and  he  soon  start- 
ed out  on  his  first  lecture  tour.  The  success  of  this  new  employment,  although 
not  great  at  first,  soon  exceeded  his  most  sanguine  expectations,  and  he  adopted 
it  as  a  permanent  profession.  When  he  went  to  England  his  reception  was  of  the 
nature  of  an  ovation.  It  is  said  that  for  each  of  his  articles  contributed  to  Punch 
he  received  $600.  His  panoramic  exhibitions  in  Egyptian  Hall  were  a  grand  suc- 
cess, drawing,  night  after  night,  immense  crowds  to  witness  them. 

The  English  climate  of  cold  and  fog  seemed  to  have  the  effect  of  eating  away 
his  life,  and,  although  he  struggled  hard,  he  had  to  relinquish  his  avocation.  When 
he  knew  that  he  must  die,  his  only  desire  was  to  get  home,  but  this  was  denied 
him.  He  got  as  far  as  Southampton,  but  his  physician  peremptorily  forbid  his 
attempting  the  sea  voyage,  and  at  Southampton,  in  the  thirty-fourth  year  of  his 
age,  he  died. 

Our  humorists,  too,  are  interviewed.  The  Newark  (NJ.)  Courier 
successfully  performed  this  operation  on  Postmaster  Nasby,  also  in 
November,  1871.  The  account  is  quite  rich,  as  those  who  read  it 
will  see : 

Reporter.  Have  you  ever  been  interviewed  before,  Mr.  Nasby  ? 

Nasby.  No ;  this  is  my  initiation. 

R.  Rlr.  Nasby,  who  is  the  worst  speller,  you  or  Mr.  Billings  ? 

N.  Billings,  by  all  odds.  He  does  it  on  purpose.  Mine  is  a  scientific  spelling, 
founded  on  phonetic  principles,  and,  consequently,  much  in  advance  of  the  civil- 
ization of  the  age.  It  is  constructed  on  a  uniform  principle. 

JR.  How  long  have  you  been  lecturing  ? 

N.  This  is  my  fifth  season. 

R.  Is  it  your  last  ? 

N.  (laughing).  Redpath,  of  the  Boston  Lyceum,  says,  actors,  the  demi  monde,  and 
lecturers  never  reform ;  so  I  really  can't  say. 

R.  Why  did  you  leave  your  post-office  in  Kentucky  ? 

N.  I  guess  it  was  because  there  was  some  irregularity  in  the  accounts ;  nothing 
like  being  fashionable,  my  boy. 


Nasby  and  Nast.  69; 


R.  Where  have  you  got  your  postmaster  now  ? 

JV.  I  have  taken  the  "  old  man"  back  to  the  X  Roads.  We  didn't  get  along 
well  enough  in  the  "  Harp  of  Erin"  s'loon,  New  York. 

R.  Did  you  find  the  people  in  New  York  an  improvement  on  the  Kentuckians  ? 

N.  Not  at  all ;  only  another  kind  of  cussedness. 

R.  Have  you  reconciled  Deacon  Pogram  to  Nasby  ? 

N.  Yes  ;  they're  living  now  in  a  state  of  harmony. 

R.  I  thought  you  said  in  the  State  of  Kentucky  ? 

N.  You're  right ;  there's  quite  a  difference. 

R.  Is  it  true  you're  "  Will  M.  Carleton,"  the  farm  balladist  ? 

N.  By  no  means.  He  is  a  young  man  from  Hillsdale,  Mich.  I  brought  him 
out  first  on  the  Blade,  where  the  four  poems  of  the  "  Betsy  and  I"  series  were  pub- 
lished. Then  the  Harpers  lassoed  him.  He  has  a  brilliant  future  before  him. 

R.  What  do  you  think  of  Bret  Harte  ? 

N.  I  like  Harte  very  much.  He  has  decided  genius,  and  socially  he  is  a  per- 
fect gentleman. 

R.  Do  you  know  Nast,  Harpers'  great  pencil  satirist  ? 

N.  Intimately. 

R.  Tell  me  something  about  Nast. 

N.  I  will,  if  you  will  promise  not  to  get  off  the  joke  nast-y. 

R.  Agreed. 

N.  Nast  is  a  man  about  thirty-four  years  of  age,  and  about  five  feet  seven  inch- 
es in  height.  He  has  a  keen,  sharp  eye,  and  a  good  German  face ;  has  black 
hair,  and  is  dapper  and  neat  in  his  person.  I  think  he  was  born  in  Breslau,  Ger- 
many, and  came  over  here  when  he  was  about  three  years  of  age.  His  father 
wanted  him  to  be  a  jeweler,  but  he  was  already  betrothed  to  art.  Frank  Leslie,  I 
think,  brought  him  out  first,  at  the  time  he  sent  him  to  England  to  make  pictures 
of  the  great  Heenan-Sayers  prize-fight.  And  then,  when  the  war  broke  out,  the 
Harpers  sent  him  South  to  sketch  battles.  It  was  in  1862,  just  after  the  election, 
when  all  the  country  was  clamoring  for  peace  at  any  price,  that  he  struck  the  par- 
ticular vein  in  which  he  has  since  become  famous.  The  picture  he  drew  then, 
entitled  Peace,  was  grand.  It  represented  a  Union  soldier's  grave,  over  the  tomb- 
stone of  which  was  weeping  Columbia.  At  the  foot  stood  a  companion  to  the 
dead  loyalist,  stripped  of  his  arms,  and  shaking  hands  with  a  rebel  armed  to  the 
teeth,  and  with  one  foot  upon  the  grave.  That  picture  made  his  reputation.  He 
was  as  well  known  the  next  day  as  he  is  now.  It  was  circulated  by  the  million 
as  a  campaign  document. 

R.  How  about  his  domestic  life  ? 

N.  He  lives,  I  think,  in  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Street,  New  York,  in  a 
modest  frame  house.  His  wife  and  his  three  sons  constitute  his  family.  They 
have  no  servants.  At  the  end  of  the  lot  on  which  his  house  stands  is  a  one-story 
brick  building,  where  he  does  his  work.  He  has  there  the  quaintest  collection  of 
curiosities,  chiefly  of  art,  that  could  be  imagined.  His  wife  is  a  lady  of  rare  in- 
telligence, who  assists  him  greatly  in  his  labors.  She  is  a  relative  of  James  Par- 
ton.  Nast  is  a  man  of  indomitable  courage  and  rare  intelligence.  Politically  he 
is  a  most  intense  Radical. 

R.  What  is  his  masterpiece  ? 

N.  He  has  a  thousand.  The  last  thing  he  does  is  always  his  best.  Nast  is  a 
moralist — a  man  who  must  have  an  idea.  His  pencil  is  savage  and  bitter,  and 
cuts  like  the  knout.  That  cartoon,  published  a  week  or  so  ago,  of  the  "  Tammany 
Tiger  Let  Loose,"  and  wanting  to  know  "  what  you  were  going  to  do  about  it," 
was  fearful  in  its  power.  He  tells  in  ten  strokes  of  his  pencil  what  it  would  take 
volumes  to  express. 

R.  How  did  you  become  acquainted  with  Nast  ? 

N.  He  was  the  only  artist,  out  of  many  who  tried,  who  drew  for  me  a  picture 
of  "  Nasby"  that  suited  my  idea  of  the  character.  It  was  at  the  time  I  was  pub- 
lishing a  volume  of  my  letters  entitled  "  Swinging  Round  the  Circle,"  and  it  was 
through  that  I  met  him. 

R.  Is  this  character  of  Nasby  simply  a  brain-child  ? 

N.  Yes  ;  I  don't  believe  he  ever  existed  in  flesh  and  blood. 

R.  When  did  you  first  conceive  the  idea  ? 

N.  In  1861  I  was  in  Hancock  County,  Ohio.     I  had  determined  upon  a  series 


694  Journalism  in  America. 

of  letters  the  year  previous.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1861  that  I  wrote  my  first 
letter.  The  subject  was  secession,  and  I  worked  up  a  mock  article  about  the  se- 
cession of  Crawford  County,  Ohio.  It  was  in  type  when  the  first  battle  of  Bull 
Run  occurred.  I  didn't  think  it  advisable  then,  the  whole  country  being  in  mourn- 
ing, to  publish  it,  and  held  the  letter  till  fall.  About  that  time  my  second  letter 
was  written.  All  the  Border  States  democracy  were  howling  about  the  great  in- 
flux of  negroes  which  the  war  would  cause.  They  said  they  wouldn't  work,  and 
must  go  to  the  poor-houses  or  jails,  and  thus  be  a  burden  to  the  community. 
There  was  one  fellow,  named  Flenner,  who  lived  in  the  town  of  Findley.  He 
didn't  work  himself,  and  his  family  were  supported  by  the  township,  and  yet  he 
howled  the  loudest  of  them  all.  I  met  him  one  day  with  a  petition  against  the 
negroes,  which  he  was  getting  signed,  and  made  it  the  basis  of  a  letter,  in  which  I 
published  Mr.  Flenner's  name.  I  produced  this  in  the  Hancock  Jeffersonian, 
which  I  was  running  at  the  time.  It  had  a  sudden  and  a  great  popularity  all  over 
the  country,  and  it  was  in  this  gradual  manner  that  Mr.  Nasby  was  born.  Poor 
Flenner,  I  think  he  died  in  one  hundred  days'  service,  from  inducing  gangrene  by 
scratching  a  sore  foot  with  a  nail  in  order  to  avoid  duty. 

R.  Did  you  know  Artemus  Ward  ? 

N.  Knew  him  well.  He  and  Griswold,  the  "  Fat  Contributor,"  and  myself  were 
at  different  times  all  employed  upon  the  same  paper,  the  Cleveland  Plaindealer. 
That  was  when  J.  W.  Gray,  the  best  editor  in  the  West  at  that  time,  had  charge. 
I  went'on  first  as  a  compositor,  and  then  became  a  local  reporter.  Reporters  in 
the  country  are  entirely  different  from  your  city  chaps.  They're  of  more  impor- 
tance. When  A.  Ward  was  in  Cleveland  he  was  the  greatest  man  there.  Noth- 
ing could  be  done  without  him.  He  was  making  his  reputation  then,  although 
he  commenced  in  Toledo,  and  eventually  got  to  New  York,  and  thence  to  Lon- 
don. The  "  Fat  Contributor"  succeeded  him. 

R.  What  kind  of  a  man  was  Artemus  Ward  ? 

N.  He  was  a  jolly,  jovial  soul,  and  a  true  friend.  His  great  delight  was  to  get 
a  company  of  good  fellows  together  in  his  room  at  his  hotel,  and  make  a  night  of  it. 

R.  I  almost  forgot  to  compliment  you  on  your  poem. 

N.  What,  did  you  read  it  ? 

R.  Yes. 

N.  All  through  ? 

R.  All  through. 

N.  And  still  live  ? 

R.  And  still  respirate. 

N.  Well,  you  make  the  third  man  who  has  read  it,  I  guess ;  you,  the  proof-read- 
er, and  myself,  although  I  can  hardly  accuse  the  proof-reader,  because  there  was 
a  fearful  lot  of  blundering  in  it. 

R.  I  suppose  you  have  met,  in  your  rural  editorship,  some  queer  characters  ? 

N.  I  have,  scores  of  them.  I  will  tell  you  about  an  epitaph  that  I  once  pub- 
lished. I  was  sitting  in  my  office  one  afternoon,  when  there  came  in  an  old  lady 
with  a  red  nose,  black  gloves,  and  a  large  umbrella.  She  looked  at  me  and  sight- 
ed, and  then  advanced  to  the  counter.  Says  she, "  Do  you  publish  death  notices, 
sir  ?"  and  she  heaved  another  sight  at  me.  Says  I,  "  We  do — ten  cents  a  line," 
and  I  hove.  Says  she,  "  Will  you  print  poetry  to  the  end  of  it  ?"  I  replied  that, 
if  necessary,  we  do  add  an  auction  notice.  And  then  she  took  a  piece  of  paper 
out  of  her  pocket,  and,  adjusting  her  venerable  spectacles,  read  this  in  a  sort  of 
diseased  hurdy-gurdy  tone : 

"  Fare  thee  well,  them  loved  and  lost  one, 

Small  George  Skinner,  fare  thee  well. 
God  he  gave  thee,  God  he  took  thee, 

Up  in  heaven  with  him  to  dwell. 
Our  school  marm  rid  that,  sir." 

Here  the  interview  ended,  both  parties  retiring  in  good  order. 

Horace  Greeley  even  delivers  lectures  on  wit.  What  he  knows 
about  farming  gives  way  to  what  he  knows  about  wit.  His  admira- 
tion is  for  the  higher  order  of  the  article.  He  wants  his  wit  spelt 
according  to  Webster.  He  denounces  the  modern  humorist  who 


Why  America  has  no  Comic  Papers.          695 

thrives  on  bad  spelling.  The  editor  of  the  Tribune  despises  a  pun, 
and  would  strike  the  Wilmington  (N.  C.)  Commercial  from  his  ex- 
change list  for  the  following  perpetration  on  the  newspapers  of  Phil- 
adelphia : 

As  an  Item  of  news,  and  for  the  benefit  of  ai>  Inquirer,  we  Herald  the  fact  that 
a  man  seen  one  Day  this  week  with  a  Bullet-in  his  hand,  and  a  Telegraph  on  a 
Post  in  his  hat.  Putting  a  Bee  in  his  pocket,  he  /Vm-ed,  and  saw  Stars  before 
he  reached  home.  The  man  was  uNorfh  American.  We  did  not  know  his  Age, 
but  the  Ledger  will  doubtless  Record  it  when  he  dies. 

Mr.  Bennett,  of  the  Herald,  had  a  keen  appreciation  of  wit,  but 
was  utterly  opposed  to  puns.  One  day,  at  the  dinner-table,  in  a  gen- 
eral conversation  on  poets,  one  gentleman  expressed  great  admira- 
tion for  Beranger.  "  Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Bennett,  "  I  admit  all  you 
say,  but  I  think  Burns  has  more  fire  than  Beranger."  "  Why,"  said 
a  gentleman  present,  "I  thought,  Mr.  Bennett,. you  detested  puns." 
"  So  I  do,"  said  Mr.  Bennett.  "But  you  just  uttered  one."  "I  did!" 
with  a  look  of  surprise.  "  Why,  yes  ;  you  said  that  Burns  had  more 
fire  than  Beranger."  He  gracefully  submitted  that  it  was  without 
prepense. 

These  are  the  reasons  why  no  comic  paper  prospers  in  the  United 
States.  Our  wit  finds  vent  in  the  daily  newspapers.  Where  wit  is 
so  spontaneous  a  production,  it  must  be  gathered  at  once  or  it  is 
lost.  We  do  not  live  on  the  article.  No  one  can  thrive  on  Cham- 
pagne alone.  We  take  it  with  other  wines,  and  with  other  mental 
food  and  drink.  Our  four  or  five  thousand  daily  and  weekly  pub- 
lications have  columns  of  "Nuts  to  Crack,"  "Sunbeams,"  "Sparks 
from  the  Telegraph,"  "  Freshest  Gleanings,"  "  Odds  and  Ends," 
"  News  Sprinklings,"  "  Flashes  of  Fun,"  "  Random  Readings," 
"  Mere  Mentions,"  "  Humor  of  the  Day,"  "  Quaint  Sayings,"  "  Cur- 
rent Notes,"  "Things  in  General,"  "Brevities,"  "Witticisms," 
"Notes  of  the  Day,"  "Jottings,"  "All  Sorts,"  "Editor's  Drawer," 
"  Sparks,"  "  Fun  and  Folly,"  "  Fact  and  Fiction,"  "  Twinklings." 

These  are  the  daily  dishes  set  before  our  sovereigns.  They  are 
the  comic  departments  of  the  regular  Press.  We  need  not  count 
the  names  of  our  wits  and  humorists  on  the  ends  of  our  fingers.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  say,  "  There  is  Hood,  or  Douglas  Jerrold,  or 
Hook,  or  Leitch,  or  Cruikshanks,  or  Mark  Lemon."  They  are  not 
here  in  separate  and  distinct  form,  even  if  we  do  hear  of  Bret  Harte, 
and  Davenport,  and  Artemus  Ward,  and  Mark  Twain.  We  are  a 
nation  full  of  such  characters,  perhaps  a  little  thin  here  and  there, 
but  always  in  abundance  and  in  good  humor.  They  are  present 
on  every  festive  occasion.  Our  greatest  patriot,  during  the  recent 
gigantic  rebellion,  with  the  cares  of  state  on  his  shoulders,  was  over- 
flowing with  genial  stories,  and  apt  humorous  anecdotes,  and  keen 
illustrations.  We  are,  in  a  sentence,  like  the  modern  hero  who 


696  Journalism  in  America. 

could  dive  deeper,  swim  farther,  and  come  out  drier  than  Leonidas, 
or  any  other  man.  Hence  wit  can  not  thrive  here  as  a  specialty. 
Hence  the  failure  of  the  Carpet  Bag,  Punch  and  Judy,  Vanity  Fair, 
Charivari,  Fun,  Picayune,  Lantern,  Yankee  Doodle,  Phunny  Phellow, 
and  Punchinello,  common  names  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  with 
all  the  brilliant  flashes  of  Brougham  and  Halpine,  or  the  striking 
sketches  of  M'Lellan,  Bellew,  Nast,  and  Morgan. 

Our  wit,  as  we  have  said,  goes  into  all  the  papers.  Our  actions, 
our  talk,  our  reading,  our  journals,  our  trade,  our  labor,  our  politics, 
our  religion,  must  be  spiced  with  it.  All  we  do  has  its  point.  Our 
Attic  salt,  indeed,  seasons  every  thing  except  our  cooking.  There, 
as  the  amiable  Frenchman  said,  we  have  but  one  gravy  for  a  hun- 
dred dishes. 


The  Press  in  Congress.  697 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

THE  PRESS  IN  CONGRESS. 

JOURNALISTS  IN  THE  SENATE  AND  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES.  —  NEWSPA- 
PERS.—  REPRESENTATIVES  IN  THE  NATIONAL  CAPITAL.  —  THE  TWO  CON- 
GRESSES. 

THERE  are  two  Congresses  in  the  United  States.  One  sits  in 
the  national  Capitol  in  Washington  periodically,  and  makes  and 
unmakes  laws  ;  the  other  sits  en  permanence  in  newspaper  offices  in 
every  city  and  important  town  in  the  nation.  They  are  both  delib- 
erative in  their  character.  They  are  both  potential.  One  Congress 
is  composed  of  members  elected  by  the  people,  but  can  only  be 
heard  by  their  constituents  outside  the  walls  of  the  Capitol  by  the 
aid  of  the  other  Congress.  The  members  of  the  first-named  talk 
to  each  other,  often  abuse  each  other,  air  their  ideas  and  their  vanity, 
enact  laws,  impose  taxes,  and  make  war.  They  appear  before  the 
great  public  audience  like  actors  on  the  stage,  perform  their  part, 
and  disappear.  The  other  Congress  is  larger  in  numbers  and  more 
independent  in  character.  It  talks  all  the  time.  It  is  an  incessant 
babbler.  It  watches  public  men  and  public  events.  It  warns  the 
people  of  approaching  danger.  It  takes  large  sums  of  money  from 
the  people,  but  gives  something  in  return.  Instead  of  imposing 
taxes,  it  does  all  in  its  power  to  reduce  them.  It  curbs  licentious- 
ness in  public  places.  It  is  the  palladium  of  the  people's  rights. 

What  are  these  two  Congresses  called  ?  One  is  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives,  and  the  other  the  Press  of  the  United 
States. 

These  two  important  branches  of  the  public  service  are  more 
largely  intermixed  than  one  would  suppose  without  an  investigation. 
But,  while  one  is  greatly  dependent  upon  the  other  in  order  to  reach 
the  public  eye  and  the  public  mind,  the  Press  happily  is  entirely  in- 
dependent of  Congress.  In  times  past  the  criticisms  of  the  journal- 
ist would  frequently  cause  members  of  the  Senate  and  House  to  rise 
to  a  "question  of  privilege,"  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  the  na- 
tional Congress  was  superior  to  the  popular  Congress ;  and  some- 
times these  "  questions  of  privilege"  have  resulted  in  "  satisfaction 
elsewhere,"  or  "outside  of  these  walls,"  as  in  the  case  of  Cilley  and 
Webb,  and  Rust  and  Greeley. 

While  John  Walter,  the  principal  proprietor  of  the  London  Times, 


698  Journalism  in  America. 

ignores  in  a  deliberate  speech  his  journalistic  responsibility  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  Henry  B.  Anthony,  of  the  Providence  Journal, 
Horace  Greeley,  of  \hzNewYork  Tribune,  Henry  J.  Raymond,  of  the 
New  York  Times,  and  James  Brooks,  of  the  New  York  Express,  assert 
theirs  in  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  without  fear  or 
favor.  In  1835,  Mr.  Roebuck,  in  his  political  pamphlets,  denounced 
in  no  measured  terms  the  nameless  writers,  mentioning  the  two  mas- 
ter-minds of  the  London  Times  at  that  time — Edward  Sterling  and 
Thomas  Barnes — the  two  men  whose  slashing  and  able  articles  gave 
the  title  of"  Thunderer"  to  that  journal.  Mr.  Roebuck  said  that  he 
"was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  Mr.  Sterling  in  society,  and  was  not  a 
little  amused  by  the  charlatan  game  he  played  to  hide  his  editorship 
of  the  Times.  If  any  one  had  assumed  the  fact  he  would  have  taken 
it  as  an  affront.  Often  has  it  been  whispered  in  my  hearing, '  That 
is  the  editor  of  the  Times ;  but  hush !  he  will  hear  us.'  '  Well,  and 
what  then  ?'  '  What  then?  He  will  abuse  us,  to  be  sure.'"  When 
this  publication  appeared,  Captain  Sterling  sent  a  message  to  Mr. 
Roebuck  by  his  friend,  Colonel  Campbell,  in  which  he  said,  "  I  have 
never  been,  technically  or  morally,  connected  in  any  manner  with 
the  editorship  of  the  Times,  not  possessing  over  the  course  or  choice 
of  its  politics  any  power  or  influence  whatever,  nor,  by  consequence, 
being  responsible  for  its  acts,"  whereupon  Mr.  Roebuck  withdrew 
the  language  complained  of.  Yet;  in  the  face  of  these  statements, 
there  appeared  in  Carlyle's  "  Life  of  John  Sterling"  two  letters  which 
passed  between  Sir  Robert  Peel  and  Edward  Sterling  in  the  same 
year,  1835,  in  which  the  latter  acknowledges  the  receipt  of  a  high 
compliment  paid  him  as  editor  of  the  Times  by  that  distinguished 
statesman  for  disinterested  services  rendered  the  government  of  Sir 
Robert  Peel  only  a  few  months  previous  to  this  affair  with  Mr.  Roe- 
buck. 

What  is  the  connection  between  these  powers  in  France?  Sir 
Henry  Bulwer  thus  described  the  manner  of  editing  a  leading  journal 
in  Paris  in  the  time  of  Louis  Philippe : 

If  you  went  to  the  French  opera  and  saw  a  very  large  and  very  brilliant  box — 
rather  larger  and  more  brilliant  than  any  other — whose  would  you  suppose  it  to 
be  ?  The  king's  ?  no  ;  a  minister's  ?  no  ;  an  embassador's  ?  no  ;  a  French  peer's  ? 
a  deputy's  ?  Guess  again.  That  box  is  the  Temps  newspaper's  !  What !  a  news- 
paper have  a  box  at  the  opera  ?  To  be  sure ;  that  box  is  where  the  newspaper 
does  the  greatest  part  of  its  business.  You  see  that  fat,  smooth-faced  little  gentle- 
man, and  that  tall,  thin,  pale  figure  in  spectacles — one  was  a  great  man  a  little 
time  ago,  and  the  other  expects  to  be  a  great  man  soon.  The  editor  is  giving 
these  statesmen  an  audience.  They  tell  him  their  views ;  he  listens.  They  tell 
him  the  strength  of  their  party ;  he  takes  a  note.  They  tell  him  what  course  they 
mean  to  pursue  ;  he  proffers  advice.  The  editor  is  a  clever  man.  This  is  his  way 
of  conducting  his  journal.  He  pretends  that  to  influence  the  politics  of  the  day ; 
and,  indeed,  to  know  the  politics  of  the  day,  he  must  know  the  political  men  of  the 
day.  He  makes  his  paper  the  organ  of  a  party,  and  he  makes  himself  the  head 
of  the  party.  But  how  to  keep  this  party  together  ?  He  used  to  give  dinners — 


Journalists  in  Congress.  699 

he  now  takes  an  opera  box.  I  do  not  know  any  thing  that  better  paints  the  char- 
acter 'of  the  French,  or  the  stand  of  France,  than  the  journalist  at  the  head  of  his 
political  party  assembled  in  a  box  at  the  opera. 

This  is  the  status  in  each  country  of  the  power  and  influence  of 
the  newspaper  in  the  three  great  nations  of  the  world. 

^i  the  Congressional  Directory  of  the  Forty-first  Congress,  pub- 
lished in  1869,  and  compiled  with  great  care  by  Ben.  Perley  Poore, 
an  old  journalist,  we  find  some  very  interesting  facts  of  the  inter- 
mixture of  these  two  estates  in  the  National  Assembly.  It  is  our 
purpose  to  take  from  this  catalogue  a  list  of  the  journalists  connect- 
ed with  Congress,  and  to  show  what  they  are  and  what  they  have 
been.  It  is  curious  to  see,  in  the  mutations  of  life  and  trade,  in  the 
changes  of  professions,  the  effect  on  the  minds  of  individuals  when 
they  are  responsible  editors  and  when  they  are  mere  politicians. 

Here  is  our  array  of  Congressional  journalists.  Every  Congres- 
sional Directory  embraces  more  or  less  of  editors.  They  have  al- 
ways done  much  as  leaven  for  the  whole  body.  In  the  future  the 
Newspaper  Press  will  be  more  largely  represented  in  the  legislative 
halls  of  the  nation  : 

THE  JOURNALISTIC   MEMBERS  OF  CONGRESS. 

CALIFORNIA. — Eugene  Casserly,  Senator,  connected  with  the  Press  in  New 
York  for  five  years.  He  began  as  a  reporter ;  afterwards,  in  1850-1,  published 
a  daily  paper  in  San  Francisco. 

INDIANA. — Jasper  Packard,  Representative,  edited  the  Laporte  Union  in  1856-7. 

IOWA. — Frank  W.  Palmer,  Representative,  editor  of  Jamestown  (N.Y.)  Journal 
in  1848,  editor  of  the  Dubuque  Daily  Times  in  1858,  and  editor  of  the  Iowa  State 
Register  from  1861  to  1868. 

KANSAS. — Edmund  G.  Ross,  Senator,  was  foreman  of  the  Milwaukee  Sentinel, 
and  became  editor  of  the  Kansas  Tribune,  the  only  Free  State  paper  in  that  Ter- 
ritory at  that  time,  all  the  others  having  been  destroyed. 

Sidney  Clarke,  Representative,  published  the  Southbridge  Press  in  Massachu- 
setts. 

MAINE. — James  G.  Elaine,  Speaker  of  the  House,  was  editor  of  the  Portland 
Advertiser  and  Kennebec  Journal. 

MASSACHUSETTS. — Henry  Wilson,  Senator,  edited  the  Boston  Republican. 

Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  Representative,  was  a  newspaper  editor  prior  to  1849. 

Henry  L.  Dawes,  Representative,  edited  the  Greenville  Gazette  and  Adams 
Transcript. 

MISSOURI. — Carl  Schurz,  Senator,  edited  a  revolutionary  paper  in  Cologne  in 
1848.  He  was  the  Washington  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune  in  1865 
and  1866;  afterwards  he  was  connected  with  the  Press  of  Detroit  and  St.  Louis. 

Joel  F.  Asper,  Representative,  edited  the  Western  Reserve  Chronicle  in  1849,  ar>d 
the  Chardon  Democrat  in  1850.  In  1866  he  commenced  the  publication  of  the 
Chillicothe  Spectator. 

NEVADA. — Thomas  Fitch,  Representative,  was  local  editor  of  the  Milwaukee 
Free  Democrat  in  1859-60 ;  afterwards  edited  the  San  Francisco  Times  zndP/acer- 
ville  Republican. 

NEW  YORK. — Henry  A.  Reeves,  Representative,  editor  of  the  Greenport  (N.Y.) 
Republican  Watchman  since  1858. 

Samuel  Sullivan  Cox,  Representative,  owned  and  edited  the  Columbus  Ohio 
Statesman  in  1853-4,  and  has  been  a  constant  contributor  to  the  Press. 

James  Brooks,  Representative,  has  been  a  newspaper  correspondent  in  Wash- 
ington and  in  Europe,  an  editor  of  the  Portland  Advertiser,  and  is  now  the  chief 
editor  of  the  New  York  Express. 


700  Journalism  in  America. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. — Joseph  C.  Abbott,  Senator,  edited  the  Manchester  (N.  H.) 
American  for  five  years,  and  was  subsequently  editor  of  the  Boston  Atlas. 

David  Heaton,  Representative,  was  a  contributor  to  newspapers  for  more  than 
twelve  years. 

Alexander  H.  Jones,  Representative,  was  an  editor  in  the  early  part  of  the  re- 
bellion. 

OHIO. — Peter  W.  Strader,  Representative,  passed  three  years  of  his  life  in  a 
printing-office. 

William  Lawrence,  Representative,  was  a  reporter  for  the  Columbus  State  Jour- 
nal, and  afterwards  edited  the  Logan  Gazette  and  the  Western  Law  Monthly. 

William  Mungen,  Representative,  was  editor  of  ti\z  Findlay  Democratic  Courier. 

Philadelph  Van  Trump,  Representative,  was  editor  of  the  Lancaster  Gazette  and 
Enquirer. 

PENNSYLVANIA. — Simon  Cameron,  Senator,  was  a  printer  and  edited  newspa- 
pers at  Doylestown  and  Harrisburg. 

William  D.  Kelly,  Representative,  had  been  a  reader  in  a  printing-office. 

J.  Lawrence  Getz,  Representative,  edited  the  Reading  Gazette  and  Democrat  for 
twenty-five  years. 

Henry  L.  Cake,  Representative,  published  the  Pottsville  Mining  Record  up  to 
the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion. 

Richard  J.  Haldeman,  Representative,  owned  and  edited  the  Daily  and  Weekly 
Patriot  and  Union  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  from  1857  to  1860. 

RHODE  ISLAND. — Henry  B.  Anthony,  Senator,  editor  of  Providence  Journal. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA. — B.  Frank  Whittemore,  Representative,  edited  \]\&NewEra, 
the  first  journal  established  in  South  Carolina  after  the  surrender,  devoted  to  Re- 
construction, etc. 

WISCONSIN. — David  Atwood,  Representative,  is  editor  of  the  Madison  State 
Journal. 

TENNESSEE. — William  Gaunaway  Brownlow,  Senator,  edited  the  Whig  from 
1839  to  1861.  This  paper  was  published  for  ten  years  in  Jonesboro',  East  Ten- 
nessee, and  afterwards  in  Knoxville  till  it  was  suppressed  by  the  rebels. 

ARIZONA. — Richard  C.  M'Cormick,  Delegate,  European  correspondent  of  New 
York  Courier  and  Enquirer  in  1854-5  ;  edited  the  Young  Men's  Magazine  in 
1859-60 ;  was  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Evening  Post  and  New  York  Com- 
mercial Advertiser  in  the  first  year  of  the  rebellion. 

DAKOTAH. — S.  L.  Spink,  Delegate,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Prairie  Beacon, 
in  Paris,  111.,  in  1860. 

MONTANA. — James  M.  Cavanaugh,  Delegate,  had  been  a  newspaper  editor. 

Thus  there  were  eight  editors  in  the  Forty-first  Senate,  and  twenty- 
six  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  The  Speaker  of  the  House,  it 
will  be  seen,  had  been  an  editor,  and  the  chief  officer  of  the  Senate, 
Vice-president  Schuyler  Colfax,  established  and  edited  the  St.  Jo- 
seph Valley  Register ;  at  South  Bend,  Ind.,  in  1845,  and  while  conduct- 
ing that  paper  he  learned  the  art  of  printing,  or  setting  type. 

There  were  twenty-four  journalists  in  the  Forty-second  Congress, 
and  this  is  about  the  number  of  this  profession  that  are  intermixed 
with  lawyers,  merchants,  mechanics,  politicians,  pugilists,  publicans, 
in  the  Congresses  of  the  nation. 

Notwithstanding  that  there  are  four  or  five  thousand  newspapers 
and  periodicals  in  this  country  devoted  to  the  distribution  of  news, 
and  in  spite  of  the  general  interest  manifested  every  where  and  by 
every  one  to  know  what  is  done  in  the  Legislature  of  the  country, 
there  are  only  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  newspapers  directly  and 
officially  represented  in  the  two  houses  of  Congress  as  correspond- 


Washington  Correspondents. 


701 


ents.  Those  not  specially  represented  are  furnished  with  the  infor- 
mation they  need  by  the  agents  of  the  several  Press  Associations 
and  News  Agencies,  and  by  the  city  journals  in  their  vicinity. 

THE   NEWSPAPER  DELEGATION. 
NAMES  OF  THE  CORRESPONDENTS   IN   THE  FORTY-SECOND  CONGRESS. 


New  York  World  • 


New  York  Tribune 


New  York  Sun  - 

New  York  Times    - 

New  York  Independent 

New  York  Irish  Republic 
New  York  Journal  of  Commerce 
New  York  Home  Journal 
New  York  Evening  Post    - 
New  York  Standard 

New  York  Evening  Mail   - 
New  York  Associated  Press    - 


American  Press  Association 


Southern  Associated  Press 
Baltimore  Associated  Press 

Bureau  of  Correspondence 
Philadelphia  Ledger  - 

Dakotah  Herald    • 
Daily  Michigan  Herald     - 
Chicago  Advance   - 
Springfield  Republican 
Republican  Press  Association 
Washington  Star 
Cincinnati  Gazette 
Chicago  Tribune 
Pittsburgh  Commercial 
St.  Louis  Democrat    - 
Boston  Daily  Advertiser 
Philadelphia  Press 
Congressional  Globe 
Augusta  Republican  • 
Ed.  Washington  Herald 
Norwalk  Gazette 
Homestead  Champion    • 
Milwaukee  Sentinel   - 
Leavenworth  Times 


G.  W.  Adams, 
Miss  M.  A.  Snead, 
J.  B.  Stillson. 
G.  O.  Seilhamer, 
H.  A.  Preston, 
Mrs.  H.  M.  Barnard. 
H.  J.  Ramsdell, 
E.V.  Smaller, 
Z.  L.  White. 
U.  H.  Painter. 
Justin  E.  Colburn, 
L.  L.  Crounse. 
Mrs.  M.  C.  Ames, 
D.  W.  Bartlett, 
William  Cogswell. 
W.  P.  Copeland. 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Nealy. 
\V.  Scott  Smith. 
Clifford  Warden, 
James  R.  Young. 
R.  J.  Hinton. 
D.R.M'Kee, 
A.  Devine, 
L.  A.  Gobright, 
H.  G.  Hayes, 
James  G.  Holland. 
W.  H.  Clarke, 
H.  M.  Irwin, 
J.  M.  Sarvis. 
M.  W.  Barr. 
O.  K.  Harris, 
F.  A.  Richardson. 
J.  C.  Gallagher. 
D.  D.  Cone, 
J.  C.  Proctor. 
M.  K.  Armstrong. 
William  L.  Avery. 
D.  W.  Bartlett. 

J.  E.  Beardsley. 
R.  F.  Boiseau. 
H.  V.  Boynton. 


H.  L.  Bridgman. 
Mrs.  Briggs. 
D.  W.  Brown. 
J.  E.  Bryant. 
I.  N.  Burritt. 
A.  H.  Byington. 
Hugh  Cameron. 
L.  C.  Carpenter. 
W.  C.  Coffin. 


702 


Journalism  in  America. 


Iowa  Gleaner     - 
Maryland  News     - 
Washington  National  Standard 
Erie  Dispatch 
Shelby  Republican       - 
fort  Smith  New  Era 
Portland  Transcript 
Aurora  (111.)  Beacon,  et  al. 
Washington  New  Era 
Chicago  Prairie  Farmer 
Ed.  Washington  New  Era  - 
Congressional  Globe 
Philadelphia  Presbyterian 
New  Northwest     - 
Ed.  Washington  Gazette 
Washington  Republican  - 
Newark  Advertiser    - 
Washington  Sunday  Chronicle 

Ed.  Washington  Chronicle 
Baltimore  Gazette 
Congressional  Globe   -         -        - 
Middlesex  County  Journal     - 
Maine  Voice       -         -         -         - 
Irish  Republic 
Boston  journal 
Laporte  (Ind.)  Herald    - 
Detroit  Herald 
Congressional  Globe        -  ~~   - 
Worcester  Spy    - 
Ed.  Washington  Chronicle 
Lancaster  Express     ... 
Davenport  Gazette 
Alabama  State  Journal 
Washington  Star   -         -         - 
Rutland  (Vt.)  Herald 
Washington  German  Advertiser 
Chicago  Tribune         - 
Delaware  (Ohio)  Gazette 
Congressional  Globe    - 
Pella  (Iowa)  Blade 
Philadelphia  Press     - 
Philadelphia  Evening  Telegraph 
Washington  Patriot    - 
Congressional  Globe 
San  Francisco  Bulletin 
Carson  State  Register 
San  Francisco  Chronicle    - 
Washington  Chronicle    - 
Albany  Evening  "Journal  - 
Ed.  Washington  Chronicle 
Galveston  News          ... 
St.  Louis  Times      ... 
Congressional  Globe    - 


Washington  Republican 
'Col.  German  Advertiser 
Mobile  Herald 
Rochester  Democrat    - 
Troy  Times    - 
Utica  Herald     - 


William  Cogswell. 


Asa  B.  Cook. 
S.  B.  Crew. 
Y.  Dell. 
John  Deering. 
Thomas  L.  De  Land. 
C.  W.  Denison. 

C.  R.  Dodge. 
Frederick  Douglas. 
J.  K.  Edwards, 

J.  S.  Elliot. 

D.  A.  Fish. 

T.  B.  Florence. 
John  P.  Foley. 

C.  H.  Folwell. 

D.  C.  Forney, 
John  W.  Forney,  Jr. 
Myron  Fox. 

R.  Geddes. 
H.  J.  Gensler. 
John  F.  Gleason. 


W:  H.  Grace. 
O.  K.  Harris. 
J.  F.  Heaton. 
M.  H.  Heggins. 
W.  Hincks. 
R.  J.  Hinton. 
William  W.  Holden. 
S.  Houston. 
F.  H.  Impry. 
A.  C.  Jones. 
S.  H.  Kauffmann. 
L.  W.  Kennedy. 
Werner  Kock. 
J.  W.  Knowlton. 
Alfred  E.  Lee. 
William  Blair  Lord. 
Alexander  Lynch. 
J.  MacFarland. 
"  '.' 

W.  C.  Macbride. 
J.J.  M'Elhone. 
D.  R.  M'Kee. 
Alexander  M'Kenady. 

H.  C.  Merritt. 
R.  W.  C.  Mitchell. 
John  M.  Morris. 
A.  P.  Morse. 
J.  B.  Motley. 

D.  F.  Murphy, 

E.  V.  Murphy, 
J.  J.  Murphy. 
W.  J.  Murtagh. 
J.  F.  Myers. 

J.  J.  Noah. 

S.  N.  Dexter  North. 


News  Associations. 


703 


Ed.  Washington  Star 
Washington  Patriot    - 
Sacramento  Record 
Louisville  Courier-Journal 
Philadelphia  Inquirer    - 
Lawrence  (Kan.)  Journal  - 
Indianapolis  Journal 
Ed.  Washington  Capital 
Atlanta  Constitution 
Mobile  Register 
Savannah  News     - 
Boston  Journal 
Daily  Courier  (Iowa) 
Cincinnati  Commercial 

Idaho  Statesman    - 
Minneapolis  Tribune 
Boston  (Mass.)  Plowman 
San  Francisco  Alta  California 
Boston  Evening  Traveller 
Boston  Journal 
Taunton  (Mass.)  Gazette 
Boston  Transcript 
Chicago  Journal    - 
Cleveland  Herald        -        - 
Toledo  Blade 
Washington  'Republican 
Congressional  Globe 
Cleveland  Herald 
Philadelphia  Bulletin     - 
Concord  (N.  H.)  Statesman 
Cleveland  (Ohio)  Herald 
Topeka  State  Record  - 
Washington  Patriot 
Chicago  Tribune 
Ohio  State  Journal 
Boston  Post 
Baltimore  Gazette  - 
Boston  Post       ... 
London  (Eng.)  Telegraph 
Louisville  Ledger 
New  Orleans  Times,  et  al. 
Jackson  (Miss.)  Leader 
Alexandrian  (Va.) 
Cincinnati  Chronicle 
Cincinnati  Times    - 
Chicago  Evening  Post 
Philadelphia  Evening  Star     - 


C.  S.  Noyes. 
S.  V.  Noyes. 
W.  O'Brien. 
W.  G.  Overton. 
U.  H.  Painter. 
G.  W.  Partridge. 
E.  F.  Peck. 
Bonn  Piatt. 
Charles  A.  Pillsbury. 


Ben.  Perley  Poore. 
J.  P.  C.  Poulton. 
H.  J.  Ramsdell, 
H.V.  Redfield. 
J.  S.  Reynolds. 
Clinton  Rice. 
C.  N.  Richards. 
J.  Henry  Riley. 
William  E.  Sawyer. 
G.  W.  Scribner. 
E.  Shaw. 
W.  B.  Shaw. 


Arthur  Shepherd. 
T.  F.  Shuey. 
H.  M.  Slade. 
W.  Scott  Smith. 
J.  E.  Snodgrass. 
D.  W.  Stevens. 
Maria  A.  Stetson. 
A.  B.Talcott. 
G.  A.  Townsend. 
W.J.Vance. 
Clifford  Warden. 
W.  W.  Warden. 


-  L.  Q.  Washington. 

-  J.  R.  Wheatley. 
J.  Webster. 

-  A.  J.  Wedderburn. 
E.  B.  Wright. 


-  James  R.  Young. 


There  are  no  less  than  four  News  Associations  represented  in  the 
above  list.  Then  there  is  an  enterprise  called  the  Bureau  of  Corre- 
spondence, a  European  idea,  represented  by  J.  C.  Gallagher.  These 
furnish  many  of  the  lesser  journals  throughout  the  country  with 
cheap  and  condensed  dispatches  of  events  in  the  national  capital. 
Another  association  was  formed  in  New  York  in  January,  1870, 
which  is  called  the  American  Press  Association,  which  intends  to 
furnish  news  to  all  those  papers  not  recognized  by  pre-existing  com- 
binations of  this  sort,  and  especially  in  opposition  or  in  competition 


Journalism  in  America. 


with  what  is  known  as  the  New  York  Associated  Press.  Most  of 
these  journals,  besides  their  desks  in  the  galleries  of  Congress,  have 
their  bureaux,  where  they  meet,  receive  news,  and  prepare  their  dis- 
patches at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night.  Twenty  of  these  offices 
are  in  close  proximity  on  Fourteenth  Street,  and  their  location  is 
known  as  Newspaper  Row. 

There  is  only  one  foreign  journal  recognized  in  Congress  —  the 
London  Telegraph.  L.  Q.  Washington  is  its  correspondent.  The 
London  Times  and  one  or  two  other  European  journals  stationed 
correspondents  in  Washington  during  the  rebellion.  Many  papers 
are  represented  in  the  national  capital,  but  not  with  desks  and  seats 
in  the  galleries  of  Congress.  Members  of  Congress,  from  Colonel 
Matthew  Lyon,  of  Vermont,  in  1798,  to  the  present  day,  have  more 
or  less  indulged  in  newspaper  correspondence. 


Ilhistrated  Papers.  705 


CHAPTER    XL VI. 
THE  ILLUSTRATED  PAPERS. 

NEWS  PICTORIALLY  REPORTED  AND  DESCRIBED. — WOOD-ENGRAVING  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES.  —  HARPER'S  FAMILY  BIBLE.— THE  FIRST  ILLUSTRATED 
NEWSPAPERS.  —  FRANK  LESLIE'S  ILLUSTRATED  NEWS,  HARPER'S  WEEKLY, 
AND  HARPER'S  BAZAR. —  SINCLAIR'S  PHOTO-ZINCO. — THE  NEW  ART. — EX- 
CHANGE OF  ENGRAVINGS. — OUR  NATIONAL  GALLERY. 

ILLUSTRATED  papers  have  become  a  feature.  Every  newspaper 
stand  is  covered  with  them.  Every  railroad  train  is  filled  with  them. 
They  are  "object-teaching"  to  the  multitude.  They  make  the  battle- 
fields, the  coronations,  the  corruptions  of  politicians,  the  balls,  the 
race-course,  the  yacht  race,  the  military  and  naval  heroes,  Napoleon 
and  William,  Bismarck  and  Von  Beust,  Farragut  and  Porter,  Grant 
and  Sherman,  familiar  to  every  one.  They  are,  in  brief,  the  art  gal- 
lery of  the  world.  Single  admission,  ten  cents. 

When  Avery,  and  Reid,  and  Horton,  and  Baker,  and  one  or  two 
others,  engraved  for  the  New  York  Herald,  the  art,  for  newspaper  use 
and  illustration,  was  but  little  known  in  the  United  States.  There 
was  some  taste  in  drawing,  but  rather  rough  and  slow  work  in  cut- 
ting. It  was  a  task  to  get  the  smallest  and  simplest  diagram  cut. 
News  engravings  have  to  be  rapidly  executed  to  be  of  value.  In 
i86i-'5,  during  the  Rebellion,  Waters  made  half-page  maps  in  one 
day.  Such  a  piece  of  work,  indeed,  to  illustrate  a  brilliant  victory, 
was  accomplished  on  one  occasion  in  one  night.  News  of  the  battle 
came  at  tea-time ;  the  map  appeared  in  the  next  morning's  Herald. 
But  the  block  was  in  twenty  pieces,  and  twenty  engravers  worked  on 
it  at  the  same  time.  Thirty-five  years  ago  there  were  not  as  many 
engravers  in  the  country  as  worked  that  night  on  that  one  map. 

There  was  an  excellent  engraver  living  in  New  York  about  thirty 
or  thirty-five  years  ago,  named  Adams.  He  was  almost  the  first 
engraver -artist  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  pleasant,  quiet, 
thoughtful  man.  It  appears  that  he  read  the  Bible.  He  was  our 
Dord.  In  going  over  the  pages  of  that  great  book,  some  of  the 
wonderful  events  narrated  there  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  sketch- 
ing them  on  wood.  He  did  so,  and  cut  them  himself  during  his 
leisure  hours.  The  work  was  an  agreeable  one,  and  he  continued 
it  till  he  had  accumulated  a  large  number  of  beautiful  illustrations 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  They  grew  in  value,  and  he  purchased  an 
iron  safe  for  them.  It  had  occurred  to  him  during  this  work  that 
the  Bible,  fully  illustrated,  would  be  a  popular  publication,  and  one 

YY 


706  Journalism  in  America. 

that  would  compensate  him  for  his  labor  of  love.  Applying  to  the 
Harpers,  he  found  they  would  be  delighted  to  undertake  such  a 
work.  The  interview  between  the  artist  and  publishers  resulted  in 
Harper's  Illustrated  Family  Bible,  so  well  known  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago.  When  the  incident  was  related  to  the  writer,  Mr. 
Adams's  share  of  the  profits  of  the  work  had  reached  the  sum  of 
$60,000.  These  illustrations  showed  great  taste  and  were  well  ex- 
ecuted, but  the  art  has  made  such  progress  since  then  that  they  are 
excelled  by  some  of  the  exquisite  engravings  of  the  present  time. 

Our  illustrated  newspapers  live  on  wood-engravings.  The  two 
most  important  ones  are  Harper's  and  Frank  Leslie's.  Before  either 
of  these  appeared,  the  Messrs.  Beach,  of  the  New  York  Sun,  and  Bar- 
num,  of  the  Museum,  each  contributed  $20,000  for  the  establishment 
of  an  illustrated  weekly  in  New  York  City  ;  and  Gleason  and  Ballou, 
of  Boston,  had  made  the  attempt  to  introduce  these  publications  in 
America.  The  two  latter  made  fortunes,  and  Ballou  built  the  St. 
James's  Hotel.  Among  the  artists  engaged  on  Gleason's  Pictorial 
was  Frank  Leslie.  Boston,  probably,  was  not  large  enough  for  him 
to  swing  in  freely  and  safely;  New  York  loomed  up  before  his  artistic 
vision.  Ascertaining  that  Barnum  intended  to  issue  an  illustrated 
paper,  Leslie  started  for  Iranistan,  and  arrived  there  on  Thanksgiving 
day,  in  1852,  just  before  dinner.  Introducing  himself  to  Barnum,  he 
stated  his  business.  "Why,  this  is  Thanksgiving  day,  and  dinner 
is  almost  ready.  Never  mind ;  business  is  business,"  said  Barnum. 
So  he  gave  up  turkey  and  family,  and  talked  over  the  project.  It 
ended  in  the  departure  of  the  artist  for  New  York  by  the  train  of 
that  evening,  and  Barnum  satisfied  himself  with  a  wing  of  a  chicken. 
In  this  way  Frank  Leslie  became  the  managing  foreman  of  the  Illus- 
trated News  of  New  York,  and  made  his  debut  in  the  metropolis. 
This  paper  appeared  on  the  ist  of  January,  1853,  and  its  circulation 
ran  up  to  70,000  copies.  It  lived  one  year. 

After  the  suspension  of  this  publication,  or,  rather,  after  it  passed 
over  to  Gleason,  Frank  Leslie  issued  one  which  is  now  favorably 
known  as  Frank  Leslie 's  Illustrated  Newspaper.  His  establishment 
has  grown  so  extensively  that  seventy  wood-engravers  are  constantly 
and  actively  employed.  Illustrated  papers  in  German  and  Spanish, 
as  well  as  in  English,  are  issued  therefrom.  He  publishes  the  Chim- 
ney-corner, Ladies'1  Journal,  Pleasant  Hours,  Boys'  and  Girls'1  Weekly, 
and  the  Budget  of  Fun.  The  aggregate  circulation  of  his  weekly  and 
monthly  issues  average  half  a  million  copies  weekly.  One  hundred 
thousand  copies  of  the  Chimney-corner  alone  are  issued.  One  of  the 
former  contributors  to  Frank  Leslie's  paper  was  John  J.  Ryan,  now 
the  redacteur  en  chej 'of  the  American  Register  in  Paris.  The  present 
managing  editor  is  E.  G.  Squier,  so  well  known  for  his  early  re- 
searches in  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  as  the  author  of  sev- 


Harpers  Illustrated  Papers.  707 

eral  interesting  works  on  Central  America,  where  he  resided  for 
some  time  as  the  charge  d'affaires  of  the  United  States. 

The  first  number  of  Harper's  Weekly,  a  Journal  of  Civilization, 
was  issued  on  the  3d  of  January,  1857.  The  intention  of  the  pub- 
lishers, as  indicated  by  its  second  title,  was  to  make  a  high-toned 
literary  weekly  paper,  especially  adapted  for  the  family,  and  the  few 
engravings  that  appeared  in  the  earlier  numbers  were  simply  story 
illustrations ;  but  before  the  expiration  of  the  first  year  the  events 
of  the  day  began  to  be  pictorially  recorded  in  its  pages,  and  Harper's 
Weekly  had  fairly  taken  the  field  as  an  illustrated  newspaper.  Its 
first  editor  was  Theodore  Sedgwick.  Among  his  collaborateurs  was 
Fitz  James  O'Brien,  who  contributed  a  brilliant  series  of  weekly 
papers  under  the  heading  "  The  Man  about  Town."  On  Sedgwick's 
retirement  from  the  editorial  chair  in  1858,  he  was  succeeded  by 
John  Bonner,  an  experienced  and  accomplished  journalist,  who  con- 
ducted the  Weekly  for  several  years  with  ability  and  tact.  Bonner 
was  followed,  in  1864,  by  Henry  M.  Alden,  the  present  editor  of 
Harper  s  Magazine.  Charles  Nordhoff,  for  several  years  managing 
editor  of  the  Evening  Post,  John  G.  Foster,  and  W.  F.  G.  Shanks, 
were  also  at  different  times  connected  with  the  Weekly.  The  pres- 
ent executive  editor  is  S.  S.  Conant,  for  some  time  managing  editor 
of  the  New  York  Times  under  Henry  J.  Raymond.  Since  the  ist 
of  January,  1864,  the  political  columns  of  the  Weekly  have  been  in- 
trusted to  the  management  of  George  William  Curtis,  from  whose 
pen  a  series  of  charming  and  brilliant  papers,  under  the  heading  of 
"  The  Lounger,"  had  been  an  attractive  feature  of  the  Weekly  from 
the  second  year  of  its  establishment.  His  editorials  are  distin- 
guished by  breadth  of  view,  evident  sincerity  of  opinion,  force  and 
clearness  of  style,  and  strict  and  unvarying  attention  to  the  ameni- 
ties of  journalism.  Mr.  Curtis  is  also  the  author  of  a  series  of  pa- 
pers in  Harper's  Bazar  entitled  "  Manners  upon  the  Road,"  com- 
menced in  the  first  number  of  that  journal,  and  still  continued  week- 
ly. In  these  papers,  under  the  signature  of  "An  old  Bachelor,"  the 
author  displays  a  fertility  of  invention,  a  grace  and  freedom  of  style, 
a  happy  facility  in  the  treatment  and  illustration  of  every-day  topics, 
the  little  as  well  as  the  great  moralities  of  home  and  social  life,  which 
make  these  pleasant  essays  a  unique  feature  of  newspaper  literature. 

The  pictorial  department  of  the  Weekly  embraces  a  wide  range 
of  subjects — current  events  of  interest  and  importance,  art  and  story 
illustrations,  portraiture,  the  humor  and  comedy  of  social  life,  and 
foreign  and  domestic  politics.  The  battle-fields  of  our  own  great 
war,  and  those  of  recent  European  conflicts,  were  graphically  repro- 
duced in  its  pages.  The  political  cartoons  of  Thomas  Nast  consti- 
tute one  of  its  most  popular  features.  Nast  is  a  genius.  He  can 
not  be  compared  with  any  other  artist,  living  or  dead.  With  a  style 


708  Journalism  in  America. 

peculiarly  his  own,  wide  in  range  of  subject,  of  inexhaustible  fertility, 
and  serious  as  well  as  playful  imagination,  he  now  reminds  us  of 
Hogarth,  now  of  Leach.  His  political  cartoons  during  the  late  pres- 
idential campaign  were  among  the  most  effective  weapons  against 
the  Democratic  Party,  and  his  masterly  attacks  on  the  Tammany 
Ring,  in  the  pages  of  the  Weekly,  contributed  largely  to  the  over- 
throw of  that  corrupt  clique. 

Since  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion,  Harper's  Weekly  has  been  con- 
ducted in  harmony  with  the  Republican  Party,  but  it  has  never  as- 
sumed a  partisan  attitude,  nor  has  it  lost  any  of  its  distinctive  feat- 
ures as  a  literary  journal.  Some  of  the  best  works  of  Bulwer, 
Charles  Reade,Wilkie  Collins,  George  Eliot,  and  other  eminent  En- 
glish novelists,  have  been  introduced  to  American  readers  through 
its  pages,  and  among  its  constant  contributors  are  numbered  many 
of  the  leading  authors  of  our  own  country.  Among  its  latest  feat- 
ures is  an  important  Scientific  Department,  conducted  by  Professor 
Spencer  F.  Baird,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute. 

These  illustrated  papers  are  a  power  in  the  reform  of  public 
abuses.  We  have  alluded  to  the  effect  of  Nast's  inimitable  sketches 
in  aiding  so  materially  in  the  overthrow  of  the  infamous  Tammany 
Ring.  Several  years  ago  Frank  Leslie  undertook  a  very  commend- 
able public  duty  in  exposing,  by  a  series  of  illustrations,  the  deplor- 
able condition  of  hundreds  of  "  swill-fed"  cows  stalled  in  and  around 
New  York,  and  supplying  the  inhabitants  of  the  metropolis  with 
"  pure  Orange  County  milk."  The  effect  produced  by  this  pictorial 
crusade  was  of  the  first  importance  to  the  health  of  the  community. 

Harper's  Bazav,  a  Repository  of  Fashion,  Pleasure,  and  Instruction, 
was  first  issued  on  the  2d  of  November,  1867.  Designed  as  a  fam- 
ily paper,  it  was  a  success  from  the  start.  Politics  are  excluded 
from  its  columns.  Its  literary  features  comprise  serial  stories  by 
leading  English  and  American  authors,  short  stories,  poems,  social 
and  domestic  essays,  and  the  "  Old  Bachelor"  papers  already  alluded 
to.  Besides  the  fashion  and  pattern  illustrations,  giving,  from  au- 
thentic sources,  the  latest  European  styles,  the  Bazar  contains  many 
beautiful  fine-art  pictures.  It  has  been  from  the  first  under  the 
skillful  management  of  Miss  Mary  L.  Booth. 

The  Aldine,  and  Applcton's  Journal,  issued  in  New  York,  are  illus- 
trated, but  they  scarcely  come  under  the  class  we  have  to  speak  of 
in  our  collection  ;  they  are  literary  papers,  and  their  pictures  are 
given  to  illustrate  stories  or  biography.  Every  Saturday,  published 
in  Boston,  was  an  illustrated  paper  of  no  mean  pretensions  till  the 
close  of  1871,  when  it  abandoned  pictures,  by  some  arrangement 
made,  it  was  said,  with  the  Harpers  of  New  York.  Some  of  its  en- 
gravings were  very  artistically  executed.  The  Illustrated  Christian 
Weekly  was  issued  in  March,  1871,  by  the  American  Tract  Society. 


Miscellaneous  Illustrated  Papers.  709 

It  is  edited  by  Lyman  Abbott  and  S.  E.  Warner,  and  may  be  con- 
sidered the  first  illustrated  paper  of  a  purely  religious  character. 

Wood-engraving  has  increased  so  rapidly,  and  improved  so  im- 
measurably beyond  all  expectations,  that  as  nice  work  can  be  done 
in  the  United  States  as  in  any  other  country.  When  we  compare 
Frank  Leslie's  Illustrated  Paper  and  Harper's  Weekly  with  the  Lon- 
don Illustrated  News,  or  L' Illustration  of  Paris,  or  the  Illustrated 
News  of  Leipsic,  we  see  no  reason  to  find  fault  with  our  publica- 
tions. The  paper  of  the  English  and  French  papers  is  generally  su- 
perior, which  sets  off  the  engravings  to  advantage.  The  pictures  in 
the  London  paper  are  fine,  but  stiff;  those  in  L  Illustration  are  more 
natural,  but  inferior  as  engravings.  The  illustrations  in  the  United 
States  partake  of  the  best  characteristics  of  the  two ;  they  are  not 
so  stiff  as  the  English,  and  they  are  as  finely  executed  as  the  French. 
Ours  are  the  juste  milieu  of  the  art,  as  far  as  it  has  progressed  in 
the  world  as  an  auxiliary  to  the  news  of  the  day. 

There  is  a  new  mode  of  illustration  just  brought  out  in  Philadel- 
phia in  a  publication  called  Sinclair's  Photo-Zinco,  which  gives  repro- 
ductions of  drawings  and  engravings.  This  mode  could  be  made 
of  value,  we  should  think,  in  the  interchange  of  engravings  among 
the  illustrated  papers  of  the  world.  Now  the  proprietors  of  these 
publications  sell  and  exchange  electrotypes  of  the  most  popular  pic- 
tures. The  London  Illustrated  News  sends  quite  a  number  of  its 
engravings  to  Paris,  Berlin,  and  Vienna.  Some  reach  New  York. 
The  London  Illustrated  Times  takes  electrotypes  of  the  engravings 
originating  with  La  Monde  and  L 'Illustration  of  Paris.  The  expense 
thus  saved  must  be  very  great,  but  the  practice,  unless  very  limit- 
ed, must  prove  more  injurious  than  profitable  to  any  paper  relying 
much  on  its  own  artistic  merit  for  popular  favor. 

Other  papers  publish  pictures.  There  is  the  Child's  Paper,  the 
Child 's  World,  and  the  Illustrated  Police  News.  The  Agriculturist 
represents  the  best  breeds  of  animals,  new  implements  of  husband- 
ry, architectural  designs  for  farmers,  premium  pears,  new  species  of 
apples  and  squashes,  and  bunches  of  grapes.  The  Scientific  Amer- 
ican contains  finely-engraved  models  and  diagrams  of  newly  invent- 
ed machinery,  and  elegantly  and  attractively  done  too.  The  pub- 
lisher in  the  rural  districts  illustrates  his  paper  with  pictorial  adver- 
tisements, which,  with  the  quaint  devices  at  the  heads  of  the  papers 
of  a  century  ago,  were  the  original  and  pioneer  illustrations  of  the 
American  newspaper.  But  all  the  superior  work  in  our  wood  en- 
gravings is  the  growth  of  thirty  years.  Then  there  were  twenty  en- 
gravers in  the  United  States ;  now,  it  is  stated  by  Lossing  to  the  New 
York  Historical  Society,  there  are  no  less  than  four  hundred.  Peter 
Cooper  has  done  much  for  this  art  by  having  free  classes  for  girls  in 
his  Institute,  and  they  become  expert  and  skillful  engravers. 


710  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 
THE   TRANSIENT   PRESS. 

NEWSPAPERS  IN  THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY. — NEWSPAPERS  IN  COLLEGES. — THE 
SCHOOLS  OF  JOURNALISM. — NEWSPAPERS  WITH  THE  TROOPS  IN  THE  FIELD. 
— AMATEUR  JOURNALISM. — THE  AVANT  COUREURS  OF  AMERICA. 

IF  we  have  a  few  newspapers  each  a  century  old,  we  also  have  a 
few  not  intended  to  live  a  hundred  months,  or  a  hundred  weeks,  or 
a  hundred  days  in  any  one  place.  Additionally  to  the  daily  Press, 
the  weekly  Press,  the  religious  Press,  the  special  Press,  there  are 
clubs,  colleges,  circles,  classes,  schools,  societies,  soldiers,  and  sail- 
ors with  their  representative  prints.  Newspapers  are  published  on 
board  of  vessels  of  war  ;  and  wherever  our  troops  marched  during 
the  Mexican  War,  as  well  as  in  the  late  Rebellion,  newspapers  would 
be  printed  in  camps  for  circulation  in  the  army,  and  for  home  and 
friends.  Newspapers  were  printed  in  General  Scott's  army,  and 
were  dated  from  the  advanced  posts  of  the  troops  as  they  advanced 
towards  the  city  of  Mexico.  They  also  appeared  in  General  Tay- 
lor's army  as  it  moved  from  the  fields  of  Palo  Alto  to  Monterey  and 
Buena  Vista.  The  American  Flag  was  the  journal  that  kept  up  with 
the  victorious  march  of  Old  Rough  and  Ready. 

In  the  early  part  of  1846,  it  was  proposed  to  establish  a  republic, 
to  be  composed  of  the  Mexican  states  of  Tamaulipas,  Coahuila, 
NueVo  Leon,  and  Chihuahua.  This  was  soon  after  the  first  victo- 
ries of  the  American  troops.  To  carry  out  this  plan,  the  publica- 
tion of  a  newspaper  was  commenced  in  Matamoras,  and  called  the 
Republic  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  result  of  the  war,  of  course,  killed 
this  political  enterprise,  but  the  newspapers  went  on  with  the  troops. 

Our  volunteers  embraced  all  trades  and  professions.  Printers 
and  pressmen  were  as  patriotic  as  any  other  class.  When  Mexico 
was  invaded  in  1846-7,  type,  presses,  ink,  paper,  and  printers  march- 
ed with  our  soldiers.  Newspapers  were  established  in  every  impor- 
tant city  and  town  as  they  were  captured  by  Generals  Taylor,  Scott, 
and  Kearney.  In  this  way  the  American  Pioneer  was  published  in 
Monterey,  New  Leon  ;  the  American  Flag  at  Matamoras ;  the  Cali- 
fornian  in  Monterey,  California  ;  the  Sentinelin  Tampico ;  the  Eagle 
at  Vera  Cruz  ;  the  American  Star  at  Jalapa ;  the  Picket  Guard  at 
Saltillo  ;  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  at  Chihuahua.  They  were  excellent 
specimens  of  brains  and  business,  and  aided  the  military  authori- 


Newspapers  in  Colleges.  711 

ties  in  circulating  their  orders  and  proclamations.  Wherever  a  reg- 
iment of  our  army  appeared,  a  newspaper  was  sure  to  be  issued. 
The  only  mistake  made  at  the  time  was  in  not  printing  these  papers 
half  in  Spanish,  in  order  to  have  a  greater  influence  on  the  surround- 
ing population. 

These  newspapers  were  edited  and  printed  by  what  are  called 
"  common"  or  "  private  soldiers."  When  the  war  brdke  out  with 
Mexico,  as  when  the  Rebellion  burst  upon  us,  volunteer  soldiers 
poured  in  from  all  quarters.  One  cause  of  the  superior  efficiency 
of  our  armies  in  the  field,  and  especially  in  emergencies,  was  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  they  were  composed  of  carpenters,  masons, 
blacksmiths,  printers,  joiners,  gunsmiths,  plumbers,  painters,  wheel- 
wrights, pressmen — indeed,  mechanics  of  all  kinds.  They  were 
ready  for  any  thing.  Writers  and  reporters  helped  to  make  up  the 
quota  from  each  state.  Newspapers  were,  therefore,  easily  produced. 
With  a  small  press  and  a  font  of  type  as  part  of  the  baggage-train, 
a  newspaper  was  improvised  on  any  spot,  and  some  of  those  thus 
issued  were  very  creditable  productions. 

With  the  Northern  armies  in  the  late  Rebellion  these  publications 
became  common.  But  in  this  conflict  our  soldiers  found  the  ma- 
terial ready  for  use  in  the  captured  cities  and  towns.  The  Weekly 
Junior  Register  was  issued  after  tlie  occupation  of  Franklin,  Louisi- 
ana, by  the  army  of  General  Banks.  It  was  dated  April  25th,  1863, 
and  printed,  as  many  of  those  papers  were,  on  the  blank  side  of 
"  paper-hangings."  One  side  was  a  handsome  pattern  of  house  wall- 
paper, and  the  other  side  contained  the  news  of  the  day.  Another 
was  called  the  Vicksburg  Citizen,  and  dated  June  30, 1863.  This  was 
also  printed  on  house  paper — a  satin  figure  on  one  side,  and  the 
reading  matter  on  the  other.  It  was  two  columns  wide,  and  eight- 
een inches  long. 

Newspapers  are  published  at  our  colleges.  One  was  established 
at  Dartmouth  as  far  back  as  1800  under  the  title  of  Gazette.  Dan- 
iel Webster  wrote  for  it  in  1802-3.  Once  he  asked  a  friend  if  he 
had  read  the  articles  signed  Icarus  in  the  Gazette.  Not  receiving  a 
reply  favorable  to  the  articles,  nothing  further  was  said  at  that  time, 
but  several  years  after  Webster  acknowledged  himself  to  have  been 
the  veritable  Icarus.  He  wrote  the  Newsboy's  Message  for  the 
Gazette  for  the  i£t  of  January,  1803.  There  was  a  periodical  called 
the  Collegian  published  at  Harvard  in  1830.  These  college  papers 
may  not  come  under  the  head  of  transient,  for  they  live  longer  than 
those  published  by  our  troops,  but  it  is  not  expected,  from  the  na- 
ture of  things,  that  they  are  to  be  permanent  institutions.  Their  ed- 
itors are  changed,  at  any  rate,  as  often  as  politicians  are  changed  in 
and  out  of  office. 


712  Journalism  in  America. 

Two  of  the  neatest  papers  published  in  1870  were  issued,  one 
from  Harvard  College,  called  the  Harvard  Advocate,  and  the  other 
from  Yale  College,  entitled  the  College  Courant.  Williams  College 
also  boasts  of  its  paper — the  Vidette.  The  Amherst  Agricultural  Col- 
lege issues  the  Index.  That  from  the  Cornell  College  is  the  Era. 
The  Deaf  Mute  Pelican  is  published  by  the  inmates  of  the  Louisiana 
Institute  for'  the  Deaf,  Dumb,  and  Blind.  The  young  ladies  of  the 
Marshall  (Texas)  Female  College  issue  a  paper  called  the  Casket. 
These  papers  are  edited  by  students,'and  some  of  the  contributions 
are  marked  with  ability  and  a  show  of  genius.  Now  and  then  the 
Advocate  throws  off  something  equal  to  the  following,  which  appeared 
in  May,  1870  : 

TO   PUPILS   IN   ELOCUTION. 

The  human  lungs  reverberate  sometimes  with  great  velocity, 
When  windy  individuals  indulge  in  much  verbosity. 
They  have  to  twirl  the  glottis  sixty  thousand  times  a  minute, 
And  push  and  punch  the  diaphragm  as  though  the  deuce  was  in  it. 

Chorus. 

The  pharynx  now  goes  up  ; 
The  larynx,  with  a  slam, 

Ejects  a  note 

From  out  the  throat, 
Pushed  by  the  diaphragm. 

Another  class  of  transient  newspapers  is  what  comes  under  the 
head  of  amateur  journalism.  There  is  quite  a  number  of  this  class 
now  published  in  the  United  States.  These  amateur  publications, 
like  the  Dew-drop  and  the  Hub  of  Boston,  and  the  Rose-bud  of  New 
York,  are  increasing  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  They  have  formed 
associations  like  the  Eastern  Amateur  Association,  and  are  rapidly 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  older  journalism  that  will  be  of  value  to 
the  profession  in  the  future.  No  doubt  some  of  the  writers  for  these 
papers  will  yet  be  distinguished  and  influential  journalists,  instead 
of  learned  divines,  or  skillful  physicians,  or  keen  and  accomplished 
lawyers,  or  merchant  princes.  These  college  and  amateur  papers 
are  a  means  of  educating  young  men  to  the  profession  of  journal- 
ism. Now  scholarships  for  this  purpose  have  been  established  in 
the  University  of  Virginia,  over  which  General  Robert  E.  Lee  pre- 
sided at  the  time  of  his  death.  There  a  class  are  to  be  educated. 
Twenty-five  are  to  begin  the  course,  and  they  are  to  be  nominated 
by  typographical  societies  and  editorial  recommendation.  What  the 
precise  course  of  studies  are  to  fit  young  men  for  the  printing-office 
and  editorial  room  is  unknown  to  us ;  but  the  Courant,  of  Yale  Col- 
lege, in  December,  1871,  gave  us  some  idea  of  the  course  proposed 
there : 

So  much  has  been  said  all  over  the  country  about  the  "New  School  of  Journal- 
ism at  Yale"  that  it  seems  time  that  some  clear  statement  was  made  in  regard  to 


The  Schools  of  Journalism.  713 

the  course  of  study  which  has  received  this  unfortunate  name.  The  first  idea 
which  suggests  itself  on  hearing  of  a  school  of  journalism  is  that  of  a  kind  of 
"business  college"  to  teach  penny-a-liners  how  to  write,  and  it  can  not  but  be  con- 
sidered inauspicious  that  a  most  dignified  branch  of  study  should  be  announced 
by  that  name.  The  school  of  political  science  and  history,  as  we  must  call  it,  for 
want  of  a  better  name,  will  present  to  most  students  far  more  attractions  than  any 
other  of  the  graduate  courses  of  study  recently  established  here.  The  plan,  as  it 
now  works,  is  principally  as  follows  : 

President  Woolsey  meets  the  students  once  a  week  at  his  house,  discusses  fa- 
miliarly with  them  various  topics  in  political  science,  directs  their  reading,  and 
interprets  the  works  of  Ahrens  and  Von  Mohl.  It  is  hoped  that  by  next  year  a 
professor  of  political  economy  and  international  law  will  be  procured  to  take  the 
chair  in  the  academic  department,  formerly  occupied  by  President  Woolsey,  and 
that  he  will  also  give  instruction  to  graduate  students.  Professor  Wheeler  meets 
the  class  once  a  week  at  his  room  for  instruction  in  history,  and,  for  the  present, 
his  teaching  is  confined  to  the  constitutional  history  of  England  and  the  United 
States.  His  meetings  with  the  class  are  mainly  occupied  with  conversations  on 
the  studies  which  they  are  pursuing.  It  is  his  intention,  during  the  second  year, 
to  give  out  to  individual  students  different  historical  subjects  for  investigation,  the 
results  of  their  studies  to  be  embodied  in  theses  which  are  to  be  read  before  the 
class  and  freely  criticised. 

Instruction  in  English  literature  will  be  given  by  Professor  Lounsbury.  The 
plan  which  he  intends  to  pursue  for  the  present  is  to  begin  with  Chaucer,  and  to 
consist  of  a  critical  study  of  the  greatest  English  authors.  This  study  is  to  con- 
tinue through  the  two  years  of  the  course.  Can  any  one  imagine  a  more  delight- 
ful way  of  spending  a  year  in  study  than  this  ?  The  course  is  wide,  and  offers  a 
great  variety  of  learning.  The  full  course  for  those  who  wish  to  take  the  degree 
of  Ph.  D.  is  two  years  ;  but  any  one  can  at  any  time  take  a  part  of  either  of  the 
graduate  courses,  or  can  pursue  at  the  same  time  studies  in  different  courses.  It 
may  be  as  well  to  mention  that  the  peculiar  advantages  of  this  course  to  those  who 
intend  to  be  editors,  and  the  fact  that  several  "journalists"  who  recently  gradu- 
ated at  Yale  are  in  attendance,  is  what  gave  to  it  its  narrow  and  unmeaning  title, 
"  The  School  of  Journalism." 

Such  an  establishment  as  the  New  York  Herald,  or  Tribune,  or 
Times  is  the  true  college  for  newspaper  students.  Professor  James 
Gordon  Bennett  or  Professor  Horace  Greeley  would  turn  out  more 
real  genuine  journalists  in  one  year  than  the  Harvards,  the  Yales, 
and  the  Dartmouths  could  produce  in  a  generation.  These  old  insti- 
tutions are,  indeed,  only  the  primary  schools  of  editors.  Journalism 
is  not  entirely  made  up  of  fine  writing  ;  tact  is  as  much  a  necessary 
element  as  talent.  Writers  of  learning,  and  ability,  and  brilliancy 
abound,  but  journalists  are  rare.  One  thorough  journalist  can  keep 
twenty  or  thirty  men  of  talent  constantly  at  work  carrying  out  and 
developing  his  plans  and  ideas.  Journalists  should,  of  course,  be 
thoroughly  educated.  College  education  will  not  spoil  a  journalist 
any  more  than  it  does  a  lawyer  or  a  clergyman.  All  professional 
men  should  be  men  of  culture  ;  they  should  be  hard  workers  and 
hard  thinkers ;  they  should  be  cosmopolitan  in  education  and  views ; 
and  what  they  need  to  cultivate  more  than  any  other  feature  are 
their  perceptive  faculties.  Quickness  of  thought  and  quickness  of 
action  are  essential  in  newspaper  offices.  Coolness  of  purpose 
and  coolness  of  judgment  are  valuable  elements  in  an  editor.  Im- 
partiality is  a  very  important  feature  to  be  inculcated.  But,  after 


714  Journalism  in  America. 

all,  great  journalists,  like  distinguished  statesmen,  brilliant  lawyers, 
skillful  physicians,  and  eminent  divines,  are  naturally  so — the  genius 
for  the  work  is  in  them.  It  is  not  to  be  acquired  at  a  college  in  Vir- 
ginia or  Massachusetts.  The  elements  are  there,  so  far  as  books 
embrace  them,  unquestionably;  but  the  tact,  and  the  experience, 
and  the  genius  are  not  there  by  any  course  of  study  that  any  facul- 
ty may  inaugurate  or  impose  upon  any  set  of  students  that  may  be 
brought  before  them. 

One  of  the  most  curious  instances  of  our  transitory  journalism, 
and  which  marks  the  American  character  in  this  respect  most  de- 
cidedly, was  the  publication  of  a  newspaper  by  an  excursion  party 
from  Boston  to  San  Francisco  over  the  Pacific  Railroad.  This 
party  consisted  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Boston  and  a  few  invited 
guests,  embracing  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
They  left  that  city  on  the  23d  of  May,  1870.  With  the  train  was  a 
thoroughly  equipped  printing-office,  from  which  was  issued  a  daily 
paper  during  the  progress  of  the  party.  It  was  edited  by  W.  R.  Steel, 
of  Chicago,  who  had  a  force  of  four  compositors  and  one  pressman. 
All  the  news  of  the  world  was  telegraphed  to  the  point  where  the  train 
stopped  each  night,  and  a  special  dispatch,  containing  all  the  local 
and  general  news  of  Boston  and  the  Eastern  States,  published  each 
morning,  together  with  such  gossip  and  events  as  had  transpired  on 
board  the  train.  The  paper  was  called  the  Trans- Continental,  and 
consisted  of  four  pages,  and  the  quantity  of  matter  it  contained  was 
about  equal  to  that  of  one  page  of  the  New  York  Herald.  The  first 
number  was  issued  somewhere  on  the  New  York  Central  Road,  the 
second  number  near  Detroit,  the  third  near  Chicago,  the  fourth  near 
Omaha,  and  the  others  near  Cheyenne,  Sacramento,  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. Copies  of  the  Trans-Continental  were  mailed  to  their  friends 
daily  by  the  excursionists  from  whatever  point  the  train  happened 
to  be,  and  the  postmaster  general  ordered  that  they  be  transmitted 
by  the  first  mail,  free  of  postage. 

When  the  air  is  navigated  with  balloons,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that 
newspapers  will  be  regularly  published  and  distributed  from  the 
clouds  as  the  aerial  trains  pass  over  the  cities  and  towns.  If  a 
class  paper  in  the  interest  of  architecture  should  be  among  those 
thus  issued,  we  shall  then  learn  how  the  chateaux  en  Espagne  are 
constructed. 


War  Correspondents.  715 


CHAPTER  XLVIIL 
THE  WAR  CORRESPONDENTS. 

WHAT  HAVE  THEY  ACCOMPLISHED  ? — THEIR  LABORS  AND  DANGERS. — THEIR 
CAPTURE  AND  IMPRISONMENT.  —  JOURNALISTS  IN  ACTION.  —  WHAT  is 
THOUGHT  OF  THEM. — THEY  ARE  THE  HISTORIANS  OF  THE  GREAT  CONFLICTS 
OF  THE  WORLD. — THE  REBELLION. — THE  FRANCO-GERMAN  WAR. 

THE  war  correspondent !  How  much  would  b.e  lost  without  him  ! 
Howmany  noble  deeds  and  gallant  actions  have  disappeared  with 
the  smoke  of  battle  for  want  of  a  reporter ! 

Borrow,  in  his  "  Bible  in  Spain,"  thus  speaks  of  this  class  of  jour- 
nalists : 

What  most  extraordinary  men  are  these  reporters  !  Surely,  if  there  be  any 
class  of  individuals  who  are  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  cosmopolites,  it  is  these, 
who  pursue  their  avocations  in  all  countries  indifferently,  and  accommodate  them- 
selves at  will  to  the  manners  of  all  classes  of  society.  Their  fluency  of  style,  as 
writers,  is  only  surpassed  by  their  facility  of  language  in  conversation  ;  and  their 
attainments  in  classical  and  polite  literature  only  by  their  profound  knowledge 
of  the  world,  acquired  by  an  early  introduction  into  its  bustling  scenes.  The  ac- 
tivity, energy,  and  courage  which  they  occasionally  display  in  the  pursuit  of  infor- 
mation are  truly  remarkable.  I  saw  reporters,  during  the  Three  Days  at  Paris, 
mingled  with  canaille  and  gamins  behind  the  barriers,  while  the  mitraille  was  fly- 
ing in  all  directions,  and  the  desperate  cuirassiers  were  dashing  their  fierce  horses 
against  those  seemingly  feeble  bulwarks ;  there,  stood  they,  dotting  down  their 
observations  in  their  pocket-books  as  unconcernedly  as  if  they  were  reporting  the 
proceedings  of  a  reform  meeting  in  Finsbury  Square ;  while  in  Spain,  several  of 
them  accompanied  the  Carlist  and  Cristino  guerrillas  in  some  of  their  most  des- 
perate raids,  exposing  themselves  to  the  danger  of  hostile  bullets,  the  inclemency 
of  the  winter,  and  the  fierce  heat  of  the  summer's  sun. 

What  the  correspondents  of  the  newspapers  did  in  the  Mexican 
War,  in  the  Rebellion,  and  in  the  recent  conflict  between  France 
and  Germany,  is  well  described  in  this  extract.  Newspaper  corre- 
spondents in  the  Rebellion  incurred  double  risks  in  performing  their 
duty.  On  the  eve  of  the  war,  the  Herald,  Tribune,  and  Times  had 
several  "  specials"  in  the  Southern  States,  feeling  the  public  pulse 
and  describing  public  sentiment  in  that  disturbed  section.  When 
the  first  gun  was  heard  at  Fort  Sumter,  these  gentlemen  were  im- 
mediately denounced  as  spies  and  abolitionists.  Efforts  were  made 
by  mobs  to  hang  a  Herald  correspondent  in  Richmond.  One  of 
the  agents  of  the  Tribune  was  arrested  in  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina. One  of  the  correspondents  of  the  Times  barely  escaped  hang- 
ing on  a  "  sour  apple-tree"  at  Harper's  Ferry.  Glenn  and  Farrell, 
both  of  the  Herald,  one  in  Charleston  and  the  other  at  New  Or- 


716  Journalism  in  America. 

leans,  managed,  with  the  greatest  courage  and  adroitness,  to  reach 
the  Northern  line  with  their  heads  on  their  shoulders.  It  seemed 
as  if  that  "  first  gun"  turned  the  South  into  a  lunatic  asylum. 

Incidents,  anecdotes,  hairbreadth  escapes,  sufferings,  enough  to 
fill  this  volume,  could  be  related  of  the  war  correspondents  of  the 
Northern  papers  during  the  years  1861,  '62,  '63,  '64,  '65.  After  the 
war  broke  out  the  journalists  in  the  field  assumed  new  dangers  and 
run  new  risks.  Anderson,  of  the  Herald,  taken  prisoner,  was  con- 
fined in  an  iron  dungeon  in  Texas,  and  afterwards,  with  a  bullet- 
hole  through  his  arm,  took  notes  at  Spottsylvania  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight ;  Osborn,  of  the  same  paper,  the  only  correspondent  on  the 
iron-clads  in  action,  calmly  watched  the  effect  of  each  impact,  and 
subsequently,  as  signal  officer  in  the  rigging  with  Farragut,  run  the 
gauntlet  at  New  Orleans  ;  Richardson  and  Browne,  of  the  Tribune, 
and  Colburn,  of  the  World,  captured  in  running  the  blockade  at 
Vicksburg,  were  immured  for  months  in  Libby,  till  they  escaped  to 
the  Union  lines  through  marsh,  and  brush,  and  forest ;  Cook  sat 
aloft  on  the  flag-ship  of  Porter,  pencil  and  book  in  hand,  and  watched 
the  bombardment  of  Fort  Fisher ;  Shanks,  amid  the  plunging  fire 
at  Lookout,  wrote  a  description  of  the  battle  that  surpassed  Napier's 
brilliant  efforts  ;  Hosmer,  in  the  hottest  of  the  great  battle  of  Get- 
tysburg, was  full  of  fire  and  facts  in  his  neat  and  accurate  account 
of  that  decisive  conflict  of  the  war ;  Cadwallader  and  Fitzpatrick, 
of  the  Herald,  and  Crounse,  of  the  Times,  were  captured  by  Mosby's 
band,  deprived  of  watches  and  note-books,  and  had  their  facts  pub- 
lished in  the  rebel  papers  ;  Skestfall  fell  into  the  hands  of  Morgan's 
guerrillas,  who  also  fancied  his  valuables  and  notes ;  Stiner  shivered 
out  on  picket,  days  and  nights,  for  the  latest  rebel  newspapers  ; 
Conyngham  and  Doyle  made  the  famous  march  with  Sherman  to 
the  sea  ;  Ashley  and  Carpenter  shared  with  the  grand  old  Army  of 
the  Potomac  its  glory  and  repulses ;  Knox, "  mit  Sigel"  in  Missouri, 
described  the  brilliant  battle  at  Pea  Ridge ;  Chapman,  at  the  "  Head- 
quarters of  the  New  York  Herald"  at  Cairo  and  all  along  the  line, 
looked  after  maps  and  plans  ;  Dunn  died  at  his  post  on  the  Missis- 
sippi ;  Brady,  lost  in  a  canebrake,  turned  up  as  editor  in  Mobile ; 
Hendricks,  the  indefatigable,  always  had  a  description  of  a  battle  ; 
Swinton,  of  the  Times,  with  his  risks  and  dangers  at  Chancellorsville 
and  Fredericksburg,  gave  graphic  pictures  of  desperately  fought  bat- 
tles ;  Keim,  bivouacking  with  the  lamented  M'Pherson,  was  mild 
and  mindful  of  his  duties  to  the  Press  and  the  public. 

Others,  many  others,  indeed,  could  be  mentioned  who  are  entitled 
to  all  the  praise  that  we  could  bestow,  and  all  that  Borrow  has  given 
to  his  beau  ideals.  If  the  Press  had  ribbons  and  orders  to  confer 
for  gallant  conduct  on  the  field  of  battle,  these  correspondents  would 


The  Iron  Cross  of  the  Second  Class.          7 1 7 

have  their  breasts  covered  with  brilliants  on  state  occasions ;  but 
their  decorations  shone  in  the  columns  of  the  papers,  where  they  are 
imperishable.  While  the  correspondents  of  the  Tribune  and  Herald 
performed  their  duty  splendidly  in  the  recent  Franco-German  War, 
they  are  satisfied  with  the  glory  their  reports  gave  them.  Their 
legion  (fhonneur  and  their  iron  crosses  are  in  their  descriptions  of 
Gravelotte,  Sedan,  and  the  siege  of  Paris.  But  the  Emperor  of 
Germany  recognized  the  services  of  William  Howard  Russell,  of  the 
London  Times,  by  conferring  on  him  the  Iron  Cross  of  the  second 
class,  with  the  White  Ribbon.  What  order  in  Heraldry  should  Stan- 
ley, the  correspondent  with  the  Abyssinian  Expedition,  receive  after 
this  ?  These  emperors  and  kings  have  no  idea  of  the  cost  of  a  war 
to  a  newspaper.  They  are  made  famous  in  history,  and  they  bestow 
a  paltry  ribbon  for  the  service.  They  are  not  aware  that  the  New 
York  Herald  alone  spent  $500,000  during  the  American  Rebellion, 
and  $100,000  during  the  short  and  sharp  war  between  France  and 
Germany,  in  keeping  its  corps  of  correspondents  in  the  field.  Half 
a  million  for  preparing  one  historical  work  ! 

Conyngham,  in  "  Sherman's  March  through  the  South,"  speaks  of 
his  instructions,  which  describe,  in  a  few  words,  the  duties  of  a  jour- 
nalist in  the  field : 

The  instructions  of  the  Herald  to  its  army  correspondents  were  brief,  but  com- 
prehensive. They  were  simply  these  :  To  obtain  the  most  accurate  information 
by  personal  observation,  and  forward  it  with  the  utmost  dispatch,  regardless  of 
expense,  labor,  or  danger.  Guided  by  these  concise  instructions — with  his  horse, 
his  revolver,  his  field-glass,  his  note-book,  blanket,  and  haversack — the  army  cor- 
respondent of  the  New  York  Herald  started  forth  to  share  the  vicissitudes  and 
hardships  of  the  camp,  the  fatigues  of  the  march,  and  the  perils  of  the  battle-field, 
to  contribute  his  narrative  to  the  history  of  the  great  war. 

One  of  the  eccentricities  of  the  Rebellion  was  the  harmonious  as- 
sociation of  the  representatives  of  the  Northern  Press  in  the  several 
corps  of  the  army.  Knox,  in  his  "  Camp-fire  and  Cotton-field,"  in  the 
opening  chapter,  said  that  early  in  February,  1861,  he  entered  the 
editorial  rooms  of  the  Herald  to  make  arrangements  to  become  one 
of  its  correspondents.  He  said  : 

I  announced  my  readiness  to  proceed  to  any  point  between  the  poles,  wherever 
the  Herald  desired  a  correspondent.  The  editor-in-chief  was  busy  over  a  long 
letter  from  some  point  in  the  South,  but  his  response  was  promptly  given.  Half 
reading,  half  pausing  over  the  letter,  he  briefly  said, 

A  long  and  bloody  war  is  upon  us,  in  which  the  whole  country  will  be  engaged.  We  shall  desire 
you  to  take  the  field — probably  in  the  West.  It  may  be  several  weeks  before  we  need  you,  but  the 
war  can  not  be  long  delayed. 

When  Knox  called  at  the  Herald  office  for  his  final  instructions, 
he  found  that 

The  managing  editor  had  determined  upon  a  vigorous  campaign.  Every  point 
of  interest  was  to  be  covered,  so  that  the  operations  of  our  armies  would  be  fully 
recorded  from  day  to  day.  The  war  correspondents  had  gone  to  their  posts  or 
were  just  taking  their  departure.  I  was  instructed  to  watch  the  military-  move- 
in  Missouri,  and  hastened  to  St. Louis  as  fast  as  steam  could  bear  me. 


718  Journalism  in  America. 

Knox  went  to  the  West  and  fought  with  Sigel.  Afterwards,  join- 
ing General  Wallace,  he  proceeded  southwest  to  Memphis.  Three 
newspapers,  the  Avalanche,  Argus,  and  Appeal,  had  enlightened  the 
rebels  of  that  city.  The  Appeal,  like  the  old  Spy,  Gazette,  and  other 
prints  of  the  Revolution  of '76,  became  a  migratory  sheet,  and  was  is- 
sued wherever  it  could  safely  be  published.  The  Avalanche  changed 
its  name  to  that  of  the  Bulletin,  and  became  moderate  in  tone.  After 
the  war  it  resumed  its  old  title.  The  Argus  did  not  change  its  sen- 
timents so  readily,  and  needed  the  prick  of  the  pen,  if  not  of  the 
sword.  General  Wallace  therefore  issued  the  following  order  : 

Head-quarters  Third  Division,  Reserved  Corps,  Army  of  Tennessee,  ) 
MEMPHIS,  June  17,  1862.  J 

EDITOR  DAILY  ARGUS, — As  the  closing  of  your  office  might  be  injurious  to 
you  pecuniarily,  I  send  two  gentlemen — Messrs.  A.  D.  Richardson  and  Thomas 
W.  Knox,  both  of  ample  experience — to  take  charge  of  the  editorial  department 
of  your  paper.     The  business  management  of  your  office  will  be  left  to  you. 
Very  respectfully,  LEWIS  WALLACE, 

General  Third  Division,  Reserved  Corps. 

This  order  was  printed  at  the  head  of  the  Argus.  The  eccentric- 
ity of  this  affair  was  in  the  peculiar  fact  that  Richardson  was  a  cor- 
respondent of  the  New  York  Tribune,  and  Knox  a  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Herald.  Notwithstanding  this  rather  extraordinary 
combination,  the  Argus  was  a  vigorously  consistent  sheet,  and  gave 
general  satisfaction  to  all,  save  the  radical  rebels,  while  under  the 
editorial  care  of  these  military  historians  and  gushing  journalists. 

All  correspondents  with  troops  in  the  field  are  compelled  to  do 
their  duty  as  historians  under  great  difficulties,  and  frequently  amid 
great  danger  under  fire.  But  they  are  always,  ready.  Edmund 
About,  in  describing  for  the  Moniteur  du  Soir  the  defeat  of  the 
French  at  Woerth,  mentioned  this  incident,  showing  the  usefulness 
of  a  journalist  to  a  military  chieftain  in  retreat : 

*  *  *  *  But  here  come  one  or  two  regiments  of  the  line,  quite  firm,  tolera- 
bly complete  in  numbers,  rifle  on  shoulder,  and  knapsack  on  back.  Behind  them 
Marshal  M'Mahon,  calm,  dignified,  almost  smiling,  and  fresh  as  a  rose.  I  salute 
him  as  he  passes.  He  responds  without  noticing  me.  One  of  his  aids,  M.  d'Alzac, 
names  me.  Then  the  old  hero  stops,  and  tells  quite  simply  the  story  of  his  de- 
feat, thus  :  "  I  had  only  35,000  men,  and  found  150,000  in  front  of  me.  We  have 
given  way  before  numbers.  They  have  killed  or  wounded  about  5000  men.  But 
we  have  our  revenge.  Explain  this  to  the  public.  But  where  are  you  going  in 
that  direction  ?"  "  To  Saverne,"  I  reply.  "  You  will  be  captured.  The  Prussians 
will  be  there  in  two  hours,"  says  the  general.  "  I  have  my  wife  and  children 
there,"  I  answer.  "  God  preserve  you.  Do  not  fail  to  say  that  the  morale  of  the 
troops  is  excellent."  We  shake  hands. 

This  war  between  France  and  Germany  developed  more  journal- 
istic enterprise  than  had  ever  been  seen  in  Europe.  American  ed- 
itors spiritedly  and  successfully  entered  the  lists.  The  London  Pub- 
lishers' Circular  of  September,  1870,  gave  a  list  of  correspondents 
engaged  at  the  seat  of  war : 

Newspaper  correspondents  work  at  the  peril  of  their  lives,  as  the  death  of  the 


The  True  Historians.  719 

correspondent  of  the  Times,  Colonel  Pemberton,  late  of  the  Fusileer  Guards,  will 
prove.  Of  the  other  correspondents,  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette's  "Azamat  Batuk," 
who  is  now  back  at  the  seat  of  war,  is  M.Thiebland.  Captain  Dashwood,  late  of 
the  gist  Highlanders,  is  among  the  journalists  following  the  campaign.  Mr.  N.  A. 
Woods,  who  was  in  the  Crimea  for  the  Herald,  and  did  the  Atlantic  cable  for  the 
Times,  is  at  the  war  for  the  Scotsman.  The  New  York  Herald,  it  is  said,  has  twenty- 
four  correspondents  in  the  field,  and  the  Paris  Ganlois  twenty-six.  A  telegram, 
sent  by  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette 's  correspondent  immediately  after  Sedan,  only  reach- 
ed the  editor  on  Tuesday  afternoon.  Meanwhile  the  correspondent  had  come 
home  with  his  description  in  full,  and  gone  back  again.  Much  of  Dr.  Russell's 
manuscript,  including  the  portion  describing  the  actual  battle  of  Sedan,  had  not 
reached  the  Times  in  time  for  publication  on  Tuesday,  though  subsequent  letters 
had.  Mr.  G.  A.  Sala  has  been  seized  in  Paris  as  a  Prussian  spy,  seriously  ill-treat- 
ed and  imprisoned.  Mr.  Sydney  Hall,  the  artist  of  the  Graphic,  who  accompanied 
the  French  Army  of  the  Rhine,  has  again  been  heard  of.  He  disappeared  for  some 
time,  and  there  was  subsequently  a  report  that  he  had  been  arrested  by  the  Prus- 
sians as  a  spy.  He  has  now  written  from  Nancy  announcing  his  release,  and  that 
during  his  detention  he  was  very  well  treated  by  his  captors. 

What  these  correspondents  have  accomplished,  through  the  jour- 
nals employing  them^  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  Lord  Granville,  the 
foreign  minister  of  England,  in  a  speech  made  in  November,  1870. 
He  said : 

We  have  seen  the  Press  of  this  country  speaking  with  that  freedom  which  fortu- 
nately is  our  privilege,  and  which  we  shall  always  maintain,  discussing  all  the  con- 
ditions of  the  war — that  freedom  sometimes  necessarily  leading  to  some  irritation 
on  the  one  side  or  the  other — an  irritation  which  is  very  natural  on  the  part  of  the 
belligerents — but  with  an  unswerving  purpose,  which  I  am  glad  to  acknowledge, 
of  showing  that  the  great  desire  of  this  nation,  expressed  through  the  Press,  is  to 
promote  and  accelerate  a  speedy  conclusion  to  a  terrible  calamity.  (Hear.)  And 
here  I  may,  perhaps,  in  passing,  remark  that  the  extraordinary  energy  and  exertions 
of  the  Press,  of  which  the  country  may  well  be  proud,  have  created,  under  very 
great  difficulty,  what  was  called  a  war  literature,  unexampled  in  ability  and  inter- 
est, putting  before  the  public  all  the  various  astonishing  events  which  have  so  rap- 
idly succeeded  each  other  in  this  tremendous  struggle.  (Hear,  hear.) 

This  is  a  meagre  account  of  the  war  correspondent  and  what  he 
has  done.  No  great  conflicts  like  ouV  own  Rebellion,  or  the  Franco- 
German  War,  were  ever  so  fully,  so  graphically,  so  truthfully  de- 
scribed. No  records  of  previous  wars  can  surpass  those  of  the 
years  between  1861  and  '71.  Anterior  to  these  events  we  spoke  of 
Napier,  Thiers,  Gibbon,  Bancroft.  They  were  compilers  from  old 
documents.  Now  we  speak  of  the  Tribune,  Times,  World,  Herald. 
They  have  been  eye-witnesses. 


720  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER   XLIX. 
THE  REPORTERS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

THEIR  EARLY  STRUGGLES  IN  REPORTING  SPEECHES -AND  DEBATES.  —  THE 
REVOLUTION. — VALUE  OF  REPORTS. — NUMBER  OF  REPORTERS. 

THE  reporter  is  the'  amanuensis  of  the  public.  Through  him  states- 
men speak  to  the  people  ;  through  him  Congress  is  heard ;  through 
him  orators  become  celebrated. 

There  was  a  time  when  stenographers  and  phonographers  were 
scarce  in  the  United  States.  Joseph  Gales  was  the  first  reporter, 
and  he  was  in  the  first  Congress  in  Philadelphia.  Stenographers, 
fifty  years  ago,  could  not  have  earned  twenty  dollars  a  week  on  any 
metropolitan  journal.  No  paper  of  that  day  would  devote  the  space 
for  a  full  report  of  a  long  speech.  There  is  nothing  on  record  of 
the  great  and  important  speeches  in  the  early  history  of  the  coun- 
try. It  was  only  lately  that  the  early  debates  in  Congress  were  res- 
cued from  oblivion.  There  is  not  a  speech  of  Aaron  Burr  to  be 
found  any  where.  Tradition  has  made  him  out  a  remarkably  bril- 
liant orator.  There  is  no  proof  of  the  statement  on  record.  It  was 
not  till  1837,  '38,  '39,  and  '40  that  reporters  were  introduced  on  our 
Daily  Press.  The  early  troubles  in  this  line  of  newspaper  labor 
would  astonish  the  present  generation  to  witness. 

The  New  York  Herald  experienced  the  same  spirit  of  opposition 
in  first  reporting  the  religious  anniversaries  in  New  York  that  the 
English  journals  met  with  in  their  early  attempts  at  reporting  the 
debates  of  the  British  Parliament ;  but  the  Press  was  successful  in 
both  instances — only,  however,  after  a  severe  fight.  On  the  i3th  of 
April,  1738,  Sir  William  Yonge  made  himself  famous  in  his  efforts  to 
have  the  reporters  suppressed.  Speaker  Onslow,  of  the  House  of 
Commons,  complained  that  there  was  "  an  account  of  their  deliber- 
ations in  the  newspapers."  Sir  William  then  declared  his  deter- 
mination to  have  the  printers  punished,  and  in  his  speeches  predicted 
the  wonderful  ability  and  enterprise  that  have  since  been  developed 
in  this  profession.  "They  deserve  to  be  punished,"  he  said;  "and 
if  you  do  not  either  punish  them,  or  take  some  effectual  method  of 
checking  them,  you  may  soon  expect  to  see  your  votes,  your  proceed- 
ings, and  your  speeches  printed  and  hawked  about  the  streets  while 
we  are  sitting  in  this  house." 


The  Clergy  and  the  Reporters.  721 

Our  clergymen  were  at  first  much  opposed  to  having  their  ser- 
mons reported.  Now,  with  more  wisdom  and  tact,  and  seeing  the 
advantages  of  larger  audiences,  many  of  those  with  any  ability  seek 
publicity.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  is  a  notable  instance  of  this.  His 
sermons  are  reported  phonographically,  and  published  weekly,  not 
only  in  pamphlets,  but  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day.  Thus  he 
preaches  to  half  a  million  of  people  every  week.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Hawkes,  less  of  a  genius,  and  with  less  tact,  took  the  other  view,  as 
we  have  described.  Of  course,  when  once  in  print,  his  sermons 
could  not  very  well  be  repeated  from  the  pulpit.  But  this  did  not 
alarm  Mr.  Beecher ;  he  was  always  ready  with  a  fresh  sermon. 

The  Herald  now  devotes  a  page,  and  sometimes  two  pages,  every 
Monday  morning,  to  the  leading  sermons  preached  the  previous  day 
in  the  churches  in  the  metropolis  and  vicinity.  Many  are  abstracts, 
of  course,  except  when  of  special  interest  or  importance.  These  re- 
ports are  very  ably  done.  The  way  they  are  received  by  the  clergy- 
men is  in  singular  contrast  with  the  course  of  Dr.  Hawkes,  and  of 
the  clergy  generally,  when  the  proprietor  of  that  paper  commenced 
the  reports  of  the  Religious  Anniversaries  in  New  York.  Here  are 
two  indorsements  which  appeared  in  one  day  : 

Church  of  the  Messiah,  NEW  YORK,  November  8, 1869. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Herald: 

I  have  read  your  reports  of  my  sermons  from  Sunday  to  Sunday,  and  want  to 
thank  you  for  their  general  accuracy.  In  these  days,  when  one  is  so  often  report- 
ed as  saying  what  he  has  taken  great  pains  not  to  say,  it  is  refreshing  to  see  an 
account  which  is  truthful.  You  get  the  gist  of  the  sermon  every  week,  and  I  hope 
you  will  not  think  me  intrusive  in  thanking  you  for  it. 

Yours  sincerely,  GEORGE  H.  HEPWORTH. 

NEW  YORK,  November  8, 1869. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Herald: 

Let  me  thank  you  for  the  report  of  my  sermon  in  this  morning's  Herald.  I 
have  sometimes,  and,  indeed,  so  frequently,  been  made  to  suffer  by  the  reporters, 
that  it  is  refreshing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  one  at  once  intelligent  and  apprecia- 
tive. Will  it  be  too  much  trouble  for  you  to  give  my  thankful,  acknowledgments 
to  the  gentlemanly  reporter  who  was  in  my  church  yesterday  ? 

Respectfully  yours,  WILLIAM  AIRMAN. 

The  Jewish  Rabbinical  Convention,  held  in  Philadelphia  in  No- 
vember, 1869,  closed  its  labors  with  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Ellinger, 
editor  of  iheJewisA  Times,  for  his  valuable  services,  and  to  the  New 
York  Herald  for  the  faithful  report  of  its  proceedings.  The  Jewish 
Synod,  held  in  Leipsic,  acknowledged  through  the  Hebrew  organs 
the  services  of  the  Herald  for  spreading  its  proceedings  before  the 
world.  That  paper  also  had  representatives  at  the  CEcumenical 
Council  at  Rome  and  the  Protestant  Convention  at  Worms.  Noth- 
ing can  show  the  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  enterprising  Press 
of  the  present  day  more  conclusively  than  these  facts.  The  intimate 
relations  of  the  Pulpit  and  Press  were  recently  far  more  correctly 
appreciated  by  a  tavern-keeper  at  a  railroad  junction  than  by  the 

Z  z 


722  Journalism  in  America. 

late  distinguished  prelate  of  Calvary  Church.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Price, 
of  England,  in  a  sermon  lately  delivered  in  London,  illustrated  this 
fact  in  relating  his  experience  in  America : 

Stopping  on  one  occasion  at  a  junction,  he  went  to  the  hotel  close  by  and  had 
an  excellent  dinner.  Afterwards,  going  into  the  clerk's  office,  he  entered  his 
name,  "  Thomas  Price,  Baptist  minister,  Aberdare."  "Oh,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  guess 
you're  a  minister."  "  I  guess  so  too,"  said  I.  "  Well,"  he  said,  "  you  have  only 
half  to  pay.  The  dinner  is  eighty  cents  ;  if  you  pay  forty  you  get  free  of  the  oth- 
er forty."  "  On  what  principle  is  that  ?"  said  I ;  and  he  said,  "  We  give  fifty  per 
cent,  off  to  ministers  and  editors."  "  Indeed,"  I  said,  "  I  happen  to  be  an  editor 
too."  "  Editor  of  what  ?"  "  Of  Seren  Cymru."  "  Don't  know  the  paper ;  where 
is  it  published  ?"  "  In  Wales."  "  I  don't  know  it ;  but  you're  an  editor,  are  you  ?" 
"  Yes,  I  am."  "  Well,  I  guess  we  are  about  square,  exactly."  I  said,  "  I  really 
think  that  I  will  come  again  on  those  terms."  "  Come  whenever  you  like,  and  we 
will  treat  you  on  those  terms." 

On  one  occasion  Edward  Everett  delivered  an  elaborate  address 
before  the  New  York  Historical  Society.  It  had  been  previously 
prepared,  and  proof-sheets  of  it  had  been  sent  to  the  offices  of  the 
morning  papers.  One  of  the  reporters  of  the  Herald 'put  these  proof- 
sheets  in  his  note-book,  and  attended  the  lecture  in  the  expectation 
that  Mr.  Everett  would  make  alterations  in  the  warmth  of  the  mo- 
ment, and  that  the  Herald  would  therefore  have  a  report  of  the  ad- 
dress as  it  was  actually  spoken.  It  was  the  habit  of  Mr.  Everett 
never  to  read  his  lectures,  but  to  deliver  them  from  memory.  This 
is  a  New  England  habit.  As  school-boys  would  say,  he  "  learned  his 
lesson  by  heart."  Well,  the  reporter  closely  followed  Mr.  E.,  word 
after  word,  from  beginning  to  end  of  his  splendid  production,  and 
how  many  changes  does  the  reader  suppose  the  lecturer  made  in 
the  hour  and  a  half  he  was  engaged  in  "  speaking  his  piece  ?"  One, 
only  one,  and  that  was  merely  using  the  synonym  of  a  single  word 
that  was  in  the  original ! 

The  United  States  are  a  great  field  for  reporters.  We  have  seen 
it  stated  that  there  are  four  hundred  phonographers  in  the  country. 
Thirty  years  ago  there  were  none,  and  not  more  than  half  a  dozen 
stenographers.  Where  there  are  so  many  legislative  bodies — twen- 
ty or  thirty  in  session  every  winter ;  where  there  are  so  many  pub- 
lic meetings  and  public  speeches ;  so  many  lectures,  and  so  many 
important  cases  in  courts,  there  is  room  for  accomplished  reporters 
in  every  state  and  in  every  city.  Our  newspapers,  too,  devote  so 
much  space  now  to  these  public  matters,  that  skillful  stenographers 
and  phonographers  can  always  command  remunerative  situations. 
Many  of  our  courts  have  lately  appointed  official  stenographers. 
So  accurate  are  these  gentlemen,  that  their  reports  are  given  in  evi- 
dence in  vitally  important  cases,  and  accepted  by  judge  and  jury. 
Some  of  the  scenes  in  Copgress,  in  courts,  and  in  state  Legislatures 
are  so  graphically  and  accurately  reported  that  the  reader  can  al- 
most imagine  that  he  has  the  dramatis  persona  before  him. 


Copyright  in  News.  723 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  COPYRIGHT  IN  NEWS. 

WHAT  PROTECTION  HAS  A  NEWSPAPER  WITH  ITS  NEWS  ? — COLONEL  THOMAS 
H.  BENTON'S  LECTURE. — WEEKLY  PAPERS  ENTERED  AT  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE 
LIBRARIAN. — THE  PROPOSED  INTERNATIONAL  COPYRIGHT  TREATY  OF  1853. 
— IMPORTANT  LAWSUITS. — THE  REAL  COPYRIGHT  IN  NEWS. — WHAT  is  IT  ? 
— THE  NEW  COPYRIGHT  TREATY. 

SEVERAL  papers,  mostly  weekly  publications,  although  we  have 
seen  one  daily  newspaper,  regularly  appear  with  this  announcement 
under  the  head-line  : 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  in  the  office  of  the  Li- 
brarian at  Washington. 

This  secures  the  contents  of  the  paper,  thus  filed,  from  piracy, 
and  the  intention  is  to  confine  these  contents  within  the  circle  of 
its  own  circulation.  According  to  Prudhomme,  "  property  is  theft," 
and  this  copyright  law  is  clearly  in  opposition  to  the  brilliant  idea 
of  this  distinguished  French  philosopher.  Colonel  Thomas  Hart 
Benton,  the  senator  from  Missouri,  so  far  as  his  public  lectures  were 
concerned,  was  a  disbeliever  in  Prudhomme,  much  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  reporters  and  publishers.  He  would  not  allow  his  lectures 
to  be  reported  for  the  newspapers.  He  prepared  one  with  great 
care,  and,  in  order  to  prevent  the  reporters  from  appropriating  the 
flashes  of  his  thunder,  he  had  the  lecture  copyrighted  before  utter- 
ing a  single  word.  We  recollect  the  supreme  disgust  of  the  re- 
porters at  the  time.  The  Nautical  Gazette,  the  New  York  Ledger, 
Harper's  Weekly,  and  other  publications,  in  having  each  number 
copyrighted,  only  wish  to  preserve  their  wares  from  those  who  are 
indifferent  to  the  rights  of  others.  Authors  have  the  same  property 
in  their  ideas,  whether  expressed  in  novels,  romances,  histories, 
plays,  poems,  or  lectures,  as  in  reaping  machines,  telegraph  instru- 
ments, plows,  fire-arms,  and  printing-presses.  Irving,  Bancroft,  and 
Emerson's  rights  are  as  patent  as  those  of  Morse,  M'Cormick,  or 
Hoe.  Newspapers,  it  would  seem,  hardly  needed  to  be  copyrighted. 
With  a  daily  circulation  of  one  hundred  thousand,  it  is  fair  to  sup- 
pose that  that  would  practically  be  a  copyright.  Not  so,  however,  in 
all  cases.  If  the  Herald,  or  Tribune,  or  Times  should  spend  $10,000 
for  a  cable  dispatch  of  an  important  event  in  Europe,  it  could  be 
circulated  in  half  an  hour  after  its  issue  from  another  printing-office 


724  Journalism  in  America. 

which  would  pay  but  five  cents  for  the  copy  of  the  Herald or  Times. 
There  would  be  difficulties  in  the  way  of  doing  this,  yet  the  sublime 
feat  could  be  performed  by  an  extensive  printing  establishment. 
During  the  Mexican  War,  while  the  Herald,  and  Sun,  and  Journal 
of  Commerce  were  running  expresses  with  intelligence  of  the  battles, 
another  paper  in  New  York  regularly  stole  the  news,  and  unblush- 
ingly  called  the  act  "  ingenuity."  Then,  however,  the  circulation  of 
these  papers  was  small  compared  with  the  number  of  copies  now 
issued,  and  the  power  of  the  presses  was  limited.  To-day,  for  in- 
stance, the  Herald  could  print  one  hundred  thousand  copies  in  one 
hour !  This  constitutes  a  very  effective  copyright,  so  far  as  that  es- 
tablishment is  concerned. 

In  1851,  in  the  effort  made  in  England  to  remove  the  stamp  from 
the  Newspaper  Press,  it  was  urged  to  grant  a  copyright  in  news  for 
twelve  hours  to  the  journalist  having  the  enterprise,  at  great  cost,  to 
get  important  dispatches  from  India,  America,  and  the  Continent  of 
Europe.  It  was  stated  by  F.  Knight  Hunt,  of  the  Fourth  Estate 
and  of  the  London  Daily  News,  that  instances  had  been  known 
when  the  Times,  for  instance,  would  receive  an  important  dispatch 
from  Paris,  and,  while  printing  it  for  the  railway  trains/a  penny  pa- 
per would  obtain  a  copy,  and  circulate  70,000  to  100,000,  and  thus 
completely  forestall  the  Times  with  its  own  news,  and  at  one  fourth 
the  price.  There  was  some  protection  in  the  stamp,  but  that  has 
now  ceased  to  trouble  the  English  journalists,  after  an  existence  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  years.  It  finally  disappeared  on  the 
3oth  of  September,  1870.  The  Times  gives  this  historical  sketch  of 
this  tax : 

In  the  year  1712  Queen  Anne  sent  a  message  to  the  House  of  Commons  com- 
plaining of  the  publication  of  "seditious  papers,  and  factious  rumors,  by  which 
means  designing  men  had  been  able  to  sink  credit,  and  the  innocent  had  suffered." 
On  February  12  in  that  year,  a  committee  of  the  whole  house  was  appointed  to 
consider  the  best  means  for  stopping  the  then  existing  abuse  of  the  liberty  of  the 
Press.  The  evil  referred  to  had  existence  in  the  political  pamphlets  of  the  period. 
A  tax  upon  the  Press  was  suggested  as  the  best  means  of  remedying  the  evil,  and, 
for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  a  storm  of  opposition,  the  impost  was  tacked  on  to  a 
bill  for  taxing  soaps,  parchment,  linens,  silks,  calicoes,  etc.  The  result  of  the  tax 
was  the  discontinuance  of  many  of  the  favorite  papers  of  the  period,  and  the  amal- 
gamation of  others  into  one  publication.  The  act  passed  in  June,  1712,  came  into 
operation  in  the  month  of  August  following,  and  continued  for  thirty-two  years. 
The  stamp  was  red,  and  the  design  consisted  of  the  rose,  shamrock,  and  thistle, 
surmounted  with  a  crown.  In  the  Spectator  of  June  10, 1712,  Addison  makes  refer- 
ence to  this  subject,  and  predicts  great  mortality  among  "our  weekly  historians." 
He  also  mentions  that  a  facetious  friend  had  described  the  said  mortality  as  "the 
fall  of  the  leaf."  The  witty  Dean  Swift,  in  his  "Journal  to  Stella,"  under  date  of 
August  7,  speaks  of  Grub  Street  as  being  dead  and  gone..  According  to  his  re- 
port, the  new  stamps  had  made  sad  havoc  with  the  Observator,  the  Flying  Post, 
the  Examiner,  and  the  Medley.  Twelve  years  afterwards — namely,  in  1724 — the 
House  of  Commons  had  under  consideration  the  practices  of  certain  printers  who 
had  evaded  the  operation  of  the  Stamp  Act  by  printing  the  news  upon  paper  be- 
tween the  two  sizes  mentioned  by  the  law,  and  entering  them  as  pamphlets,  on 


The  Stamp  Acts.  725 


which  the  duty  to  be  paid  was  3-r.  for  each  edition.  Its  deliberations  culminated 
in  a  resolution  to  charge  id.  for  every  sheet  of  paper  "  on  which  any  Journal, 
Mercury,  or  any  other  newspaper  whatever,  shall  be  printed,  and  for  every  half 
sheet  thereof  the  sum  of  one  halfpenny  sterling.  In  1761  the  stamp  duty  upon 
newspapers  was  made  id.,  or  £4.  is.  Saf.  for  1000  sheets.  The  next  change  in  the 
stamp  duty  was  effected  on  May  28,  1776,  when  Lord  North  advanced  the  price 
from  id.  to  \\d.  Another  alteration  was  made  on  August  12, 1789.  On  this  oc- 
casion the  stamp  was  increased  from  \\d.  to  zd.  In  1794  the  stamp  went  up  to 
2\d.,  and  in  May,  1797,  to  ^d.  The  highest  rate  of  the  stamp  was  obtained  in 
1815,  when  the  amount  was  qd. 

After  this  date  a  period  of  decline  ensued.  In  the  reign  of  William  IV.  an  act 
was  passed  for  the  reduction  of  stamp  duty  upon  newspapers  from  four  pence  to 
one  pence,  and  one  halfpence  upon  any  supplement.  This  act  came  Into  opera- 
tion on  September  15, 1836,  from  which  date  the  rise  of  the  cheap  newspaper  era 
may  be  dated.  The  next  improvement  occurred  in  1855,  when  the  compulsory 
use  of  the  stamp  was  abolished,  save  and  except  as  a  means  of  passing  the  paper 
through  the  post.  During  the  last  session  we  had  the  latest  touch  6f  Stamp-act 
legislation,  when  it  was  decided  to  determine  the  operation  of  the  old  act,  and  fo 
inaugurate  a  new  order  of  things  more  in  "  accordance  with  the  liberal  spirit  of  the 
age."  It  is  perhaps  necessary  to  add,  now  that  the  impressed  stamp  is  abolished, 
that  the  postage  rate  on  all  bona  fide  newspapers  is  reduced  to  one  halfpenny. 
Packets  of  newspapers  come  under  the  book-post  regulations.  Newspapers  sent 
abroad  must  have  a  postage  stamp  affixed  to  them.  Should  they  be  required  to 
pass  through  a  foreign  country,  the  additional  postage  must  be  paid.  Stamped 
newspapers  must  be  folded  so  that  the  whole  stamp  may  be  exposed  to  view ; 
they  must  be  posted  within  fifteen  days  of  the  date  of  publication,  either  without 
cover  or  in  a  cover  with  the  ends  open,  and  must  contain  no  inclosure,  mark,  or 
writing. 

Such  laws  as  the  above  caused  us  to  rebel  in  1776.  After  the 
Revolution, -when  Massachusetts  imposed  a  stamp  duty  on  news- 
papers and  advertisements,  several  of  the  newspapers  suspended 
publication  till  the  tax  was  removed.  Thus  far  our  journals  have 
been  free  and  without  any  protection.  None  is  needed.  It  is  dif- 
ferent with  authors  of  books  and  pamphlets.  When  Daniel  Webster 
was  Secretary  of  State,  he  and  Sir  John  Crampton,  the  British  min- 
ister, made  a  draft  of  a  copyright  treaty.  It  was  amended  and  com- 
pleted by  Edward  Everett,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Webster,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1852.  The  New  York  Herald  advocated  the  confirmation  of 
this  treaty  by  the  Senate.  The  draft  of  Messrs.  Everett  and  Cramp- 
ton  was  liberal  in  the  main,  and  would  probably  have  met  the  needs 
of  literary  men  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  The  points  of  this 
proposed  treaty  were  submitted  to  the  editor  of  the  Herald  at  the 
time.  An  article  was  suggested  to  compel  publishers  to  state  wheth- 
er or  not  they  abridged  the  works  republished.  Although  not  fully 
up  to  the  complete  requirements  of  all  authors,  it  was  considered 
an  excellent  international  arrangement,  and  efforts  were  made  to 
push  it  to  a  ratification  in  the  Senate.  It  was  opposed  by  many  of 
the  booksellers,  and  it  was  a  new  idea  for  that  body  to  discuss.  It 
was  a  measure,  too,  out  of  which  little  or  no  political  capital  could 
be  made.  Yet  it  came  near  becoming  a  law. 

Our  own  copyright  law  is  ijot  altogether  free  from  fault  and  flaw. 
Occasionally  cases  come  before  the  courts  requiring  legal  interpre- 


726  Journalism  in  America. 

tation.  The  most  notable  case  was  the  recent  one  of  William  Beach 
Lawrence  against  Richard  Dana.  Another  case  was  a  theatrical 
one.  In  December,  1868,  Augustin  Daly,  the  author  of"  Under  the 
Gaslight,"  made  an  application  for  an  injunction  to  restrain  Jarrett 
&  Palmer  from  bringing  out  at  Niblo's  Garden  Theatre  Boucicault's 
play  "After  Dark."  The  ground  of  the  application  was  that  the 
play  of"  Under  the  Gaslight"  was  duly  copyrighted  by  the  plaintiff, 
and  that  in  Mr.  Boucicault's  play,  "After  Dark,"  the  sensation  of  the 
piece,  the  "  railroad  scene,"  was  imitated  so  closely  as  to  make  it  a 
violation  of  the  copyright  law.  Judge  Blatchford  reviewed  the  points 
of  resemblance  between  the  two  plays,  and,  supporting  the  plaintiffs 
view,  granted  the  injunction  requested. 

'  Managers  of  one  theatre  have  sent  reporters  to  another  theatre  to 
take  stenographic  notes  of  a  new  play  in  order  to  obtain  a  copy  to 
produce  the  piece  in  a  night  or  two  after  at  their  establishment. 

Newspapers  have  been  affected  by  our  law  in  other  instances  than 
that  of  the  lecture  of  Colonel  Benton.  There  was  an  important  case 
in  which  the  New  York  Lancet,  published  by  James  Gordon  Bennett, 
was  defendant,  and  the  New  York  University  the  plaintiff  in  the 
suit,  for  reporting  and  publishing  the  clinical  lectures  of  Professors 
Mott,  Pattison,  and  others.  It  was  decided  in  favor  of  the  defend- 
ant. This  decision,  based  on  the  fact  that  a  lecture  became  public 
property  the  moment  it  was  uttered  in  public,  seems  inconsistent 
with  the  right  of  Colonel  Benton  to  his  lecture,  and  with  the  decision 
of  Judge  Blatchford  in  the  case  of  "After  Dark"  and  "  Under  the 
Gaslight." 

There  was  lately  a  decision  in  England  which  is  of  interest  and 
importance  to  editors,  writers,  and  publishers.  There  is  printed  un- 
der the  head  of  many  of  the  leading  papers  in  the  United  States 
this 

Notice. 

We  can  not,  under  any  circumstances,  return  rejected  communications,  nor  can 
we  undertake  to  preserve  manuscripts. 

The  decision  in  England  met  a  case  that  this  notice  would  em- 
brace. An  unsolicited  article  was  sent  to  The  Echo,  an  evening  pa- 
per in  London.  It  was  rejected,  and  the  manuscript  not  returned. 
The  writer  sought  to  recover  its  value.  The  editor  testified  that  he 
had  received,  rejected,  and  destroyed  the  manuscript,  according  to 
the  practice  of  most  newspaper  publishers.  The  judge  decided  that 
articles  so  sent  were  at  the  disposal  of  the  editor,  and  that,  if  he  gave 
notice  similar  to  the  above,  he  had  the  right  to  destroy  those  he  de- 
clined to  accept. 

There  is  another  effort  now  being  rr^ade  to  obtain  an  international 
copyright  law.  This,  of  course,  will  not  affect  newspapers.  Such  a 


Our  real  Copyright.  727 

law  would  have  killed  the  Brother  Jonathan,  and  New  World,  and 
Boston  Notion  in  i84o-'43,  when  they  brought  out  the  last  novel 
from  England  as  news  and  sold  it  in  extras.  Our  booksellers,  be- 
fore and  since  that  period,  have  reaped  all  the  benefit  of  this  bus- 
iness of  republication.  They  would  purchase  a  single  copy  of 
Domby  and  Son,  Foul  Play,  or  Enoch  Arden,  and  flood  the  country, 
at  cheap  rates,  from  their  printing-offices.  Our  people,  too,  have 
enjoyed  this  advantage.  But  there  is  no  protection  to  native  talent 
in  this.  It  is  not  like  a  high  tariff  to  our  cotton  and  woolen  manu- 
factures. It  is  cheaper  to  buy  "Our  Mutual  Friend"  in  London  and 
reprint  it  here  than  to  aid  in  developing  a  Dickens  in  New  York. 

All  this  en  passant.  Our  newspapers  must  continue  to  find  their 
copyright  in  their  superior  enterprise,  their  superior  machinery,  their 
superior  circulation,  and  in  their  superior  means  of  delivering  their 
papers  to  the  public. 


728  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

ADVERTISEMENTS. 

THE  FIRST  ADVERTISEMENT. — ANNUAL  VALUE  OF  A  COLUMN  OF  ADVERTISE- 
MENTS.— THE  PROFESSIONAL  ADVERTISEMENT  WRITER. — VARIOUS  MODES 
OF  ADVERTISEMENTS.  —  PLACARDS  ON  THE  FACE  OF  NATURE. — CURIOUS 
ADVERTISEMENTS.  —  THE  SPREAD  OF  RELIGION  BY  ADVERTISEMENTS. — 
THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  THE  BUSINESS.  —  THE  ADVERTISING  AGENCIES. — 
THEIR  EXPANSION. 

THE  first  advertisement  appeared  in  London  in  1648. 

Is  it  true  that  Walter  left  one  advertising  column  of  the  London 
Times  to  his  daughter  as  her  only  legacy  ? 

We  do  not  know  whether  this  statement  be  founded  on  fact  or 
not,  but  it  is  manifest  that  the  interrogator  had  an  imperfect  idea  of 
the  value  of  such  a  gift.  One  column  of  the  New  York  Herald  is 
worth  one  hundred  dollars  per  day,  or  thirty-six  thousand  dollars 
per  year.  On  the  fifth  page  of  that  journal  the  annual  income 
would  be  $100,000!  This  yearly  income  would  not  be  considered 
small  even  by  an  Astor  or  a  Stewart. 

Apart  from  the  necessity  of  the  receipts  from  advertisements  in  a 
large  newspaper  establishment  as  a  revenue,  this  class  of  reading 
matter  has  become  a  most  interesting  part  of  newspaper  literature. 
Writers  of  business  notices  are  as  sensational  and  make  as  much 
money  as  some  of  the  feuilletonists  of  Paris.  There  was  one  Dunan 
Mousseux  lately  died  in  the  French  capital  who  devoted  himself 
exclusively  to  this  peculiar  kind  of  business.  Talent  of  no  mean 
order  is  displayed  in  the  composition  of  these  attractive  notices. 
Mousseux  has  received  as  much  as  one  hundred  dollars  for  writing  a 
single  advertisement.  According  to  the  Paris  correspondent  of  the 
London  Literary  Gazette,  as  far  back  as  1851,  a  curious  specimen  of 
the  mceurs  litteraires  of  France  was  exposed  before  a  court  of  justice 
in  a  squabble  between  two  tradesmen  : 

Leon  Gozlan,  well  known  to  the  public  as  a  dramatist,  received  a  commission 
for  the  feuilleton  of  one  of  the  daily  newspapers.  He  immediately  drew  up  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  plot  he  intended  to  employ,  with  descriptions  of  the  princi- 
pal scenes  and  incidents.  He  then  charged  an  advertising  agent  to  carry  this 
document  round  to  the  principal  tradesmen,  and  in  his  name  to  propose  to  them 
(of  course  for  a  consideration)  to  introduce  their  names  and  addresses,  with  puffs 
on  their  wares  in  particular  places.  His  prospectus  ran  somewhat  in  this  way : 
Chapter  I.  Marriage  of  the  hero  and  heroine.  (Here  the  author  can  introduce  the 
name  and  address  of  the  former's  tailor  and  of  the  latter's  milliner,  with  a  glowing 


The  Art  of  Advertising.  729 

description  of  the  excellence  of  the  garments.)  Chapter  20.  The  husband,  having 
obtained  proof  of  his  wife's  guilt,  rushes  upon  her  with  pistols  and  poison,  that 
she  will  choose  which  death  she  will  die.  (Names  of  gunsmith  and  druggist  to 
come  in  here.)  Chapter  21.  She  dies,  and  is  to  be  buried.  (Name  of  undertaker.) 

22.  Turns  •  out  to  be  only  in  a  trance,  and  is  brought  to  life  by  Dr. , 

Street.  In  short,  there  was  not  a  single  chapter  nor  a  single  incident  which  our 
ingenious  author  did  not  propose  to  make  the  vehicle  of  a  puff.  Opinions  may, 
perhaps,  differ  as  to  the  literary  value  of  this  line  of  novel  writing,  but  at  least 
all  will  agree  in  admitting  that  it  is  a  bold  and  daring  advance  in  the  noble  art 
of  advertising. 

How  many  are  deceived  by  the  first  few  lines  of  a  business  no- 
tice in  a  New  York  paper !  It  opens  with  the  announcement  of 
some  important  event,  and  ends  in  offering  the  reader  the  cheapest 
hat  or  the  most  perfect  sewing  machine.  No  one  gets  angry  over 
these  modern  cheats.  Some  of  the  advertisement  agents  of  the 
metropolis  are  rich,  and  presidents  of  banks.  Quite  a  number  of 
women  are  engaged  in  the  business.  The  late  Mr.  Raymond,  of 
the  Times,  relates  the  fact  that,  in  his  early  career  in  New  York,  he 
secured  what  he  "  deemed  a  first-class  engagement,  to  write  daily  a 
fancy  advertisement  of  some  vegetable  pills  which  had  just  been  in- 
vented, and  which  were  to  be  commended  to  public  favor  every  morn- 
ing in  the  daily  journals  by  being  ingeniously  connected  with  some 
leading  event  of  the  day,  for  which  service,  which  cost  me,  perhaps, 
ten  minutes  of  daily  labor,  I  received  the  sum  of  fifty  cents."  It 
was  stated  in  1868  that  an  advertisement  agent,  the  first  in  Germany, 
made  a  fortune  in  Berlin  in  two  years. 

Among  the  curious  modes  of  advertising  was  one  in  London  of 
a  dog  walking  along  the  Strand  with  a  bill  suspended  from  his  neck 
inviting  the  public  to  deal  with  his  master,  and  another  bill  attached 
to  his  tail  giving  the  address  of  his  master.  Another  fact  is  men- 
tioned of  the  proprietors  of  a  diorama  in  London  who  advertised 
their  exhibition  by  inflating  small  balloons  and  attaching  to  them  a 
great  number  of  tickets  of  admission,  which  tickets,  after  the  bal- 
loons had  risen  a  certain  height  in  the  air,  were  scattered  in  all  di- 
rections, the  finders  of  the  tickets  being  entitled  to  admission  to  the 
exhibition  at  half  price  on  writing  on  the  tickets  the  places  where 
they  had  been  respectively  picked  up.  The  Northwestern  Railway 
Company  of  England  authorized  all  their  station-masters  at  180 
stations  to  receive  advertisements  to  insert  in  certain  spaces  allotted 
at  the  different  stations  for  their  exhibition,  and  they  even  appoint- 
ed an  agent  in  the  Strand  to  receive  advertisements,  and,  as  an  in- 
ducement, the  railway  company  stated  that  6,000,000  passengers 
traveled  on  the  road  in  one  year — an  advertising  circulation  which, 
the  company  asserted,  no  newspaper  could  boast  of. 

Our  people  learn  the  ways  of  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  introduce 
foreign  fashions  in  business  as  in  dress.  Our  railway  stations,  how- 


730  Journalism  in  America. 

ever,  confine  their  advertisements  mostly  to  railroad  business,  and 
hence  we  rarely  see  any  other  notices  in  depbts  than  of  railroads, 
steam-boats,  and  hotels.  In  our  street  or  horse  cars  the  panel  ad- 
vertising system  is  in  vogue.  Wagons  were  introduced  in  New  York 
some  time  ago — somewhere  about  1830 — by  Gosling,  to  bring  his 
blacking  before  the  people.  His  turn-out  was  gorgeous.  Barnum 
sent  Tom  Thumb's  carriage  and  four  Shetland  ponies  daily  through 
the  streets  as  an  advertisement.  Advertising  vans  are  quite  com- 
mon. Individuals  grotesquely  dressed  are  also  employed  to  peram- 
bulate the  streets  vVith  banners.  Illuminations  are  resorted  to  for 
the  same  purpose. 

Some  one,  in  1869,  purchased  the  right,  at  a  high  price,  to  adver- 
tise on  the  fence  around  the  new  post-office  site  in  New  York  City. 
Curb-stones  are  variegated  with  cards.  Cities  are  placarded  with 
business  notices.  Theatres  for  a  long  time  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of 
street-posters,  but  all  trades  have  adopted  the  placard  form,  and  dis- 
figure fences  and  old  buildings  with  their  effusions.  It  is  worth  one's 
while  to  read  the  notices  thus  brought  before  the  people.  Some 
very  funny  cross  readings  appeared  on  a  City  Hall  fence.  Religion, 
the  drama,  election  notices,  the  opera,  buchu,  official  proclamations, 
balm  of  a  thousand  flowers,  and  steam-ship  lines  are  mixed,  and 
overlap  each  other  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  Through- 
out the  country,  this  mania,  originating  in  England  to  avoid  the  tax 
on  advertisements  in  newspapers,  has  run  into  a  positive  nuisance — 
so  much  so,  indeed,  as  to  call  for  special  legislation  to  prevent  the 
defacing  of  nature.  On  every  rock,  on  every  cliff,  on  every  exposed 
place — sometimes  positively  dangerous  of  access — the  traveler  in 
the  United  States  will  see  these  business  announcements  painted  in 
the  most  artistic  manner,  in  letters  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  in 
length.  Along  every  railroad,  on  every  bridge,,  on  every  unoccupied 
building,  on  all  temporary  fences  of  any  size,  appears  a  notice  in 
printing-ink  or  in  oil  colors,  and  in  all  styles  of  fancy  lettering,  of 
some  "ready  relief,"  "instantaneous  pain-killer,"  "hair  restorer," 
"  neuralgia  cure,"  or  "  buy  your  clothing  at  the  blue  store,"  which 
stare  you  in  the  face  in  every  direction.  Splendid  wagons,  with  two 
horses  finely  caparisoned,  are  sometimes  seen  standing  in  country 
roads,  while  the  artist,  thus  stylishly  riding  around  on  this  business, 
is  engaged  in  disfiguring  or  ornamenting  a  public  bridge.  Yet,  with 
all  this  peculiar  mode  of  making  business  known,  our  American 
newspapers  are  filled  with  advertisements,  and  at  what  would  have 
been  considered,  twenty  years  ago,  fabulous  prices ;  and  in  the  Amer- 
ican newspaper  we  see  the  style  and  substance  of  the  advertising 
systems  of  all  other  nations,  even  to  the  enormous  placard  system 
of  France,  where  the  Journal  dcs  Deb&ts  frequently  presents  its  read- 


Curious  Business  Notices.  731 

ers  with  advertisements  in  letters  one  to  two  inches  long,  looking 
like  a  large  show-bill.  The  peculiar  personal  advertisements,  which 
are  often  so  mysterious  and  curious,  are,  in  part,  an  importation  from 
Germany  by  the  way  of  England.  In  Germany  the  newspaper  an- 
nounces the  birth  of  a  child,  or  of  twins,  or  an  engagement  to  be 
married,  or  any  domestic  event,  in  the  most  affectionate  and  public 
manner.  One  Teuton  advertises  "  the  happy  delivery  of  my  wife 
Agnes,  born  Weishoff,  of  a  healthy  girl ;  I  respectfully  announce  to 
relatives  and  friends."  Another  was  made  hacpy  by  the  birth  of 
"  twin  daughters."  Two  announce  themselves  u  as  married,"  and 
"we  recommend  ourselves  to  our  relatives  and  friends."  Then  par- 
ents announce  "  the  marriage  of  their  only  daughter."  Such  adver- 
tisements are  quite  common  in  the  Berlin  papers,  and  are  now  creep- 
ing into  those  published  in  New  York. 

With  an  eye  to  business,  the  following  advertisements  once  ap- 
peared : 

Here  lies 

ADOLPHE  B , 

who  died  at  the  age  of  —  years, 

in  the  possession  of  all  his  teeth, 

thanks  to  the  dentifrice  wash 

of  the  house  of  X.  &  Co., 

No. Street. 

Ten  francs  a  bottle. 

On  a  tombstone  erected  forty  years  ago  at  Montmartre  one  could 
read  this  inscription : 

To  the  memory  of  M.  Jabart,  a  most  excellent  husband  and  father.  His  incon- 
solable widow  continues  to  carry  on  the  grocery  business  in  the  Rue  St.  Denis. 

This  was  issued  by  a  Paris  hosier  for  the  soul  and  sole  of  his 
customers : 

I  supplicate  you,  sir,  to  look  with  indulgence  upon  these  few  observations  ;  my 
desire  for  your  eternal  welfare  has  induced  me  to  address  you.  I  beg  to  direct 
your  attention  to  the  sacred  Scriptures,  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  extremely 
moderate  price  at  which  I  sell  cotton  goods,  etc. 

One  of  the  Kentucky  papers  thirty-five  years  ago  had  : 

Ebenezer  Jackson  takes  leave  to  say  that  there  is  no  sensible  character  located 
in  all  the  states,  whether  he  hangs  up  his  brim  in  a  fine  new-painted  house  or  in 
an  independent  log  hut  with  the  bark  on,  who  will  not  rejoice  like  thunder  when 
he  hears  of  the  just-arrived  and  piled  up  in  my  store  percussion  locks  and  caps, 
and  slap  his  thigh  that  the  horses  will  startle  at  it  a  mile  off! 

Another  class  of  special  advertisements  come  under  the  head  of 
medical  notices.  Some  of  these  are  quite  objectionable.  They 
have  been  a  good  deal  reformed  and  cut  down  to  comparative  de- 
cency, but  still  some  of  our  newspaper  columns  continue  to  be  dis- 
figured with  them  in  their  worst  style  of  expression.  This  class  of 
notices  came  to  us  from  England.  Efforts  have  been  made  in  that 
country  to  exclude  advertisements  of  this  character,  and  these  efforts 


73 2  Journalism  in  America. 

have  met  with  considerable  success,  especially  with  the  Provincial 
Press.  One  paper,  the  Bray  Gazette,  in  1865,  published  with  its 
terms  of  advertising,  "  No  quack  advertisements  inserted."  The 
York  Herald  of  the  same  year  had  the  following  notice:  "All  objec- 
tionable medical  advertisements  will  be  rigorously  excluded  from 
this  paper  so  soon  as  existing  contracts  have  expired."  The  Lon- 
don Lancet,  the  leading  medical  periodical  of  the  world,  started  this 
movement.  It  has  been  stated,  in  connection  with  this  fact,  that 
the  Evangelical  Advertising  Association  of  the  United  States  pro- 
posed, in  1868,  to  "intersperse  moral  and  religious  truths"  among 
the  miscellaneous  advertisements  of  all  the  leading  periodicals. 
This  idea  is  apparently  a  novel  and  original  one.  The  Boston 
News-Letter  of  May  28,  1711,  when  that  was  the  only  paper  in  the 
country,  contained  three  advertisements.  One  was  as  follows  : 

A  Guide  for  the  Doubting  and  Cordial  for  the  fainting  Saint,  or  Directions  and 
Consolations  for  Afflicted  Consciences ;  being  an  Answer  to  above  thirty  Partic- 
ular Doubts  or  Objections,  which  many  Christians  are  sometimes  grievously  dis- 
gusted with.  By  the  Rev  Mr  Benjamin  Wadsworth,  Minister  of  the  Gospel  in 
Boston  :  And  sold  by  Eleazer  Philips  at  his  shop  under  the  Exchange  in  Kings 
Street,  Boston. 

The  columns  of  our  modern  papers  daily  show  more  ingenuity  in 
preparing  advertisements  for  publication.  We  take  a  few  at  random  : 

WE  ARE  A  LITTLE  FAMILY  OF  THREE  PERSONS,  LIVING 
just  out  of  Fifth  Avenue.  We  own  the  house  we  dwell  in,  and  have  twice 
as  much  room  as  we  want.  If  we  knew  of  some  nice  people,  who  could  appre- 
ciate a  cheerful,  home-like  home,  as  much  unlike  a  boarding-house  as  possible, 
we  would  invite  those  people  to  call  at  our  house  and  see  what  arrangement  we 
could  make.  Address  BARKIS,  Herald  office. 

GILFILLAN— "IF  EVER  I  CEASE  TO  LOVE."— I  SUPPOSE  YOU 
are  still  living,  as  I  have  not  seen  any  obituary  notice ;  have  neither  seen, 
heard  of  or  from  you  since  I  saw  you  two  weeks  ago ;  it  is  very  unkind  not  to  com- 
municate when  it  can  so  easily  be  done.     Do  so  for  old  friendship  sake.        C. 

nr»HE    UNRIVALLED    EUROPEAN    MEDICAL    AND    BUSINESS 

JL     Clairvoyant  tells  past,  present,  and  future  ;  shows  likeness  and  gives  name 

of  future  husband.    No.  — West  Forty-first  Street,  Broadway  and  Seventh  Avenue. 

Two  Kickers  and  a  Lugger  to  be  Educated  to-night  at  Prof. 's 

Academy,  corner  Broadway  and  Thirty-fifth  Street. 

ARE   YOU    HAPPY   IN   MAKING   ME    MISERABLE  ?— WHY   DO 
you  continue  to  avoid  me  ?     Have  you  forgotten  your  solemn  promise 
made  me  ?  T.  H.  E. 

*T»WEED  THE  DEVIL  ! 
JL     Ten  cents  ;  in  downfall  of  Tammany  Hall ;  no  fall  at  all. 

A  BSOLUTE  DIVORCES  LEGALLY  OBTAINED  FROM  DIFFER- 
/•\  ent  states ;  desertion,  etc.,  sufficient  cause ;  no  publicity ;  no  charge  until 
divorce  granted  ;  advice  free.  ,  Attorney,  180  Broadway. 

Adam  Smith  would  be  shocked  to  read  that  an  article  worth  $12 
should  sell  for  $8  : 


Eccentricities  of  Advertisers.  733 

GREAT  REDUCTION    IN   PRICES. 

PANTALOONS  WORTH  $8  FOR  $6. 
PANTALOONS  WORTH  $12  FOR  $8. 
PANTALOONS  WORTH  $16  FOR  $12. 

AN  INDISPUTABLE  FACT. — The  political  revolution  has  had  a  marked  effect 
upon  the  trade  of  the  city.  This  is  shown  by  the  advance  in  stocks  and  the  in- 
creased demand  for  K 's  unapproachable  hats,  and  his  widely-known  establish- 
ment, No: —  Broadway,  is  a  scene  of  decided  and  gratifying  activity.  To  com- 
plete your  outfit  to  the  proper  point  of  elegance,  you  must  secure  a  handsome  hat 
at  K 's. 

The  Hall  case  has  taken  on  a  new  phase,  owing  to  the  unfortunate  death  of 
one  of  the  jurors ;  but  the  excitement  attendant  on  this  event  is  nothing  to  the 

excitement  exhibited  by  the  visitors  to  the  store  No. ,  where  the  American 

agents  of  the  Great Watch  Company  are  selling  off  the  stock  of  that  com- 
pany at  the  lowest  prices.  Gold  watches  are  there  sold  for  $15,  and  those  in 
silver  cases  as  low  as  $6. 

EAR   CHARLES  — SHOULD    SUCH  A  TRIFLE  AS  A  HANDY 
hat-brush  sever  love  ?     Come  to  your  ruffled  LU-LU. 


D 


H 


WILL  PAY  $500  FOR  ARTICLES  ON  CORRUPTION,  ETC., 

in  C.  H.     Can  not  find  you.     Call  soon.  TRIBUNE. 


Has  the  late  attacks  on  the  custom-house  in  the  New  York  Trib- 
une any  connection  with  the  last-quoted  advertisement  ? 

One  of  the  clerks  in  the  counting-room  of  the  New  York  Herald 
gives  the  following  as  the  various  ways  of  spelling  the  word  "  situa- 
tion" that  have  come  under  his  notice  in  the  receipt  of  advertise- 
ments for  that  journal : 

situation,  scitiation,  sitienching,  sitiation, 

sickwatchian,  suation,  citation,  sitiatione, 

sittution,  sitooashon,  cituation,  sicthshion, 

situatione,  situaetion,  sitution,  sttion, 

sictuation,  situertoin,  sitation,  sitwaytion, 

sittwoation,  sitatone,  sitooshun,  sitatuon, 

situatian,  situason,  setuation,  suition, 

setusation,  sutation,  situtain,  situution, 

situesion,  sitution,  situasion,  situashin, 

sutuation,  situaton,  sittuation,  situeation, 

situashon,  situwation,  situashan,  situtain, 

situashion,  sitouin,  sitwashon,  sitwation, 

sitwishon,  sitieshon,  sitwashan,  stituation, 
scituation. 

Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  advertising  of  one  paper  in 
New  York,  the  Herald,  may  be  gathered  from  the  following  article, 
which  appeared  in  that  journal  on  the  28th  of  September,  1869  : 

A  day  or  two  since  our  post-office  messengers  applied  for  an  increase  of  com- 
pensation, alleging,  as  a  reason  therefor,  their  increased  labors  on  account  of  the 
heavily  enlarged  business  of  the  Herald  with  the  letter  department  of  the  post- 
office.  On  examination,  we  found  that  the  application  of  our  messengers  was  well 
founded,  for  in  a  single  mail  received  at  noon  yesterday,  and  counted  in  our  pres- 
ence, there  were  no  less  than  six  hundred  and  twenty-nine  letters  in  answer  to  ad- 
vertisements alone,  which,  of  course,  was  exclusive  of  our  usual  batch  of  corre- 
spondence from  all  parts  of  the  world.  These  letters  were  in  reply  to  advertise- 
ments for  a  single  day,  and  by  a  single  mail,  embracing  many  of  the  prominent 


734  Journalism  in  America. 

trades  and  professions,  such  as  business  opportunities,  financial  matters,  instruc- 
tion, the  turf,  horses  and  carriages,  boarding  and  lodging,  real  estate,  dwelling- 
houses,  rooms,  etc.,  to  let,  sales  at  auction,  amusements,  and  so  on,  and,  of  course, 
had  no  reference  to  responses  made  personally  by  parties  advertising — all  going 
to  show  the  value  of  advertising  in  our  columns.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that 
these  letters,  in  reply  to  advertisements  in  the  Herald,  exceed  in  number  that  of 
an  entire  great  Southern  mail  received  at  the  post-office  in  this  city  less  than  fifty 
years  ago.  Who  says  this  is  not  an  age  of  progress  ? 

The  New  York  Telegram,  in  October,  1871,  said : 

COSTLY  ADVERTISING. 

The  country  papers  are  making  a  great  ado  over  the  enormous  price  which  is 
charged  by  a  Chicago  paper  for  a  column  advertisement  for  one  year,  the  sum 
being  $22,000.  It  may  be,  and  we  have  no  doubt  is  a  large  amount  for  such  serv- 
ice in  Chicago,  but  it  sinks  into  insignificance  compared  with  the  charges  of  some 
of  the  New  York  papers.  The  Herald,  for  instance,  would  charge  for  a  column 
advertisement  on  its  fifth  page  for  one  year  $109,500. 

Several  years  ago  the  Herald  refused  to  insert  the  advertisements 
of  the  Maretzek  Opera  and  Barnum's  Museum  in  New  York.  There 
was  then  an  association  of  theatrical  managers  in  existence  in  that 
city  for  mutual  protection.  These  two  unfortunate  managers  called 
a  meeting  of  their  associates  to  devise  means  to  compel  the  editor 
to  publish  the  excluded  advertisements.  They  decided  that  the  an- 
nouncements of  all  the  theatres  must  appear  in  the  Herald,  or  none. 
None  appeared.  No  dictation  was  the  rule  in  that  office.  It  was 
estimated  that  the  annual  loss  to  the  editor  would  be  $100,000,  and 
that  his  readers  would  have  to  seek  other  papers  for  information  in 
regard  to  these  popular  places  of  amusement.  But  the  managers, 
in  withdrawing  their  advertisements,  had  conspicuously  inserted 
over  their  notices  in  all  the  other  publications,  and  on  their  bills 
and  posters,  the  fact  that  "  This  establishment  does  not  advertise  in 
the  New  York  Herald"  This  constant  announcement  attracted  uni- 
versal attention  to  that  paper,  and  the  independence  of  its  editor  in 
face  of  this  costly  crusade  against  him.  It  was  worth  more  to  him 
than  twice  the  receipts  from  the  theatrical  managers.  But  in  less 
than  one  year  they  were  tired  of  their  course,  and  returned  to  the 
Herald. 

Various  estimates  have  been  made  of  the  number  of  advertise- 
ments inserted  in  the  newspapers  and  periodicals  in  the  United 
States  and  England.  In  1847  the  number  in  the  United  States  was 
estimated  to  have  reached  11,000,000.  In  Great  Britain,  in  1848, 
the  number  was  2,109,179.  These  figures  have  probably  doubled 
in  England  and  quadrupled  in  the  United  States. 

Advertisers  are  a  calculating  class.  They  spend  their  money, 
and  they  take  their  choice  of  newspapers.  At  one  period  in  the 
life  of  the  New  York  Sun  it  monopolized  the  advertisements  of  "  sit- 
uations wanted"  and  "help  wanted."  Several  years  later  these 
brief  domestic  notices,  each  one  chronicling  a  revolution  in  a  house- 


The  "-Science'  of  Advertising.  735 

hold,  appeared  almost  wholly  in  the  New  York  Herald.  That  paper, 
on  Tuesday  mornings,  would  contain  an  entire  page  of  such  adver- 
tisements. What  was  the  cause  of  this  change  ?  The  circulation  of 
the  Sun  was  even  then  larger  than  that  of  the  Herald.  It  was  read- 
ily explained  by  a  pretty  and  bright  servant-girl :  "  Why,  don't  you 
see  that  where  we  want  to  live  the  Herald  is  taken  in  ?  The  Sun  is 
a  cent  paper,  and  taken  by  poor  people  only,  who  do  their  own  work. 
Our  advertisements  there  would  be  of  no  use  to  us." 

This  young  woman  developed  the  philosophy  of  advertising  in 
these  three  sentences.  It  is  not  so  much  the  extent  in  numbers  of 
the  circulation  of  a  newspaper  as  it  is  the  character  of  that  circula- 
tion. The  London  Telegraph  circulates  three  times  as  many  copies 
as  the  London  Times,  yet  the  latter  retains  its  enormous  advertising 
patronage. 

This  remunerative  branch  of  journalism  is  now  arranged  on  the 
most  expansive  scale  by  the  different  advertising  agents  scattered 
over  the  country.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  the  perfect  system  of  their 
arrangements.  One  agency  in  New  York  City  has  compiled  an  oc- 
tavo volume  of  three  hundred  pages,  giving  the  names  of  nearly  all 
the  newspapers  published  in  the  country,  with  the  pames  of  editors 
and  publishers,  and  circulation.  They  receive  advertisements  for 
nearly  one  thousand  papers  in  the  United  States.  Another  agent, 
in  Boston,  takes  another  step  forward,  for  he  promises  editorial  no- 
tices with  the  advertisements.  We  insert  this  attractive  part  of  his 
notice : 

OUR  LOCAL  LIST  FOR  BOSTON  ADVERTISERS 

COMPOSED   OK 

22  PAPERS, 

IN   THE    SUBURBAN   TOWNS, 

offers  rates  which  defy  competition. 
Advertisements  Inserted  In  all  the  lists  of  other  Agencies. 

ADVERTISEMENTS  WRITTEN. 

Editorial  Notices  Obtained. 

A  first  copy  of  paper  furnished  to  advertisers. 

Then  the  "Great Western  Improved  Newspaper  Advertising  Com- 
pany" in  St.  Louis  places  its  claims  before  the  business  community. 
They  have  "facilities  for  securing  the  insertion  of  advertisements  on 
a  new  plan,  at  low  rates,  a  portion  of  the  space  in  over  two  hundred 
Western  and  Southern  papers  belonging  to  them  by  contract." 

But  "  our  plan"  of  the  Milwaukee  Wisconsin  surpasses  any  thing 
that  has  yet  been  devised  to  accomplish  the  largest  publicity  of 
business  notices  at  the  lowest  prices.  If  we  insert  this  plan  from 
the  Wisconsin  'in  full,  it  will  be  because  of  its  novelty  here,  and  be- 
cause it  develops  the  mode  of  publishing  papers  at  the  West  and  in 


736  Journalism  in  America. 

other  parts  of  the  country  which  is  not  practiced  in  New  York  City. 
It  is  an  English  plan,  and  is  the  way  many  of  the  provincial  papers 
are  published  there. 

The  Nashville  Union  states  that  five  of  the  journals  published  in 
that  state  get  the  outer  pages  of  their  papers  printed  in  some  city 
outside  of  Tennessee.  These  publishers  get  the  paper  they  use, 
with  one  side  printed,  delivered  at  their  respective  offices  at  about 
what  the  white  paper  would  cost  them. 

The  Wisconsin  programme  is  the  following  : 

THE 


NORTHWESTERN  LIST 

—  OF  — 

NEWSPAPERS. 


OUR  PLAN   OF  ADVERTISING. 

We  call  the  plan  of  printing  country  papers  with  advertising  "  OUR  PLAN," 
because  we  originated  and  first  put  it  in  practice.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  when  printers  had  largely  gone  to  the  front,  we  devised  the  plan  of  printing 
one  side  of  the  country  papers,  and  using  a  certain  space  for  advertising  purposes, 
to  pay  us  for  the  type-setting  and  press-work,  our  maximum  price  to  the  papers 
themselves  being  the  cost  of  the  white  paper.  We  have  increased  our  advertis- 
ing to  such  an  extent  that  the  price  to  country  papers  for  printed  paper  is  consid- 
erably less  than  the  cost  of  white  paper  at  the  mills,  besides  a  saving  of  $500  to 
$1000  a  year  to  each  paper  for  type-setting  and  press-work. 

Now  if  an  advertisement  should  be  sent  direct  to  200  newspapers,  four  squares 
in  length,  the  publishers  would  set  the  type  200  times.  As  an  advertisement  of 
four  squares  is  about  1000  ems  of  type-setting,  it  is  evident  somebody  must  pay 
for  200,000  ems  of  type-setting.  This,  at  fifty  cents  per  1000,  the  usual  rate, 
would  amount  to  $100.  Our  price  for  such  an  advertisement  is  only  $50,  or  one 
half  the  cost  of  type-setting,  counting  nothing  for  the  insertion  in  the  papers  them- 
selves. 

Long  before  any  other  house  in  the  world  we  invented  and  put  in  practice  this 
system  of  co-operative  printing  and  advertising,  and  are  justly  entitled  to  the  dis- 
tinction, if  there  be  any,  of  calling  it  "  OUR  PLAN." 

OUR   CIRCULATION. 

Papers.  Circulation. 

6 — The  Evening  Wisconsin,  Milwaukee 48,000 

2 — The  Semi-weekly  Wisconsin,  Milwaukee .  5,000 

1— The  Weekly  Wisconsin,  Milwaukee 20,000 

50  Weekly  Papers  in  Wisconsin 45,000 

50  Weekly  Papers  in  Illinois 40,000 

25  Weekly  Papers  in  Minnesota 20,000 

20  Weekly  Papers  in  Michigan 16,000 

20  Weekly  Papers  in  Iowa 16,000 

15  Weekly  Papers  in  Indiana 12,000 

10  Weekly  Papers  in  Ohio 8,000 

20  Weekly  Papers  in  other  States 20,000 

Circulation  per  Week 250,000 


Great  Advertising  Agencies.  737 

AN    ADVERTISEMENT 

INSERTED' IN 

ALL   THE    NEWSPAPERS 

PRINTED   AT   THE    OFFICE  OF   THE 

Evening  Wisconsin 

WILL  REACH 

250,000  Subscribers  per  Week, 

The  New  York  Tribune  claims  to  print  300,000  papers  per  week.  The  Tribune's 
charge — and  a  very  reasonable  one  too — is  $25  for  ten  lines  one  week  in  this  cir- 
culation ;  that  is,  for  $25  they  print'  ten  lines  300,000  times,  and  send  it  through 
the  mails  to  the  subscribers. 

For  $12  50 — just  half  the  sum — the  EVENING  WISCONSIN  prints  an  adver- 
tisement of  ten  lines  and  sends  it  to  250,000  subscribers  in  a  week. 

Some  of  these  agencies  advertise  their  own  business  very  exten- 
sively. We  have  seen,  for  example,  an  entire  page  of  the  New  York 
Herald  taken  up,  at  a  cost  of  $500  or  $600  for  a  single  insertion, 
with  one  advertisement  of  Rowell's  Newspaper  Directory.  Those 
mild,  persuasive,  industrious  agents  of  the  old  school,  Hooper,  Palm- 
er, Pettingill,Oatman,  looked  upon  these  active,  energetic  innovators 
with  a  constituency  of  a  thousand  newspapers,  these  modern  can- 
vassers with  lists  of  journals  to  be  measured  by  the  yard,  with  per- 
fect amazement.  No  wonder  they  fell  in  with  such  a  brilliant  asso- 
ciation. But  is  not  this  new  mode,  after  all,  the  style  of  our  jour- 
nalism of  to-day  ?  Is  it  not  all  on  a  grand  scale  ? 

A  A  A 


738  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER    LII. 

THE  MOTTOES  OF  THE  PRESS. 

ARE  THEY  THE  EDITORS'  PLATFORMS  OF  PRINCIPLES? — SPECIMEN  MOTTOES. 
— THE  POPE'S  MOTTO  FOR  JOURNALISTS. 

THESE  are  the  curiosities  of  newspaper  literature.  They  were 
the  platforms  of  the  editors  in  olden  times.  They  endeavored  to 
convey  to  the  public  the  principles  on  which  their  journals  should 
be  conducted  by  these  short  sentences,  sometimes  in  English,  some- 
times in  French,  but  oftener  in  Latin — Multum  in  parvo.  In  the 
early  days  of  American  journalism  these  mottoes  were  accompanied 
with  all  sorts  of  curious  pictorial  devices,  some  of  Minerva,  some  of 
the  figure  of  Liberty,  some  with  a  clock  representing  the  time,  some 
with  a  printing-press,  some  with  Mercury.  Not  only  have  the  de- 
vices nearly  disappeared,  but  the  mottoes  have  gone  and  are  going 
with  them.  Often  the  opinions  of  an  editor  and  his  adopted  motto 
would  present  a  perfect  antithesis  on  his  pages.  Many  of  the  mot- 
toes are  grand,  some  of  them  immensely  so.  Here  are  a  few  spec- 
imens: 

Constitutional  Courant       •'       -  1 765.  Join  or  die. 

Virginia  Gazette    -        -        -       1766.  Open  to  all  parties,  but  influenced  by  none. 

Worcester  (Mass.)  Spy        -        -  1771.  Open  to  all  parties, but  influenced  by  none. 

Independent  Chronicle        -        -  1776.  Appeal  to  heaven  :  Independence. 

Independent  Ledger  -  -  1778.  All  hands  with  one  inflamed  and  enlight- 
ened heart. 

Boston  Independent  Chronicle      -  1784.  Truth  its  guide,  Liberty  its  object. 

London's  New  York  Diary     -        1793.  Tout  le  monde. 

The  Gazette  of  the  United  States,  1800. 

"I,  from  the  Orient  to  the  drooping  West, 
Making  the  wind  my  post-horse,  still  unfold 
The  deeds  commenced  on  this  ball  of  earth." 

American  Telegraph       -        -        1814.  Justice,  law,  and  liberty.  Prodesse  civibus. 

_.    ~     .       fT  .,    _,         ,  .          )  1818.  Where  a  government  is  founded  on  opin- 

The  Genius  of  Liberty  andAmer-  (  .  it  is  of  the  essence  of  its  preserva- 

2can  Telegraph  -  -  J  tion  that  opinion  be  free. 

Philadelphia  Aurora  -        -  1818.  Surgo  ut  prosim. 

Providence  Journal        -        -        1820.  Encourage  national  industry. 

The  Yankee  and  Boston  Lit.  Gaz.,  1828.  The  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest 

number. 

Niles's  Register      -        -        -       1836.  The  Past— the  Present — for  the  Future. 

Boston  Saturday  Evening  Gazette,  1840.  I'll  put  a  girdle  around  about  the  earth 

in  forty  minutes. 

Nc-w  York  Tribune  -  -  -  1841.  I  desire  you  to  understand  the  true  prin- 
ciples of  the  government.  I  wish  them 
carried  out.  I  ask  nothing  more. 


Mtiltum  in  parvo. 


739 


New  York  Chronicle      -        -  1842. 

The  North  American     -        -  1847. 

The  American  Pioneer  (Monte- )  1847. 

rey,  Mexico)   -        -        -        ) 

New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer,  1 860. 

New  York  Express          -        -  1860. 

Richmond  (Va.)  Whig         -        -1864. 

New  York  Express     -  1868. 

Council  Bluffs  Democrat    -         -  1868. 

Charleston  (S.  C.)  Mercury     -  1868. 

Macon  (Ga.)  American  Union    -  1869. 


Atlanta  (Ga.)  Intelligencer 

Quincy  (Mass.)  Patriot  - 
Bartram's  (Mich.)  Cheek    - 
New  York  National  Standard 
Woodhull  &>  Claflitts  Weekly 

Charlotte  (N.  C.)  Observer      - 
Lynchburg  (Va.)  Republican 
Cooperstown  (N.Y.)  Freeman's  } 
Journal     -         -         -         -    ) 
La  Crosse  (Wis.)  Democrat 


Newport  (R.  I.)  Mercury 
Lynchburg  Virginian 


1869. 
1869. 
1870. 
1870. 

1870. 
1870. 

1870. 
1870. 

1870. 
1870. 


Marion  (S.  C.)  Crescent      -        -  1870. 

Charleston  (S.  C.)  Courier       -  1870. 

Atlanta  True  Georgian        -         -  1870. 

Richmond  (Va.)  Whig    -        -  1870. 

Printers'1  Circular       ...  1870. 

New  York  Albion        ...  1870. 

Mobile  Herald   •  1871. 

New  Haven  Register          -         -  1871. 


New  York  Independent       -         •  1871. 


Wisconsin  Chief    -        -        ~       1871. 
New  York  Republican          -        -  1871. 


New  York  Sun       ...        1871. 
Worcester  (Mass.)  Spy   -        •       1871. 


Typographic  Messenger  -  1871. 

Our  Dumb  Animals       -        -  1871. 

Congressional  Globe   ...  1872. 

The  Episcopal  Register       -        -  1872. 


God  and  the  elevation  of  the  people. 

Devoted  to  truth. 

Render  unto  Cassar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's. 

Principles,  not  men. 

One  country,  one  Constitution,  one  des- 
tiny. 

The  Constitution — State  Rights. 

The  Constitution,  the  Union,  and  the 
Laws. 

The  world  is  governed  too  much. 

Vindice  nullo  sponte  sua,  sine  lege,  fides 
nectumque  colentui. 

With  malice  towards  none,  with  charity 
for  all,  but  with  firmness  for  the  right, 
as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right. 

Error  ceases  to  be  dangerous  when  rea- 
son is  left  free  to  combat  it. 

Born  to  no  master,  of  no  sect  are  we. 

Beauty  and  business. 

Justice  and  equal  rights  to  all. 

Progress  !  Free  thought !  Untrammeled 
lives ! 

Onward — upward. 

Virginia  victrix. 

Principles,  not  men.   Be  just,  and  fear  not. 

Democratic  at  all  times  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. 

Hope. 

The  rights  of  the  states  and  the  union  of 
the  states. 

Non  eventu  rerum  sed  fide  veritatis  sta- 
mus. 

What  is  it  but  a  map  of  busy  life. 

Wisdom,  justice,  and  moderation. 

Sic  semper  tyrannis. 

Free  and  unshackled. 

Ccelum,  non  animum,  mutant  qui  trans 
mare  currunt 

Free,  fearless,  and  fair. 

Equal  and  exact  justice  to  all  men,  of 
whatever  status  or  persuasion,  religious 
or  political. 

But  as  we  were  allowed  of  God  to  be  put 
in  trust  with  the  Gospel,  even  so  we 
speak,  not  as  pleasing  men,  but  God, 
which  trieth  our  hearts. 

Right  on. 

With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity 
for  all — with  firmness  in  the  right,  as 
God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us 
strive  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in. 

It  shines  for  all.     Excelsior. 

The  spy  should  have  the  eye  of  Argus : 
he  is  honorable  if  he  do  but  look  to  the 
welfare  of  the  commonwealth. 

Vox  dicta  perit ;  litera  scripta  manet. 

We  speak  for  those  who  can  not  speak 
for  themselves. 

The  world  is  governed  too  much. 

Speaking  the  truth  in  love. 


74-O  Journalism  in  America. 

Pope  Pius  IX.  has  given  a  motto  for  the  Press  in  general.  About 
three  years  ago,  in  1869,  a  correspondent  of  the  Evenement  Illustre, 
traveling  in  Rome,  called  on  Pio  Nono.  Another  journalist  accom- 
panied him.  In  a  letter  to  the  Illustre,  describing  the  interview,  he 
said  : 

When  I  was  received  with  my  companion,  the  chamberlain  plucked  me  by  the 
sleeve  t'o  make  me  kneel.  The  Pope,  perceiving  the  movement,  spared  us  the 
genuflexion,  and  made  us  approach  the  table  at  which  he  was  sitting.  "  So,  then," 
his  holiness  said, "  you  are  two  journalists,  friends,  going  together  to  Naples  ?" 
He  spoke  about  Naples,  and  asked  us  how  we  liked  Rome,  adding  that  people 
found  themselves  very  free  during  their  stay.  He  then  took  two  photographic 
likenesses  of  himself,  one  for  each  of  us,  and,  with  a  sly  smile,  said,  "  I  am  going 
to  write  something  for  the  journalists,"  and  in  a  firm  hand  traced  these  words  : 

"Diligite  veritatem,  filium  Dei" 

after  which  he  held  out  his  hand  to  us.  His  affability  is  extreme.  He  speaks 
French  with  as  much  accent  as  Rossini,  and  the  impression  he  produced  on  me 
was  that  of  a  pleasant  and  tranquil  old  man  who  appears  to  be  but  little  occupied 
with  external  matters. 

If  the  heretical  Press  of  the  world  will  not  adopt  this  excellent 
motto  as  their  platform,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  organs  of  the 
Catholic  Church  should  not  place  it  at  the  head  of  their  papers,  and 
act  upon  the  precept  in  all  its  fullness  and  meaning. 


The  Law  of  Libel.  741 


CHAPTER  LIIL 
THE   LAW    OF   LIBEL. 

TRIALS  AND  RESPONSIBILITIES  OF  THE  PRESS.  —  WHAT  is  THE  LAW  OF 
LIBEL? — INTERESTING  AND  INSTRUCTIVE  CASES. — THE  EDITORIAL  RIGHT 
TO  CRITICISE. — THE  SUITS  OF  J.  FENIMORE  COOPER,  CHARLES  READE,  AND 
GEORGE  AUGUSTUS  SALA. — THE  RUSSIAN  LAW. — EATING  HIS  OWN  WORDS. 
— THE  EMPEROR  OF  GERMANY  AND  THE  PRESS. — THE  ORGANIC  LAW  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES. 

THE  freedom  of  the  Press  has  been  of  slow  growth  if  we  take  the 
records  of  our  courts  as  an  indication,  for  the  same  ruling  was 
adopted  in  a  case  of  libel  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York  in 
1803  under  the  Republic,  as  in  1735  in  the  same  state  under  a 
monarchy,  and  the  same  ruling  has  since  been  held  in  other  courts. 
Andrew  Hamilton  in  1735,  and  Alexander  Hamilton  in  1803,  occu- 
pied the  same  position  towards  the  Press ;  exhibited  the  same  elo- 
quence, and  gained,  the  same  points  with  the  people.  Our  state 
Constitutions  are  clear  on  the  rights  of  the  newspaper,  but  the  law 
of  libel  is  not  so  clearly  denned,  and  much  is  still  to  be  done  to  ob- 
tain the  desired  result  for  the  Press  and  public. 

The  first  case,  that  of  Zenger,  of  the  New  York  Gazette,  in  1735, 
was  a  political  one,  and  brought  down  the  whole  power  and  influ- 
ence of  the  governor  and  court  on  the  journalist's  head,  but  the  lat- 
ter signally  triumphed.  The  second  case,  that  of  Croswell,  of  the 
Hudson  Balance,  in  1803,  was  also  political,  and  grew  out  of  the  bit- 
ter feud  between  Burr  and  Hamilton.  Hildreth  thus  describes  this 
important  action  : 

While  these  political  intrigues  were  in  progress,  a  case  came  on  for  argument 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York,  then  sitting  at  Albany,  in  which  the 
rights  and  freedom  of  the  Press  were  deeply  involved.  Ambrose  Spencer,  as  at- 
torney general,  had  instituted  a  prosecution  for  libel  against  a  Federal  printer  for 
having  asserted  that  Jefferson  had  paid  Callender  for  traducing  Washington  and 
Adams.  The  case  had  been  tried  before  Chief  Justice  Lewis,  who  had  held, 
among  other  things,  that  in  a  criminal  trial  for  libel  the  truth  could  not  be  given 
in  evidence,  and  that  the  jury  were  merely  to  decide  the  fact  of  publication,  the 
question  belonging  exclusively  to  the  court  whether  it  were  a  libel  or'not.  These 
points  coming  on  for  a  rehearing  before  the  Supreme  Court,  on  a  motion  for  a 
new  trial,  Spencer  maintained  with  great  zeal  the  arbitrary  doctrines  laid  down 
by  Lewis.  Hamilton,  a  volunteer  in  behalf  of  the  liberty  of  the  Press,  displayed, 
on  the  other  side,  even  more  than  his  wonted  eloquence  and  energy,  denouncing 
the  maxim,  "the  greater  the  truth  the  greater  the  libel,"  at  least  in  its  relation  to 
political  publications,  as  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  genius  of  American  institu- 
tions. The  court,  after  a  long  deliberation,  was  equally  divided,  Kent  and  Thomp- 
son against  Lewis  and  Livingston.  The  opinion  of  the  chief  justice  stood  as  law ; 


742  Journalism  in  America. 

but  Hamilton's  eloquence  was  not  lost.  A  declaratory  bill,  conforming  to  the 
doctrine  maintained  by  him,  was  introduced  into  the  Assembly,  then  sitting,  by 
a  Federal  member.  The  Republicans  shrank  from  this  implied  censure  on  their 
candidate  for  governor,  and  the  matter  was  postponed  to  the  next  session.  An 
act,  allowing  the  truth  to  be  given  in  evidence,  was  then  passed,  but  was  defeated 
by  the  Council  of  Revision,  composed  of  the  judges  and  chancellor.  The  act, 
however,  with  some  modifications,  became  law  the  next  year  ;  and  such,  either  by 
constitutional  provisions,  legislative  enactment,  or  the  decisions  of  the  courts,  is 
now  the  law  throughout  the  United  States. 

This  "  law  throughout  the  United  States"  is  summed  up  in  this 
rule  for  editors  and  publishers.  Blackstone  said : 

Every  free  man  has  an  undoubted  right  to  lay  what  sentiments  he  pleases  be- 
fore the  public  ;  to  forbid  this  is  to  destroy  the  freedom  of  the  press;  but  if  he 
publishes  -what  is  improper,  mischievous,  or  illegal,  he  must  take  the  consequences 
of  his  own  temerity. 

But  what  is  "  improper"  and  "  illegal  ?"  Fox  obtained  the  enact- 
ment of  a  law  in  England  in  1792  which  left  to  the  jury  the  right 
to  decide  on  the  character  of  what  was  published  as  well  as  on  the 
fact  of  publication ;  yet  Chief  Justice  Lewis,  in  the  United  States, 
in  1803,  refused  to  admit  the  first  clause  of  this  law.  In  all  deci- 
sions since  the  time  of  the  Hamiltons,  there  has  been  so  much  di- 
versity of  opinion  that  no  editor  is  sure  of  the  "  freedom  of  the  Press" 
till  a  judge  and  a  jury  have  decided  upon  his  case.  There  is  as 
great  a  variety  in  the  points  made  by  the  judges  in  the  several  states 
as  there  are  states  in  the  Union. 

We  propose  to  cite  a  number  of  cases  in  this  chapter,  not  men- 
tioned in  other  pages  of  this  volume,  to  show  the  uncertainty  of  the 
law  of  libel  in  the  United  States,  and  the  necessity  of  a  revision, 
and  of  the  enactment  of  a  code  for  the  whole  country.  These  cases 
will  form  a  melange,  but  in  this  shape  they  may  be  of  use  to  those 
who  take  an  interest  in  the  subject.  The  New  York  Herald,  in  1869, 
gave  a  brief  historical  sketch  of  the  most  important  suits  under  the 
laws  of  libel,  which  should  be  placed  in  a  convenient  place  for  ref- 
erence. We  therefore  transfer  it  to  our  pages : 

It  is  the  boast  of  this  country  that  in  its  fundamental  laws — federal  as  well  as 
state — the  inviolability  of  the  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  liberty  of  the  Press  is 
fully  guaranteed.  It  is  so  by  custom  and  Parliamentary  enactment  in  England  ; 
but  not  even  there,  the  freest  country  of  Europe,  is  the  liberty  of  the  Press  made 
sacred  by  written  constitutional  provisions.  It  is  conceded  by  all  that  no  healthy 
political  life  can  develop  itself  among  a  people  where  the  first  requisite  for  it  is 
wanting — perfect  freedom  of  discussion  and  criticism  by  word  of  mouth,  and  by 
the  pen  through  the  public  Press.  Hence  we  see  the  demand  for  a  free  Press  in- 
crease in  France  with  every  passing  year.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  regenerated 
Germany,  in  the  North  German  Parliament,  at  Berlin,  as  well  as  in  the  Diets  at 
Munich,  Stuttgart,  Karlsruhe,  and  Vienna,  measure  upon  measure  has  been  in- 
troduced, discussed,  and,  in  some  instances,  are  emanating  from  the  liberal  mem- 
bers, and  all  tending  to  enlarge  the  freedom  of  the  Press,  and  place  it  forever  aft- 
er upon  solid,  secure  ground.  These  measures  have  of  late  succeeded  most  in 
Vienna,  under  the  liberal  guidance  of  Baron  Beust,  the  present  chancellor  of  the 
Austro-Hungarian  empire,  and  latterly  there  was  intrpduced,  by  Parliamentary 
enactment,  sanctioned  by  the  emperor,  trial  by  jury  for  all  offenses  against  the 
Press  law.  In  the  other  South  German  states  this  had  obtained  for  years  past, 


Present  Condition  of  the  Law  of  Libel.       743 

but  in  enlightened  Prussia  it  is  still  denied,  and  a  mere  edict  of  some  police  offi- 
cial is  enough  to  cause  the  seizure  of  a  whole  edition  of  a  paper  containing  an 
offensive  article,  just  as  the  same  thing  is  done  in  France.  The  prince  of  the  po- 
litico-satirical journals  of  Germany,  the  K ' ladderadatsch,  of  Berlin,  has  more  than 
once  been  the  victim  of  this  supervision,  and  its  principal  editor  has  on  several 
occasions  paid  for  his  journalistic  temerity  by  several  weeks'  imprisonment  in  the 
Molken  Markt,  a  city  prison  in  Berlin.  In  Bavaria  they  managed  things  in  a 
more  liberal  way  years  ago  even.  The  editor  of  the  Volksbote,  at  Munich,  was  sued 
for  libel  on  the  chief  of  staff  of  the  Bavarian  army  during  the  memorable  German 
War  of  1866,  and  on  the  case  being  tried  before  the  jury,  the  editor  was  trium- 
phantly acquitted,  amid  the  general  applause  of  the  people,  it  being  considered  a 
verdict  of  condemnation  upon  the  manner  in  which  the  Bavarian  army  had  been 
managed. 

Of  all  such  troubles,  to  which  the  Continental  Press  of  Europe  is  even  now  to 
some  extent  subjected,  the  American  people  fortunately  know  but  little.  From 
the  beginning  the  liberty  of  the  Press  was  considered  one  of  the  main  pillars  of 
the  Republican  edifice,  and  its  safety  from  encroachment  was  not  left  to  legisla- 
tive whim  or  caprice,  but  firmly  placed  as  one  of  the  bulwarks  of  free,  constitu- 
tional life.  Still,  for  many  years,  and  even  now,  this  boasted  freedom  of  the  Press 
is  exposed  to  insidious  attacks.  This  is  owing  to  the  old  traditionary  maxims  of 
the  common  law,  which  we  inherited  from  England,  and  to  the  stiff-necked  adhe- 
sion of  our  courts  and  judges  to  the  authority  of  adjudicated  cases,  whether  cited 
from  the  English  or  American  bench,  and  whether  recent  and  in  consonance  with 
the  advanced  spirit  of  the  times,  or  perhaps  a  generation,  or  may  be  even  a  cen- 
tury old.  This  complaint  refers  especially  to  the  system  of  libel  suits  against  the 
publishers  of  newspapers,  by  means  of  which  every  censoriously  criticised  public 
officer,  or  every  exposed  rogue,  seeks  to  re-establish  himself  in  public  esteem  by 
attempting  to  bleed  the  publisher  or  editor,  and  fill  his  own  pockets  at  the  latter's 
expense. 

PRESENT  CONDITION   OF  THE  LAW  OF  LIBEL.. 

It  is  true,  however,  that  we  have  made  some  progress  over  the  antiquated  ideas 
of  the  last  century.  The  theory  of  libel  has  been  far  more  liberalized  than  it  was 
heretofore.  The  outrageous  principle,  ascribed  by  some  to  Sir  Matthew  Hale, 
and  for  a  long  time  rigidly  adhered  to  in  England,  that  "  the  greater  the  truth  the 
greater  the  libel,"  is  now  no  longer  recognized.  In  England  they  have  encroach- 
ed upon  this  rule  by  what  is  called  "judge  made  law,"  the  courts  inventing  the 
distinction  of  privileged  communications ;  and  while  our  courts  have  followed 
this  lead,  we  have  thrown  a  further  protective  shield  over  the  liberty  of  the  Press 
by  enacting  in  our  Constitutions  that  in  actions  for  libel  the  truth  of  the  alleged 
libel  may  be  given  in  evidence  by  the  defendant,  and  that  the  article  was  published 
from  good  motives  and  for  justifiable  ends.  This  sweeping  provision,  apparent- 
ly covering  every  thing  in  the  shape  of  an  action  or  prosecution  for  libel,  was, 
however,  cropped  down,  and  limited  by  the  courts,  in  that  they  decided  that  in 
civil  suits  for  damages,  based  upon  the  publication  of  an  alleged  libel,  the  truth 
can  not  be  given  in  evidence  as  a  justification,  except  upon  notice  to  the  other 
party,  and  by  laying  the  foundation  for  it  in  a  proper  plea  contained  in  the  an- 
swer, and  by  further  exacting  of  the  defendants  in  such  cases  that  such  plea  of 
justification  must  be  as  precise  as  a  count  in  an  indictment,  and  as  broad  as  the 
original  charge,  and  the  proof  in  support  of  it  must  be  as  positive  as  that  required 
by  the  rules  of  criminal  practice  on  the  trial  of  an  indictment.  It  was  only  under 
the  imperative  provision  of  the  Code  of  Procedure  that  the  courts  relaxed  some- 
what in  their  severity,  and  allowed  mitigating  circumstances  to  be  given  in  evi- 
dence if  the  truth  could  not  be  proved  in  justification,  as  the  rigor  of  the  crim- 
inal code  demanded,  and  this  only  in  mitigation  of  damages. 

WHAT  IS  A  LIBEL? 

How  firmly  our  courts  and  judges  adhere  to  the  old  definitions  of  what  consti- 
tutes a  libel  is  easily  seen  by  looking  into  a  few  of  the  decisions  of  our  highest 
courts,  even  of  very  recent  date.  The  definition  given  of  the  nature  of  a  libel  by 
Alexander  Hamilton  reads  as  follows  :  "  A  censorious  or  ridiculous  writing,  pic- 
ture, or  sign,  made  with  a  mischievous  and  malicious  intent  towards  government, 
magistrates,  or  individuals."  This  declaration  was  made  at  a  time  when  the  Fed- 


744  Journalism  in  America. 

eralist  Party  was  in  power  under  John  Adams,  and  the  popular  excitement  pro- 
voked by  the  enforcement  of  the  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws  ran  at  its  highest  tide. 
It  is  as  concise  a  statement  of  what  these  laws  aimed  at  as  ever  given,  and  it  must 
be  taken  as  a  political  declaration  in  favor  of  the  P'ederalist  legislation.  And  yet, 
in  a  number  of  libel  suits  decided  by  our  former  Court  of  Errors,  and  again  by  the 
present  Court  of  Appeals,  this  definition  is  praised  as  the  very  acme  of  legal  pre- 
cision and  discernment. 

Again,  in  the  well-known  literary  libel  case  of  J.  Fenimore  Cooper  against  the 
Commercial  Advertiser  for  a  somewhat  severe  and  perhaps  rather  savage  criticism 
of  the  former's  "  History  of  the  United  States  Navy,"  referring  especially  to  its 
account  of  the  naval  engagement  on  Lake  Erie  under  the  late  Commodore  Perry, 
the  opinion  of  the  court  goes  still  further  back  into  antiquity  than  the  time  of 
Alexander  Hamilton,  and  quotes  approvingly  the  definition  of  libel  elaborated  by 
the  Lord  Chief  Justice  Holt,  of  England,  as  follows  :  "  Any  thing  written  of  anoth- 
er which  holds  him  up  to  scorn  and  ridicule,  or  might  reasonably  be  considered 
as  provoking  him  to  a  breach  of  the  peace,  is  a  libel."  Under  this  definition,  rig- 
idly construed  and  enforced,  as  it  was  in  Chief  Justice  Holt's  day,  and  under  his 
rule,  every  police  report,  and  every  report  of  a  row  or  a  personal  debate  in  Con- 
gress or  a  state  Legislature,  or  the  description  of  the  inkstand  thrown  about  each 
others'  head  occasionally  by  our  city  fathers,  would  be  adjudged  a  gross  libel,  and 
subject  the  publisher  of  the  journal  to  heavy  damages.  And  a  still  older  defini- 
tion, probably  dating  back  to  the  days  of  Sir  Edward  Coke  and  the  Year-Books, 
was  decided  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts  to  be  the  true  one,  reading 
as  follows  :  "  A  malicious  publication,  expressed  in  printing  or  writing,  or  by  sign 
and  pictures,  tending  either  to  blacken  the  memory  of  one  dead  or  the  reputation 
of  one  who  is  alive,  and  expose  him  to  public  hatred,  contempt,  and  ridicule." 
And  as  courts,  almost  as  often  as  not,  do  rule  that  in  such  cases  special  proof  of 
malice  is  not  needed,  as  the  law  presumes  its  existence,  this  definition  would  also 
cover  almost  every  thing,  and  would  render  the  publication  of  a  daily  journal  such 
as  the  wants  of  the  time  demanded  not  only  highly  difficult,  but  almost  utterly  im- 
possible. 

WHAT  OUR  LEGISLATURE  HAS  DONE. 

The  oppressive  condition  of  the  law  of  libel,  owing  to  the  persistency  of  courts 
to  adhere  to  old,  worn-out,  and  blown-up  traditions,  at  last  influenced  the  Legis- 
lature to  exert  its  power  in  order  to  provide  a  remedy  for  the  evil,  and  protect  the 
public  Press  in  its  efforts  to  gather  the  news  of  the  day  and  spread  it  before  the 
public  with  all  possible  speed.  In  the  session  of  1854  the  following  act  was  passed, 
intended  to  have  this  effect.  It  is  chapter  130  of  the  session  laws  of  that  year, 
and  the  first  section  reads  as  follows : 

No  reporter,  editor,  or  proprietor  of  any  newspaper  shall  be  liable  to  any  action,  civil  or  criminal, 
for  a  fair  and  true  report  in  such  newspaper  of  any  judicial,  legislative,  or  other  public  official  pro- 
ceedings of  any  statement,  speech,  argument,  or  debate  in  the  course  of  the  same,  except  upon  ac- 
tual proof  of  malice. 

The  second  section  of  this  act  provides  that  this  privilege  shall  not  extend  to 
libelous  comments  or  remarks  added  to  such  reports  by  the  publisher,  editor,  or 
reporter.  And  still  the  courts  would  not  loosen  the  chain.  The  first  time  that 
this  act  was  invoked  the  courts  decided  that  the  hanging  of  a  man  by  the  sheriff 
in  Greene  County  under  the  sentence  of  death  pronounced  over  him  by  a  court 
of  competent  jurisdiction,  and  what  was  said  and  done  while  the  doomed  man  was 
being  brought  from  life  to  death,  was  not  a  public  official  proceeding,  nor  a  judi- 
cial proceeding.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  in  the  future  the  courts,  whenever  called 
upon  to  decide  as  to  whether  a  publication  is  libelous,  will  take  a  more  liberal  view 
of  the  question ;  that  they  will  look  into  the  nature  of  the  publication  of  a  modern 
newspaper,  and  not  apply  to  the  modern  lightning  Press  principles  of  jurispru- 
dence dug  out  from  musty  law  reports  of  centuries  ago. 

A  FEW  HISTORIC  REMINISCENCES   OF  THE  TRIALS   OF  THE   PRESS  IN  THE  PAST. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  evidences  of  the  desire  of  the  federal  government 
to  limit  and  restrain  the  freedom  of  the  Press,  and  circumscribe  its  power  and  in- 
fluence, has  already  been  referred  to.  Directly  it  could  not  be  done,  for  there 
stood  a  constitutional  provision  prohibiting  it  in  express  terms ;  but  indirdctly  it 
was  attempted  by  pretending  to  restrain  the  excesses  of  the  Press,  and  its  so- 


Interesting  Reminiscences.  745 

called  licentiousness.  This  it  was  sought  to  effect  through  the  Alien  and  Sedition 
Laws,  where  certain  publications  and  criticisms  of  Federal  officers  were  declared 
offenses  against  the  United  States,  and  subjected  to  summary  punishment.  Many 
were  the  editors  and  printers  thrown  into  prison  during  the  last  two  years  of  John 
Adams's  administration,  until  the  result  of  the  presidential  election  of  1800  opened 
the  doors  of  their  cells,  and  the  first  Congress  thereafter  repealed  the  law. 

The  liberty  of  the  Press — its  right  freely  to  criticise  the  official  acts  of  all  pub- 
lic officers,  was  again  the  subject  of  long  and  earnest  discussion  in  Congress  pre- 
paratory to  and  during  the  impeachment  trial  of  Judge  James  H.  Peck,  United 
States  District  Judge  for  Missouri.  It  all  came  about  a  newspaper  article,  and 
the  course  of  the  judge  in  regard  to  it.  There  was  an  action  pending  in  his  court 
brought  by  the  widow  and  heirs-at-law  of  Antoine  Soulard  against  the  United 
States  about  some  old  Spanish  land  grant.  In  December,  1825,  the  judge  decided 
the  case  against  the  heirs,  and  they  appealed.  In  March,  1826,  Judge  Peck  pub- 
lished in  the  Missouri  Republican  an  elaborate  opinion,  to  which  Luke  Edward 
Lawless,  the  attorney  of  the  heirs,  published  a  respectful  reply,  over  the  signature 
of  "Citizen,"  in  the' Inquirer.  Judge  Peck  considered  this  reply  an  act  of  con- 
tempt of  his  court,  and  he  had  first  the  editor  of  the  paper  arrested,  and  then  Mr. 
Lawless,  who  admitted  having  written  the  article.  After  various  proceedings, 
Lawless  was  sentenced  to  twenty-four  hours  of  imprisonment,  and  suspended  from 
practice  as  an  attorney  for  eighteen  months.  For  this  the  judge  was  impeached 
by  the  House  of  Representatives  in  May,  1830,  and  the  trial  commenced  before 
the  Senate  in  December.  The  leading  counsel  for  the  judge,  and  conducting  his 
defense,  was  that  gifted  son  and  orator  of  Virginia,  William  Wirt.  The  following 
sentences,  quoted  from  his  closing  argument,  contain  all  that  has  ever  been  said 
— and  never  better — on  this  side  of  the  argument : 

It  is  said  that  in  punishing  this  publication  as  a  contempt  the  judge  has  invaded  the  liberty  of  the 
Press.  What  is  the  liberty  of  the  Press,  and  in  what  does  it  consist  ?  Does  it  consist  in  a  right  to 
vilify  the  tribunals  of  the  country,  and  to  bring  them  into  contempt  by  gross  and  wanton  misrepre- 
sentations of  their  proceedings?  Does  it  consist  in  a  right  to  obstruct  and  corrupt  the  streams  of 
justice  by  poisoning  the  public  mind  with  regard  to  causes  in  these  tribunals  before  they  are  heard  ? 
Is  this  a  correct  idea  of  the  liberty  of  the  Press?  If  so,  the  defamer  has  a  charter  as  free  as  the 
winds,  provided  he  resort  to  the  Press  for  the  propagation  of  his  slander,  and;  under  the  prostituted 
sanction  of  the  liberty  of  the  Press,  hoary  age  and  virgin  innocence  lie  at  his  mercy.  This  is  not 
the  idea  of  the  liberty  of  the  Press  which  prevails  in  courts  of  justice,  or  which  exists  in  any  sober 
or  well-regulated  mind.  The  liberty  of  the  Press  is  among  the  greatest  of  blessings,  civil  and  po- 
litical, so  long  as  it  is  directed  to  its  proper  object — that  of  disseminating  correct  and  useful  informa- 
tion among  the  people.  But  this  greatest  of  blessings  may  become  the  greatest  of  curses  if  it  shall 
be  permitted  to  burst  its  proper  barriers.  The  liberty  of  the  Press  has  always  been  the  favorite  watch- 
word of  those  who  live  by  its  licentiousness.  It  has  been  from  time  immemorial,  is  still,  and  ever 
will  be  the  perpetual  decantatum  of  all  libelers.  *  *  *  Xo  be  useful,  the  liberty  of  the  Press 
must  be  restrained.  The  principle  of  restraint  was  imposed  upon  every  part  of  creation.  By  re- 
straint the  planets  were  kept  in  their  orbits.  The  earth  performed  its  regular  evolutions  by  the  re- 
straint of  the  centrifugal  force  operating  upon  it.  The  vine  would  shoot  into  rank  luxuriance  if  not 
under  the  restraint  of  the  laws  of  nature,  by  which  every  thing  was  preserved  within  its  proper 
bounds.  Was  not  every  thing  on  earth  impressed  with  this  principle  ?  And  was  not  the  liberty  of 
the  Press  to  be  restrained  to  the  performance  of  its  rightful  functions  of  propagating  truth  for  just 
ends? 

This  argument  proved  successful  at  the  time,  and,  as  the  result  showed,  not  all 
the  eloquence  of  M'Duffie,  of  South  Carolina,  Storrs,  of  New  York,  and  Buchanan, 
of  Pennsylvania,  arguing  for  the  right  of  free  and  unrestrained  criticism  of  all  the 
acts  of  those  in  public  office,  could  convince  the  Senate ;  for,  out  of  forty-three 
senators  voting,  twenty-two  pronounced  Judge  Peck  not  guilty  of  "  high  misde- 
meanor," as  charged.  Thus  the  liberty  of  the  Press  was  again  sought  to  be  ham- 
pered by  restrictions  in  the  house  of  its  friends,  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
The  proceedings  in  this  city  a  few  years  ago,  when  a  judge  of  our  Supreme  Court 
was  seeking  to  punish  the  editor  of  a  morning  paper  as  for  a  contempt  on  ac- 
count of  a  law  report  published  in  that  journal  the  day  before,  was  undoubtedly 
patterned  after  the  affair  of  Judge  Peck  in  Missouri. 

Much  more  numerous  than  these  and  similar  encroachments  upon  the  freedom 
of  the  Press  have  been  other  attempts  to  compel  its  silence  and  diminish  its  use- 
fulness. These  were  and  are  resorted  to  by  individuals  who  claim  to  have  been 
defamed  and  libeled,  and  brought  into  contempt  and  ridicule  among  all  good 
citizens  of  the  community  by  some  publication  of  and  concerning  them,  and  for 
which  tiefamation  of  character  they  generally  are  willing  to  receive,  as  a  healing 
plaster  and  unfailing  antidote,  a  judgment  in  their  favor  of  some  thousands  of  dol- 


746  Journalism  in  America. 

lars.  Looking  over  the  records  of  prominent  libel  suits  in  this  state,  one  is  una- 
voidably reminded  of  some  very  interesting  occurrences  of  our  early  and  later 
political  history. 

There  is,  for  instance,  the  case  of  Genet  vs.  Mitchell,  reported  in  7  Johnson, 
120.  Monsieur  Genet  was  the  minister  of  the  new-born  and  rather  turbulent 
French  Republic  to  this  country  under  Washington's  administration.  Every  body 
knows  the  troubles  that  the  enthusiastic  French  Republican  fell  into  when  he  at- 
tempted to  violate  our  laws — wage  war  against  England  from  our  shores — and 
being  peremptorily  stopped  by  Washington,  venturing  to  appeal  from  the  govern- 
ment to  the  people.  It  was  about  this  time  that  the  defendant  Mitchell  charged 
Genet  publicly  with  having  betrayed  his  own  government  by  communicating  his 
private  instructions  to  others.  For  this  an  action  for  libel  was  brought  by  the 
irate  Frenchman,  which  was  a  little  more  sensible  than  calling  for  "  coffee  and  pis- 
tols for  two."  But  he  got  very  little  out  of  it. 

Another  somewhat  historical  libel  suit  was  that  commenced  by  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor Root,  in  1824,  against  King  &  Verplanck,  publishers  of  the  New  York  Amer- 
ican, which  paper  had  stated  that  some  day  in  August,  1824,  while  presiding  over 
the  Senate,  Lieutenant  Governor  Root  was  so  drunk  as  to  be  unfit  for  his  place 
and  a  disgrace  to  the  station.  The  evidence  for  the  defense  was  very  voluminous, 
and  tended  to  prove  that  the  editor  acted  on  good  and  sufficient  information  ;  but 
under  the  ruling  of  the  court  as  to  what  was  necessary  to  make  the  proof  of  justi- 
fication available  and  successful,  the  plaintiff  got  a  verdict  of  $1400. 

The  case  of  Littlejohn  against  Greeley  had  its  origin  in  the  "  philosopher's" 
habit  of  growling  and  scolding  at  every  body  who  is  not  of  his  own  mind,  and 
hence  calling  one  day  Mr.  Littlejohn  one  of  the  most  corrupt  members  of  the  Leg- 
islature brought  him  a  summons  and  complaint  for  libel,  and  a  small  verdict  on 
the  result. 

J.  Fenimore  Cooper  took  umbrage  at  the  way  and  style  in  which  the  Commer- 
cial Advertiser  and  the  Tribune  criticised  his  naval  history.  He  denounced  it  as 
defamatory,  brought  his  actions,  and  recovered  small  verdicts  in  both  cases. 

A  rather  humorous  case  was  that  of  Mezzara,  an  Italian  portrait  painter  in  this 
city.  He  had  finished  the  portrait  of  a  gentleman,  who  afterwards  refused  to  take 
and  pay  for  it.  Mezzara  sued  the  refractory  customer,  obtained  a  judgment,  and, 
under  the  execution,  the  sheriff  seized  the  picture,  on  which  the  painter  had  add- 
ed to  the  head  of  the  portrait-  a  pair  of  ass's  ears.  This,  on  the  complaint  of  the 
original  of  the  picture,  was  held  by  the  Criminal  Court  of  the  city  to  be  a  libel. 

An  interesting  reminiscence  is  offered  in  the  libel  case  of  Jacob  Gould  against 
Thurlow  Weed,  which  originated  in  the  Anti-Masonic  excitement — the  alleged 
kidnapping  and  murder  of  Morgan,  who  was  afterwards  said  to  have  been  "  a  good 
enough  Morgan  till  after  the  election."  Weed  edited  at  that  time — 1827~'28 — 
the  Anti-Masonic  Inquirer  at  Rochester,  and  charged  Gould  with  being  in  the  pay 
of  the  Masons  while  pretending  to  act  on  an  Anti-Masonic  committee.  Reading 
the  mass  of  testimony  offered  on  the  trial,  and  the  sage  and  ponderous  reasonings 
of  the  judges  now  by  the  light  of  subsequent  experience,  evokes  a  hearty  smile. 
But  Gould  got  a  verdict  of  $400. 

As  Gould  was  so  successful  in  his  libel  suit  against  him,  Thurlow  Weed  may 
have  believed  it  the  best  means  of  healing  his  own  offended  honor,  and  in  1845 
or  thereabouts  he  rushed  into  court  himself,  and  sued  Foster  &  Stimson,  of  the 
Day-book,  lor  libel,  because  they  asserted  that  in  1840  he  had  received  $5000  for 
securing  to  some  one  the  appointment  of  Pork  Inspector  in  New  York  City  from 
Governor  Seward.  The  result  of  this  suit  was  not  overgratifying,  as  the  expenses 
outran  the  income. 

Mr.  Delavan,  one  of  the  wealthy  temperance  men  of  Albany,  got  himself  into 
trouble  with  the  brewers  and  maltsters  on  "  the  hill"  by  publishing  in  the  paper 
that  they  used  stagnant  water  in  their  establishments  in  the  manufacture  of  beer. 
No  less  than  three  libel  suits  were  commenced  against  him,  two  of  which  only 
were  successful,  the  third  failing  on  technical  grounds. 

Another  interesting  libel  suit  has  just  been  decided  at  the  General  Term  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  the  Second  Judicial  District  against  the  plaintiff,  Elnathan  L. 
Sanderson,  of  Brooklyn,  who,  on  the  trial  in  the  Circuit,  secured  a  verdict  against 
Cauldwell  &  Whitney,  of  the  Sunday  Mercury,  for  $5000.  Mayor  Hall  was  the  at- 
torney for  the  liberty  of  the  Press,  and  to  his  masterly  presentation  of  the  case  on 


Amount  of  Damages  claimed.  747 

behalf  of  the  defense,  and  his  exhaustive  points,  legal,  philosophic,  humorous,  his- 
torical, and  poetical,  obtained  a  reversal  of  the  verdict  and  the  granting  of  a  new 
trial.  Thus  the  injured  reputation  of  the  plaintiff  is  not  healed  yet.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  a  little  anecdote  must  be  told.  On  the  jury  in  the  court  below  was 
a  German,  a  friend  of  the  defendants,  and  he  eagerly  voted  in  the  jury-room  for 
the  highest  amount  of  damages  suggested  by  the  others.  This  'becoming  known 
and  talked  about,  he  was  asked  one  day  by  an  acquaintance  why  he  had  done  so, 
to  which  he  archly  replied,  with  a  peculiar  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "  You  see,  if  the 
verdict  had  been  for  a  small  sum,  they  (Cauldwell  and  Whitney)  would  have  been 
stuck  to  pay.  The  larger  the  sum  came  out  from  the  jury,  the  less  likely  will 
they  be  to  get  a  red  penny."  This  seems  to  be  shrewd,  if  not  correct  reasoning. 
Still  another  suit  is  worth  mentioning,  which  about  fourteen  years  ago  con- 
vulsed our  whole  German  population  from  the  Battery  to  Harlem  Bridge.  It  was 
a  suit  brought  by  Gustave  Neumann,  the  editor  of  the  Staats  Zeitung,  against  Karl 
Heingen,  editor  of  the  Pioneer,  then  published  in  this  city,  now  in  Boston,  for 
heavy  damages  on  account  of  a  libel  which  appeared  "  of  and  concerning  him"  in 
the  latter  journal.  The  result  was  a  verdict  for  six  and  a  half  cents  damages, 
which  brought  out  the  bread  grins  of  many  of  our  Teutons. 

THE  LATE   REVIVAL  OF  LIBEL  SUITS. 

For  some  years  there  was  quite  a  lull  in  these  respects,  and  libel  suits  were 
rather  few  and  far  between.  But  lately  they  have  been  revived,  and  at  a  rate  so 
tremendous  that,  in  comparison  with  the  demands  made  upon  the  Press  by  of- 
fended honesty  in  former  years,  they  were  as  but  a  moth  upon  the  smoke-stack  of 
a  locomotive.  The  irresistible  and  irrepressible  James  Fisk,  Jr.,  of  Erie-Grand- 
Opera-railroad  notoriety,  first  began  to  have  recourse  to  this  sort  of  rehabilitation 
of  wounded  honor,  and  he  opened  with  a  libel  suit  for  $100,000  against  Mr.  Bowles, 
of  the  Springfield  Republican,  and  he  quickly  followed  it  up  by  another  against 
Mr.  Greeley,  of  the  Tribune,  for  a  like  sum ;  then  against  Mr.  Norvell,  of  the 
Times,  claiming  another  $100,000,  and  finally  against  Mr.  Raymond  for  the  snug 
amount  of  a  round  million.  Not  to  be  outdone  by  the  railway  impetuosity  of  Mr. 
Fisk,  Mr.  John  Russell  Young  has  commenced  about  ten  suits  in  different  parts  of 
the  country,  and  two  or  three  of  them  in  this  city,  and  two  in  Philadelphia,  each 
at  the  exact  figure  of  $100,000 ;  a  trifle  less  would  not  satisfy  him.  The  Evening 
Mirror,  at  Indianapolis,  has  lately  been  sued  for  $30,000  damages  for  libel  by  one 
Talcott ;  and  a  case  is  now  pending  at  Pittsburg,  by  an  ex-member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania state  Legislature,  against  the  Pittsburg  Leader,  which  journal  had  charged 
him  with  venality  and  corruption.  Thus  the  revival  of  libel  suits  goes  bravely  on 
all  over  the  country.  There  are  now  no  less  than  756  libel  suits  pending  against 
editors  or  publishers  in  this  country  by  personages  who  claim  a  plaster  of  green- 
backs for  their  wounded  reputation,  and  the  total  amount  of  damage  alleged  to 
be  done  to  these  756  injured  plaintiffs  sums  up  to  $47,500,000 !  Who  will  deny 
hereafter  the  power  of  the  Press  ? 

There  are  other  cases  and  other  points  than  those  grouped  in  the 
above  which  should  not  be  omitted.  For  instance,  there  is  the  case 
of  Police  Justice  House  against  the  Syracuse  Star,  on  February  27, 
1851.  General  Nye,  afterwards  United  States  senator  from  Nevada, 
in  his  argument  for  the  defense,  said : 

The  public  Press,  gentlemen,  occupies  an  important  position  in  public  affairs, 
and  I  venture  the  assertion  that  to  no  one  thing  at  the  present  day  is  community 
so  much  indebted  for  the  good  order  of  society  as  the  Press.  I  step  over  the  im- 
partial administration  oi  justice  (turning  towards  Justice  House) — I  step  over  the 
stringent  statutes  which  have  been  enacted — I  stand  upon  the  broad  and  truthful 
platform  of  this  assertion,  that  to  the  Press  is  the  community  more  indebted  for 
the  good  order  and  security  it  enjoys  than  to  any  other  one  thing,  and  therefore 
it  becomes  important  for  you  to  inquire  how  it  happens  that  this  is  so.  In  no  re- 
spect is  it  more  potent  than  when  this  power  is  exercised  in  reviewing  with  fair- 
ness and  candor  the  acts  of  public  officers.  Even  the  judge  upon  the  bench  is  not 
exempt,  and  should  not  be  exempt,  from  a  fair  and  full  review  of  his  public  con- 


748  Journalism  in  America. 

duct,  and  he  must  not  expect  to  escape  the  candid  scrutiny  of  a  candid  Press.  It 
is  through  the  Press — through  a  fearless  and  independent  Press  alone — that  his 
merits  and  demerits  can  be  brought  before  those  who  are  to  decide  upon  his  qual- 
ifications. If,  upon  a  full  view,  thus  furnished,  the  people  see  fit  to  re-elect,  they 
do  so.  If  they  deem  it  safer  for  the  cause  of  impartial  justice  that  another  man 
be  selected,  they 'then  adopt  that  course.  In  this  consists  the  strength  of  our  sys- 
tem. 

********* 

While  the  Press  is  the  great  avenue  through  which  the  public  gain  correct  in- 
formation, yet  you  can  not  expect  that  it  should  always  run  clear  of  mistake  and 
misinformation.  It  may  sometimes  give  a  wrong  impression  of  a  public  act,  which 
is  calculated  to  work  an  injury  to  the  person  against  whom  it  seems  to  be  point- 
ed. And  what  next?  Whenever  that  is  made  known,  the  Press,  with  a  magna- 
nimity which  does  it  justice,  offers  a  free  column  to  Justice  House,  or  whoever  is 
accused,  and  through  the  same  avenue  whence  this  poison  oozed  out  comes  the 
antidote,  which  runs  its  round  through  the  same  channel  and  neutralizes  its  ma- 
lignity. 

This  should  be  the  law  every  where.  In  France  a  newspaper 
manager  is  compelled  by  law  to  insert  a  correction,  or  a  rectifica- 
tion of  any  incorrect  statement  made  in  his  columns  affecting  any 
individual.  These  are  often  seen  under  the  head  of  communique,  es- 
pecially from  members  of  the  government. 

The  suits  of  James  Fenimore  Cooper  were  important,  as  tending 
to  settle  the  rights  of  editors  to  criticise  the  literary  productions  of 
others.  These  suits  were  brought  against  the  New  York  Tribune, 
the  Commercial  Advertiser,  the  Courier  and  Enquirer,  and  Albany 
Evening  Journal.  Owing  to  the  partisan  character  of  the  parties — 
Mr.  Cooper  a  Democrat,  and  these  newspapers  all  Whig — and  the 
reputation  and  popularity  of  the  plaintiff  as  a  writer,  the  suits  created 
a  good  deal  of  conversation  and  criticism.  The  distinguished  nov- 
elist was  tenacious  of  his  supposed  rights  and  privileges,  as  the  fol- 
lowing letter  indicates : 

Congress  Hall,  May  21, 1845. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Argus : 

In  passing  through  Albany  this  morning,  I  have  seen  an  article  in  last  night's 
Evening  Journal  in  which  Mr.  Weed,  after  once  retracting  all  his  libels  on  me, 
when  published,  has  seen  fit  substantially  to  repeat  them.  For  this  article  he  and 
I  will  again  appear  before  a  jury.  But  I  will  make  no  remarks  here.  Mr.  Weed 
says  he  has  always  been  ready  and  able  to  prove  the  truth  of  all  he  has  ever  said 
about  me.  Now  I  am  prepared  to  show,  as  an  evidence  of  this  personal  accuracy, 
that  he  has  himself  admitted  publicly  in  his  journal  his  inability  to  prove  one  of 
his  libelous  accusations,  and  I  shall  give  him  as  early  an  opportunity  as  the  law 
will  allow  to  prove  some  more  of  them.  This  admission  was  entirely  disconnect- 
ed from  his  retraction. 

The  pretense  that  our  courts  have  ever  overruled  that  the  truth  is  not  a  conv 
plete  defense  in  a  libel  suit  in  the  civil  action  can  only  gain  credit  with  the  su- 
premely ignorant.  Your  obedient  servant,  J.  FENIMORE  COOPER. 

Other  authors  have  felt  aggrieved  enough  to  bring  suits  against 
editors  for  unsatisfactory  criticisms  on  their  productions.  One  of 
these  cases,  an  extraordinary  affair,  was  that  of  Charles  Reade,'au- 
thor  of  "Griffith  Gaunt,"  in  1870,  against  the  Round  Table  of  New 
York,  for  its  review  of  that  novel.  Charles  Reade  is  an  Englishman, 
and  resides  in  England.  This  was,  therefore,  an  international  suit, 


Charles  Reade  and  "  Griffith  Gaunt?         749 

like  that  of  Napoleon  I.  against  the  London  Times.  The  novelist 
claimed  $25,000  damages. 

The  plaintiff,  in  his  declaration,  stated  "  that  he  is  a  resident  of 
London,  and  an  author  by  profession  ;  that  the  novels  written  by  him 
have  acquired  great  popularity,  so  that  he  has  become  well  known 
as  an  author,  derives  great  profit  and  emolument  from  his  works, 
and  depends  upon  such  income  for  his  livelihood." 

The  defendants  admitted  that  Charles  Reade  is  an  author,  and 
that  he  published,  or  caused  to  be  published,  "  Griffith  Gaunt,"  but 
whether  he  composed  or  wrote  it  they  didn't  know,  and  therefore 
denied  the  same.  They  also  denied  that  they  were  the  publishers 
or  proprietors  of  the  Round  Table,  but  that  it  was  owned  and  pub- 
lished by  a  corporation  called  the  Round  Table  Association.  They 
denied  that  there  was  any  malice  in  the  publication  of  these  articles, 
and  that  they  were  published  of  Mr.  Reade  as  an  author,  but  of 
the  book  ''Griffith  Gaunt."  They  claimed  that,  the  Round  Table 
being  a  critical  and  literary  paper,  and  the  magazines  having  been 
sent  to  them  for  a  notice,  the  conductors  of  the  Round  Table  hon- 
estly criticised  "Griffith  Gaunt,"  as  was  their  duty  and  privilege. 
They  also  claimed,  in  mitigation  of  damages  in  reference  to  the  al- 
legations, that  the  story  was  not  written  by  Mr.  Reade ;  that  it  is 
identical  in  all  prominent  features,  and  in  its  plot  and  distinguishing 
incidents,  with  other  stories  written  and  published  by  other  persons 
prior  to  the  publication  of  "  Griffith  Gaunt." 

The  counsel  of  Mr.  Reade  introduced  George  Vandenhoff,  the  act- 
or and  public  reader,  to  read  the  novel  of  "  Griffith  Gaunt"  to  the 
jury.-  It  was  a  novel  mode  of  bringing  the  descriptive  powers  of  the 
author  to  bear  upon  the  twelve  jurors  who  were  to  decide  the  case. 
It  was  an  improvement  on  the  Cooper  suits,  for  in  those  the  author 
appeared  in  person  as  his  own  counsel ;  but,  in  spite  of  the  supposed 
fascinations  of  "Griffith  Gaunt,"  the  jury  vindicated  the  rights  of 
the  Press  to  criticise  and  review  works  of  fiction. 

George  Augustus  Sala,  another  English  writer,  was  more  success- 
ful in  a  similar  case  at  home.  He  brought  an  action  for  libel  against 
the  publishers  of  "  Modern  Men  of  Letters  honestly  criticised." 
The  result  is  chronicled  in  this  way : 

In  summing  up  the  case  to  the  jury,  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  said  the  law,  as  laid 
down  by  Lord  Ellenborough,  was,  that  a  comment  on  a  literary  production,  ex- 
posing its  follies  and  errors,  and  holding  up  the  author  to  ridicule,  would  not  be 
deemed  to  be  a  libel,  provided  it  did  not  exceed  the  limits  of  fair  and  candid  crit- 
icism by  attacking  the  writer's  character.  Although  the  author  might  suffer  loss 
from  the  criticism,  the  law  did  not  consider  him  injured,  but  that  it  was  a  loss  he 
ought  to  sustain,  inasmuch  as  it  was  only  a  loss  of  time  and  profits  to  which  he 
was  not  fairly  entitled.  If  a  man  sitting  in  judgment,  or,  rather,  asking  the  pub- 
lic to  sit  in  judgment  on  any  given  work  which  the  writer  believed  had  a  mis- 
chievous tendency,  or  if  he  believed  it  calculated  to  pervert  or  vitiate  public  taste, 
and  to  be  injurious  to  the  literature  of  the  country,  it  had  been  held  by  Lord  El- 


750  Journalism  in  America. 

lenborough  to  be  privileged.  But  when  a  critic,  from  a  cruel  and  spiteful  dispo- 
sition, or  from  any  sinister  and  unworthy  motives,  took  the  opportunity  of  criti- 
cizing a  work  in  a  malevolent  or  malignant  manner,  in  order  to  pull  a  man  down 
from  the  pedestal  upon  which  his  public  reputation  and  fame  had  placed  him,  it 
was  not  privileged,  and  such  a  writer  was  liable  to  an  action  for  libel. 

Mr.  Sala  obtained  $2500  damages. 

The  mode  of  punishing  a  person  convicted  of  libel  in  Russia  is 
peculiar — actually  compelling  him  to  "eat  his  own  words."  It  is 
very  graphically  described  by  a  traveler  who  witnessed  the  scene  : 

While  I  was  at  Moscow  a  quarto  volume  was  published  in  vindication  of  the 
liberties  of  the  subject.  In  this  work  the  Czar  was  severely  scrutinized  and  freely 
blamed ;  the  iniquity  and  venality  of  the  administration  of  law  described  in  strong 
language. 

Such  a  book  in  such  a  country  naturally  attracted  general  notice,  and  the  of- 
fender was  taken  into  custody.  After  being  tried  in  a  summary  way,  his  produc- 
tion was  determined  to  be  a  libel,  and  the  writer  condemned  to  "  eat  his  own 
words." 

I  was  induced  to  see  this  singular  sentence  put  into  execution.  A  scaffold  was 
erected  in  one  of  the  most  public  streets  of  the  city ;  the  imperial  provost,  the 
magistrate,  the  physician  and  surgeon  of  the  Czar,  attended  ;  the  book  was  sepa- 
rated from  its  binding,  the  margin  cut  off,  and  every  leaf  rolled  up  into  the  form 
of  a  lottery  ticket  when  taken  out  of  the  wheel  at  Guildhall. 

The  author  was  then  served  with  them,  leaf  by  leaf,  by  the  provost — who  put 
them  into  his  mouth,  to  the  no  small  diversion  of  the  spectators — and  was  obliged 
to  swallow  this  unpalatable  food  on  pain  of  the  knout,  a  punishment  more  dread- 
ed than  death. 

When  the  medical  gentlemen  were  of  opinion  that  he  had  received  enough  into 
his  stomach,  as  much  as  was  at  one  time  consistent  with  safety,  the  transgressor 
was  sent  back  to  prison,  and  the  business  resumed  the  two  following  days.  After 
three  very  hearty  but  unpleasant  meals,  I  am  convinced,  by  ocular  proof,  that  ev- 
ery leaf  of  the  book  was  actually  swallowed. 

The  sketch  from  the  Herald  mentions  a  case  against  the  Volksbote 
of  Munich  in  1866.  There  was  a  similar  action  against  the  Zeitung 
of  Frankfort.  The  Prussian  government  was  the  complainant,  and 
the  responsible  editor  of  the  fitting  was  the  defendant.  The  bill 
of  indictment  charged  the  editor  with  criticising  the  merits  of  Gen- 
eral Manteuffel,  and  drawing  his  majesty  the  emperor  into  a  circle 
of  discussion  in  a  way  insulting  to  the  dignity  of  the  monarch.  Ac- 
cording to  the  journalist's  estimate  of  Manteuffel,  he  was  a  great  fa- 
vorite at  court,  and  to  this  favoritism  his  elevation  over  the  heads  of 
Von  Falkenstein  and  Von  Steinmetz  was  due.  The  emperor  had  a 
high  opinion  of  Manteuffel,  which  Moltke  and  Bismarck  could  not 
indorse.  Manteuffel  was  a  courtier,  not  a  soldier.  This  was  the 
treason  which  the  editor  uttered  in  the  plainest  kind  of  language. 
The  state  attorney  conducted  the  prosecution,  and  made  most  of 
the  material  at  his  disposal.  The  journalist,  however,  was  equal  to 
the  task,  and  contended  that  he  was  doing  a  patriotic  duty  in  the 
course  he  pursued.  He  believed  in  his  right  to  criticise  even  the 
emperor,  who  is  human  and  is  liable  to  err.  The  verdict  was  in  fa- 
vor of  the  editor,  and  he  was  declared  free. 

There  are  many  cases  scattered  through  the  records  of  the  courts 


The  Rights  of  the  Press.  751 

where  journalists  in  the  United  States,  without  malice,  and  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  duty,  have  made  mistakes,  and  have  been  prompt 
to  publish  suitable  corrections,  yet  they  have  been  prosecuted,  and 
sometimes  mulcted  in  heavy  damages  in  time  and  money  by  the  pe- 
culiar views  and  feelings  of  judges  and  juries  before  whom  the  cases 
were  brought.  Frequently  suits  are  instituted  by  worthless  char- 
acters, and  upon  the  merest  pretext,  for  the  purpose  of  extorting 
black-mail,  and  there  are  plenty  of  lawyers  who  are  always  ready  to 
aid  the  rascals.  Sometimes  timid  people  are  disposed  to  make  a 
compromise  rather  than  submit  to  the  annoyance  of  a  defense.  Very 
often  libel  suits  are  instituted  from  mere  malice,  and  when  there  is 
no  libel  at  all,  because,  under  the  present  law,  the  prosecutor  can 
punish  the  defendant  by  causing  him  heavy  costs,  even  though  the 
suit  goes  against  himself  in  the  end.  The  proprietors  and  editors 
of  newspapers  are  more  subject  than  any  other  people  to  unjust, 
costly,  and  annoying  suits  of  this  character.  We  hope  the  law  will 
be  amended  so  as  to  make  all  the  costs  fall  upon  the  prosecutor  if 
he  should  fail  to  substantiate  the  charge  of  libel,  and  to  hold  him  in 
bonds  both  to  do  this  and  to  compensate  the  defendant  in  case  the 
charge  should  prove  groundless  or  merely  malicious. 

There  was  an  important  case  against  the  Baltimore  American  in 
1869,  where  the  damages  were  laid  at  $10,000.  The  rights  of  the 
Press  in  this  instance  were  set  forth  by  Judge  Dobbin  as  follows  : 

Newspapers  exercise  an  overwhelming  influence  over  the  world,  and  they  are 
essential  to  the  welfare  of  mankind.  We  could  not  exist  without  them.  But  the 
public  is  interested  in  their  always  being  vigilant,  truthful,  and  discreet ;  the  pub- 
lic are  interested  in  the  welfare  of  newspapers,  and  it  is  for  the  court  to  consider 
how  much  discretion  was  used  in  their  publication.  The  testimony,  the  judge 
held,  showed  most  conclusively  that  outrages  had  been  committed  upon  succes- 
sive occasions  upon  the  passengers  traveling  through  the  city,  and  he  was  of  the 
opinion  that  newspapers  had  a  perfect  right  to  speak  and  comment  upon  the  oc- 
currences. But  why  these  outrages  were  not  prevented,  or  the  grievances  not  re- 
dressed, the  court  will  not  inquire,  as  it  does  not  intend  to  reflect  upon  the  offi- 
cers of  the  peace  then  in  power.  If  the  newspapers  are  not  protected  they  are 
deprived  of  all  benefit  to  the  community,  and  if  they  do  not  speak  out  in  cases 
where  the  public  are  interested,  then  they  fall  short  of  their  duty.  The  public  is 
always  ready  to  condemn  violence  and  say  crime  should  be  redressed,  and  it  is, 
therefore,  not  out  of  the  duty  of  a  newspaper  in  the  statement  of  public  acts  to 
color  highly  such  acts,  so  as  to  describe  and  point  out,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the 
probable  perpetrators  of  the  Outrage ;  all  these  things,  his  honor  held,  were  not 
only  right,  but  highly  meritorious.  The  counsel  for  the  plaintiff,  the  court  re- 
marked, might  argue  that  the  Press  had  no  right  to  charge  innocent  parties  with 
a  crime,  but  the  court  thought  that  there  might  be  cases  in  which  the  innocent 
might  possibly  be  called  to  suffer,  for  the  Press  has  run  the  risk  of  injuring  the 
innocent.  The  court  thought  this  was  the  justice  of  the  case,  and  cited  a  num- 
ber of  cases  in  point.  To  entitle  the  plaintiff  to  recover  in  this  action,  the  jury 
must  find  that  the  writings  set  out  in  the  declaration  were  published  by  the  de- 
fendants of  and  concerning  the  plaintiff.  But  if  they  shall  also  find  that  at,  or 
just  previous  to  the  time  of  said  publication,  the  peace  of  the  city  was  repeated- 
ly disturbed,  and  the  rights  of  private  persons  traveling  on  their  own  lawful  busi- 
ness between  Washington  and  Philadelphia  violently  and  unlawfully  invaded  and 
violated  by  evil-doers,  who  were  not  arrested  or  punished,  as  detailed  in  the  evi- 


75 2  Journalism  in  America. 

dence,  then  it  was  the  right  and  duty  of  the  defendants,  as  publishers  of  a  public 
newspaper,  to  publish  the  facts  which  came  to  their  knowledge  constituting  said 
crime,  and  to  comment  thereon  with  such  severity  of  rebuke  as  a  flagrant  breach 
of  the  peace  deserves;  and  such  statement  and  comments,  if  fairly  and  bona  fide 
made,  with  a  view  to  the  public  good,  were  privileged  communications,  free  from 
the  legal  presumption  of  malice  which  attends  a  libelous  communication  not  priv- 
ileged, and  the  plaintiff  is  not  entitled  to  recover. 

The  jury  awarded  $250  damages. 

In  a  libel  suit  against  a  newspaper  in  California  also,  in  1869, 
the  judge  ruled  that,  as  an  editorial  article  appeared  in  the  same 
paper  after  the  one  of  which  complaint  was  made  apologizing  for 
the  first,  and  averring  a  lack  of  all  malice,  the  allegations  might  be 
considered  as  proof  of  the  character  and  intent  of  the  first.  The 
jury,  under  this  ruling,  found  a  verdict  for  the  defendant. 

An  important  decision  was  made  in  a  libel  suit  in  New  Hamp- 
shire in  1869,  affecting  the  rights  of  journalists  in  protecting  the 
community  from  heartlessness  and  cruelty.  It  was  the  case  of  Da- 
vid R.  Ambrose  against  the  Daily  Chronicle,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H. 
The  plaintiff  was  charged  with  refusing  shelter  to  a  party  of  smelt 
fishermen  on  the  occasion  of  the  great  snow-storm  in  1867,  whereby 
they  were  subjected  to  great  suffering  and  narrow  escape  from 
death  by  exposure.  Judge  Doe  made  an  able  charge  to  the  jury, 
holding  that  the  defendant  had  a  right  to  publish  the  truth.  The 
jury  rendered  a  verdict  in  favor  of  the  journalist. 

All  public  debates  in  courts,  in  Congress,  in  Parliament,  in  pub- 
lic meetings,  and  freely  reported  by  the  Press,  are  free  from  re- 
sponsibility, so  far  as  the  Press  are  concerned.  This  is  common 
law;  yet,  as  late  as  1868,  a  case  occurred  in  London  in  which  the 
Times  was  the  defendant.  It  was  Wason  vs.  Walter.  The  Times 
was  sued  for  damages  for  the  publication  of  a  parliamentary  debate 
containing  language  injurious  to  the  personal  character  of  the  plaint- 
iff, and  the  case  was  brought  before  the  Court  of  Queen's  Bench. 
But  it  was  decided  against  the  plaintiff,  the  court  ruling  that  the 
complaint  was  not  actionable.  Our  papers  can  not  safely,  however, 
publish  police  reports  unless  in  a  most  qualified  manner.  One  or 
two  years  ago,  a  Chicago  paper  published  a  report  of  a  police  case. 
The  aggrieved  party  in  the  affair  brought  a  suit  for  libel  against  the 
editors,  and  obtained  a  verdict  of  $7500.  The  editors  of  the  paper 
showed  that  the  publication  was  made  against  their  express  direc- 
tions ;  that  it  appeared  through  the  negligence  of  the  reporter  and 
foreman  of  the  office,  and  that  every  retraction  possible  was  made 
after  its  publication.  These  pleas  ought  to  have  had  some  effect 
upon  a  jury,  and  no  doubt  they  would  have  had  if  the  paper  in  ques- 
tion had  exhibited  a  little  better  taste  in  its  manner  of  reporting  the 
trial.  Motive  was  shown  there,  if  not  in  the  original  publication. 


The  State  Constitutions  and  the  Press.        753 

There  is  a  bill  before  the  Illinois  Legislature  to  meet  just  such 
cases  as  this  one.  It  provides  that  the  newspapers  may  publish  the 
proceedings  or  evidence  given  in  courts  and  before  coroner's  juries 
without  being  subject  to  damages  in  libel  suits,  and  that  journalists 
may  plead  in  justification  that  these  matters  are  published  without 
malice,  and  that  retraction  was  made. 

We  will  cite  two  more  actions. 

One  was  the  celebrated  opera  libel  suit  against  the  New  York 
Herald.  It  grew  out  of  criticisms  on  the  opera.  After  a  prolonged 
and  exciting  trial,  the  jury  rendered  a  verdict  of  $10,000  against  the 
editor.  One  of  the  jury  made  the  remark  that  the  editor  was  rich 
and  the  opera  manager  poor,  and  that  the  former  would  not  feel  the 
loss  of  the  money.  On  placing  this  fact  before  the  judge  a  new 
trial  was  granted.  The  next  verdict  was  $6000. 

The  other  was  against  the  same  paper.  In  the  financial  revul- 
sion of  1837,  that  journal  originated  the  idea  in  this  country  of  pub- 
lishing the  names  of  commercial  failures.  Such  publications  were 
made  in  England,  and  were  of  great  value  to  the  commercial  com- 
munity. Such  publications,  however,  were  not  known  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic.  The  Herald,  in  its  effort  to  do  its  duty  as  a  public 
journal,  undertook  to  publish  such  lists.  One  of  them  appeared  on 
the  morning  of  the  departure  of  a  packet  for  England.  It  con- 
tained the  name  of  a  very  respectable  auction  and  commission  house 
in  New  York.  But  this  house  had  not  failed.  Another  merchant, 
nearly  of  the  same  name,  and  representing  another  house,  had  sus- 
pended. Here  was  the  cause  for  action.  Notwithstanding  that  the 
paper  made  the  necessary  correction  on  the  following  morning,  a 
criminal  suit  was  immediately  instituted,  and,  after  an  exciting  trial, 
the  editor  was  convicted,  but,  instead  of  imprisonment,  was  fined  $500. 

Now  what  is  to  be  done  in  face  of  all  these  facts  ? 

The  Constitutions  of  the  several  states  have,  at  divers  times,  em- 
phatically recognized  the  liberty  of  the  Press,  and  one  would  sup- 
pose that  these  articles  and  these  sections  had  become  the  organic 
law  of  the  land.  They  are  so,  indeed ;  but  judges  and  juries  are 
the  final  interpreters,  and  on  them  depend  the  result  in  all  libel  suits 
in  the  country.  We  append  the  sections  of  the  several  state  Con- 
stitutions bearing  on  this  important  point : 

NEW  YORK. — The  Constitution  of  New  York,  1846,  Art.  r,  §  8,  provides  that 
"  every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects, 
being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  the  right,  and  no  law  shall  be  passed  to  re- 
strain the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  or  in- 
dictments for  libel  the  truth  may  be  given  in  evidence  to  the  jury,  and  if  it  shall 
appear  to  the  jury  that  the  matter  charged  as  libelous  is  true,  and  was  published 
with  good  motives  and  for  justifiable  ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted,  and  the 
jury  shall  have  the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  fact."  The  same  provision 
existed  in  the  Constitution  of  1821,  Art.  7,  §  8. 

B  B  B 


754  Journalism  in  America. 

MAINE. — The  Constitution  of  Maine,  1819,  provides  that  "every  citizen  may 
freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  any  subject,  being  responsible 
for  the  abuse  of  this  liberty.  No  laws  shall  be  passed  regulating  or  restraining  the 
freedom  of  the  Press  ;  and  in  prosecutions  for  any  publications  respecting  the  offi- 
cial conduct  of  men  in  public  capacity,  or  the  qualifications  of  those  who  are  candi- 
dates for  the  suffrages  of  the  people,  or  where  the  matter  published  is  for  public  in- 
formation, the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence,  and  in  all  indictments  for 
libel,  the  jury,  after  having  received  the  direction  of  the  Court,  shall  have  a  right 
to  determine  at  their  discretion  the  law  and  the  fact." — Art.  i,  §  4. 

MASSACHUSETTS. — The  Constitution  of  Massachusetts,  1780,  provides  that  "the 
liberty  of  the  Press  is  essential  to  the  security  of  freedom  in  a  state  ;  it  ought  not, 
therefore,  to  be  restrained  in  this  commonwealth." — Part  I,  §  16.  Compare  with 
2  De  Lolme,  959,  by  Stephens. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE. — The  Constitution  of  New  Hampshire,  1782,  provides  that 
'•'•the  liberty  of  the  Press  is  essential  to  the  security  of  freedom  in  a  state  ;  it  ought, 
therefore,  to  be  inviolably  preserved." — Part  i,  §  22. 

VERMONT. — The  Constitution  of  Vermont,  1793,  provides  that  "  the  people  have 
a  right  to  a  freedom  of  speech,  and  of  writing  and ptiblishing  their  sentiments  con- 
cerning the  transactions  of  government,  and  therefore  the  freedom  of  the  Press  ought 
not  to  be  restrained.'1'' — Chap.  I,  Art.  13. 

RHODE  ISLAND. — The  Constitution  of  R.  Island,  1842,  provides  that,  "the  liber- 
ty of  the  Press  being  essential  to  the  security  of  freedom  in  a  state,  any  person  may 
publish  his  sentiments  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty ; 
and  in  all  trials  for  libel,  both  civil  and  criminal,  the  truth,  imless  published  through 
malicious  motives,  shall  be  stifficient  defense  to  the  person  charged." — Art.  I,  §  2O. 

CONNECTICUT. — The  Constitution  of  Connecticut,  1818,  provides  that  "every 
citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being 
responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  Aro  law  shall  ever  be  passed  to  control  or 
restrain  the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  prosecutions  or  indictments 
for  libel  the  truth  may  be  given  in  evidence,  and  the  jury  shall  have  a  right  to 
determine  the  law  and  the  facts  under  the  direction  of  the  Court."  —  Art.  i,  § 

5.  6,  7- 

NEW  JERSEY. — The  Constitution  of  New  Jersey,  1844,  provides  that  "every  per- 
son may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  re- 
sponsible for  the  abuse  of  that  right.  No  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain  or  abridge 
the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  prosecutions  or  indictments  for  libel 
the  truth  may  be  given  in  evidence  to  the  jury,  and  if  it  shall  appear  to  the  jury 
that  the  matter  charged  as  libelous  is  true,  and  was  published  with  good  motives 
and  for  justifiable  ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted,  and  the  jury  shall  have  the 
right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  fact." — Art.  i,  §  5. 

PENNSYLVANIA. — The  Constitution  of  Pennsylvania,  1838,  provides  that  "the 
printing-presses  shall  be  free  to  every  person  who  undertakes  to  examine  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Legislature  or  any  branch  of  government,  and  no  law  shall  ever  be 
made  to  restrain  the  right  thereof.  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opin- 
ions is  one  of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  any  citizen  may  freely  speak, 
write,  and  print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  In 
prosecutions  for  the  publication  of  papers  investigating  the  official  conduct  of  public 
officers,  or  men  in  a  public  capacity,  or  when  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  pub- 
lic information,  the  truth  may  be  given  in  evidence ;  and  in  all  indictments  for 
libel  the  jury  have  the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Court,  as  in  other  cases." — Art.  9,  §  7. 

DELAWARE. — The  Constitution  of  Delaware,  1831,  provides  that  "the  Press 
shall  be  free  to  every  person  who  undertakes  to  examine  the  official  conduct  of  nrcn 
acting  in  a  public  capacity,  and  any  citizen  may  print  on  any  subject,  being  respon- 
sible for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  /;/  prosecutions  for  publications  investigating 
the  proceedings  of  officers,  or  where  the  matter  printed  is  proper  for  public  informa- 
tion, the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence,  and  in  all  indictments  for  libel  the 
jury  may  determine  the  facts  and  the  law  as  in  other  cases." — Art.  I,  §  5. 

MARYLAND. — The  Declaration  of  Rights  of  Maryland,  Aug.  14,  1776,  provides 
that  "the  liberty  of  the  Press  ought  to  be  inviolably  preserved." — §  38. 

VIRGINIA. — The  Declaration  of  Rights  of  Virginia,  June  12, 1776,  confirmed  by 
the  Constitution  of  1830,  Art.  I,  provides  that  "the  freedom  of  the  Press  is  one  of 


Constitutional  Rights  of  Editors.  755 

the  great  bulwarks  of  liberty,  and  can  never  be  restrained  but  by  despotic  govern- 
ments."— §  12. 

NORTH  CAROLINA. — The  Declaration  of  Rights  of  North  Carolina,  December 
18,  1776,  provides  that  "the  freedom  of  the  Press  is  one  of  the  great  bulwarks  of 
liberty,  and  therefore  ought  never  to  be  restrained." — §  1.5. 

GEORGIA. — The  Constitution  of  Georgia,  1798,  provides  that  "the  freedom  of 
the  Press  as  heretofore  used  in  this  state  shall  remain  inviolate." — Art.  4,  §  5- 

KENTUCKY. — The  Constitution  of  Kentucky,  1799,  provides  that  "printing- 
presses  shall  be  free  to  every  person  who  undertakes  to  examine  the  proceedings  of 
the  Legislature  or  any  branch  of  government,  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made  to  re- 
strain the  right  thereof  *  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions  is  one 
of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  or  print 
on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  In  prosecutions 
for  the  publication  of  papers  investigating  the  official  conduct  of  the  officers  or  men 
in  a  public  capacity,  or  where  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  public  information, 
the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence.  And  in  all  indictments  for  libel  the 
jury  shall  have  the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Court,  as  in  other  cases." — Art.  10,  §  7-8. 

TENNESSEE. — The  Constitution  of  Tennessee,  1834,  provides  that  "the  printing- 
presses  shall  be  free  to  every  one  who  undertakes  to  examine  the  proceedings  of  the 
Legislature,  or  of  any  branch  or  officer  of  government,  and  no  law  shall  be  made  to 
restrain  the  right  thereof.  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions  is 
one  of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  any  citizen  may  freely  speak,,  write,  and 
print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  But  in  pros- 
ecutions for  the  publication  of  papers  investigating  the  official  conduct  of  officers  or 
men  in  a  public  capacity,  the  trtith  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence.  And  in  all 
indictments  for  libel  the  jury  have  a  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  un- 
der the  direction  of  the  Court,  as  in  other  criminal  cases." — Art.  I,  §  19. 

OHIO. — The  Constitution  of  Ohio,  1802,  provides  that  "the  printing-presses 
shall  be  open  and  free  to  every  citizen  who  wishes  to  examine  the  proceedings  of  any 
branch  of  government,  or  the  conduct  of  any  public  officer,  and  no  law  shall  ever 
restrain  the  right  thereof.  Every  citizen  has  an  indisputable  right  to  speak,  write, 
or  print  upon  any  subject  as  he  thinks  proper,  being  liable  for  the  abuse  of  that 
liberty.  In  prosecutions  for  any  publication  respecting  the  official  conduct  of  men  in 
any  public  capacity,  or  where  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  piiblic  information, 
the  truth  thereof  may  always  be  given  in  evidence,  and  in  all  indictments  for  libel 
the  jury  have  a  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Court,  as  in  other  cases." — Art.  8,  §  6. 

INDIANA. — The  Constitution  of  Indiana,  1816,  provides  that  "the  printing- 
presses  shall  be  free  to  every  person  who  undertakes  to  examine  the  proceedings  of  the 
Legislature  or  any  branch  of  government,  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made  to  restrain 
the  right  thereof .  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions  is  one  of  the 
invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  print  on 
any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  In  prosecutions  for 
the  publication  of  papers  investigating  the  official  conduct  of  officers  or  men  in  a 
public  capacity,  or  where  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  public  information, 
the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence,  and  in  all  indictments  for  libel  the 
jury  have  a  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Court,  as  in  other  cases." — Art.  i,  §  9-10. 

LOUISIANA. — The  Constitution  of  Louisiana,  1812,  provides  that  "printing- 
presses  shall  be  free  to  every  person  who  undertakes  to  examine  the  proceedings  of 
the  Legislature  or  any  branch  of  government,  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made  to  re- 
strain the  use  thereof.  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions  is  one 
of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and 
print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty." — Art.  6,  §  21. 
And  the  amended  Constitution  of  that  state,  1845,  provides  :  "  The  Press  shall  be 
free.  Every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all 
subjects,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  this  liberty." — Table  6,  Art.  1 10. 

MISSISSIPPI. — The  Constitution  of  Mississippi  provides  "that  every  citizen  may 
freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsible  for 
the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  No  lam  shall  ever  be  passed  to  control  or  restrain  the  lib- 
trty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  prosecutions  or  indictments  for  libel  the 


756  Journalism  in  America. 

truth  may  be  given  in  evidence,  and  if  it  shall  appear  to  the  jury  that  the  matter 
charged  as  libelous  is  true,  and  was  published  with  good  motives  and  for  justifia- 
ble ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted,  and  the  jury  shall  have  the  right  to  deter- 
mine the  law  and  the  fact." — Art.  I,  §  6,  7, 8. 

ILLINOIS.  —  The  Constitution  oi  Illinois,  1818,  provides  that  "the  printing- 
presses  shall  be  free  to  every  person  -who  undertakes  to  examine  the  proceedings  of 
the  General  Assembly,  or  any  branch  of  government,  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made 
to  restrain  the  right  thereof.  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions 
is  one  of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write, 
or  print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  In  pros- 
ecutions for  the  publication  of  papers  investigating  the  official  conduct  of  officers  or 
men  acting  in  a  political  capacity,  or  where  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  public 
information,  the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence  ;  and  in  all  indictments  for 
libel  the  jury  may  have  the  right  of  determining  both  the  law  and  the  fact,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Court,  as  in  other  cases." — Art.  8,  §  22,  23. 

ALABAMA. — The  Constitution  of  Alabama,  1819,  provides  that  "every  citizen 
may  freely  speak,  write,  or  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsible 
for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty." — Art.  I,  §  8. 

MISSOURI. — The  Constitution  of  Missouri,  1820,  provides  fta&"  the  free  com- 
munication of  thoughts  and  opinions  is  one  of  the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  that 
every  person  may  speak,  write,  or  print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the 
abuse  of  that  liberty ;  and  that  in  all  prosecutions  for  libel  the  truth  thereof  may 
be  given  in  evidence,  and  the  jury  may  determine  the  law  and  the  facts  under  the 
direction  of  the  Court" — Art.  I,  §  16.  And  the  amended  Constitution  of  the  state, 
1845,  provides  that  "the  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions  is  one  of 
the  invaluable  rights  of  man,  and  that  every  person  may  freely  speak,  write,  and 
print  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty ;  and  in  all 
prosecutions  for  libel  the  truth  thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence,  and  the  jury  may 
determine  the  law  and  the  facts  under  the  direction  of  the  Court." — Art.  2,  §  16. 

MICHIGAN. — The  Constitution  of  Michigan,  1835,  provides  that  "  every  person 
may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsi- 
ble for  the  abuse  of  that  right,  and  no  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain  or  abridge 
the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  prosecutions  or  indictments  for  libel 
the  truth  may  be  given  in  evidence  to  the  jury,  and  if  it  shall  appear  to  the  jury 
that  the  matter  charged  as  libelous  is  true,  and  was  published  with  good  inten- 
tions and  for  justifiable  ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted,  and  the  jury  shall  have 
the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts." — Art  I,  §  7.  See  also  Art.  6,  §  25 
of  Constitution  of  1850. 

ARKANSAS. — The  Constitution  of  Arkansas,  1836,  provides  that  "  the  printing- 
press  shall  be  free  to  every  person,  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  made  to  restrain  the 
rights  thereof.  The  free  communication  of  thoughts  and  opinions  is  one  of  the  inval- 
uable rights  of  man,  and  every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  print  on  any 
subject,  being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  liberty.  In  prosecutions  for  the 
publication  of  papers  investigating  the  official  conduct  of  officers  or  men  in  public 
capacity,  or  where  the  matter  published  is  proper  for  public  information,  the  truth 
thereof  may  be  given  in  evidence  ;  and  in  all  indictments  for  libel,  the  jury  have 
the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  facts." — Art.  2,  §  7,  8. 

FLORIDA. — The  Constitution  of  Florida,  1838,  provides  that  "every  citizen  may 
freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsible  for 
the  abuse  of  that  liberty  ;  and  no  law  shall  ez<er  be  passed  to  curtail,  abridge,  or  re- 
strain the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press." — Art  I,  §  5- 

TEXAS. — The  Constitution  of  Texas,  1845,  provides  that  "every  citizen  shall  be 
at  liberty  to  speak,  write,  or  publish  his  opinions  on  any  subject,  being  responsible  for 
the  abuse  of  that  privilege;  and  no  law  shall  ever  be  passed  curtailing  the  liberty  of 
speech  or  of  the  Press." — Art  I,  §  5. 

IOWA. — The  Constitution  for  the  State  of  Iowa  of  1846  provides  that  "every 
person  may  speak,  write,  or  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects,  being  responsi- 
ble for  the  abuse  of  that  right.  A7»  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain  the  liberty  of 
speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  prosecutions  of  indictments  for  libel  the  truth  may 
be  given  in  evidence  to  the  jury,  and  if  it  appear  to  the  jury  that  the  matter 
charged  as  libelous  is  true,  and  was  published  with  good  motives  and  for  justifia- 
ble ends,  the  party  shall  be  acquitted." — Art  2,  §  7. 


A  National  Law  of  Libel.  757 

CALIFORNIA. — In  the  Constitution  of  California,  Art.  i,  §  9,  it  is  provided  that 
"every  citizen  may  freely  speak,  write,  and  publish  his  sentiments  on  all  subjects, 
being  responsible  for  the  abuse  of  that  right ;  and  no  law  shall  be  passed  to  restrain 
or  abridge  the  liberty  of  speech  or  of  the  Press.  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  or  in- 
dictments for  libel  the  truth  may  be  given  in  evidence  to  the  jury,  and  if  it  shall 
appear  to  the  jury  that  the  matter  charged  as  libelous  is  true,  and  was  published 
with  good  motives  and  for  justifiable  ends,  then  the  party  shall  be  acquitted,  and 
the  jury  shall  have  the  right  to  determine  the  law  and  the  fact." 

To-day  the  newspapers  are  filled  with  personal  allusions,  and  all 
sorts  of  charges  are  made  against  individuals  and  office-holders. 
Some  of  them  are  of  a  very  serious  character.  These  charges  are 
against  presidents  and  politicians,  lawyers  and  lobbyists,  clergymen 
and  choirs,  counsel  and  clients,  brokers  and  bankers.  Notes  of  cor- 
rection are  sometimes  published.  No  other  notice  is  taken  of  many 
of  them.  Still,  the  Herald  says,  there  are  nearly  a  thousand  suits 
pending,  with  $50,000,000  in  damages  depending  on  the  result. 

Let  us  have  a  national  law  of  libel — a  national  code  that  will 
benefit  alike  the  Press  and  the  public.  That  will  be  a  step  in  the 
right  direction. 


758  Journalism  in  America. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 
THE  CASH  VALUE  OF  NEWSPAPERS. 

VALUES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  —  SALE  OF  THE  BULLETIN  IN  PHILADEL- 
PHIA AT  PUBLIC  AUCTION.  —  OFFERS  FOR  THE  NEW  YORK  HERALD  AND 
TIMES. — MILLIONAIRES  IN  NEWSPAPERS  AND  DRY  GOODS. 

VALUES  in  the  United  States  are  now  somewhat  fabulous.  Stores 
in  New  York  rent  for  $50,000  to  $100,000  per  annum  —  hotels  for 
the  same.  One  enterprising  merchant  lives  in  a  palace  on  the 
Fifth  Avenue  costing  a  million  of  dollars.  Haifa  million  is  offered 
for  the  country  residence  of  the  leading  New  York  editor.  One  of 
the  brokers  who  failed  in  the  famous  corner  on  gold  in  Wall  Street, 
in  the  fall  of  1869,  owned  a  country  seat  valued  at  $800,000,  and  on 
the  improvement  of  which  he  was  contemplating  an  expenditure 
of  a  million.  Another  Wall  Street  financier  visits  Europe  in  a 
steam  yacht  Another  editor  owns  pleasure-horses  to  the  value  of 
$150,000,  and  offers  $100,000  for  a  single  animal  that  can  beat  the 
fastest  time  of  the  famous  Dexter.  It  is  no  uncommon  occurrence 
to  see  $100,000  worth  of  oil  paintings  enriching  the  walls  of  private 
residences  in  the  metropolis.  Sir  Morton  Peto,  who  failed  in  1867 
for  $35,000,000,  and  James  M'Henry,  said  that  operators  could  not 
now  afford  time  to  talk  of  thousands — millions  were  the  figures. 
Newspaper  offices  are  now  in  buildings  costing,  including  the  land, 
from  $100,000  to  $1,000,000,  and  owned,  too,  by  the  newspaper 
proprietors  themselves.  Thirty  years  ago  one  or  two  of  these  pa- 
pers were  started  on  a  borrowed  capital  of  $500,  and  transacted 
their  business  in  cellars.  This  array  of  rich  facts  was  suggested 
by  the  sale  of  a  second  or  third  class  newspaper — of  its  rights  and 
its  property,  the  press,  the  engine  and  boiler,  the  type,  and  the  ma- 
terials, in  Philadelphia,  on  the  ist  of  February,  1865.  The  journal 
was  the  Evening  Bulletin.  The  terms  were  cash.  The  sale  is  thus 
described  in  the  Age : 

At  the  appointed  hour  for  the  sale,  a  large  attendance  of  spectators  assembled 
at  the  office  of  the  establishment,  among  them  being  representatives  from  nearly 
every  publication  in  Philadelphia.  The  terms  of  the  sale  were  announced,  and 
the  bidding  commenced.  The  first  bid  was  made  by  George  W.  Childs,  Esq., 
proprietor  of  the  Public  Ledger,  for  $50,000.  This  was  followed  by  a  bid  of 
$51,000  from  Gibson  Peacock,  editor,  and  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the  paper. 
Mr.  John  T.  Money  bid  $52,000,  followed  by  Mr.  Peacock  again  with  $1000  bet- 
ter. The  contest  here  narrowed  down  to  Messrs.  Peacock  and  Money,  who,  bid- 
ding one  thousand  each  on  each  successive  bid,  ran  the  sum  up  to  $65,000.  Here 


Offers  for  New  York  Journals.  759 

Mr.  Peacock  dropped  off,  and  Messrs.  Cummings  and  Chambers,  also  stockhold- 
ers in  the  concern,  commenced  bidding.  The  amount  was  run  up  to  $88,000, 
when  Mr.  Money  made  the  last  bid  by  adding  an  additional  thousand,  footing  up 
$89,000.  Here  all  competition  ceased,  and  the  paper  was  accordingly  "  knocked 
down"  at  $89,000. 

"Who's  the  purchaser?"  inquired  Mr. Freeman, the  auctioneer. 

"  Gibson  Peacock,  sir,"  responded  Mr.  Money. 

This  took  every  one  by  surprise,  as  Messrs.  Money  and  Peacock  had,  from  the 
first,  bid  against  each  other,  and  the  latter  had  dropped  off  at  $65,000,  leading  to 
the  belief  that  this  was  the  extent  of  his  pile. 

Newspaper  property  is  peculiar  in  its  value.  If  the  material 
alone  of  the  Evening  Bulletin  were  sold,  it  would  not  have  brought 
over  $20,000.  But  the  character  of  the  paper,  its  circulation,  its 
advertising  patronage,  its  reputation,  sometimes  dependent  upon 
the  life  and  health  of  one  man,  were  what  run  the  price  up  to  the 
point  indicated ;  and,  as  the  establishment  was  bought  by  its  edi- 
tor, with  a  full  knowledge  of  its  value,  it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  the 
price  paid  was  not  too  high.  Thus  a  newspaper  in  Philadelphia, 
and  by  no  means  a  leading  one  in  that  city,  brings  almost  as  much 
at  auction  as  was  paid  in  the  fall  of  1869  for  the  Journal  des  Debats, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  influential  journals  in  Paris,  where  news- 
papers are  as  necessary  as  the  opera  or  a  glass  of  absinthe.  But 
we  do  not  give  this  instance  as  a  complete  illustration  of  the  value 
of  newspapers  in  the  United  States  ;  it  is  only  a  public  instance,  a 
forced  instance  under  the  hammer.  The  Morning  Call,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, at  private  sale,  brought  over  $100,000,  and  the  Cincinnati 
Times  $135,000.  Two  years  after  the  New  York  Tribune  was  turned 
into  a  stock  concern  at  $1000  per  share,  sales  were  made  at  $3500, 
and  $10,000  is  now  the  quotation.  One  million  of  dollars  have  been 
several  times  offered  for  the  New  York  Herald,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1869  ten  gentlemen  subscribed  $200,000  each,  and  two  others 
$100,000  each  for  the  purchase  of  the  Herald,  and  that  large  sum, 
$2,200,000,  was  refused.  We  have  seen  it  stated  that  $800,000  had 
been  refused  for  the  New  York  Times.  Thirty-four  shares  were  re- 
cently sold  for  $375,000,  making  the  total  value  of  the  concern 
$1,100,000. 

None  of  the  valuable  newspapers  are  more  than  thirty-five  years 
old.  Very  few  journals  reach  a  century  in  age.  More  newspa- 
pers die  than  live ;  yet  journalism  is  becoming  permanent  as  a  pro- 
fession in  the  United  States,  although,  to  the  present  time,  prop- 
erty in  newspapers  has  been  uncertain  and  precarious.  Where  is 
the  Globe,  the  thunderer  of  Jackson's  administration?  Where  is 
the  National  Intelligencer,  that  controlled  the  destinies  of  the  great 
Whig  Party  ?  Where  is  the  Boston  Atlas  ?  the  Courier  and  En- 
quirer?  Where  are  hundreds  of  journals  that  made  their  mark  on 
the  public  mind  within  a  short  space  of  time  ?  All  gone.  Where 


760  Journalism  in  America. 

is  the  power  and  influence  of  the  Albany  Argus,  2c&&  Richmond  En- 
quirer, and  Ohio  Statesman  to-day  ?  Yet,  in  the  face  of  hundreds 
of  instances  like  these  of  the  precarious  character  of  newspaper  in- 
fluence and  newspaper  property,  these  large  sums  are  offered  and 
refused  for  establishments  like  the  New  York  Herald  and  New  York 
Times. 

But  these  values  thus  set  upon  newspapers  are  not  unreasonable, 
after  all,  when  we  see  the  stock  values  of  our  railroads  and  tele- 
graph lines.  If  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  can  safely  represent 
$100,000,000  in  stock,  and  sell  for  $25  above  par;  if  the  Erie  Rail- 
road Company  can  be  swelled  to  a  similar  amount  in  bonds  and 
shares ;  and  if  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  can  carry  its 
capital  to  $42,000,000,  it  is  not  a  wild  investment  to  pay  $2,000,000, 
or  even  $5,000,000,  for  an  established  journal  like  the  Herald;  and, 
in  this  view,  Sir  Morton  Peto  and  James  M'Henry  were  certainly 
not  far  out  of  the  way  in  saying  that  we  now  talk  of  millions,  and 
can  not  waste  our  time  on  thousands.  Gerard  Halleck,  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce,  died  worth  a 
quarter  of  a  million ;  Moses  Y.  Beach,  of  the  Sun,  left  over  three 
hundred  thousand  dollars ;  Henry  J.  Raymond,  of  the  New  York 
Times,  left  nearly  half  a  million  ;  Charles  O.  Rogers,  of  the  Boston 
Journal,  died  worth  a  million  and  a  half;  William  M.  Swain,  of  the 
Philadelphia  Ledger,  left  three  millions  ;  James  Gordon  Bennett,  we 
see  it  stated,  left  five  millions ;  and  Charles  Starbuck,  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Times,  died  worth  three  quarters  of  a  million.  George  Pea- 
body,  in  government  stocks ;  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  in  steam-boats 
and  railroads  ;  and  Alexander  T.  Stewart,  in  silks  and  calicoes,  have 
made  more  money,  but  we  must  remember  that  newspapers  in  this 
country  are  yet  in  their  infancy  as  profitable  property. 


Duels  of  Editors.  761 


CHAPTER  LV. 
THE   DUELS   OF   EDITORS. 

ASSAULTS  AND  ASSASSINATIONS. — THE  CODE  OF  HONOR  AMONG  JOURNALISTS. 
— SEVERAL  EXTRAORDINARY  DUELS.  —  STATE  OF  FEELING  AT  THE  SOUTH 
SINCE  THE  REBELLION. 

ONE  would  imagine,  from  the  preceding  chapter,  that  editors  lived 
"  'mid  pleasures  and  palaces ;"  but  what  a  mistaken  idea  such  a 
financial  exhibit  gives  to  the  reader ! 

There  are  pleasures,  and  palaces,  and  pains,  and  penalties,  and 
privations  connected  with  the  editorial  profession  as  with  all  others 
under  the  sun.  The  life  of  a  journalist  has  its  fascinations  as  well 
as  its  fatalisms.  Assassinations,  duels,  and  assaults  have  not  been 
infrequent  with  the  editorial  corps.  Some  have  been  murdered  out- 
right, some  have  been  killed  in  accordance  with  the  code  of  honor, 
and  many  have  been  violently  assaulted  for  words  uttered  in  their 
columns. 

Many  of  these  peculiar  incidents  are  recorded  in  their  proper 
places  in  these  sketches  where  the  journals  affected  by  them  are 
mentioned.  Others  we  include  in  this  separate  chapter. 

Editors  have  it  in  their  power  to  settle  their  differences  in  their 
respective  journals,  as  members  of  Congress  have  the  floor  of  the 
Senate  or  House  where  they  can  cool  off  their  heated  sentiments. 
When  an  editor  unfairly  reflects  on  the  character  and  acts  of  those 
outside  of  his  office,  the  law  steps  in  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  in- 
jured individual.  When  a  member  of  Congress  stands  behind  the 
right  of  debate,  and  assails  any  one  not  entitled  to  reply,  as  in  the 
case  of  Henry  Clay  and  John  Randolph,  it  has  been  the  custom  to 
resort  to  the  code  of  honor.  Sometimes  the  two  classes  become  in- 
volved, as  in  the  duel  of  Graves  and  Cilley,  arising  from  a  challenge 
of  Colonel  Webb,  of  the  New  York  Courier  and  Enquirer,  to  the  latter, 
for  words  spoken  in  debate  ;  and,  in  connection  with  this  point,  we 
find  the  subjoined  note,  in  the  sixth  volume  of  Calhoun's  works,  in- 
troducing two  political  essays,  entitled  "  Onslow"  and  "  Patrick  Hen- 
ry," on  the  powers  of  the  Vice-president  as  President  of  the  Senate  : 

The  following  correspondence  grew  out  of  the  failure  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate,  to  call  Mr.  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  to  order  during  the  deliv- 
ery of  his  celebrated  retrenchment  speech,  in  which  he  indulged  in  certain  re- 
marks highly  offensive  to  the  administration,  and  especially  Mr.  J.  Q.  Adams  (the 


762  Journalism  in  America. 

President)  and  Mr.  Clay,  his  Secretary  of  State.  The  former  resorted  to  the  news- 
papers under  the  signature  of  "  Patrick  Henry,"  and  arraigned  the  Vice-president 
(Mr.  Calhoun)  for  neglect  of  duty,  while  the  latter  appealed  to  the  duello,  and 
called  Mr.  Randolph  to  the  field.  The  letters  of  "  Onslow"  (Mr.  Calhoun)  con- 
tain, in  a  brief  space,  a  clear  and  forcible  exposition  of  the  power  of  the  President 
of  the  Senate  in  questions  of  order. 

Although  the  friends  of  Mr.  Adams  denied  that  he  was  the  au- 
thor of  "Patrick  Henry,"  yet  the  incident  thus  recorded  is  a  very 
fair  illustration  of  the  mode  of  treating  such  a  matter  at  the  North 
and  South — one  by  appealing  through  the  Press  to  the  judgment 
of  the  public,  and  the  other  through  the  pistol-barrel  to  the  puhc- 
tillo  of  a  barbarous  code,  carrying  the  matter  to  the  final  tribunal, 
where  the  survivor  of  a  fatal  duel  may  never  appear. 

Where  a  duel  did  not  result  from  the  comments  of  editors  on  the 
conduct  of  members  of  Congress,  cowardly  assaults  were  made  in 
two  or  three  instances.  In  describing  the  attack  made  upon  Sena- 
tor Sumner,  of  Massachusetts,  by  Mr.  Brooks,  of  South  Carolina, 
General  Webb,  in  a  letter  to  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  on  the  24th 
of  May,  1856,  said: 

And  if  any  other  illustration  of  the  truth  of  my  position  may  be  required  than 
that  to  which  I  have  referred,  let  me  instance  the  occurrences  of  the  kind  alluded 
to  within  the  last  five  months,  which  have  happened  here  in  the  capital  of  the  na- 
tion, and  in  which  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  have  been  the  prin- 
cipal actors.  I  confine  the  record  to  them  alone. 

First,  then,  William  Smith,  an  ex-Governor  of  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives,  assailed  and  beat  the  editor  of  the  Evening 
Star  in  December  last,  in  the  lobby  of  the  House. 

Second,  Albert  Rusk,  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  from  Arkansas, 
assailed  and  beat  the  editor  of  the  New  York  Tribune  in  the  grounds  of  the  Cap- 
itol immediately  after  leaving  the  House  of  Representatives. 

The  killing  of  an  Irish  waiter  at  Willard's  by  Congressman  Her- 
bert, of  California,  in  addition  to  the  assault  on  Senator  Sumner, 
was  also  cited.  General  Webb  then  adds  that — 

Greeley  carried  a  revolver  during  the  latter  part  of  his  sojourn  here,  and  then, 
and  then  only,  even  he  was  no  longer  molested  ;  and  since  the  brutal  assault  on  Mr. 
Sumner,  two  thirds  of  the  anti-Nebraska  members  of  Congress,  and  all  who  claim 
and  exercise  the  right  of  free  speech  as  distinct  from  abusive  language,  or  a  bul- 
lying, threatening  manner,  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  time  has  come 
when  it  is  a  duty  they  owe  alike  to  themselves  and  to  the  country  to  assert,  and, 
if  necessary,  to  vindicate  this  great  constitutional  privilege,  and  to  be  in  a  situa- 
tion at  all  times  effectually  to  protect  themselves  from  the  bully  and  assassin. 

The  Vicksburg (M\ss.)  Sentinel,  of  all  the  newspapers  in  the  coun- 
try, appeared  to  have  been  the  most  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  se- 
rious street  encounters  and  fatal  duels.  It  was  established  as  a 
daily  paper  in  January,  1836,  and  its  editor  immediately  showed 
considerable  vigor  and  boldness  in  his  editorial  course.  Its  first 
editor  to  make  his  mark  was  Dr.  James  Hagan.  He  was  a  small- 
sized,  mild-mannered,  amiable  man  in  social  intercourse.  After  com- 
pleting his  medical  education  in  Philadelphia,  he  went  South  and 
became  an  editor.  Summers  he  would  visit  the  North.  In  the  cri- 


The  Vicksburg  Sentinel.  763 

sis  of  i837~'38  there  was  quite  a  controversy  in  that  paper  growing 
out  of  cotton  speculations,  which  led  to  one  or  two  duels.  In  1838, 
after  several  desperate  encounters  in  the  streets,  Dr.  Hagan  fought 
a  duel  with  the  editor  of  the  Vicksburg  Whig. 

Subsequently  Dr.  Hagan  went  to  Europe,  and,  while  traveling  in 
Holland  in  a  car  rilled  with  passengers  and  tobacco -smoke,  he 
opened  a  window  for  fresh  air.  One  of  the  passengers,  without  ut- 
tering a  word,  immediately  shut  it.  The  doctor  reopened  it,  with  a 
request,  in  English,  that  it  should  remain  open.  The  other  passen- 
ger, not  understanding  English,  again  shut  the  window,  and  in  an 
emphatic  manner.  Dr.  Hagan  for  a  moment  looked  at  this  passen- 
ger, and  then  at  the  others  in  the  car.  Not  one  spoke  English.  He 
then  drew  his  pistol  and  reopened  the  window.  He  had  fresh  air 
for  the  remainder  of  the  trip.  But  it  was  amusing,  he  said,  to  notice 
the  effective  persuasiveness  of  that  weapon. 

On  his  return  he  became  involved  in  more  rencontres  in  the  pub- 
lic thoroughfares,  but  he  gave  up  the  practice  of  constantly  carrying 
arms.  In  describing  one  of  these  he  coolly  said,  it  ended  by  "  lay- 
ing his  antagonist  to  the  land."  In  1842,  an  editor  of  the  Sentinel, 
James  F.  Fall,  fought  a  duel  with  T.  E.  Robins,  of  the  Railroad 
Bank.  Neither  killed.  The  affair,  however,  led  to  a  bitter  contro- 
versy with  the  Whig.  In  June,  1843,  Dr.  Hagan  was  killed  in  the 
street  by  Daniel  W.  Adams.  Dr.  Hagan  was  not  armed,  and  the  par- 
ties were  entire  strangers  to  each  other.  On  the  coroner's  inquest, 
Adams  stated  that  he  killed  Hagan  because  of  an  article  in  the 
Sentinel  reflecting  on  his  father,  Judge  George  Adams,  of  Jackson, 
Mississippi. 

In  May,  1844,  there  was  another  meeting  connected  with  this 
noted  journal.  Colonel  Thomas  E.  Robins  and  James  M.  Downs 
fought  a  duel  with  yagers  at  fifteen  paces.  The  latter  was  shot 
across  the  breast,  but  not  fatally.  There  was  a  street-fight  a  day 
or  two  after  between  Captain  Walter  Hickey,  the  new  editor  of  the 
Sentinel,  and  Dr.  Macklin,  the  second  of  Downs  in  the  preceding 
duel.  The  attack  was  from  the  latter.  The  parties  struck  several 
blows  and  then  resorted  to  revolvers,  by  which  Macklin  received  a 
mortal  wound  in  the  abdomen.  These  affairs  originated  in  a  differ- 
ence between  Colonel  Robins  and  the  Honorable  S.  S.  Prentiss  about 
real  estate,  which  had  been  commented  upon  by  the  Sentinel. 

The  succeeding  editors  of  this  paper  were  thus  disposed  of  in  a 
newspaper  paragraph  a  few  years  ago  : 

Dr.  J.  S.  Fall,  an  assistant,  had  a  number  of  fights,  in  one  of  which  he  was  badly 
wounded.  James  Ryan,  editor,  was  killed  by  R.  E.  Hammet,  of  the  Whig.  Next 
came  Walter  Hickey,  who  had  several  rows,  and  was  repeatedly  wounded ;  he 
was  soon  after  himself  killed  in  Texas.  John  Lavins,  another  editor,  was  im- 
prisoned for  the  violence  of  his  articles.  Mr.  Jenkins,  his  successor,  was  killed  in 


764  Journalism  in  America. 

the  street  by  H.  A.  Crabbe  ;  Crabbe  was  afterwards  murdered  in  Sonora.     F.  C. 
Jones  succeeded  Jenkins,  but  soon  afterwards  drowned  himself. 

In  March,  1843,  Melzer  Gardner  was  editor  of  the  Portsmouth 
(Va.)  Chronicle.  In  a  political  controversy  in  regard  to  the  employ- 
ment of  black  laborers  in  the  Navy  Yard,  the  Norfolk  Herald  and 
Chronicle  became  quite  personal.  Gardner  had  had  one  personal 
affair  with  Barney  O'Neil  on  this  question.  Shortly  after,  at  a  po- 
litical meeting  in  Portsmouth,  a  lawyer,  named  Mordecai  Cook,  Jr., 
made  an  attack,  in  a  speech,  on  Gardner.  The  latter  replied  in  a 
strong  article,  reflecting  severely  on  Cook.  This  led  to  a  meeting 
of  the  parties  on  Ferry  Wharf.  Cook  demanded  an  apology  of  Gard- 
ner ;  the  latter  demanded  a  retraction  from  Cook.  "  I  will  not  re- 
tract," said  Cook.  "  Neither  will  I,"  said  Gardner.  Cook  then  ad- 
vanced on  Gardner  with  a  cane  and  assaulted  him.  Gardner  drew 
a  revolver.  Cook  dropped  the  cane,  grasped  the  revolver,  and 
wrenched  it  from  the  hands  of  Gardner,  and,  turning  it,  fired,  shoot- 
ing Gardner  through  the  heart.  He  expired  without  uttering  a  word. 
Cook  walked  away,  remarking,  "  Let  him  lie  there ;  I  am  satisfied." 
Another  account  states  that  in  the  struggle  the  pistol  accidentally 
went  off.  On  the  day  after  the  affair  the  workmen  of  Portsmouth 
took  the  matter  up,  as  the  friends  of  the  editor,  and  after  doing  con- 
siderable injury  to  O'Neil's  house,  and  ordering  him  to  leave  the 
town  in  seven  days,  marched  past  Cook's  house,  and  in  the  noise 
and  confusion  the  servants  of  Cook  rushed  to  Mrs.  Cook  with  the 
report  that  the  mob  had  threatened  to  tear  down  the  house.  She 
fainted,  and  soon  after  she  was  taken  ill,  and  died  the  next  day. 

There  was  a  duel  between  Mr.  J.  Hueston,  editor  of  the  Baton 
Rouge  Gazette,  and  Mr.  Alce'e  Labranche,  member  of  Congress  from 
Louisiana,  in  August,  1843.  The  Gazette,  a  few  days  previously, 
contained  an  editorial  reflecting  severely  on  the  Congressional  del- 
egation elect  from  Louisiana.  Meeting  Mr.  Hueston  in  the  billiard- 
room  of  the  St.  Charles  Exchange  after  this  article  appeared,  Mr.  La- 
branche made  an  attack  on  Mr.  Hueston  with  a  cane,  knocking  him 
senseless  to  the  floor.  On  his  recovery,  the  first  words  he  uttered 
were,  "  Where  is  the  damned  rascal  ?"  Soon  after  the  parties  met 
at  "the  Oaks,"  and  settled  the  matter  in  the  most  determined  man- 
ner. The  7Vm>  Orleans  Diamond  of  August  20, 1843,  described  the 
meeting  as  a  prize-fight  would  be  described  : 

The  distance  agreed  upon  was  forty  yards,  and  the  weapons  selected  were 
double-barreled  shot-guns,  loaded  with  ball.  The  parties  fired  between  the  words 
one  and  five.  They  fought  four  rounds. 

First  round.  Mr.  Labranche  discharged  both  barrels  at  the  same  time,  and  be- 
fore Mr.  Hueston  had  fired  a  second  barrel  the  time  fixed  upon  expired.  Of 
course  he  lost  a  fire. 

Second  round.  Both  fired  single  barrels  at  intervals.     Mr.  Labranche's  second 


Assassination  of  Henry  Rives  Pollard.        765 

ball  struck  the  pantaloons  of  Mr.  Hueston,  and  passed  through  the  knees  of  them 
without  touching  the  flesh. 

Third  round.  Mr.  Labranche  fired  both  barrels  at  the  same  time ;  the  balls 
passed  through  the  hat  of  Mr.  Hueston  about  two  inches  apart. 

Fourth  round.  Mr.  Hueston  fired  first.  Mr.  Labranche's  shot  took  effect  in  the 
left  side,  on  the  last  rib,  and  passed  out  on  the  other  side,  ranging  low  down.  He 
threw  his  gun  forward  and  fell  back  at  full  length  on  the  ground.  The  wound  was 
pronounced  fatal  by  the  physicians  in  attendance.  He  expired  shortly  after,  in 
full  possession  of  his  mental  faculties. 

The  parties  exhibited  on  the  ground  the  utmost  coolness  and  fortitude. 

Henry  Rives  Pollard,  brother  of  Edward  A.  Pollard,  of  "  The  Lost 
Cause,"  was  shot  in  Richmond,  Virginia,  on  the  24th  of  November, 
1868.  On  the  previous  Saturday  a  report  was  published  in  the 
Southern  Opinion  of  the  elopement  of  the  daughter  of  William  H. 
Grant,  of  that  city.  About  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  24th, 
as  Pollard,  the  editor  of  the  paper,  was  near  his  office  door,  a  shot 
was  fired  from  the  upper  window  of  an  opposite  building.  Pollard 
was  instantly  killed,  eleven  buckshot  having  entered  his  body,  one 
passing  through  his  heart.  On  searching  the  opposite  building, 
James  Grant,  a  brother  of  the  young  lady  named,  was  found,  in  one 
of  the  rooms.  There  was  a  double-barreled  gun,  with  one  barrel  dis- 
charged, in  the  same  room.  On  the  day  before  the  assassination 
young  Grant  had  called  on  Pollard  and  demanded  a  retraction.  Not 
obtaining  this  satisfaction,  he  said  he  would  shoot  him  at  sight. 
Mr.  J.  M.  Hanna,  the  assistant  editor  of  the  Opinion,  thus  described 
the  shooting  of  his  principal : 

At  about  a  quarter  before  nine  o'clock  the  vehicle  was  announced  as  ready  to 
carry  us  into  the  city  and  to  the  office  of  the  Opinion.  The  presentiment  of  trouble 
yet  strong  on  my  mind,  I  said  to  Mr.  Pollard,  "  Suppose  you  do  not  go  into  town 
to-day;  I  can  supply  the  printers."  "No,"  he  answered,  "I  must  go  in.  Be- 
sides, I  must  see  that  man  to-day." 

That  ride  was  not  more  eventful  than  many  other  rides  we  had  taken  together. 
Mr.  Pollard  sat  on  the  front  seat  with  Mr.  Redford,  the  driver  ;  I  behind  him.  Of 
conversation,  save  casual  remarks,  there  was  none  until  the  vehicle  had  passed  into 
the  city  on  Main  Street.  We  passed  the  residence  of  Rev.  Dr.  Hoge,  and  I  ob- 
served that  there  was  crape  on  the  door.  "  Who  is  dead  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Pollard. 
"  Not  Dr.  Hoge,  I  hope."  Mr.  Redford  said  the  party  deceased  was  a  female 
member  of  the  family,  which  appeared  to  relieve  greatly  the  sudden  anxiety  of  Mr. 
Pollard. 

On  down  Main  Street,  past  the  Spotswood,  we  drew  swiftly  towards  the  spot 
where  death  lay  in  wait  watching  for  the  coming  of  the  victim. 

Sitting  behind  him,  I  noticed  that  Mr.  Pollard  bowed  occasionally  to  persons 
on  the  street.  Once,  after  a  salute,  he  turned  to  me  and  said,  "  There  goes  a  man 
who  I  know  hates  me." 

On  we  were  driven — one  of  us  to  death.  The  assassin's  eye,  peering  from  the 
curtained  window,  is  already  fastened  upon  its  mark,  coming  nigher  and  nigher, 
charmed  with  the  circle  of  death.  We  alight — Mr.  Pollard  first,  I  after  him. 

One  eye  of  the  garreted  assassin  is  closing,  the  other  glances  along  the  charged 
barrel ;  his  forefinger  presses  the  deadly  trigger.  Providence  separates  us  by  a 
little  time  and  space — a  moment — a  few  feet ;  another  second,  there  is  a  flash,  a 
crack,  sharp  and  sudden,  a  splash  of  buckshot  against  the  brick  wall,  and  H.  Rives 
Pollard  lies  dead,  stretched  at  my  feet. 

Grant  was  tried  on  a  charge  of  murder  and  acquitted. 


766  Journalism  in  America. 

These  affairs  are  not  confined  to  our  native  editors.  On  a  beau- 
tiful June  Sunday  in  1869,  Senor Jose  Ferrer  de  Canto,  editor  of  El 
Cronista,  a  Spanish  paper  printed  in  New  York,  and  Senor  Francis- 
co Porto,  a  wealthy  Cuban,  met  at  Lundy's  Lane,  in  Canada.  The 
Cuban  received  a  pistol  ball  through  both  legs  at  the  first  fire.  Sen- 
or Porto  was  one  of  the  writers  for  the  Cuban  organ,  La  Revolution, 
and  the  affair  grew  out  of  the  rebellion  on  the  "ever-faithful  isle," 
the  Queen  of  the  Antilles. 

Charles  Wallace,  editor  of  the  Warrenton  (Ga.)  Clipper,  was  shot 
and  instantly  killed  on  the  i2th  of  March,  1869.  Wallace  had  ap- 
plied for  admission  into  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Warrenton,  and  was 
black-balled  by  Dr.  G.  W.  Darden,  who  had  promised  not  to  oppose 
his  application.  Wallace  then  attacked  Darden  through  the  col- 
umns of  his  paper,  denouncing  him  as  a  liar  and  a  villain.  As  Wal- 
lace was  passing  Darden's  office,  the  latter  shot  him  from  his  win- 
dow with  a  rifle,  the  ball  passing  through  Wallace's  head  and  causing 
instant  death.  Wallace  was  a  Democrat  and  Darden  a  Republican. 
DardeA  surrendered  himself  to  the  authorities  and  was  placed  in 
jail.  Sheriff  Norris,  fearing  that  Darden  would  not  be  safe  there, 
called  upon  the  citizens  to  act  as  a  posse  to  guard  the  jail  over  night ; 
but  they  declined  to  act,  being  overawed  by  a  band  of  Ku-Klux, 
numbering  about  one  hundred,  who  took  immediate  possession  of 
the  town.  They  then  demanded  the  keys  from  the  sheriff,  and,  on 
his  refusal  to  deliver  them,  became  so  violent  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  seek  safety  in  flight,  taking  the  keys  with  him.  The  band 
then  returned  to  the  jail.  Fearing  that  Darden  had  a  pistol,  the  mob 
built  a  fire  at  the  door  and  smoked  him  out.  Dr.  Darden  asked 
time  to  make  a  will,  which  was  granted.  He  was  then  taken  out, 
and,  in  presence  of  his  wife  and  children,  barbarously  murdered,  not 
less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  pistol  balls  piercing  his  body. 

The  New  Orleans  Picayune  of  April  6, 1869,  thus  sketches  a  jour- 
nalistic rencontre  in  Louisiana  a  few  days  previously  : 

It  appears  that  some  time  since  the  editor  of  the  Advocate  (Republican),  Mr. 
Swords,  inserted  an  article  in  his  paper  reflecting  upon  Judge  Pintado,  a  Repub- 
lican, but  belonging  to  a  separate  wing  of  the  party.  In  this  article  the  editor 
stated  that  Judge  Pintado  had  been  seen  lurking  about  the  office  of  the  Pioneer 
(the  Democratic  paper),  and  that  such  an  office  was  a  fit  refuge  for  such  vermin, 
or  words  in  substance  to  that  effect  The  editor  of  the  Pioneer  (Mr.  Duppaty) 
thereupon  demanded  a  retraction  of  the  article,  or  satisfaction  in  accordance 
with  the  rules  of  the  code.  The  editor  of  the  Advocate  replied  that  he  was 
opposed  to  dueling,  and  would  not  accept  a  challenge.  Mr.  Duppaty  then  in- 
formed him  that  if  the  article  was  not  retracted  in  Saturday  morning's  issue  of 
the  Advocate  he  would  shoot  him  on  sight.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  on  last  Sat- 
urday forenoon,  the  Advocate  having  appeared  without  any  apology,  and  while  the 
citizens  of  the  town,  apprised  of  the  expected  difficulty,  were  gathered  about  in 
groups,  Mr.  Swords  appeared  upon  the  streets  armed  with  a  revolver,  walking  up 
and  down,  as  if  awaiting  the  coming  of  Duppaty.  Upon  being  informed,  howev- 
er, that  his  antagonist  had  been  seen  with  a  double-barreled  gun,  he  retired,  and 


Another  Richmond  Affair.  767 

soon  reappeared,  armed  in  a  similar  manner.  The  parties  soon  came  in  sight  of 
each  other,  and,  when  at  about  one  hundred  yards'  distance,  commenced  firing  at 
the  same  time,  yet,  strange  to  say,  although  the  pieces  were  loaded  with  buckshot, 
neither  the  principals  or  any  one  in  the  crowd  were  injured  by  the  discharges. 
After  discharging  both  barrels  of  his  gun,  Mr.  Swords  drew  his  revolver  and  fired 
once,  but,  before  Mr.  Duppaty  could  use  his  revolver  in  return,  he  was  arrested  by 
the  sheriff,  a  brother  of  Swords,  and  about  the  same  moment  Swords  was  arrest- 
ed by  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  difficulty,  for  the  time,  brought  to  a  close. 
The  origin  of  the  difficulty  grew  out  of  a  split  in  the  Republican  ranks,  which  splits 
at  present  seem  to  furnish  material  for  all  the  lively  disputes  now  going  on  in  the 
South. 

Mr.  Robert  W.  Hughes,  the  editor  of  the  State  Journal,  published 
in  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1869,  had  been  very  severe  in  his  com- 
ments on  the  Conservatives.  The  extreme  bitterness  of  his  articles 
attracted  considerable  attention.  On  the  7th  of  June  the  Peters- 
burg (Va.)  Index  noticed  one  of  these  articles  in  the  following  sharp 
style : 

There  is  an  article  in  the  Friday  evening's  State  Journal  which,  in  its  vileness 
and  virulence,  betrays  its  parentage.  Hell  has  no  fury  like  a  woman  scorned,  per- 
haps, but  humanity  knows  no  hatred  so  bitter,  so  reckless,, so  unrelenting  as  that 
the  traitor  feels  towards  those  whom  he  has  betrayed.  None  but  a  renegade  Vir- 
ginian, smarting  under  the  sense  of  his  own  shameless  treachery,  and  brimming 
with  enmity  to  all  that  is  better  and  truer  than  himself — an  Arnold  seeking  to 
cloak  his  baseness  by  slander  of  the  cause  he  has  sold — could  have  penned  such 
language  in  regard  to  Virginia  gentlemen  as  that  which  we  quote  : 

"  If  names  could  typify  the  meaning  of  words,  the  mene,  mene,  tekel,  upharsin,  which  a  bloody 
and  destructive  history  has  pronounced  upon  the  sectional  party  that  has  so  long  ruled  and  ruined 
in  Virginia  is  especially  expressed  in  such  names  as  Bocock,  Douglass,  and  Aylett.  These  are  but 
types  of  the  class  who  have  gone  forth  to  reinvoke  the  people  to  courses  of  treason.  It  is  well  for 
the  cause  of  loyalty,  reconstruction,  and  state  regeneration  that  a  class  of  parricides  so  notorious, 
with  the  mark  of  Cain  upon  their  foreheads,  and  the  guilt  of  Cain  upon  their  consciences,  have  gone 
out  as  the  champions  of  a  discontented,  remonstrant,  and  incorrigible  sectionalism.  They  know 
that  the  ascendency  of  national  ideas  and  loyal  sentiments  must  consign  them  to  fixed  and  branded 
obscurity ;  and  in  the  spirit  of  Beelzebub, '  Better  to  rule  in  hell  than  serve  in  heaven,'  they  are  ready 
to  drag  down  the  Commonwealth  into  a  deeper  damnation  than  that  in  which  she  already  writhes 
and  perishes." 

There  is  only  one  journalist  in  this  state  who  is  at  the  same  time  sufficiently  ca- 
pable as  a  writer  and  utterly  degraded  enough  in  character  to  have  indited  those 
lines.  He  is  one  of  those  who  lent  truculent  and  almost  inhuman  bitterness  to 
the  Richmond  Examiner  during  the  war — the  man  upon  whom  John  M.  Daniel 
chiefly  relied  for  his  strongest  appeals  to  the  worst  passions  of  our  people.  He 
sat  at  the  feet  of  John  B.  Floyd,  a  disciple  who  forgot  all  that  was  good  in  the  les- 
sons of  his  master,  but  seized  upon  the  bad  with  the  instinct  of  natural  depravity, 
cultivating  and  developing  it  until  he  has  sunk  to  a  depth  which  Peter  in  his  de- 
nial never  knew.  His  first  act  after  the  war  was  to  connect  himself  with  the  dir- 
tiest of  all  the  poisonous  sheets  which  have  disgraced  Richmond  since  1864 — the 
Richmond  Republic  —  and  his  undeniable  versatility  as  a  writer  was  there  em- 
ployed to  brand  as  infamous  all  that  he  had  advocated  for  six  years  previous. 
Since  then  he  has  played  a  part  which  is,  thank  God  !  stranger  to  Virginia  journal- 
ism. His  venal  pen  has  been  sold  to  the  highest  bidder  to  bolster  any  and  every 
cause  whose  directors  were  willing  to  buy  his  brains.  He  has  said  that  his  arti- 
cles were  merchandise,  and  that  if  sufficiently  remunerated  he  would  feel  warrant- 
ed in  arguing  for  polygamy.  And  the  time  came  when  his  former  friends,  finding 
how  valueless  were  words  which  the  public  knew  were  bought  and  sold  like  her- 
rings in  the  market,  ceased  to  remember  his  talent  in  the  presence  of  his  want  of 
principle.  He  is  now  contributing  editorially  to  the  Richmond  Statejournal,  which 
has  lost  thereby  four  fifths  of  its  previous  claim  to  respectability.  The  people  of 
Virginia  want  no  stronger  evidence  of  unreliability  in  a  public  print  than  to  know 
that  its  sentiments  flow  from  the  purchased  pen  of  Robert  W.  Hughes. 

What  was  the  result  of  such  a  publication  ?     Satisfaction  was  im- 


768  Journalism  in  America. 

mediately  demanded  of  Wm.  E.  Cameron,  the  editor  of  the  Index. 
Cameron  accepted  the  challenge,  and  the  parties  met  at  Chester  Sta- 
tion, on  the  Petersburg  Railroad;  but, before  they  could  exchange  a 
shot,  the  police  made  their  appearance,  and  caused  a  flight  of  the 
parties.  They  passed  into  North  Carolina,  where  they  fought  on 
the  i2th  of  June  with  pistols.  Cameron  was  hit  in  the  breast  at  the 
first  fire,  the  ball  striking  a  rib  and  glancing.  Hughes  demanded 
another  fire,  but  the  surgeons  declared  that  Cameron  could  not  de- 
liver another  shot,  and  the  affair  ended  "  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
parties." 

While  Virginia  is  not  free  of  affairs  of  this  kind,  as  the  above 
meeting  indicates,  there  are  editors  in  that  state  who  are  opposed  to 
dueling.  There  has  lately  been  a  difficulty  between  the  editors  of 
the  Richmond  Whig  and  Richmond  Enquirer,  both  belligerent  jour- 
nals. The  last  quarrel  of  these  papers  arose  from  a  controversy  on 
the  Funding  Bill  before  the  Legislature.  The  Whig  asserted  that 
the  Enquirer  was  the  hired  organ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Central  Rail- 
road. The  latter  retorted  that  the  Whig  was  under  the  pay  of  the 
"Virginia  Railroad  Ring."  It  was  expected  that  a  duel  would  have 
been  the  result.  On  the  6th  of  March,  1872,  the  Enquirer  uttered 
the  following  sentiments  : 

The  Inquirer  of  Saturday  contained  an  article  in  reference  to  the  Whig  and  its 
editor  which,  according  to  our  understanding  of  the  use  of  language,  was,  as  it  was 
intended  to  be,  as  insulting  as  genteel  words  could  make  it.  To  that  article  the 
editor  of  the  Whig  has  replied  by  recrimination,  and  stating  that  the  charges  made 
against  Mr.  Moseley  were  true  to  the  letter,  and  most  of  them  can  be  substantia- 
ted by  testimony.  If  he  considered  himsef  aggrieved  he  should  have  sought  re- 
dress otherwise  than  through  the  columns  of  the  Whig.  Mr.  Moseley  doubtless 
knew  what  all  know  who  have  been  at  all  conversant  with  my  life-long  opinions, 
that  I  would  neither  give  nor  accept  a  challenge  to  fight  a  duel,  but  he  no  doubt 
knew  as  certainly  that  I  am  always  ready  to  resist  in  a  proper  manner  any  attack 
made  upon  my  character  or  person,  and  knowing  that,  he  has  chosen  to  defend 
himself  by  cowardly  recriminations  against  charges  which  he  knew  to  be  true  and 
declined  to  resent. 

James  C.  Southall  is  the  editor  of  the  Enquirer,  and  Alexander 
Moseley  editor  of  the  Whig.  Both  parties  were  subsequently  arrest- 
ed and  held  to  bail. 

These  are  instances  and  incidents  enough  to  illustrate  our  point. 
It  is  probable  that  the  details  of  all  the  duels,  assaults,  and  assassin- 
ations in  the  journalistic  world  would  fill  several  volumes  like  this. 
But  these  affairs  are  closing  up  in  this  country.  Our  journalists 
find  that  they  can  manage  their  papers  without  these  episodes,  and 
live  longer  by  the  peaceful  code  than  by  that  of  the  duello. 


Newspaper  Statistics.  769 


CHAPTER  LVI. 
THE  END. 

STATISTICS  OF  THE  PRESS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. — OUR  PROGRESS. — NEWS- 
PAPERS A  HALF  CENTURY  OLD. — NUMBER  OF  PERIODICALS  IN  THE  WORLD. 
— THE  FUTURE. 

How  many  papers  are  published  in  the  United  States?  How 
many  in  the  world  ? 

Our  statistics  of  American  newspapers  are  mainly  correct;  those 
of  other  nations  are  an  approximation  only.  Our  returns,  however, 
give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  number  of  journals  throughout  Chris- 
tendom. Our  pages  show  the  beginning,  in  1457,  in  Germany,  and 
in  1690  in  the  United  States  ;  the  progress  to  the  era  of  the  Cheap 
and  Independent  Press  in  1835,  and  the  wonderful  growth  of  jour- 
nalism since  then  to  1872.  Is  it  not  all  full  of  incident  and  prom- 
ise? 

After  nearly  two  hundred  years  of  subserviency  to  kings,  govern- 
ors, cliques,  cabals,  Essex  Juntas,  Kitchen  Cabinets,  Richmond  Jun- 
tas, Albany  Regencies,  Tammany  Rings,  and  Union  Leagues,  the 
Press  in  the  United  States  may  now  be-  considered  free  and  inde- 
pendent. They  represent  the  people  and  the  wants  of  the  people. 
In  these  two  centuries  newspapers  have  passed  through  their  differ- 
ent epochs  as  creditably  as  laws,  customs,  and  circumstances  would 
permit. 

First.  The  Colonial  Press  was  one  of  neutrality.  It  obeyed  the 
authorities.  It  was  thrust  into  prison  if  it  did  not.  It,  therefore, 
published  the  news  when  it  did  not  conflict  with  the  opinion  of  the 
magistrate.  It  had  no  opinions  of  its  own. 

Second.  The  Revolutionary  Press  was  one  of  action.  It  subordi- 
nated every  thing  to  the  one  glorious  idea.  It  was  full  of  independ- 
ence— the  independence  of  the  country.  But  this  class  of  papers 
could  not  last  beyond  that  great  struggle. 

Third.  The  Party  Press  was  the  natural  consequence  of  the  Revo- 
lution. The  nation  had  to  be  organized.  The  transition  from  de- 
pendence to  independence  created  parties.  There  is  always  a  dif- 
ference of  opinion  on  the  polity  and  policy  of  a  government,  but  in 
the  process  of  organizing  the  United  States  there  were  more  crude 
than  ripe  opinions.  There  were  plenty  of  conflicting  views  in  1 783. 

C  c  c 


770 


Journalism  in  America. 


These  were  represented  in  newspapers,  and  hence  the  Party  Press, 
which  was  almost  wholly  controlled  by  politicians  and  cliques. 

Fourth.  The  Independent  Press,  which  came  into  existence  with 
the  railroad, prospered  with  the  organization  of  those  national  news- 
carriers  the  express  lines,  and  is  becoming  the  arbiter  of  nations 
with  the  telegraph. 

Is  there  another  step  forward  ?  What  will  be  the  effect  of  the 
success  of  the  pneumatic  tunnels,  when  the  Tribune,  Times,  Herald, 
Sun,  and  World  of  New  York  are  read  in  San  Francisco  on  the  day 
of  publication? 

There  were  37  newspapers  published  in  the  United  States  on  the 
commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  War  in  1775  :  with  these  began 
the  independence  of  the  Nation.  On  the  ist  of  January,  1835,  there 
were  1258  daily,  semi-weekly,  and  weekly  newspapers  issued  :  with 
these  commenced  the  independence  of  the  Press.  With  all  the 
struggles,  failures,  and  successes  of  the  Press,  this  was  a  great  result. 
Here  are  the  figures  : 

NUMBER  OF   PAPERS,  WITH  THEIR   ESTIMATED  CIRCULATION,  IN   THE   UNITED 
STATES   IN    1835. 


States  and  Territories. 

No.  of 
Papers. 

Copies  circulated 
during  the  year. 

States  and  Territories. 

No.  of 
Paper,. 

Copies  circulated 
during  the  year. 

Alabama 

20 

624,OOO 

Mississippi 

15 

468,000 

Arkansas    - 

3 

75,OOO 

Michigan  - 

7 

182,600 

Connecticut     - 

39 

2,448,000 

Missouri 

17 

452,OOO 

Delaware    - 

4 

208,000 

New  Hampshire 

27 

I,4O4,OOO 

District  of  Columbia 

6 

1,500,000 

New  York 

260 

27,636,000 

Florida  - 

5 

I3O,OOO 

New  Jersey 

36 

3,346,000 

Georgia       -        -  . 

3i 

I,622,4OO 

North  Carolina 

23 

72O,OCO 

Indiana  ... 

23 

837,200 

Ohio 

H5 

4,9I4,OOO 

Illinois 

18 

561,600 

Pennsylvania 

200 

I4,976,OOO 

Kentucky 

27 

I,249,2OO 

Rhode  Island     - 

16 

I,6l2,OOO 

Louisiana    - 

18 

2,3O9,6OO 

South  Carolina 

24 

1,591,000 

Maine     ... 

52 

2,52O,OOO 

Tennessee 

28 

I,II4,OOO 

Massachusetts     - 

112 

9,984,OOO 

Vermont 

26 

1,352,000 

Maryland 

37 

3,536,OOO 

Virginia 

40 

3,089,600  ( 

Total     - 

1258 

90,361,000 

With  the  semi-monthly,  monthly,  and  quarterly  papers  and  mag- 
azines, the  circulation  of  periodical  literature  in  1835  must  have 
reached  ninety-five  million  copies.  This  large  number,  among  less 
than  fifteen  millions  of  people,  indicated  an  intellectual  culture  and 
activity  never  before  equaled.  On  this  basis  the  Independent  Po- 
litical Press  of  the  United  States  began  its  splendid  career. 

Since  1835  tne  returns  made  to  government  have  been  published, 
and  the  figures  for  the  following  four  decennial  periods,  with  those 
of  1783  and  1835,  wiH  show  the  progressive  steps  of  journalism  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic  since  this  nation  became  a  power  on  earth : 


Number  of  Newspapers  in  the  United  States.  771 


STATISTICS  OF  THE  DAILY  AND  WEEKLY  NEWSPAPERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


States  and  Territories. 

i 

Daily. 

840. 
Weekly. 

1850. 
Daily.    |   Weekly. 

i 

Dailv. 

J60.      ' 
Weekly. 

1870. 
Daily,    i  Weekly. 

Alabama 

3 

25 

6 

53 

9 

82 

12 

75 

Arkansas     - 

9 

— 

9 

36 

3 

45 

Arizona  - 

— 

— 

— 

2 

California    - 

— 

— 

4 

3 

22 

74 

27 

.  162 

Connecticut 

2 

3i 

7 

34 

14 

33 

17 

53 

Colorado 

— 

— 

9 

*3 

Delaware 

— 

6 

— 

10 

— 

9 

i 

13 

District  of  Columbia 

3 

ii 

5 

13 

5 

4 

8 

n 

Dakotah 

— 

— 

2 

Florida    - 

— 

10 

— 

10 

— 

17 

— 

23 

Georgia 

5 

29 

5 

40 

12 

60 

13 

77 

Illinois     - 

3 

40 

8 

88 

23 

239 

26 

378 

Indiana 

73 

9 

97 

13 

160 

22 

234 

Iowa         ... 

— 

4 

— 

27 

9 

107 

18 

204 

Idaho  - 

— 

— 

— 

— 

7 

Kansas     - 

—  ^ 

— 

— 

— 

3 

21 

10 

55 

Kentucky     - 

5 

33 

9 

45 

4 

62 

5 

74 

Louisiana 

ii 

23 

ii 

43 

4 

64 

10 

80 

Maine 

3 

33 

4 

44 

7 

43 

6 

59 

Maryland 

7 

35 

6 

58 

6 

49 

6 

93 

Massachusetts 

10 

81 

22 

141 

17 

109 

19 

162 

Michigan 

6 

26 

3 

49 

8 

IOO 

12 

152 

Minnesota   - 

— 

— 

4 

44 

7 

76 

Missouri  - 

6 

29 

5 

49 

15 

*33 

20 

211 

Mississippi  - 

2 

29 

5° 

5 

63 

7 

68 

Montana 

— 

— 

i 

8 

North  Carolina    - 

— 

27 

— 

45 

8 

53 

12 

48 

Nebraska 

— 

— 

— 

12 

I 

24 

New  Hampshire  - 

— 

27 

— 

35 

— 

18 

7 

39 

Nevada   - 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

4 

12 

New  Mexico 

— 

— 

— 

i 

— 

2 

5 

New  Jersey      -      •  -: 

4 

32 

6 

43 

15 

65 

21 

86 

New  York  - 

34 

211 

5i 

329 

68 

336 

77 

535 

Ohio 

9 

114 

26 

211 

22 

256 

33 

320 

Oregon 

— 

— 

2 

2 

12 

7 

26 

Pennsylvania   - 

12 

175 

24 

264 

28 

285 

49 

406 

Rhode  Island 

2 

H 

5 

H 

5 

12 

5 

17 

South  Carolina       •  * 

3 

H 

7 

32 

2 

3° 

4 

62 

Tennessee    - 

2 

44 

8 

38 

8 

61 

14 

75 

Texas      - 

— 

— 

34 

3 

69 

10 

102 

Utah   - 

— 

— 

— 

i 

2 

Vermont 

2 

28 

2 

3i 

2 

28 

6 

44 

Virginia 

4 

47 

15 

67 

15 

98 

14 

79 

West  Virginia 

4 

46 

Wisconsin   - 

— 

6 

6 

39 

H 

128 

H 

146 

Washington     - 

— 

— 

— 

4 

H 

Total  - 

138 

1266   |   254 

2048 

372 

2971       542 

4425 

These  figures,  with  the  exception  of  those  of  1870,  are  taken  from 
the  official  census  returns.  Those  of  1870  are  from  the  Proof-Sheet. 
The  census  returns  of  that  year,  embracing  all  periodicals,  give  the 
following  very  interesting  and  instructive  result : 


772 


Journalism  ii   America. 


NUMBER  OF  PUBLICATIONS,  WITH  THEIR  CIRCULATION  AND  ANNUAL 
ISSUE,  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  IN  1870. 

PERIODS  OF   ISSUE. 


Number. 

Copies  annually  issued. 

Circulation. 

Daily     - 
Three  times  a  week    - 
Semi-weekly 
Weekly      - 
Semi-monthly         ... 
Monthly     .... 
Bi-monthly     - 
Quarterly  - 
Total       - 

574 
107 

"5 
4295 
96 
622 
13 
49 

806,479,570 
24,196,380 
25,708,488 
550,921,436 
32,395,680 
67,810,116 
189,900 
846,680 

2,601,547 

155.105 
247,197 
10,594,643 
1,349,820 
5,650,843 
3I.650 
211,670 

5871 

1,508,548,250 

20,842,475 

CLASSES   OF  PUBLICATIONS. 


Number. 

Copies  annually  issued. 

Circulation. 

Advertising         - 

79 

4,689,800 

293.450 

Agricultural  and  horticultural 

93 

•21,541,904 

770,752 

Benevolent  and  secret  societies  - 

81 

6,518,560 

257,080 

Commercial  and  financial 

142 

3I,I2O,6OO 

690,200 

Illustrated,  literary,  and  miscellaneous 

5°3 

l6O,o6l,4O8 

4,422,235 

Nationality,  devoted  to 

20 

4,671,000 

45,150 

Political          

4333 

I,I34,789,082 

8,78l,220 

Religious    

407 

125,959,496 

4,764,358 

Sporting         -         .... 

6 

3,222,000 

73,500 

Technical  and  professional 

207 

15,974,400 

744,530 

Total       

5871 

1,508,548,250 

20,842,475 

The  number  of  copies  of  the  daily  papers  printed  in  1870  reached, 
in  round  numbers,  800,000,000.  The  issue  of  the  weekly  publica- 
tions amounted  to  600,000,000  copies.  All  other  publications  print- 
ed 100,000,000  copies.  The  aggregate  issue  in  that  year  of  all  the  po- 
litical and  literary  periodicals  of  the  country  was  over  1,500,000,000 
copies.  What  an  astounding  exhibition  !  Let  us  look  at  the  com- 
parative results  since  1704  : 

4 
NEWSPAPER  AND  PERIODICAL  CIRCULATION    IN   THE   UNITED   STATES. 


Years. 

Newspapers 
and 
Periodicals. 

Copies  annually 
printed. 

Population. 

Yean. 

Ni:ws|i:iin:r» 

and 
Periodicals. 

Copies  annually 
printed. 

Population, 

1704 

I 

16,000 

600,000 

1835 

1258 

90,361,000 

14,000,000 

1725 

4 

170,000 

1,000,000 

1840 

1631 

195,838,673 

17,069,453 

'775 
1810 
1828 

37 
359 
852 

1,200,000 
22,321,700 
68,117,796 

2,800,000 
7,239,814 
12,000,000 

1850 
1860 
1870 

2526 
4051 

5871 

426,409,978 
927,951,548 
1,508,548,250 

23,191,876 
31,445,080 
38,555,753 

Newspapers -and  periodicals  increase  more  rapidly  than  popula- 
tion— we  mean  in  a  greater  ratio.  This  is  owing  to  the  increased 
educational  facilities  of  the  people.  Newspapers,  too,  make  readers. 
They  are  read  in  preference  to  all  other  printed  matter.  They  are 
the  national  teachers,  every  where  in  circulation,  easily  and  cheaply 
obtained,  and  always  clear  to  the  comprehension  of  every  one  who 
can  read.  This  enormous  circulation  is  also  explained  in  the  fact 
that  many  readers  purchase  several  publications.  They  do  not  con- 
fine themselves  to  the  Tribune,  or  the  World,  or  the  Ledger,  or  the 


The  Century  and  Half -century  Newspapers.    773 


Herald,  but  purchase  two,  three,  or  four  different  daily  papers  at  a 
time  ;  neither  do  they  confine  themselves  to  one  weekly  paper. 

Of  all  the  newspapers  published  in  the  United  States,  very  few, 
comparatively,  live  half  a  century.  While  the  Press  is  ever  exist- 
ing, ever  increasing  in  number  and  power,  individual  newspapers 
are  begun,  thrive  for  a  time,  create  a  sensation,  possess  an  influence, 
and  then  disappear.  We  have  made  out  a  list  of  those  newspapers 
which  are  now  published  which  have  been  in  existence  for  fifty  years 
and  upwards.  There  are  not  more  than  fifty  in  the  country !  Of 
these,  not  a  dozen  are  known  beyond  their  own  states.  Is  not  this 
a  curious  fact  ?  There  are  seven  which  have  lived  over  one  hun- 
dred years.  There  are  only  two  older  than  the  oldest  inhabitant, 
unless  one  of  Washington's  nurses  is  yet  in  existence. 


HALF-CENTURY  NEWSPAPERS. 


I. 

2. 

3- 

4- 

I: 

8. 

9- 
10. 
n. 

12. 
14. 

IS- 
1 6. 

17- 
18. 

19- 

20. 
21. 
22. 

23- 

24. 
2C 
26. 

27. 
28. 
29. 
30- 
31. 
32. 

33- 
34- 
35- 
36. 
37- 
38. 
39- 
40. 


OF   PAPERS    NOW    PUBLISHED   WHICH    HAVE 
YEARS  AND   UPWARDS. 
Name. 

Portsmouth  (N.  H.)  Gazette 

Newport  (R.  I.)  Mercury       .... 

New  London  (Conn.)  Gazette    - 

Hartford  (Conn.)  Courant    -         -         -         - 

New  Haven  (Conn.)  Journal    • 

Salem  (Mass.)  Gazette  - 

Worcester  (Mass.)  Spy       - 

Pittsburg  (Pa.)  Gazette          .... 

Northampton  (Mass.)  Gazette   - 

Greenfield  (Mass.)  Gazette  and  Courier 

Pittsburg  (Pa.)  Post  .... 

Rutland  (Vt.)  Herald 

New  York  Commercial  Advertiser    - 

Utica  (N.Y.)  Herald  and  Gazette  -        •   ••    * 

Newburyport  (Mass.)  Herald   -        -        - 

Virginia  Advertiser      - 

Charleston  (S.  C.)  Courier 

Salem  (Mass.)  Register         -         -         - 

Frederick  (Md.)  Herald   -         - 

Eastern  (Me.)  Argus   -        -         -        -        - 

Richmond  (Va.)  Enquirer         ... 

New  York  Evening  Post       .... 

Catskill  (N.Y.)  Recorder  and  Democrat    - 

Cincinnati  (Ohio)  Gazette 

Cooperstown  (N.Y.)  Freeman's  Journal    - 

St.  Louis  (Mo.)  Republican    - 

Lynchburg(V 2..}  Virginian       - 

Albany  (N.Y.)  Argus 

Boston  Daily  Advertiser  •         •         -         - 
Canton  (Ohio)  Repository     - 
Alexandria  (Va.)  Gazette 

Boston  Recorder 

Hartford  (Conn.)  Times  -         -        -        - 

Zioti's  Herald      ...... 

Boston  Watchman  and  Reflector 

New  York  Observer      - 

Providence  (R.  I.)  Journal        ... 

Christian  (Mass.)  Register    - 

Mobile  (Ala.)  Register       .... 

Old  Colony  Memorial 


BEEN    ESTABLISHED   FIFTY 


When  established. 

-  October  27,       1756. 
June  12, 

-  November  i, 
October  20, 

-  October, 
August  5, 

-  July  17. 

September, 

-  September  6, 
February  i, 


January  I, 
-  December  9, 


1758. 
1763- 
1764. 
1767. 
1768. 
1770. 
1786. 
1786. 
1792. 
1792. 
1793- 
1793- 
1796. 
1797. 
1800. 
1800. 
1800. 


-  October, 
January  i, 

-  January  I, 
May  12, 

-  November  14,  1802. 
September,       1803. 

-  May  9,  1804. 
November  16,  1804. 

-  December  16,  1804. 

1806. 
1808. 
1808. 

-  September  16, 1808. 
January  26,       1813. 


-  March  3, 

1813. 
1814. 
1816. 
1816. 
1817. 
1818. 
1819. 
1820. 
1820. 
1821. 
1821. 
1822. 

-  January  3, 
January  3, 
-  June  12, 

-  January  i, 
April  20, 
-  December, 
May  2, 

774 


Journalism  in  America. 


Some  statisticians  have  endeavored  to  give  the  returns  of  news- 
papers and  their  circulation  throughout  the  world.  Our  own  esti- 
mates and  returns  form  only  an  approximation.  No  country  can 
compare  with  this  in  this  kind  of  literature  or  in  this  sort  of  en- 
terprise. There  were  426,000,000  copies  of  newspapers  and  pe- 
riodicals printed  in  the  United  States  in  1850.  There  were  only 
91,000,000  printed  in  Great  Britain  in  i85i.  We  printed  as  many 
in  1835.  It  is  estimated  that  the  number  of  copies  printed  in  Great 
Britain  in  1870  was  350,000,000,  and  the  same  in  France.  The 
census  returns  show  that  over  1,500,000,000  were  issued  in  the 
United  States  in  the  same  year.  It  is  probable  that  the  New  York 
Herald  prints  36,000,000  and  the  New  York  Ledger  15,000,000  an- 
nually. One  is  a  daily,  the  other  a  weekly.  Others,  such  as  Har- 
per's Weekly,  the  Public  Ledger,  of  Philadelphia,  the  Sun,  of  New 
York,  are  about  as  prolific. 

Now  let  us  see  how  many  newspapers  and  periodicals  are  printed 
in  the  world.  Our  figures  are  by  no  means  official ;  we  give  them 
for  what  they  are  worth  : 


NEWSPAPERS  AND  PERIODICALS  IN  THE  WORLD. 


THE  ESTIMATE  IN    1870. 


Great  Britain    - 

France 

Prussia     ... 

Austria 

Other  German  States 

Russia 

Italy 

Spain   - 

Belgium   - 

Portugal 

Denmark 


-  1456 
1668 

-  809 
650 

-  467 
337 

-  723 
306 

-  194 

26 

-  96 


Norway  and  Sweden 
Netherlands 
Switzerland 

Egypt  .... 
Africa       - 

Asia     .... 
Turkey     - 

Other  parts  of  the  world 
Total  - 

United  States  - 


184 

174 

394 

7 

14 

3 


7642 
-     5871 


With  the  same  rate  of  increase  in  the  next  ten  years  as  in  the 
past,  there  will  be  more  newspapers  and  periodicals  printed  in  the 
United  States  than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  world  combined.  Indeed, 
the  American  Newspaper  Directory  of  1872  gives  the  aggregate  num- 
ber of  periodical  publications  in  this  country  at  6432,  only  1200  less 
in  that  year  than  in  all  other  parts  of  the  world.  Our  growth,  as  a 
nation,  is  more  rapid  ;  then,  with  common  schools,  churches,  politi- 
cians, theatres,  lectures,  libraries,  and  reading-rooms  every  where, 
there  is  a  greater  demand  for  cheap  literature  and  cheap  reading. 
Yet,  in  the  face  of  this  marvelous  progress,  we  have  been,  till  quite 
lately,  retarded  by  mechanical  and  physical  causes. 

First.  The  Press  was  limited  in  circulation,  prior  to  1835,  for  want 
of  means  of  transportation.  Newspapers  were  compelled  to  rely  on 
stage-coaches.  Publishers  in  villages  and  towns  had  to  deliver  their 
papers  by  postmen  on  horseback. 


Progressive  Steps  of  Journalism.  775 

Second.  When  steam-boats  and  railways  came  into  use,  popula- 
tion increased  so  rapidly  that  printers  could  not  sufficiently  supply 
the  demand,  in  consequence  of  the  want  of  mechanical  power  in 
their  press-rooms.  Napier's  double  cylinders  would  print  only  three 
thousand  sheets  per  hour. 

Third.  Hoe  having  invented  the  lightning  press,  the  difficulty  of 
supplying  the  demand  was  met  for  a  time ;  but  with  the  increase  of 
railroads  and  steam-boats,  and  the  spread  of  Adams's,  Harnden's, 
Wells  and  Fargo's  express  lines,  the  demand  for  newspapers  ran 
ahead  of  Hoe's  eight-cylinder  presses,  printing  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
thousand  copies  per  hour,  and  the  ten-cylinder  presses,  printing 
eighteen  to  twenty  thousand  sheets  an  hour,  were  brought  forward. 

Fourth.  Ocean  steam-ships,  the  telegraph,  the  wars  in  Europe, 
and  the  rebellion  again  increased  the  circulation  of  the  newspapers 
beyond  their  capacity  to  print.  Then  came  the  grand  desideratum, 
the  stereotyping  process,  by  which  pages  of  an  entire  newspaper  are 
duplicated  in  thirty  minutes,  and  the  circulation  increased  ad  lib- 
itum. Now,  with  half  a  dozen  of  Hoe's  ten  cylinders,  or  a  dozen  of 
Bullock's  presses,  one  hundred  thousand  sheets  can  be  printed  ev- 
ery hour  in  any  establishment  possessing  these  facilities. 

When  the  Cheap  and  Independent  Press  fairly  commenced  its 
career,  the  means  of  distribution,  as  we  have  stated,  were  limited. 
Only  one  paper  circulated  over  6000  daily  in  1835.  Only  95,000,000 
copies  were  printed  in  the  whole  country  in  that  year.  Now  the 
number  of  copies,  in  round  numbers,  is  over  1,500,000,000.  Our 
newspaper  mails  were  carried  by  steam-boats  and  over  railroads, 

in  1840    -  -     3,889,053  miles ; 

in  1871        -        -       60,241,826  miles. 

This  is  the  ratio  of  increase  of  newspaper  circulation  and  news- 
paper readers.  Several  years  ago  a  system  of  "  free  delivery"  of 
newspapers  was  introduced  by  the  Post-office  Department  in  fifty 
different  cities.  Look  at  the  result : 

COPIES   OF  NEWSPAPERS   DELIVERED. 


In  1868     -         -  16,910,715. 
In  1869         -        21,954,898. 


In  1870     -         -  27,867,023. 
In  1871  32,610,353. 


Yet  the  Post-office  Department  performs  but  a  small  part  of  the 
service  of  newspaper  carriers  for  the  Press  of  the  country. 

These  have  been  the  progressive  steps  of  journalism  in  the  United 
States  till  the  number  of  newspapers  and  periodicals  is  almost  equal 
to  those  printed  in  all  other  parts  of  the  universe,  and  the  aggregate 
circulation  is  superior  to  that  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa !  So  in 
the  future,  with  presses  striking  off  twenty  thousand  impressions  an 
hour,  stereotyping  apparatus  duplicating,  triplicating,  quadruplica- 


776  Journalism  in  America. 

ting  forms,  type-setting  machines  driven  by  steam,  the  automatic  tel- 
egraph transmitting  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  words  per  minute, 
and  the  pneumatic  dispatch  lines,  for  parcels,  to  traverse  the  conti- 
nent from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  in  the  difference  of  time  be- 
tween the  two  oceans,  the  Sun,  the  Herald,  the  World,  the  Tribune, 
the  Times,  in  existence  to-day,  and  the  Future,  the  Universe,  the 
Cosmopolitan,  the  Pneumatic  Dispatch,  and  the  Omniscient,  newspa- 
pers yet  to  be  established,  will  have  it  in  their  power  to  lay  the 
events  that  have  occurred  to-day  on  both  hemispheres  on  every 
breakfast-table  and  in  every  counting-room  on  the  continent  early 
to-morrow  morning.  Where  will  the  pulse  of  the  world  be  felt  then  ? 
London  ?  Paris  ?  Berlin  ?  St.  Petersburg  ?  San  Francisco  ?  New 
York?  Where? 

Meanwhile  population  is  increasing,  newspaper  readers  are  mul- 
tiplying, mind  is  expanding,  wealth  is  augmenting,  and  the  physical 
forces  of  the  world  are  developing.  Will  the  newspapers  of  to-day, 
the  wonderful  Times',  the  marvelous  Heralds,  the  brilliant  Suns,  the 
learned  Tribunes,  perfect  wonders  compared  with  the  meagre  News- 
Letters  and  miserable  Gazettes  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  be- 
come, in  the  progress  of  this  globe,  and  in  their  turn,  the  miserable 
Times'  and  the  meagre  Heralds  to  the  giant  journals  of  the  next 
century  ? 

It  is  possible. 


ADDENDA. 


NEWSPAPERS  have  postscripts.  Why  should  not  books  have  ad- 
denda? Fresh  news  is  constantly  pouring  into  newspaper  offices. 
Fresh  facts  are  as  continually  pressing  upon  book  publishers. 

One  of  our  leading  journalists,  Horace  Greeley,  was  the  candi- 
date of  one  of  the  great  political  parties  of  the  nation,  in  1872,  for 
the  office  of  President  of  the  United  States.  On  the  i$th  of  May 
he  issued  a  card,  stating  this  fact,  and  withdrawing  from  the  edito- 
rial management  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  That  card  will  be  found 
on  pages  569-70.  Well,  after  a  spirited  contest,  the  election  took 
place  on  the  5th  of  November.  Over  six  millions  of  votes  were 
polled.  Horace  Greeley  received  nearly  one  half  of  this  immense 
number,  but  Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  elected  President.  This  impor- 
tant national  result  was  thus  characteristically  and  semi-officially 
announced  in  the  Tribune  of  the  7th  of  November : 

A  CARD. 

The  undersigned  resumes  the  editorship  of  The  Tribune,  which  he  relinquished 
on  embarking  in  another  line  of  business  six  months  ago.  Henceforth  it  shall 
be  his  endeavor  to  make  this  a  thoroughly  independent  journal,  treating  all  par- 
ties and  political  movements  with  judicial  fairness  and  candor,  but  courting  the 
favor  and  deprecating  the  wrath  of  no  one. 

If  he  can  hereafter  say  any  thing  that  will  tend  to  heartily  unite  the  whole 
American  People  on  the  broad  platform  of  Universal  Amnesty  and  Impartial  Suf- 
frage, he  will  gladly  do  so.  For  the  present,  however,  he  can  best  commend  that 
consummation  by  silence  and  forbearance.  The  victors  in  our  late  struggle  can 
hardly  fail  to  take  the  whole  subject  of  Southern  rights  and  wrongs  into  early 
and  earnest  consideration,  and  to  them,  for  the  present,  he  remits  it. 

Since  he  will  never  again  be  a  candidate  for  any  office,  and  is  not  in  full  accord 
with  either  of  the  great  parties  which  have  hitherto  divided  the  country,  he  will 
be  able  and  will  endeavor  to  give  wider  and  steadier  regard  to  the  progress  of 
Science,  Industry,  and  the  Useful  Arts  than  a  partisan  journal  can  do ;  and  he 
will  not  be  provoked  to  indulgence  in  those  bitter  personalities  which  are  the 
recognized  bane  of  journalism.  Sustained'by  a  generous  public,  he  will  do  his 
best  to  make  The  Tribune  a  power  in  the  broader  field  it  now  contemplates,  as, 
when  Human  Freedom  was  imperiled,  it  was  in  the  arena  of  political  partisan- 
ship. Respectfully,  HORACE  GREELEY. 

NEW  YORK,  November  6, 1872. 

These  intentions,  now  so  painfully  recorded — -this  new  departure 
in  political  journalism — we  all  regret  to  say,  were  not  destined  to 
be  carried  out  by  the  respected  writer  of  this  card.  With  the  sad- 
dest of  all  domestic  afflictions  added  to  the  most  impressively  terri- 
ble political  excitement  of  our  era,  the  depressed  and  perturbed 
brain,  overtasked  and  strained  by  forty  years  of  constant  labor  and 


778  Journalism  in  America. 

friction,  submitted  to  Providence,  and  on  Friday  evening,  the  29th 
of  November,  1872,  Horace  Greeley  ceased  to  be  of  this  world,  and 
with  his  death  a  great  journalist  passed  away. 

Since  the  i8th  of  June,  1869,  three  of  our  leading  editors  have 
died  :  Henry  J.  Raymond,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  and  Horace  Gree- 
ley. They  made  their  mark  on  this  epoch.  They  made  journalism 
in  this  country  a  profession,  each  in  his  own  way,  and  after  his  own 
style.  They  established  three  great  newspapers.  One  founded  the 
Independent  Press ;  the  other  two  were  among  the  last  of  the  act- 
ive, influential  party  editors  that  have  flourished  in  the  United  States 
since  September  17, 1789.  With  the  death  of  the  founder  of  the  Trib- 
une, party  journalism  pure  and  simple,  managed  by  accomplished 
and  experienced  editors,  inaugurated  by  Jefferson  and  Hamilton, 
aided  by  such  writers  as  Fenno,  Bache,  Duane,  Freneau,  Coleman, 
Cheetham,  Ritchie,  and  Croswell,  has  ceased  to  exist,  and  Independ- 
ent Journalism  becomes  a  fact  impressed  on  the  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  it  is  not  likely  that  any  other  class  can  hereafter  prosper 
in  this  country,  and  be  a  power  in  the  United  States. 

Horace  Greeley  was  an  editor  clearly  of  the  political  school.  He 
was  educated  in  the  Log  Cabin,  his  primary  school,  to  the  Tribune — 
his  Harvard  College  of  journalism.  His  fixed  views  on  public  mat- 
ters made  him  a  leading  party  editor.  It  would  have  been  difficult 
for  him,  had  he  lived,  to  keep  pace  with  the  new  class^f  papers 
without  the  infusion  of  fresher,  younger,  more  unbiased  intellects. 
Henry  J.  Raymond  was  a  pupil  of  the  Tribune  school,  and,  with  all 
his  efforts  to  the  contrary,  he  found  it  impossible  to  remain  out  of 
the  political  field.  Still,  these  two  journalists  were  more  or  less  in- 
dependent, even  as  party  organs,  because  they  soared  above  the  mere 
politicians  that  controlled  the  primary  elections  and  nominating  con- 
ventions of  the  land.  James  Gordon  Bennett,  although  a  partisan 
editor  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  was  never  a  politician.  He  never 
wanted  political  office,  and  would  never  accept  of  any  nomination. 
He  always  looked  upon  the  Press  as  superior  to  Party.  Hence  the 
success  of  the  Herald  as  an  independent  journal.  This  success,  to- 
gether with  the  shabby  treatment  that  Horace  Greeley  always  re- 
ceived from  the  politicians,  as  shown  so  clearly  and  plaintively  in 
his  public  card  dissolving  the  partnership  of  Seward,  Weed  &  Co., 
would  have  made  the  Tribune  a  more  independent  paper  in  spite 
of  the  life-long  tastes  of  its  founder. 

But  all  this  now  belongs  to  the  past.  Only  two  or  three  of  the 
old  party  editors  remain  in  active  life.  James  Watson  Webb,  Fran- 
cis P.  Blair,  and  Thurlow  Weed  have  retired  from  the  ranks  of  jour- 
nalism. Charles  Gordon  Greene,  of  the  Boston  Post,  James  Brooks, 
of  the  New  York  Express,  and  William  Cullen  Bryant,  of  the  New 


Addenda.  779 

York  Evening  Post,  are  still  at  work.  All  the  others  known  to  fame 
have  passed  from  this  world ;  and  we  have  endeavored,  in  our  poor 
way,  to  enroll  their  names  on  the  pages  of  history. 

Sic  transit  (Gloria  Jtttmbi. 


There  have  been  changes  in  the  offices  of  two  other  newspapers, 
sketches  of  which  are  given  in  the  preceding  pages. 

ist.  It  is  announced  that  R.  Barnwell  Rhett,  Jr.,  formerly  of  the 
Charleston  (S.  C.)  Mercury,  has  become  chief  editor  of  the  New  Or- 
leans Picayune,  which  paper,  it  appears,  is  no  longer  owned  by  one 
man,  but  by  an  association  of  shareholders. 

2d.  The  St.  Louis  Republican,  for  a  long  time  a  blanket  sheet  in 
size  and  folio  in  form,  has  been  changed  to  the  quarto  form,  after 
'  the  style  of  the  leading  journals  of  New  York  City.  Also,  that  the 
Republican  is  to  be  located  in  a  splendid  new  building  erected  es- 
pecially for  its  use,  and  will  be  printed  on  three  kinds  of  presses — 
Hoe's,  Bullock's,  and  Walter's — the  latter  the  invention  of  the  prin- 
cipal proprietor  of  the  London  Times. 

That  we  may  keep  pace  with  the  subjects  of  our  sketches,  it  may 
be  fair  to  state  that  any  further  additions  to  our  facts  will  be  given 
in  second  and  third  editions. 


INDEX. 


ABELL,  A.  S.,  510. 

Abolition  of  Slavery,  192,  240,  363,  373, 400,  439. 

Riots,  354,  367,  370. 
Abyssinian  Expedition,  486,  717. 
Adams,  Alvin,  505,  521. 

Charles  Francis,  581. 
John,  105,  107,  153,  165,  210,  328. 
John  Quincy,  155,  220,  229,  272,  284. 
Adams's  Express  Company,  505,  517,  520. 
Advertisements,  36,  357,  372,  408,  419,  433,  458, 
467,  469,  470,  471,  472,  543,  654,  685,  728,  731, 
733  7.34- 

Advertiser,  Albany  Daily,  192,  280,  517. 
American  Daily,  175,  185. 
Boston  Daily,  155,  164,  189,  191,  302, 

378. 

Boston  Independent,  102. 
Boston  Weekly,  109. 
Buffalo  Commercial,  577. 
Cincinnati  Commercial,  199. 
Mobile,  496. 
Newark  Daily,  187. 
New  Jersey  Weekly,  136. 
New  York  Commercial,  192, 225, 402, 

430. 

New  York  Daily,  175,  219, 430,  518. 
New  York  Mercantile,  225,  226, 430. 
New  York  Public,  225. 
Portland  Evening,  176,  517. 
Rochester  Daily,  322. 
Advocate,  Christian,  304. 

National,  225,  276,  282,  285,  312. 
Workingmen's,  425. 
Agricultural  Newspapers,  330. 
Agriculturist,  709. 
Albion,  New  York,  263,  313. 
Alden,  Henry  M.,  707. 
Aldine,  New  York,  708. 

Alien  and  Sedition  Laws,  159,  213,  215,  268,  274. 
Allen's,  Colonel  Ethan,  Interview  with  Riving- 

ton, 133. 

Almanacs,  Old  and  New,  570,  571. 
Alta  Californian,  591. 
Amateur  Journalism,  712. 
American,  Baltimore,  751. 
Conflict,  527. 

Cyclopaedia,  The  New,  677. 
Herkimer(N.Y.),207. 
Journalism  before  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, 540. 

Literary  Gazette,  511. 
Newspaper  Directory,  774. 
New  York,  283, 312,  430,  442,  746. 
Ames,  Fisher,  188. 
Andre1,  Major,  133. 

Andrews,  Alexander,  British  Journalism,  21. 
Rev.  John,  295. 
Stephen  Pearl,  500. 

Anecdotes  and  Incidents,  212,  220,  221,  239, 474, 
475.  48i,  5°8,  5".  512.  5'9,  525.  527.  532,  535. 
553,  565,  5?2,  604,  619,  633,  654. 
Anglo-American,  314. 

Anniversaries,  New  York  Religious,  453,  720. 
Anthony,  Henry  B.,  320. 
Appeals  to  Subscribers,  57. 
Appleton,  John,  258. 


Appleton's  Journal,  708. 
Argus,  Albany,  222,  266, 275, 399,  579. 
Frankfort  (Ky.),  235,  238. 
Greenleaf's,  145. 
New  York,  215. 
Portland,  258, 290. 
Richmond,  269. 
Armstrong,  Robert,  241, 257. 
Army  and  Navy  Papers,  710. 
Art  encouraged,  464. 
Assassination  of  Charles  Austin,  163. 
Charles  Wallace,  766. 
Henry  Rives  Pollard,  765. 
Assaults — On  Benjamin  Austin,  Jr.,  by  Major 

Russell,  152. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Bache,  211. 
Columbia  College,  N.Y.,  122. 
Duff  Green    by  James  Watson 

Webb,  353- 

Editorjenkins,of  Vicksburg  Sen- 
tinel, 763. 

Editor  Washington  Star  by  Wil- 
liam Smith,  762. 
Edwin  Croswell,  279. 
Federal  Republican  Office,  274. 
Horace  Greeley  by  Albert  Rust, 

762. 
James  Gordon  Bennett  by  James 

Watson  Webb,  436. 
James  Gordon  Bennett  by  Thom- 
as Hamblin,  444. 

James  Ryan,  of  Vicksburg  Senti- 
nel, 763. 

Major  Benjamin  Russell  by  Sam- 
uel Jarvis,  149. 
Melzer  Gardner,  of  Portsmouth 

(Va.)  Chronicle,  764. 
Philadelphia  Aurora  Office,  211. 
Rivington's  Gazetteer  Office,  122. 
William  Duane,  214. 
Associated  Press,  American,  617,  703. 

New  York,  261,  366,  463,  608, 

610, 614, 675, 679,  704. 
Associations,  General,  536, 608, 609, 611, 622, 656, 

665. 

Atlantic  Steamers,  450. 
Atlas,  Albany,  278,  578,  582. 

Boston,  198,  321, 371, 390, 394. 
Aurora,  Philadelphia,  153, 175, 182, 187, 191,  210, 

215. 

Austin,  Benjamin,  Jr.,  105, 161, 163,  234. 
Authorities,  24. 

Authors,  Encouragement  of,  515. 
Autobiography  of  A.  G.  Ellis,  207. 

Benjamin  Franklin,  66,  77. 
John  C.  Rives,  246. 
Nathaniel  Willis,  289. 

Bache,  Benjamin  Franklin,  175, 182,  210. 
Bailey,  Dr.  Gamaliel,  259. 
Balance,  Hudson,  267, 275, 280. 
Balloons  as  News-carriers,  315,  597. 
Bankrupt  Act  of  1842. 357. 
Banner,  Presbyterian,  296. 
Barn-burners,  279,  581. 
Bartlett,  Dr.  John  S.,  313. 


782 


Index. 


Bartlett.W.  O.,223. 
Beach,  Moses  S.,  420. 

Moses  Yale,  420. 
Bee,  New  Orleans,  491, 494. 

New  York,  225,  424. 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  299, 301,  561, 653, 673. 
Benjamin,  Park,  457, 459, 462,  524,  589. 
Bennett,  James  Gordon,  ST.,  22, 49,  223,  226, 239, 
256,  262,  281,  284,  285,  346,  350,  358, 
359,  386,  410,  428,  446,  450,  464,  465, 
479.  485,  490,  538,  560,  695,  713. 
James  Gordon,  Jr.,  49,  446,  485,  486, 

490. 

Bentley,  Rev.  William,  171. 
Benton,  Thomas  H.,  235,  249,  311,  3:2,  723. 
Berkeley,  Sir  William,  119. 
Bible,  Proposals  to  print,  72. 
Biddle,  Nicholas,  250,  345, 449. 
Bigelow,  John,  223,  639. 
Biglow,  Horatio,  379. 
Billings,  Josh,  692. 
Biographical  Sketches,  481. 
Bird,  Robert  M.,  183. 
Birney,  James  G.,  240, 259. 
Black  Republicans,  275. 
Blair,  Francis  Preston,  235,  242,  247,  251, 414. 
Blake,  Henry  Ingraham,  189,  190. 
Blanket  Sheets  of  New  York,  344,  349. 
Boarding  Steamers  off  Cape  Race,  615. 
Bogus  Proclamation,  373, 671, 674. 
Bonner,  Robert,  606, 647, 649, 652. 
Boone,  Nicholas,  of  Boston,  33. 
Boston  Massacre,  106. 

News-Letter,  54. 

Newspapers,  378. 

Notion,  589. 

Bourne,  Nicholas,  of  London,  33. 
Boutwell,  George  S.,682. 
Bouvier,  Judge  John,  196,  306. 
Bowles,  Samuel,  393,  582,  583. 
Bradford,  Andrew,  60,  75,  78. 
Thomas,  99. 

William,  50,  72,  74,  81,  92,  in. 
William,  Jr.,  97,  100. 
British  Journalism,  21. 
British  Spy,  269. 
Brook  Farm  Community,  677. 
Brooker, William,  58. 
Brooks,  Erastus,  176,  518. 

James,  176,  517. 

James  Gordon,  280, 346,  425,  517. 
Brother  Jonathan,  588. 
Brownlow, William  G.,  574. 
Bryant,  William  Cullen,  182,  221,  222,  224,  576, 

656. 

Buchanan,  President  James,  485. 
Buckingham,  Joseph  Tinker,  22,  384,  386. 
Buel,  Jesse,  276,  280. 
Buildings,  Newspaper,  342, 382, 387, 496,  513,631, 

655. 

Bulletin,  Boston  Commercial,  335. 
New  Orleans,  492. 
Philadelphia  Evening,  182,  758. 
San  Francisco,  591. 
Bullitt,  Alexander  C.,  256, 494. 
Bulwer,  Sir  Henry  L.,  481. 
Burke,  John  D'Oley,  187, 214. 
Burr,  Aaron,  145,  154,  219,  263,  268. 
Burrows,  Silas  E.,  345. 
Burton, William  E.,482. 
Butler,  Amos,  226, 430. 
Butters,  Nathaniel,  33,  57. 
Byles,  Mather,  76. 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  235,  312. 
California  Gold  Excitement,  395,  477. 
Call,  San  Francisco  Morning,  616,  759. 
Callender,  James  Thompson,  214, 268. 
Cameron,  Simon,  177. 


Campbell,  John,  52, 64. 
Cards,  Editors',  623. 
Carrier  Pigeons,  596,  597. 
Carriers'  Addresses,  99,  711. 
Carroll,  Charles,  of  Carrollton,  118. 
Carter,  Nathaniel  H.,  266, 280. 
Cash  System,  441. 
Cass,  Lewis,  279. 

Censor,  Royal  Organ  in  Boston,  128. 
Censorship,  48, 6o;  69. 
Centinel,  Columbian,  152, 155. 
Massachusetts,  147. 
of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  195. 
Cent,  Philadelphia,  416. 
Chandler,  Joseph  R.,  182. 
Channing,Wilham  Ellery,  149. 
Charitable  Associations,  489. 
Charivari,  690. 
Cheap  Press  in  New  York,  487,  775. 

in  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  505. 
Literature,  587,  727. 

Cheetham,  James,  145, 146, 182,  217,  218. 
Childs,  George  W.,  100,  510,  511,  512,  515,  758. 

Louisa  Maria,  386. 
Child's  Paper,  305. 
Choate,  Rufus,  565. 
Christian  Remembrancer,  293. 

Union,  301. 
Chronicle,  Boston,  122. 

Boston  Independent,  137, 144, 145, 158, 
160, 289. 

Cincinnati,  200,  618. 

Cologne,  of  1499,  3 1. 

Constitutional,  119. 

New  England,  65,  124. 

New  York,  126. 

New  York  Morning,  263. 

Pennsylvania,  123. 

Portsmouth  (N.  H.),  752. 

Washington,  260. 
Cincinnati,  Society  of,  158. 
Circulation  of  the  first  American  Newspaper,  57. 
Citizen,  American,  145,  217,  225,  263. 

New  York,  426. 

Claibome's,  Colonel,  Recollections,  243. 
Clapp, William  W.,  379, 395. 
Clark,  Lewis  Gaylord,  79,  320. 

Willis  Gaylord,  79.  • 

Class  Journalism,  329. 
Clay,  Henry,  240,  272. 
Clergy,  Troubles  with,  67,  71,  80, 453,  721. 
Clinton,  De  Witt,  155,  225,  264,  283,  286. 
Clubs,  Newspaper,  489,  503,  622, 656, 665. 
Cobbett,  William,  154,  309,  310,620. 
Cobden,  Richard,  324. 
Cockades,  The  Black  and  Tri-colored,  153. 
Coggswell,  Dr.,  of  Astor  Library,  25. 
Coleman,  William,  146,  217,  221. 
College  Newspapers,  711. 
Collins,  Edward  K.,  457. 
Columbia  College,  Attack  on,  122. 
Columbian,  New  York,  225. 
Combinations  of  Newspapers,  610. 
Comic  Papers,  688. 
Commercial,  Cincinnati,  198,  214,  219. 
Commercial  Press,  334. 
Compiler,  Richmond,  269. 
Conant,  Samuel  S.,  284,  707. 
Confederation,  Articles  of,  143. 
Congregationalist,  Boston,  296. 
Congress,  Editors  and  Reporters  in,  697. 
Congress  of  the  Republic  of  News,  611. 
Conrad,  R.T.,  183. 

Constitution,  Federal,  144, 149,  165,  233. 
Constitution,  Washington,  253. 
Cooper,  J.  Fenimore,  267,  744. 

Myles,  of  Columbia  College,  122. 
Copyright,  589,  723,  725,  726. 
Correspondents,  Foreign,  314,  322, 451,  518. 


Index. 


783 


Correspondents,  War,  482,  483,  493,  606,  715,  717, 

719. 

Washington,  239,  285,  701. 
Corruptions  in  Congress,  552. 
Cosby,  Governor  William,  81. 
Cost  of  a  first-class  Journal,  566. 
Country  Seats,  243. 
Courant,  Boston,  40, 61. 

Connecticut,  113,  144,  156,664. 

Wilmington  (Del.),  112. 
Courier  and  Enquirer,  New  York,  222,  226,  256, 

273,  281,  412,  430,  443,  669. 
Courier  and  Journal,  Louisville  (Ky.),  326. 
Courier,  Boston,  384. 

Charleston  (S.  C.),  262. 

Louisiana,  491. 

Lowell,  198. 

Morning,  of  New  York,  281, 344. 

Portland  Daily,  176. 
Craig,  D.  H.;  612,  613, 616. 
Crawford, William  H.,  220. 
Croaker  &  Co.,  220. 
Crooks,  Ramsey,  225. 

Croswell,  Edwin,  223,  277,  279,  402,  412,  578. 
Harry,  267, 275. 
Sherman,  279. 

Cummings,  Alexander,  182, 667. 
Curtis,  George  William,  663,  707. 
Cushing,  Caleb,  257. 

Thomas,  105. 

Custis,  George  Washington  Parke,  275. 
Cyclopaedia,  The  New  American,  677. 

Dana,  Charles  A.,  206,  420,  488,  555,  559,  677, 

678, 679. 

Daniels,  John  T.,  22. 
Davis,  Matthew  L.,  145,  187,  216,  263,  348. 

Jefferson,  527,  567. 
Dawson,  Moses,  199. 
Day,  Benjamin  H.,  417. 
Deacon  Giles's  Distillery,  383. 
Debates  in  Congress,  233. 
De  Foe,  Daniel,  560. 
Delta,  California  True,  594. 

New  Orleans,  243,  492,  593. 
Democrat,  Chicago,  203. 

Kaskaskia,  207. 
St.  Louis,  202. 

Democratic  Organ,  The  first,  145. 
Dennie,  Joseph,  228. 
Deposits,  Removal  of  the,  250,  273,  447. 
Dexter,  Lord  Timothy,  24. 
Diario  Oficial,  of  Mexico,  230. 
Diary,  or  Loudon's  Register,  146,  150. 
Dickens,  Asbury,  229. 

Charles,  651,  660. 
Dikeman,  Wakeman  H.,  227. 
Dinsmore,  William  B.,  182,  521. 
Directory,  The  first  New  York,  139. 
Dix,  John  A.,  376,  580,  772. 
Douglass,  Frederick,  260. 
Downing,  Major  Jack,  176,  688. 
Draft  Riots  in  New  York,  557. 
Drake,  John  Rodman,  220. 
Duane,  William,  211,  212,  216,  217,  307. 
Duels :  A.  C.  Bullitt  and  Editor  Wagner,  494. 

Advocate  (La.)  Editor  and  Pioneer  Edi- 
tor, 766. 
Baton  Rouge  Gazette  Editor  and  Alce'e 

Labranche,  764. 

DeWitt  Clinton  and  JohnSwartwout,  264. 
Dr.  James  Hagan  and  Daniel  W.  Adams, 

Dr.  James  Hagan  and  Editor  Vicksburg 

Whig,  763. 
Editors  of  El  Cronista  and  La  Revolu- 

cion,  766. 
Editor  Vicksburg   Sentinel  and  T.  E. 

Robins,  763. 


Duels  :  George  J.  Harris  and  E.  H.  Foster,  Jr. 
402. 

Graves  and  Cilley,  348,  761. 

James  Cheetham  and  William  Coleman, 
146. 

James  Watfon  Webb  and  Thomas  H. 
Marshall,  356. 

John  D'Oley  Burke's  death,  187. 

John  H.  Pleasants  and  Thomas  Ritchie, 
Jr.,  271. 

Reuben  Durrett  and  George  D.  Prentice, 
.     324- 

Robert  W.  Hughes  and  William  E.  Cam- 
eron, 768. 

Thomas  E.  Robins  and  James  M.  Downs, 
763. 

Walter  Hickey  and  Dr.  Macklin,  763. 

William  Coleman  and  Captain  Thomp- 
son, 218. 

William  Graham  and  Dr.  Barton,  287. 

W.  R.  Taber,  Jr.,  and  Edward  Magrath, 

403- 

Dutton,  Henry  W.,  386. 
Dwight,  Theodore,  219,  518. 

Eastburn,  John  H.,  390, 394. 
Eckford,  Henry,  284. 
Edes  and  Gill,  105,  io6;  138,  148, 164, 166. 
Editorial  articles,  Origin  of,  219,  380,  381. 
Editors :  Ancient  and  Modern,  381. 

as  Diplomats,  485,  553,  554,  576,  577. 
Imprisonment  of,  70,  So,  112,  160. 
what  they  should  eat,  224. 
Effigies  in  Boston,  123. 
Elbows  of  the  Mincio,  631. 
Election  Returns,  370,  391. 
Emancipator,  New  York,  387,  440. 
Emigration  to  California,  592. 
Engraving,  497,  705. 
Enqufrer :  Cincinnati,  198,  199. 
New  York,  285,  345. 
Richmond,  241,  268,  768. 
St.  Louis,  311. 
Enterprise,  News,  56,  75,  182,  321,  346,  383,  395, 

53°- 
Epochs  of  Journalism,  27. 

First — the  first  American  Newspaper,  43. 
Second — the  Colonial  Press,  51. 
Third — the  Revolutionary  Press,  102. 
Fourth — the  Political  Party  Press,  141. 
Fifth — the  Transition — the  Cheap  Press, 

408. 

Sixth— the  Independent— the  Telegraph- 
ic Press,  428. 

Era,  Washington  National,  259. 
Ethnology,  25. 

Evangelist,  New  York,  298,  304. 
Evarts,  Jeremiah,  292. 
Everett,  Edward,  282,  380,  722,  725. 
Every  Saturday,  708. 
Examiner,  Richmond,  22,  215,  268. 
Excitement  in  the  Gold  Mines,  593. 
Exeter  Federal  Miscellany,  227. 
Expresses,  Pony  and  Steam,  172,  182,  188,  200, 

321,  365».39'»  42'»  476,  53o,  53i,  609,  613. 
Express  Lines,  505,  509,  517,  520,  521,  594. 
Express,  New  York,  176,  190,  446,  517. 

Washington,  259. 
Extradition  Treaty,  438. 

Fanny  Fern,  648. 

Farmer's  Weekly  Museum,  228. 

Fashions,  64,  80. 

Federalist,  The,  177. 

Washington,  232. 
Federal  Party:  its  Organization,  151. 

its  Disruption,  154. 
Female  Journalists,  497,  498,  503. 
Fenno,  John,  181,  214. 


784 


Index. 


Field,  Cyrus,  W.,  614. 

David  Dudley,  584. 
Financial  Articles,  434,  437. 
Fish,  Hamilton,  159. 
Fisher,  Redwood,  227. 
Fleet,  Thomas,  80. 
Foote,  Dr.  Thomas  M.,  577. 
Force,  Peter,  235. 
Foreign  Quarterly   Review   on  the  American 

Press,  463. 

Forney,  John  W.,  260,  560. 
Forrest,  Edwin,  222. 
Forsyth,  John,  496. 
Fourierism,  525,  629. 
Fourth  Estate  in  England,  21. 
Fowle,  Daniel,  103,  108,  137. 

Zechariah,  127. 
Francis,  Dr.  John  W.,  146. 
Frank  Leslie,  693, 706. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  53, 60, 66,  67,  77, 98, 1 10, 1 12, 
125, 126, 180,382. 

Ann,  109,  1 10. 

James,  60,  61,  69,  70,  94,  109,  126. 

James,  Jr.,  109,  no. 

Printing  Presses,  no,  in,  125. 
Freeman,  Philadelphia,  327. 
Free-Soil  Barnburners,  581. 
Free  Trade,  204,  223,  274. 
French  Mission,  485. 
French  Press.  21. 
Freneau,  Philip,  103,  in,  134,  136,  175,  185,  187. 

Gaceta  de  Madrid,  Official,  230. 
Gaine,  Hugh,  103,  150. 
Galaxy,  New  England,  384. 
Gales,  Joseph,  Sr.,  227. 

Joseph,  Jr.,  228,  232,  247,  258. 
Gallagher,  Wijliam  D.,  197. 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  367, 387. 
Gay,  Sidney  Howard,  205,  207,  559. 
Gazette,  American  Literary,  511. 

Arkansas,  209,  328. 

Boston,  of  1719,  39,  58,  104. 

Boston,  of  1753,  104. 

Boston,  of  1755,  105, 107,  144,  152,  164. 

Boston  Saturday  Evening,  379,  396. 

Cape  Fear,  117. 

Charleston,  and  Country  Journal,  119. 

Charleston  City,  199,  283. 

Cincinnati,  196. 

Connecticut,  105. 

Constitutional,  136. 

Essex,  Salem,  and  American,  124,  144, 
170. 

Falmouth  (Me.),  176. 

Georgia,  112. 

Greenfield,  184,  217. 

Hampshire,  176. 

Hugh  Gaine' s,  150. 

Independent,  of  Boston,  144. 

Knoxville  (Tenn.),  574. 

Lang's,  New  York,  179,  225, 430. 

Maryland,  of  1727,  40,  79,  100,  118,  144. 

Moscow,  231. 

National,  175,  185,  191,  210,  322. 

New  Hampshire,  of  1756,  40,  108,  137, 
144,155. 

JN  ew  J  ersey,  139. 

New  Jersey  State,  187. 

New  London,  112. 

New  York,  of  1725,  40,  72,  81,  83, 93. 

New  York,  of  1759,  in,  121. 

North  Carolina,  108. 

Nuremburg,  of  1457, 30. 

Oregon  Flumgudgeon,  390. 

Oxford,  of  1665,  35. 

Pennsylvania,  of  1728,  77,  79, 144. 

Pittsburg,  177. 

Providence,  112. 


Gazette,  Relf's,  78. 

Reprinted  London,  50. 

Rhode  Island,  of  1733,  40, 94. 

Royal  American,  133. 

Scioto  (Ohio),  195. 

South  Carolina  and  American  General, 
108, 1 18. 

South  Carolina,  of  1731,  40, 96. 

United  States,  181. 

Vermont,  140. 

Virginia,  of  1736,  40, 96. 

Virginia,  of  1766,  120,  268. 

Washington,  232. 

Gazetteer,  Royal,  of  New  York,  i->z,  132. 
Gazetti  Officielle,  of  Italy,  230. 
Genevese  Traveller,  216. 
German  Newspapers,  100, 198. 
Gerrymandering,  155. 
Girardin,  Emile  de,  409,  537. 
Gleason's  Pictorial,  706. 
Globe,  Boston,  22,  396. 

Congressional,  245,  253. 
New  York,  409,  576. 
Washington,  233,  235,  242, 414. 
Goddard,  William,  123,  135. 
Godwin,  Parke,  223,  576,  656. 
Gold :  its  Discovery  in  California,  477,  592. 

the  Panic  in  N  ew  York,  639. 
Golden  Age,  299,  499. 
Gordon,  William,  the  historian,  138, 167. 
Graham,  George  R.,  182. 

William,  286. 
Grant,  James,  the  Newspaper  Press,  21. 

President  Ulysses  S.,  653. 

Greeley,  Horace,  22,  223,  394,  398,  414,  417,  522, 
525,  540,  549,  555,  558,  565,  569,  624,  661,  694, 

Green,  Bartholomew,  51,  54, 63. 

Duff,  235,  238,  241,  243,  311,  353,  369,  577. 

Joseph,  123. 

Samuel,  122. 

Thomas,  122. 
Greene,  Charles  G.,  385. 
Greenleaf,  Thomas,  144. 
Gridley,  Jeremy,  79. 
Griswold,  Rufus  Wilmot,  587. 
Guardian,  Potomac,  195,  289. 
Guild,  Curtis,  335,  384. 

Hagen,  Dr.  James,  762,  763. 
Hale,  David,  22,  363,  366, 462, 610. 

Nathan,  379. 

Sarah  Josepha,  497. 
Hall,  David,  78. 

Francis,  192. 

Samuel,  1 10, 124,  126.    ' 
Halleck,  Fitz  Greene,  180,  193,  220,  221. 
Hallock,  Gerard,  22,  363,  367,  371,  373, 611. 
Halpine,  Charles  J.,  187,  426, 620. 
Hamblin,  Thomas,  444. 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  112, 143, 175,  178, 181,  186, 

215,  217,  219, 264,  267. 
Andrew,  85,  90,  121,  267. 
Hammond,  Charles,  196. 
Hancock,  John,  137, 165. 
Hard  Cider  Campaign,  277,  391,  454. 
Hamden, William  F.,  521. 
Harper  &  Brothers,  587, 693. 
Harper's  Bazar,  707,  708. 
Harper's  Illustrated  Weekly,  707. 
Harris,  Benjamin,  the  first  American  Editor,  39, 

44, 49. 

Harrison,  William  Henry,  240,  277. 
Hartford  Convention,  219. 
Harvard  College,  382. 
Hastings,  Hugh,  194. 
Hatin,  Eugene — the  French  Press,  21. 
Haughton,  Richard,  321, 370, 391. 
Hazewell,  Charles  C.,  201,  384. 


Index. 


785 


Heiss,  Major  John  P.,  402. 
Henry,  Patrick,  118,  151,  152. 
Herald,  Boston,  396. 
Herald,  Boston  American,  140. 

Christian,  301. 

Helena  (Ark.),  209. 

Minnesota,  203. 

Newburyport,  202. 

New  York,  23,  34,  50,  56,  100,  115,  147, 
189,  219,  221,  288,  302,  304,  366,  375, 
414,  421,  428,  439,  451,  456,  458,  464. 
465,  478,  479.  495.  522,  531,  538,  544, 
548,  592,  622,  735,  759. 

of  Freedom,  Boston,  181. 

of  Gospel  Liberty,  293. 

San  Francisco,  591. 

Titusville  Morning,  585. 

Zion's,>296. 

Hildreth,  Richard,  391,  393. 
Hill,  Isaac,  272. 
Hoaxes,  347,  399,  422,  514. 
Hoe,  Colonel  R.  M.,  418, 460,  648,  775. 
Hoey,  John,  520. 

Holt,  John,  103,  105, 121,  144,  225. 
Hopper,  Isaac  T.,  368. 
Hospitality  of  Editors,  244. 
Houston,  General  Sam.,  443. 
Howard,  Joseph,  374, 617, 673. 
Hoyt,  Jesse,  276,  358, 411,  413. 
Hughes,  Archbishop,  299,  302, 464, 629. 

John,  Stamp  Commissioner,  98. 
Hunt,  F.  Knight,  of  Fourth  Estate,  21. 
Huske,  Ellis,  Originator  of  Stamp  Act,  96. 

Illuminated  Quadruple  Constellation,  352. 
Illustrated  Papers,  705. 

Advertisements,  468. 
Frank  Leslie' s,  706. 
Harper's  Weekly,  707. 
Illustrations,  450. 
Impartial  Intelligencer,  184. 

Journalism,  161,  188. 
Impending  Conflict,  Helper's,  400. 
Incidents  in  Advertisements,  474. 
Independence,  Declaration   of,  first  published, 

121. 
Independent  Advertiser,  the  first  Revolutionary 

Organ,  102. 
Gazetteer,  228,  232. 
New  York,  298,  673. 
Press,  258,  261,  306,  316,  410,  429, 

569,  676,  678. 
Index,  Frontier,  177,  209. 
Indian  World,  Duane's,  211. 
Infernal  Machines,  465, 466, 479. 
Initial  Editors,  565. 

Inquisitor  and  Cincinnati  Advertiser,  199. 
Intelligencer,  Christian,  297. 
Green  Bay,  208. 
Illinois,  203. 
Impartial,  184. 
National,  22,  228,  232,  259. 
Interviewing,  326,  487,  561,  563,  606. 
Irving,  Dr.  Peter,  263. 

Washington,  263. 
Israelites  at  Grand  Island,  284. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  235,  238,  241,  248,  268,  448. 
Jacobins,  153,  181,  211. 
Jarvis,  Dr.  Charles,  161, 163. 

Russell,  507,  508. 

Samuel,  149. 
Jay,  John,  179,217. 
Jefferson,  Thomas,  120,  153,  154,  181,  185,  232, 

267. 

Jeffersonian,  New  York,  430. 
Jenkins,  the  Original,  65. 
Jerome,  Leonard  W.,  622, 635. 
Johnson,  President  Andrew,  575,  635. 

D  D  D 


Jones,  Alexander,  612. 

George,  618, 639, 641,  642. 
Journal,  Albany  Evening,  226,  278,  397,  402,  549, 

577,  674- 
Journal,  Boston  Daily,  171,  384,  394,  509,  593. 

Chicago  Evening,  204. 

Connecticut,  122. 

Continental,  138. 

Essex,  135. 

Freeman's,  185. 

Home,  315. 

Illinois  State,  203. 

Independent,  of  New  York,  177. 

Indianapolis  Daily,  202. 

Louisville,  323. 

Maryland,  135. 

National,  234. 

New  England  Weekly,  of  1727, 60,  75, 

New  Jersey,  139. 

New  York  Weekly,  of  1733,  81,  103,  121 
144, 152, 179. 

of  Commerce,  New  York,  22,  141,  180, 
189,  194,  347,  351,  362,  372,  392,  425, 
430,  446.  _ 

Pennsylvania,  97,  144. 

Poughkeepsie,  265. 

Providence  (R.  I.),  316. 

United  States,  253. 

Woman's,  498. 
Journalism,  American,  679. 
Journalistic  Diplomats,  360,  361. 
Junius,  21,  146,  177,  401. 
"Just  once,"  556. 

Kansas  Question,  553. 

Keimer,  Samuel,  77. 

Kendall,  Amos,  53,  238,  243,  245,  248,  285,  348, 

447,  615- 

George  Wilkins,  493, 495. 
Kent,  Judge  James,  279. 
King,  Charles,  267,  283,  312,  346,  442,  659. 

Rufus,  281. 

Kneeland,  Samuel,  75, 104. 
Know-Nothings,  518,  550,  551,  577. 
Kossuth,  Louis,  178,  621,  656. 

Lamartine,  Alphonse,  601. 
Lang,  John,  179. 
Lay  Preacher's  Gazette,  229. 
Ledger,  Independent,  140. 

New  York,  606,  646, 649, 651. 

Pennsylvania,  136. 

Public,  of  Philadelphia,  22,  100,  505, 507. 
Leggett,  William,  221, 620. 
L' Estrange,  Sir  Roger,  34. 
Lewis,  Zachariah,  225. 
Lexington,  Battle  of,  130. 
Liability  of  Publishers,  545. 
Libel  Suits:  Aaron  Burr  vs.  James  Cheetham, 

MS- 
Alexander  Hamilton  vs.  New  York 

Argus,  215. 

Andrew  Hamilton's  Speech,  85-90. 
Chas.  Reade  vs.  Round  Table,  748. 
Colonel  Matthew  Lyon,  M.  C.  of 

Vermont,  215. 

D.  R.  Ambrose  vs.  Portsmouth  (N. 
H.)  Chronicle,  752. 

Edward  Fry  vs.  Jas.  Gordon  Ben- 
nett, 753. 

E.  L.  Sanderson  vs.  N.  Y.  Sunday 
Mercury,  746. 

George  Augustus  Sala  vs.  Modern 

Men  of  Letters,  749. 
Gov.  Cosby  vs.  John  Philip  Zenger. 

82. 

Herald  of  Freedom,  of  Boston,  181. 
Jacob  Gould  vs.  Thurlow  Weed, 

746. 


;86 


Index. 


Libel  Suits:  J.  Feninwre Coopers. Commercial 
Advertiser,  744. 

J.  Fenimore  Cooper  vs.  Albany 
Journal,  748. 

J.  Fenimore  Cooper  vs.  New  York 
Tribune,  746. 

James  Fisk,  jr.  vs.  Springfield  Re- 
publican, 747. 

James  Thomson  Callender,  214. 

John  Haggerty  vs.  James  Gordon 
Bennett,  753. 

John  Russell  Young  vs.  Charles  A. 
Dana,  682. 

Judge  Peck  vs.  Missouri  Inquirer, 

745- 

Lt.  Gov.  Root  vs.  New  York  Amer- 
ican, 746. 

Massachusetts  vs.  Boston  Chroni- 
cle, 1 60. 

M.  M.  Noah  vs.  James  Gordon  Ben- 
nett, 287, 461. 
Pennsylvania  Journal,  98. 
Staats  Zeitung  vs.  Pioneer,  747. 
Thomas  Jefferson  vs.  Hudson  Bal- 
ance, 267. 

Libel,  the  Law  of,  267, 741, 743,  745, 750, 753, 757. 
Liberal  Christian,  297. 
Liberator,  Boston,  387, 404. 
Liberty  Hall  and  Cincinnati  Mercury,  196. 
Liberty  of  the  Press,  31, 150, 164. 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  485,  671, 695. 
Little,  Jacob,  604. 


"  Little  Villain,"  624. 
Livingston,  Edward,  249. 


Judge  Brockholst,  217,  264. 
Livingstone,  Search  for,  486. 
Locke,  Richard  Adams,  420, 422. 
Log  Cabin,  398,  522. 
London  Gazette,  Official,  230. 
Loudon,  Samuel,  115, 138,  146, 150. 
Louis  Philippe,  King,  153. 

Mackenzie,  William  Lyon,  357. 
M'Dougall,  Alexander,  in,  112, 121. 
M'Elrath,  Thomas,  426,  524,  535,  537. 
M'Kenzie.R.  Shelton,  451. 
M'Kinney,  Thomas  L.,  234. 
M'Michael,  Morton,  183. 
Madison,  James,  178,  225. 
Madisonian,  Washington,  240. 
Magazine,  Historical,  295. 

Hunt's  Merchants',  382. 
Madame  Demorest's,  498. 
Mails,  76,  79, 431,  432,  775. 
Managing  Editors,  559,  610. 
Man,  New  York,  430. 

without  a  Country,  422. 
Manners  in  Journalism,  636,  637. 
Maps  of  Battle  Fields,  61, 446. 

Burnt  Districts,  450. 
Marble,  Manton,  671, 675, 676. 
Marcy,  William  L.,  357. 
Marine  Reports,  180, 189,  262,  445, 608. 
Marriages  and  Deaths,  56,  75, 684,  685. 
Marshall,  Thomas  F.,  356. 
Masons,  Anti-,  397,  746. 

Free-,  188. 

Massachusetts  Gazette,  109. 
Mather,  Cotton,  52,  67. 

Increase,  51,  67. 
Maxwell,  William,  363. 
Mayhew,  Jonathan,  102,  105. 
Meagher,  Thomas  Francis,  627. 
Medary,  Samuel,  201. 
Mein,  John,  123. 
Memorial,  Old  Colony,  328. 
Mercurie,  the  Bogus  English,  of  1588,  29. 
Mercury,  Cape  Fear,  126. 

Charleston  (S.  C),  254,  277, 403,  407. 


Mercury,  Massachusetts,  188. 

Newport  (R.  I.),  95,  109,  in,  118, 144. 

New  York,  Hugh  Gaine's,  103. 

New  York,  Lewis's,  133. 

New  York  Sunday,  746. 

Pennsylvania,  136. 

Philadelphia,  of  1719,  39, 60,  78. 
Merriam,  Eben,  116. 
Messenger,  Jewish,  302. 

Noah's  Weekly,  287. 
of  Athens,  Official,  230. 
Metropolitan  Record,  299. 
Mettemich's  Opinion,  143. 
Mexican  War,  495. 
Miles  O'Reilly,  187,426. 
Mills' s  Statue  of  General  Jackson,  250. 
Minerva,  New  York,  191. 
Minister  to  France,  485. 
Mirror,  New  York,  314. 

Washington,  237. 
Mobile  Journals,  491. 
Money  Articles,  434, 436. 
Money  lost  in  Newspapers,  489. 
Moniteur,  Ottoman,  231. 

Universal;  Journal  Officiel  de  1' Em- 
pire Francais,  230. 
Montgomery,  James,  the  Poet,  227. 
Monuments  to  Printers  andPrinting,  31, 513, 573. 
Moon  Hoax,  422. 
"Moral  War"  on  New  York  Herald,  456,  460, 

461. 

Morgan,  WHliam,  398. 
Morris,  George  P.,  125,  314. 
Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  296, 480,  505,  595,  598. 

Sidney  E.,  292. 
Mother  Goose  Melodies,  80. 
Mottoes  and  Devices,  105,  119, 128, 129, 130,  152, 

170,  396,  480,  514,  582,  738,  740. 
Mrs.  Grundy,  690. 
Mumford,  John  I.,  323,  411,451. 
Mutiny  Act  of  1768,  in. 

Names  of  Newspapers,  646. 
Napoleon,  362. 
Nasby,  Petroleum  V.,  692. 
Nast,  Thomas,  693,  707. 
National  Era,  Grass  Valley  (Cal.),  593. 
Intelligencer,  22. 
Newspaper  Carriers,  521. 
Washington,  259. 
Native  American  Party,  577. 
Nautical  Gazette,  723. 
Neal,  John,  387,  587, 688. 
Neale,  Joseph  C.,  688. 
New  Era,  New  York,  576. 
New  Orleans  Newspapers,  491. 
Newport  in  1732, 95. 
News  Agencies,  438,  594. 

Boys,  33,  34, 119,  383,  711. 

Circulars,  29,  52. 

from  California,  592. 

from  Home,  593. 

Letter,  Boston,  of  1704,  39,  54, 65. 

Letter,  San  Francisco,  592. 

London  Weekly,  of  1622,  33. 

New  York,  576. 

Rooms,  Tppliff's,  189,  364. 

Gilpin's,  457. 
Schooners  and  Steamers,  1 80, 346, 365, 446, 

486,  530,  608,  6n. 
the  first,  published  in  America,  45. 
Newspapers :  Century,  32, 169, 176,  277, 352, 773. 
Circulation   of,  57,  199,  204,  226, 
305,  357.  37i.  417.  420,  440,  5°7. 
512,  519,  525,  529,  543,  595,  679, 
684,  687,  736,  770. 
College,  711. 

Contents  of  the  first  American,  45. 
Distribution  of,  76, 79,431,521, 775. 


Index. 


787 


Newspapers :  First  daily,  in  America,  35, 175. 
England,  35. 
France,  35,  37. 

First,  in  the  World,  28, 40. 

First  Penny,  37. 

Foreign,  in  the  United  States,  493. 

French,  in  the  United  States,  314, 
492,  493. 

German,  in  the  United  States,  100, 
198. 

Incorporated,  536. 

in  the  World,  774. 

Largest,  in  the  World,  351,  352. 

Losses  of,  442. 

on  the  Pacific,  590. 

Profits  of,  618. 

Religious,  64,  289, 420,  667. 

Spanish,  in  the  United  States,  314. 

Suppression  of,  48, 373,  439. 

Transient,  710. 

Newspaper  Press  in  England,  32. 
New  World,  New  York,  588. 
New  Yorker,  526. 
Niles,  John  M.,  53,  308. 

Weekly  Register,  307,  397. 
Noah,  Mordecai  Manasseh,  283,  287. 
Nord  Deutsche  Algemeine  Zeitung,  230. 
North  American,  Philadelphia,  79,  175,  182. 
North  American  Review,  381,  548. 
Norton,  Benjamin  Hammett,  308. 
Novels,  Plays,  Romances  as  News,  587. 
Nullification,  249,  403, 407. 

Observatore  Romano,  Official,  230. 
Observer,  New  York,  289,  293,  296,  363. 

Salem,  170. 
Ocean  Cable,  616. 
O' Conor,  Charles,  34. 
Offering,  Lowell,  498. 
Office  Seekers,  553,  554,  681. 
Official  Patronage,  468,  553,  681. 
Oil  Regi9ns,  The  first  Paper  in,  585. 
Old  Boy  in  Specs,  216. 
Old  Gnmes,  112. 

Old  Newspapers,  Files  of,  55, 108,  388. 
Oldstyle,  Jonathan,  263. 
Oliver,  Andrew,  128. 
"  On  to  Richmond,"  255,  678. 
Oracle  of  Dauphin,  177. 
Oregon  Question,  530. 
Organs,  Official,  230. 
Otis,  James,  105, 107, 138. 
Overland  Express  from  Halifax,  531. 
Owen,  Robert  Dale,  368,  417. 

Packet,  New  York,  138,  144,  146. 

Pennsylvania,  136,  146. 
Paine,  Thomas,  136. 
Palladium,  New  England,  155,  190. 
Parker,  James, 93,  105,  in,  121, 122. 
Parks,  William,  79,  135. 
Party  Papers,  144,  276,  410, 411. 
Patriot,  Albany,  400. 

Baltimore,  120,  226. 

Boston,  164. 

New  Hampshire,  272,  274,  277. 

New  York,  312. 

Washington,  260. 
Paulding,  James  Kirke,  346. 
Payne,  John  Howard,  338,  464. 
Pekin  Gazette,  Official,  230. 
Penmanship  of  Editors,  565,  576,  619. 
Pennsylvanian,  Philadelphia,  226,  410,  411. 
Penny  Press,  37,  410,  416,  417,  440,  505,  609,  679. 
Percival,  James  G.,  193. 
Persecutions  of  the  Press,  141. 
Personal  Advertisements,  472,  474. 
Personal  Description  of  an  Editor,  94. 
Personalities  of  the  Press,  448,  459, 460. 


Phillips,  Wendell,  301,  500, 584. 
Picayune,  New  Orleans,  256, 337, 493,  777. 
Pierce,  Franklin,  485. 

Richard,  the  first  Newspaper  Publisher 

in  America,  44. 
Pilot,  Boston,  297. 

Pilots,  New  York,  and  the  Herald,  534, 609. 
Pintard,  John,  176. 
Plaindealer,  Leggett's,  221. 
Pleasants,  John  H.,  240,  271. 
Plebeian,  New  York,  223,  489,  576. 

Ulster,  276. 
Plough-Boy,  266. 
Pneumatic  Dispatch  Lines,  776. 
Poindexter,  George,  252. 
Political  Parties,  their  Names,  143. 

Rewards,  549. 
Polk,  James  K.,  241,  399. 
Porcupine,  Cobbett's,  154,  310,  620. 
Porter,  Wm.  T.,  "the  Tall  Son  of  York,"  341. 
Port-Folio,  229. 
Post,  Baltimore  Evening,  307. 

Boston,  277,  309, 389,  390. 

Boston  Evening,  80. 

Cincinnati  Evening,  199. 

Morning,  of  New  York,  417. 

New  York  Evening,  100,  146,  216,  225,  430. 

Pennsylvania  Evening,  136. 
Post-Boy,  Albany,  132. 

Boston  Weekly,  96. 
New  York  Weekly,  93. 
Postmasters  as  Editors,  59, 195. 
Poulson,  Zachariah,  175. 

Pranitelstoennii  Vyestaik,  Official,  of  Russia,  230. 
Premiums  for  Subscribers,  73,  502,  526,  528. 
Prentice,  George  D.,  323,  325. 
Prentiss,  John,  163. 
Presidential  Aspirations,  555,  569. 
Press  in  Austria,  659. 

in  Congress,  697. 

in  France,  21. 

in  Russia,  231. 

in  the  World,  774. 

Philadelphia,  260. 
Prime,  William  C.',  373. 
Printers'  Cemetery  at  \Voodlands,  515. 
Printing:  first  Proof-slip,  28. 
History  of,  22. 
its  Discovery,  28. 

Printing-House  Square,  560,  573,  635. 
Printing-presses,  46,  100,  no,  126,  197,  349.  381, 

418. 

Proclamation,  The  bogus,  373, 671. 
Prospectus :  first  in  America,  44. 
first  in  Europe,  38. 

Public!:  Occurrences,  of  Boston,  39,  44. 
Public  Ledger,  Philadelphia,  22, 100,  505,  507. 
Public  Printing,  49,  223,  240,  255,  268,  278,  284, 

579- 

Puffs,  Editorial,  469,  539. 
Punch,  690. 

Quincy,  Josiah,  105, 107. 

Rags :  Advertisements  for  them,  1 14. 
Appeals  to  Women,  1 15. 
Italy  as  a  Rag-bag,  117. 
Railroads,  381,  391, 431. 
Randolph,  John,  232,  234,  245,  308. 
Raymond,  Henry  J.,  22,  200,  346,  360,  525,  550, 

552,  587, 622,  624, 631, 638, 662,  729. 
Rebel  News,  484. 

Rebellion :  its  Effect  on  Newspapers,  483. 
Recorder,  American,  170. 

Boston,  289,  363. 

Catskill,  277. 

Chillicothe,  295. 
Reformation,  Washington,  238. 
Register,  Albany,  265. 


Index. 


Register,  Albany  State,  577. 

American,  in  Paris,  314. 
Christian,  297. 
Cincinnati  Commercial,  197. 
Cobbett's  Weekly  Political,  309. 
Illinois  State,  203. 
Mobile,  496. 

National  Republican  and  Ohio  Polit- 
ical, 196. 

Niles's  Weekly,  307. 
Raleigh  (N.  C),  227,  232. 
Salem,  170. 
Stage,  382. 

Rehearsal,  Boston  Weekly,  79. 
Reid,Whitelaw,  559. 
Relf's  Gazette,  78. 

Religious  Newspapers,  64,  289,  420, 667. 
Reporter,  Lexington  (Ky.),  272. 
Reporters,  227,  228,  232,  247,  258,  619,  720. 
Reporting:  Congressional,  228,  255. 
first  in  America,  57. 
Gales  and  Seaton,  232. 
James  Madison  as  a  Reporter,  233. 
Joseph  Gales's  de'but,  228. 
Major  Russell  as  a  Reporter,  149. 
New  York  Herald,  256,  446,  453. 
Religious,  304,  453,  721. 
Telegraphic,  605,  606. 
Repository,  Ohio,  201. 
Republic,  American,  577. 

New  York,  238, 377,  577. 
Washington,  256. 
Republican,  Albany,  275. 

Chicago,  206,  678. 

Federal,  274. 

Petersburg,  232. 

Springfield  (Mass.),  141,  301,  394, 

582,  747. 

St.  Louis,  202,  745,  778. 
Revere,  Paul,  106, 129. 
Revolution,  Woman's  Organ,  498. 
Revolutionary  Journalists,  105. 
Rhett,  R.  Bamwell,  Jr.,  407. 
Richmond  Junta,  265. 
Richmond,  William  £.,316. 
Rights  of  the  Press,  751. 
Riker,  Richard,  145,  220,  264. 
Rind,  Williarrij  120. 

Riots:  Abolition,  in  New  York,  354,  367,  370. 
Draft,  in  New  York,  557,  634. 
Free  Trade  and  Sailors  Rights,  274. 
Political,  in  Philadelphia,  211,  214. 
Sons  of  Liberty,  in  New  York,  122. 
The  Woods,  in  New  York,  355. 
Ripley,  George,  677. 
Ritchie,  Thomas,  241,  242,  268.  270. 
Thomas,  Jr.,  240,  271. 
William  F.,  271. 

Rives,  John  C.,  238,  242,  246,  251. 
Rivington,  James,  122,  132,  134. 
Roberts,  George,  352,  587. 
Rogers,  Charles  O.,  395. 
Romer,  Pilot-boat  William  J.,  530. 
Russell,  Major  Benjamin,  147,  161. 

Sailor's  Rights,  274. 

Sanford,  Edwards  S.,  182,  521, 615. 

Sargent,  Epes,  386,  577. 

John  6.,  256,  346,  577. 
Schell,  Richard,  359. 
School  Question  in  New  York,  464. 
Schools  of  Journalism,  712. 
Schouler,  William,  198,  392. 
Scientific  American,  709. 
Scott,  General  Winfield,  480. 
Seaton,  William  Winston,  22,  232,  247,  258. 
Sedition  Laws,  159,  213. 
Sentinel,  Boston,  308. 

Indianapolis  State,  202.    • 


Sentinel,  New  Hampshire,  163. 
New  York,  323,  425. 
Vicksburg,  762. 

Sermons,  their  publication,  102,  453. 
Sewall,  Jonathan,  54,  107,  128,  129. 
Seward,  Weed  &  Co.,  549. 
Seward,  William  H.,  277,  287,  398. 
Shay's  Rebellion,  149. 

Shed,  Samuel,  the  Revolutionary  Grocer,  105. 
Shepard,  Dr.  Horatio  David,  417,  524. 
Shipping  Journals,  335. 
Shipping  News,  180,  189,  262,  346,  445,  608. 
Siecle,  Paris,  537. 
Simms,  William  Gilmore,  328. 
Simonton,  J.  W.,  560,  612,  616. 
Size  of  Newspapers,  349,  352,  409. 
Slamm,  Bang  &  Co.,  576. 
Slavery,  Abolition  of,  192,  240,  363,  373,  400. 
Sleeper,  John  S.,  394. 
Smith,  Samuel  Harrison,  228,  232. 
Seba,  Jr.,  176. 
Sol,  196,  688. 
Snelling,  William  J.,  384. 
Snowden,  Thomas,  284,  458. 
Socialism,  525. 
Soft  Shells,  279. 

Sons  of  Liberty,  105,  in,  122,  130. 
Southwick,  Solomon,  Sr.,  no. 
Solomon,  Jr.,  265. 
Spectator  of  the  East,  231. 

Washington,  241,  253. 
Spirit  of  the  Times,  Philadelphia,  507. 

Porter  &  Wilkes's,  341. 
Spooner,  Alden,  225. 
Sporting  Press,  341. 
Spy  in  Washington,  216,  349. 
Spy,  Massachusetts,  ngj  127,  167. 

Western,  and  Hamilton  (Ohio),  Gazette,  196. 

Worcester,  131,  169. 
Staats  Anzareer,  Berlin,  Official,  230. 
Stamp  Act  011765, 96,  105,  118,  121. 
Standard,  Anti-Slavery,  301,  386,  584. 
Charleston,  406. 
New  York,  323,411,  413. 
Stanley,  Henry  M.,  486,  717. 
Stanton,  Edwin  M.,  484,  521, 670, 678. 

Elizabeth  Cady,  500. 
Star,  New  York,  488.  _ 

New  York  Evening,  287, 430. 

New  York  Morning,  287. 

Syracuse,  747. 

Washington,  257,  260. 
Statesman,  New  York,  225,  266. 

Ohio,  201,  277. 

Statistics  of  the  Press,  770,  771,  772,  775. 
Statue  to  Liberty  of  the  Press,  32. 
Steam-boats,  196,  431. 
Steam  Navigation,  440, 450. 
Steam  Printing-presses,  197,  349,  381,  418. 
Stevenson's  Expedition,  591. 
Stewart,  A.  T.,  505. 
Stock  or  their  Sales,  435. 
Stockwell,  Stephen  N.,  395. 
Stone,  David  M.,  372, 616. 

William  L.,  192,  194,  207,  280. 
Stop  my  Paper,  315. 
Story,  Chief-Justice  Joseph,  170, 173. 
Style  in  Newspaper  Writing,  76,  146,  467. 
Summary,  New  London,  in. 
Sun,  Baltimore,  510. 

New  York, 259, 287, 366,41 7,488, 500,677,68 1. 
Sunday  Newspapers,  337,  339. 
Suppression  of  the  first  Newspaper  in  Americans. 
Swam, William  M.,  424,  505,  510,  513. 
Swartwout,  Colonel  John,  264. 
Swishelm,  Jane  G.,  499. 
Symmes's  Hole,  197. 

Tammany  Ring,  War  on,  641,  642,  644. 


Index. 


789 


Tappan,  Arthur,  363. 

Lewis,  363,  367,  370. 
Tariff  Question,  318,  407,  526,  533. 
Tasistro,  Lewis  Fitzgerald,  588.  " 
Taxes  on  Newspapers,  141,  149,  164,  167,  724. 
Taylor,  Zachary,  256,  308. 
Tea,  Destruction  of,  in  Boston  Harbor,  106. 
Telegram,  New  York,  520,  734. 
Telegraph,  American,  306. 
Boston,  363. 
New  York,  323. 
United  States,  235,  369. 
Telegraphic  Era,  595, 600. 
Dictation,  613. 
Monopoly,  614. 
Telegraphs,  Automatic,  616. 
Atlantic,  616. 
Electro-Magnetic,  480,  505,  509,  595, 

599,602,607,615. 
Newfoundland,  614. 
Semaphore,  365,  596,  597. 
Texas  Question,  240,  271. 

Theatrical  Advertisements  in  1793  and  1872, 147. 
Thomas,  Frederick  W.,  200. 

Isaiah,  22,  115,  119,  129,  135,  145,  152, 

167,  228. 

Reminiscences  of  E.  S.,  161. 109. 
Tilton,  Theodore,  298. 
Time-Piece,  New  York,  187. 
Times,  Boston,  576. 
Chicago,  205. 
Cincinnati,  200,  759. 
Hartford,  277,  308. 
London,  350,  643,  698. 
New  York,  222,  361,  618,  629,  634,  639, 

640,  644,  747,  759. 
New  York  Sunday,  287. 
Washington,  254. 
Toasts,  Newspaper,  385. 
Topliff,  Samuel,  189. 

Torpedoes  and  the  New  York  Herald,  465. 
Trade  with  England,  Opposition  to,  148. 
Transcript,  Boston,  386. 

New  York,  424,  430. 
Philadelphia,  507. 
Traveller,  American,  382. 

Boston  Daily,  393,  582. 
Boston  Evening,  171,  201,  383.   • 
Tribune,  Chicago,  204. 

Lawrence  (Kan.),  209. 
Mobile,  496. 

New  York,  23,  183,  205,  207,  480,  483, 
.      5^,526,  53 1;  557- 566,  777. 
Triumvirate,  Democratic,  268,  269. 
True  Woman,  503. 
Truth  Teller,  New  York,  302. 
Turkic,  Organ  of  the  Sultan,  230. 
Turner,  Nat.,  363. 
Tyler,  John,  214,  240,  241,  287,  575. 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  259. 

Union,  Nashville,  241,  277,  402,  736. 

Washington,  241,  254. 
Union  of  Newspapers,  670. 
United  States  Bank,  249,  273, 345,  447. 
Universal  Instructor  in  all  the  Arts  and  Sciences 
and  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  77. 

Value,  Financial,  of  Newspapers,  183,  200,  202, 
204,  205,  304,  388,  395,  441,  506,  513,  537,  538, 
728,  758,  760. 


Van  Buren,  Johnj  23?,  579. 

Martin,  240,  251,  271,  273,  276,  581. 
Van  Dam,  Rip,  81. 

Vanderbilt,  Commodore  Cornelius,  505,  532. 
Van  Dyck?  Henry  H.,  579. 
Vanity  Fair,  690. 
Verplanck,  Gulian  C.,  182,  283. 

Johnston,  312. 

Vienna  Gazette,  Official,  230. 
Villager,  Amesburg,  328. 
Violation  of  Rules  of  Congress,  569. 
Virginia,  Resolutions  of,  1798, 160. 

Walsh,  Robert,  322. 
War  Maps,  61, 446. 

of  Editors,  58, 61,  152,  175. 

of  1812-15,  '48. 

on  the  New  York  Herald,  456, 459. 

with  the  Blondes,  205. 
Ward,  Artemus,  692,  694. 
Warren,  General  Joseph,  105,  137. 
Washington,  George,  152,  173,  175,  185,  210. 

Papers,  230,  261. 
Watchman,  American,  145. 

Montpelier  (Vt.),  43 1. 
Watchman  and  Reflector,  296. 
Watch-Tower,  Cooperstown  (N.  Y.),  266. 
Waterloo,  Battle  of,  23. 
Watterson,  Henry,  326. 
Webb,  James  Watton,  273,  281,  285, 313, 344,  348, 

353,  4'3,  462.  533,  552,  623,  669. 
Webster,  Daniel,  233,  234,  240,  257,  328,  390, 392, 

619,711. 

Noah,  188,  191,  193. 
Weed,  Thurlow,  194,  207,  226,  278,  397,  402,  522, 

549,  ^75;  746. 
Welles,  Gideon,  308. 
Westcott,  Senator,  of  Florida,  254. 
Western  Newspapers,  195. 
Westminster  Review  on  American  Press,  463. 
Wheaton,  Henry,  282,  312. 
Whig,  KnoxvilIe(Tenn.),  574. 
New  York,  522. 
Richmond,  271,  768. 
Whittier,  John  Greenleaf,  326. 
Wikoff,  Henry,  the  Chevalier.  238,  362,  577. 
Williams,  Eleazer,  the  Dauphin,  207. 
Willis,  Nathaniel,  125, 195,289. 

Nathaniel  P.,  125, 314,  360. 
Wilmot  Proviso,  580. 
Winthrop,  Robert  C.,  390. 
Wirt,  William,  269. 
Wisconsin  Newspapers,  207. 
Wise,  Henry  A,,  120,  238,  249. 
Witness,  New  York  Daily,  303. 
Wits,  323, 494, 688. 
Woman's  Rights,  388,  525. 
Women  as  News-venders,  33. 
Woodworth,  Samuel,  314. 
World,  New  York,  141,  183,  375,  611,  667,  669. 
Worthington  R.,  383. 
Wright,  Fanny,  323, 368, 417, 499. 

Yeadon,  Richard,  262. 
Yellow  Fever,  211. 
Young,  Alexander,  188, 191. 

John  Russell,  548,  555,  560,  682. 
Youth's  Companion,  293,  305. 

Zenger,  John  Peter,  Si,  741. 


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Additions  and  Notes.  By  JOHN  WILSON  CKOKEB,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.  Portrait  of 
Boswell.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 


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DRAPER'S  CIVIL  WAR.  History  of  the  American  Civil  War.  By  JOHN  W.  DKA- 
PEE,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physiology  in  the  University  of 
New  York.  In  Three  Vols.  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50  per  vol. 

DRAPER'S  INTELLECTUAL  DEVELOPMENT  OF  EUROPE.  A  History  of  the 
Intellectual  Development  of  Europe.  By  JOHN  W.  DEAPEB,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Profess- 
or of  Chemistry  and  Physiology  in  the  University  of  New  York.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

DRAPER'S  AMERICAN  CIVIL  POLICY.  Thoughts  on  the  Future  Civil  Policy  of 
America.  By  JOHN  W.  DRAPER,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Physiol- 
ogy in  the  University  of  New  York.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  50.' 

DU  CHAILLU'S  AFRICA.  Explorations  and  Adventures  in  Equatorial  Africa  •  with 
Accounts  of  the  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  People,  and  of  the  Chase  of  the  Go- 
rilla, the  Crocodile,  Leopard,  Elephant,  Hippopotamus,  and  other  Animals.  By 
PAUL  1!.  Du  CHAILLU.  Numerous  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

BELLOWS'S  OLD  WORLD.  The  Old  World  in  its  New  Face:  Impressions  of  Eu- 
rope in  1S6T-1S63.  By  HENEY  W.  BELLOWS.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

BRODHEAD'S  HISTORY"  OF  NEW  YORK.  History  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
By  JOUN  ROMEYN  BEODUEAD.  1609-1691.  2  vols.  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00  per  vol. 

BROUGHAM'S  AUTOBIOGRAPHY.  Life  and  Times  of  HENRY,  LOED  BEOUGHAM. 
Written  by  Himself.  In  Three  Volumes.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

BULWER'S  PROSE  WORKS.  Miscellaneous  Prose  Works  of  Edward  Bulwer. 
Lord  Lytton.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

BULWER'S  HORACE.  The  Odes  and  Epodes  of  Horace.  A  Metrical  Translation 
into  English.  With  Introduction  and  Commentaries.  By  LOUD  LYTTON.  With 
Latin  Text  from  the  Editions  of  Orelli,  Macleane,  and  Yonge.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

BULWER'S  KING  ARTHUR.  A  Poem.  By  EAEL  LYTTON.  New  Edition.  12mo, 
Cloth,  $1  75. 

BURNS'S  LIFE  AND  WORKS.  The  Life  and  Works  of  Robert  Burns.  Edited 
by  ROBEUT  CnAMiiEES.  4  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

REINDEER,  DOGS,  AND  SNOW-SHOES.  A  Journal  of  Siberian  Travel  and  Ex- 
plorations made  in  the  Years  lSG5-'67.  By  RICIIAED  J.  Bosu,  late  of  the  Russo- 
American  Telegraph  Expedition.  Illustrated.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT.  History  of  Friedrich  II.,  called  Frederick 
the  Great.  By  TIIOMAS  CAELYLE.  Portraits,  Maps,  Plans.  <fcc.  6  vols.,  l'2mo, 
Cloth,  $12  00. 

CARLYLE'S  FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  History  of  the  French  Revolution.  Newly 
Revised  by  the  Author,  with  Index,  &c.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

CARLYLE'S  OLIVER  CROMWELL.  Letters  and  Speeches  of  Oliver  Cromwell. 
With  Elucidations  and  Connecting  Narrative.  2  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

CHALMERS'S  POSTHUMOUS  WORKS.  The  Posthumous  Works  of  Dr.  Chalmers. 
Edited  by  his  Sou-in-Law,  Rev.  WILLIAM  HANNA,  LL.D.  Complete  in  9  vols., 
12mo,  Cloth,  $13  50. 

COLERIDGE'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Complete  Works  of  Samuel  Taylor 
Coleridge.  With  an  Introductory  Essay  upon  his  Philosophical  and  Theological 
Opinions.  Edited  by  Professor  SIIEDD.  Complete  in  Seven  Vols.  With  a  fine 
Portrait.  Small  Svo,  Cloth,  $10  50. 

DOOLITTLE'S  CHINA.  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese :  with  some  Account  of  their  Re- 
ligious, Governmental,  Educational,  and  Business  Customs  and  Opinions.  With 
special  but  not  exclusive  Reference  to  Fuhchau.  By  Rev.  JUSTUS  DOOLITTLE, 
Fourteen  Years  Member  of  the  Fuhchau  Mission  of  the  American  Board.  Illus- 
trated with  more  than  150  characteristic  Engravings  on  Wood.  2  vols.,  12mo, 
Cloth,  $5  00. 

GIBBON'S  ROME.  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire.  By  Ei>- 
wAEp  GIBBON.  With  Notes  by  Rev.  H.  H.  MII.MAN  and  M.  GCIZOT.  A  new  cheap 
Edition.  To  which  is  added  a  complete  Index  of  the  whole  Work,  and  a  Portrait 
of  the  Author.  C  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  |9  00. 

HAZEN'S  SCHOOL  AND  ARMY  IN  GERMANY  AND  FRANCE.  The  School 
and  the  Army  in  Germany  and  France,  with  a  Diary  of  Siege  Life  at  Versailles. 
By  Brevet  Major-General  W.  B.  HAZBN,  U.S.A.,  Colonel  Sixth  Infantry.  Crown 
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HARPER'S  NEW  CLASSICAL  LIBRARY.    Literal  Translations. 

The  following  Volumes  are  now  ready.    Portraits.    12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50  each. 

C<ESAR.  — VIRGIL.  —  SALLUST.  —  HORACE.—  CICERO'S  ORATIONS CICERO'S  OFFIOEPI 

&C. — CICERO  ON  ORATORY  AND  ORATORS. — TACITUS  (2  vols.).  —  TERENCE. — 
SOPHOCLES. — JUVENAL. — XENOPHON. —  HOMER'S  ILIAD — HOMER'S  ODYSSEY. — 
HERODOTUS. — DEMOSTHENES. — TUUCYDIDES.—  JSsciiYi.us.— EUEIPIDES  (2  vols.). 
— LIVY  (2  vols.). 

DA  VIS'S  CARTHAGE.  Carthage  and  her  Remains  :  being  an  Account  of  the  Exca- 
vations and  Researches  on  the  Site  of  the  Phoenician  Metropolis  in  Africa  and  other 
adjacent  Places.  Conducted  under  the  Auspices  of  Her  Majesty's  Government. 
By  Dr.  DAVIS,  F.R.G.S.  Profusely  Illustrated  with  Maps,  Woodcuts,  Chromo- 
Lithographs,  &c.  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

EDGE  WORTH'S  (Miss)  NOVELS.   With  Engravings.    10  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $15  00. 
GROTE'S  HISTORY  OF  GREECE.    12  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $18  00. 

HELPS'S  SPANISH  CONQUEST.  The  Spanish  Conquest  in  America,  and  its  Rela- 
tion to  the  History  of  Slavery  and  to  the  Government  of  Colonies.  By  ARTHUR 
HELPS.  4  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $6  00. 

BALE'S  (MRS.)  WOMAN'S  RECORD.  Woman's  Record ;  or,  Biographical  Sketches 
of  all  Distinguished  Women,  from  the  Creation  to  the  Present  Time.  Arranged 
in  Four  Eras,  with  Selections  from  Female  Writers  of  each  Era.  By  Mrs.  SABAII 
JOSEPUA  HALE.  Illustrated  with  more  than  200  Portraits.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

HALL'S  ARCTIC  RESEARCHES.  Arctic  Researches  and  Life  among  the  Esqui- 
maux: heiug  the  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  in  Search  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  in 
the  Years  1800. 1861,  and  1862.  By  CHARLES  FRANCIS  HALL.  With  Maps  and  100 
Illustrations.  'The  Illustrations  are  from  Original  Drawings  by  Charles  Parsons, 
Henry  L.  Stephens,  Solomon  Eytinge,  W.  S.  L.  Jewett,  and  Granville  Perkins, 
after  Sketches  by  Captain  Hall.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

HALLAM'S  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND,  from  the  Accession  of 
Henry  VII.  to  the  Death  of  George  II.  Svo,  Clotto,  $2  00. 

HALLAM'S  LITERATURE.  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  Europe  during  the 
Fifteenth,  Sixteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Centuries.  By  HENKY  HALLAM.  2  vols., 
Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

HALLAM'S  MIDDLE  AGES.  State  of  Europe  during  the  Middle  Ages.  By  HENRV 
HALLAM.  Svo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

HILDRETH'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  FIRST  SERIES  :  From  the 
First  Settlement  of  the  Country  to  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution. 
SECOND  SERIES:  From  the  Adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  to  the  End  of 
the  Sixteenth  Congress.  0  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $18  00. 

HUME'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  History  of  England,  from  the  Invasion  of  Ju- 
lius Cassar  to  the  Abdication  of  James  II.,  1688.  By  DAVID  HUME.  A  new  Edi- 
tion, with  the  Author's  last  Corrections  and  Improvements.  To  which  is  Prefix- 
ed a  short  Account  of  his  Life,  written  by  Himselt  With  a  Portrait  of  the  Au- 
thor. 6  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 

JAY'S  WORKS.  Complete  Works  of  Rev.  William  Jay:  comprising  his  Sermons, 
Family  Discourses,  Morning  and  Evening  Exercises  for  every  Day  in  the  Year, 
Family  Prayers,  &c.  Author's  enlarged  Edition,  revised.  3  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth, 
$600. 

JEFFERSON'S  DOMESTIC  LIFE.  The  Domestic  Life  of  Thomas  Jefferson  :  com- 
piled from  Family  Letters  and  Reminiscences  by  his  Great-Granddaughter, 
SARAH  N.  RANDOLPH.  With  Illustrations.  Crown  Svo,  Illuminated  Cloth,  Bev- 
eled Edges,  $2  50. 

JOHNSON'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Samuel  Johnson,  LL.D.  With 
an  Essay  on  his  Life  and  Genius,  by  AKTUUR  MURPHY,  Esq.  Portrait  of  Johnson. 
2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

KINGLAKE'S  CRIMEAN  WAR.  The  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,  and  an  Account  of 
its  Progress  down  to  the  Death  of  Lord  Raglan.  By  ALEXANDER  WILLIAM  KING- 
LAKE.  With  Maps  and  Plans.  Two  Vols.  ready.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00  per  vol. 

KINGSLEY'S  WEST  INDIES.  At  Last:  A  Christmas  in  the  West  Indies.  By 
CHARLES  KINGSLEY.  Illustrated.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  50. 


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KRUMMACHER'S  DAVID,  KING  OF  ISRAEL.  David,  the  King  of  Israel :  a  Por- 
trait drawn  from  Bible  History  and  the  Book  of  Psalms.  By  FREDERICK  WILLIAAI 
KRCMMACIIEI!,  D.D.,  Author  of  "Elijah  the  Tishbite,"  &c.  Translated  under  the 
express  Sanction  of  the  Author  by  the  Rev.  M.  G.  EASTON,  M.A.  With  a  Letter 
from  Dr.  Krummacher  to  his  American  Readers,  and  a  Portrait.  12mo,  Cloth, 
$175. 

LAMB'S  COMPLETE  WORKS.  The  Works  of  Charles  Lamb.  Comprising  his  Let- 
ters, Poems,  Essays  of  Elia, -Essays  upon  Shakspeare,  Hogarth,  &c.,  and  a  Sketch 
of  his  Life,  with  the  Final  Memorials,  by  T.  NOON  TALFOL-KD.  Portrait.  2  vols., 
12mo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

LIVINGSTONE'S  SOUTH  AFRICA.  Missionary  Travels  and  Researches  in  South 
Africa ;  including  a  Sketch  of  Sixteen  Years'  Residence  in  the  Interior  of  Africa, 
and  a  Journey  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Loando  on  the  West  Coast ;  thence 
across  the  Continent,  down  the  River  Zambesi,  to  the  Eastern  Ocean.  By  DAVID 
LIVINGSTONE,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  With  Portrait,  Maps  by  Arrowsmith,  and  numerous 
Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  50. 

LIVINGSTONES'  ZAMBESI.  Narrative  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi  and  its 
Tributaries,  and  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Lakes  Shirwa  and  Nyassa.  1858-1864. 
By  DAVID  and  CUAKLES  LIVINGSTONE.  With  Map  and  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth, 
$500. 

M'CLINTOCK  &  STRONG'S  CYCLOPAEDIA.  Cyclopsedia  of  Biblical,  Theological, 
and  Ecclesiastical  Literature.  Prepared  by  the  Rev.  JOUN  M'CLINTOCK,  D.D., 
and  JAMES  STRONG,  S.T.D.  4  vols.  now  ready.  Royal  Svo.  Price  per  vol.,  Cloth, 
$5  00 ;  Sheep,  $6  00 ;  Half  Morocco,  $8  00. 

MARCY-S  ARMY  LIFE  ON  THE  BORDER.  Thirty  Years  of  Army  Life  on  the 
Border.  Comprising  Descriptions  of  the  Indian  Nomads  of  the  Plains ;  Explo- 
rations of  New  Territory;  a  Trip  across  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  Winter; 
Descriptions  of  the  Habits  of  Different  Animals  found  in  the  West,  and  the  Meth- 
ods of  Hunting  them;  with  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Different  Frontier  Men,  &c., 
&c.  By  Brevet  Brigadier-General  R.  B.  MAROT,  U.S.A.,  Author  of  "The  Prairie 
Traveller."  With  numerous  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $3  00. 

MACAULAY'S  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND.  The  History  of  England  from  the  Ac- 
cession of  James  II.  By  THOMAS  B  ABINGTON  MACACLAY.  With  an  Original  Por- 
trait of  the  Author.  5  vols,,  8vo,  Cloth,  $10  00 ;  12mo,  Cloth,  $T  50. 

MOSHEIM'S  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  Ancient  and  Modern ;  in  which  the 
Rise,  Progress,  and  Variation  of  Church  Power  are  considered  in  their  Connec- 
tion with  the  State  of  Learning  and  Philosophy,  and  the  Political  History  of  Eu- 
rope during  that  Period.  Translated,  with  Notes,  &c.,  by  A.  MACI.ATNE,  D.D. 
A  new  Edition,  continued  to  1826,  by  C.  COOTE,  LL.D.  2  vols.,  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  00. 

NEVTUS'S  CHINA.  China  and  the  Chinese:  a  General  Description  of  the  Country 
and  its  Inhabitants ;  its  Civilization  and  Form  of  Government ;  its  Religious  and 
Social  Institutions ;  its  Intercourse  with  other  Nations ;  and  its  Present  Condition 
and  Prospects.  By  the  Rev.  JOHN  L.  NEVITS,  Ten  Years  a  Missionary  in  China. 
With  a  Map  and  Illustrations.  12mo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

THE  DESERT  OF  THE  EXODUS.  Journeys  on  Foot  in  the  Wilderness  of  the 
Forty  Years'  Wanderings ;  undertaken  in  connection  with  the  Ordnance  Survey 
of  Sinai  and  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund.  By  E.  H.  PALMER,  M.A.,  Lord 
Almoner's  Professor  of  Arabic,  and  Fellow  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge. 
With  Maps  and  numerous  Illustrations  from  Photographs  and  Drawings  taken 
on  the  spot  by  the  Sinai  Survey  Expedition  and  C.  F.  Tyrwhitt  Drake.  Crown 
Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

OLIPHANT'S  CHINA  AND  JAPAN.  Narrative  of  the  Earl  of  Elgin's  Mission  to 
China  and  Japan,  in  the  Years  1S57,  '58,  '59.  By  LAURENCE  OLIPIIANT,  Private 
Secretary  to  Lord  Elgin.  Illustrations,  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

OLIPHANT'S  (MRS,}  LIFE  OF  EDWARD  IRVING.  The  Life  of  Edward  Irving, 
Minister  of  the  National  Scotch  Church,  London.  Illustrated  by  his  Journals  and 
Correspondence.  By  Mrs.  OLIPHANT.  Portrait.  8vo,  Cloth,  $3  50. 

EAWLINSON'S  MANUAL  OF  ANCIENT  HISTORY.  A  Manual  of  Ancient  His- 
tory, from  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Fall  of  the  Western  Empire.  Comprising 
the  History  of  Chaldaea,  Assyria,  Media,  Babylonia,  Lydia,  Phoenicia,  Syria,  Jn- 
d«a,  E<*ypt,  Carthage,  Persia,  Greece,  Macedonia,  Parthia,  and  Rome.  By 
GEORGE  RAWLINSON,  M.A.,  Camden  Professor  of  Ancient  History  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oxford.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  50. 


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RECLUS'S  THE  EARTH.  The  Earth  :  a  Descriptive  History  of  the  Phenomena  and 
Life  of  the  Globe.  By  EI.ISEE  KEOLUS.  Translated  by  the  late  13.  B.  Woodward, 
nnd  Edited  by  Henry  Woodward.  With  234  Maps  and  Illustrations,  and  23  Pa<*e 
Maps  printed  in  Colors.  Svo,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

POETS  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY.  The  Poets  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. Selected  and  Edited  by  the  Rev.  ROBERT  ABIS  WILLMOTT.  With  English 
and  American  Additions,  arranged  by  EVERT  A.  DUYOKINOK,  Editor  of  "  Cyclo- 
paedia of  American  Literature."  Comprising  Selections  from  the  Greatest  Au- 
thors of  the  Age. 
the  most  Emir 
Paper,  richly 
Full  Turkey  Morocco,  $9  00. 

SHAKSPEARE.  The  Dramatic  Works  of  William  Shakspeare,  with  the  Corrections 
and  Illustrations  of  Dr.  JOHNSON,  G.  STEEVENS,  and  others.  Revised  by  ISAAC 
REED.  Engravings.  C  vols.,  Royal  12mo,  Cloth,  $9  00. 

SMILES'S  LIFE  OF  THE  STEPHENSONS.  The  Life  of  George  Stephenson,  and 
of  his  Son,  Robert  Siepheuson  ;  comprising,  also,  a  History  of  the  Invention  and 
Introduction  of  the  Railway  Locomotive.  By  SAMUEL  SMILES,  Author  of  "Self- 
Help,"  &c.  With  Steel  Portraits  and  numerous  Illustrations.  Svo,  Cloth,  $3  00. 

SillLES'S  HISTORY  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  The  Hnguenots :  their  Settlements, 
Churches,  and  Industries  in  England  and  Ireland.  By  SAMUEL  SMILES.  With  an 
Appendix  relating  to  the  Hugueuots  in  America.  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $1  75. 

SPEKE'S  AFRICA.  Journal  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Source  of  the  Nile.  By  Cap- 
tain JOHN  BANNING  SPEKE,  Captain  II.  M.  Indian  Army,  Fellow  and  Gold  Med- 
alist of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  Hon.  Corresponding  Member  and  Gold 
Medalist  of  the  French  Geographical  Society,  &c.  With  Maps  and  Portraits  and 
numerous  Illustrations,  chiefly  from  Drawings  by  Captain  GBANT.  Svo,  Cloth, 
uniform  with  Livingstone,  Barth,  Burton,  &c.,  $4  00. 

STRICKLAND'S  (Miss)  QUEENS  OF  SCOTLAND.  Lives  of  the  Queens  of  Scot- 
land and  English  Princesses  connected  with  the  Regal  Succession  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. By  AGNES  STKICKLAND.  8  vols.,  12mo,  Cloth,  $12  00. 

THE  STUDENT'S  SERIES. 

France.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Gibbon.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Greece.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hume.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Rome.  ByLiddell.  Engravings.  12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Old  Testament  History.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

New  Testament  History.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Strickland's  Queens  of  England.    Abridged.    Engravings.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Ancient  History  of  the  East.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Hallam's  Middle  Ages.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

Lyell's  Elements  of  Geology.    12mo,  Cloth,  $2  00. 

TENNYSON'S  COMPLETE  POEMS.  The  Complete  Poems  of  Alfred  Tennyson, 
Poet  Laureate.  With  numerous  Illustrations  by  Eminent  Artists,  and  Three 
Characteristic  Portraits.  Svo,  Paper,  75  cents ;  Cloth,  $1  25. 

THOMSON'S  LAND  AND  THE  BOOK.  The  Land  and  the  Book ;  or,  Biblical  Illus- 
trations drawn  from  the  Manners  and  Customs,  the  Scenes  and  the  Scenery  of 
the  Holy  Land.  By  W.  M.  THOMSON,  D.D.,  Twenty-five  Years  a  Missionary  of  the 
A.B.C.F.M.  in  Syria  and  Palestine.  With  two  elaborate  Maps  of  Palestine,  an  ac- 
curate Plan  of  Jerusalem,  and  several  hundred  Engravings,  representing  the  Scen- 
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and.Habits  of  the  People.  2  large  12mo  vole.,  Cloth,  $5  00. 

TYERMAN'S  WESLEY.  The  Life  and  Times  of  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,  M.A.,  Found- 
er of  the  Methodists.  By  the  Rev.  LUKE  TYEKM AN,  Author  of  "  The  Life  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Wesley."  Portraits.  3  vols.,  Crown  Svo,  Cloth,  $7  50. 

VAMBERY'S  CENTRAL  ASIA.  Travels  in  Central  Asia.  Being  the  Account  of  a 
Journey  from  Teheran  across  the  Turkoman  Desert,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  the 
Caspian,  to  Khiva,  Bokhara,  and  Samarcand,  performed  in  the  Year  1863.  By 
AKMINIUS  VAMIIEUY,  Member  of  the  Hungarian  Academy  of  Pesth,  by  whom  he 
was  sent  on  this  Scientific  Mission.  With  Map  and  Woodcuts.  Svo,  Cloth,  $4  50. 

WOOD'S  HOMES  WITHOUT  HANDS.  Homes  Without  Hands :  being  a  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Habitations  of  Animals,  classed  according  to  their  Principle  of  Con- 
struction. By  J.  G.  WOOP,  M.A.,  F.L.S.  With  about  140  Illustrations.  8vo, 
Cloth,  Beveled  Edges,  $4  50. 


JC  SpUTHEW /REGIONAL  LIBRARY  F, 


A     000  767  614 


